Living in JB

[ginfreely]

I deal with many computer related people. More than 10 years back, I see repairmen from Singapore for computer and printer repair, now I hardly see them except for high end hardware. I usually see PRC and Indian . Now even cablemen are not the usual Singaporean/M'sia, I see Pinoy foremen, PRC and Indian. This is why I have lesser faith for fellow countrymen going into this trade.

I remember there was a time when govt were asking retrench people over 35+ to go for computer repairs course and many did not get a job in those line eventually. Are they not good enough or are there more young men that can do it better at lower price ?

If parents are wealthy, they can afford to let kids try out career that fit them nicely but for those who are not, job security would be 1st priority. Unfortunately, I belong to second category ! When I asked my son what he would like to be ? He said to be pay playing computer game everyday and he will truely be happy. I am dumbfounded. I have yet to find any such job for youngster today. Professional gamers , does it pay enough to pay bills ?

Yeah last week my maintenance office hired a contractor to check the TV signal and three Filipinos turned up. Don't know why need three persons to check a cable though...

 

[ginfreely]

Then you are lucky to meet the good ones. I know of many who leave nothing but debts to their kids. The best inheritance one can leave to ones scion are not houses, not stocks no gold but good and sound education.

Hmm leave debts to their kids..you mean loan shark debts? thought legal debts will be written off if not enough to deduct from inheritance left behind...

 

[cathylmg]

Hmm leave debts to their kids..you mean loan shark debts? thought legal debts will be written off if not enough to deduct from inheritance left behind...

Gigantic medical bills to name one.... :(

 

[ginfreely]

There is actually a growing community of experts here who are big time investors, got introduced to some guys recently
so hoping to learn more from the experts.

Hi wuqi or anyone can advise what is the estate duty like in JB? Like how much they'll deduct when one passes away in JB and the house is given to someone as inheritance... Do they recognise a will made in Singapore?

 

[ginfreely]

Gigantic medical bills to name one.... :(

haha yeah forgot about this...one bill can wipe out all savings...

 

[cathylmg]

haha yeah forgot about this...one bill can wipe out all savings...

This is my personal experience. :(

 

[ginfreely]

Aiyo i just told my wife yday that she could take everything.

Cause she also cant take it and go anywhere what? Right? Being the mum surely she would leave it for her kids!

Wow your wife must have felt very happy...oh I'm neutral on this, some people might have misgivings of spouse remarrying (especially widower) and the kids are disadvantaged, especially when there are kids from the new marriage, anyway this is what i hear from people i come across and not meant to be representive hor...

 

[LeMans2011]

Regarding the high maintenance charge at Leisure Farm, this is what they explained to me:

Strata-titled - expect to be expensive due to the need to maintain common properties.. for the case of Bayou Water Village i presume that would include maintaining that man-made canal
Individual titled - cheap, about RM200 plus for Bayou Creek

 

[ginfreely]

Ginfreely, the petrol kiosk thing was one of the first things i thought of but was quickly put down by a local friend. Its one of the racial restriction thingy from what i understand.

Wow wuqi bro, you see me so up...not petrol kiosk lah, i was just thinking aloud and the kiosk i mean a stall in shopping centre lah..that time i saw one woman man a stall selling guess what just a plate of snacks placed on a tray and she seems quite happy SMSing although in the more than half an hour that i sit around there resting, saw she only had one customer...may be she is the staff only or if she is the owner of business, the rental must be really low there and she is not worried....

oh petrol kiosk is not small but big business leh, remember decades ago as a secondary student i did temp job at a market research agency as counter counting the number of cars going into the petrol kiosk in the whole day...there were a few petrol kiosks at that area and one of them assigned the agency to check out the competition...may be people doing eatery business also can do that to check out the traffic before renting? of course i no expert lah, just sharing my layman views..

 

[ginfreely]

This is my personal experience. :(

can share more what happened?

 

[avalon74]

My two and a half cents:

1) Gold is one of the safest investments to date. Yes it may not give you fancy stock market returns. But it still gives you decent returns in the long term. My Gold investments have more than doubled in value. I dun have any plans to see them either.
..........

Bro,
Good for you, my stock picks are far from accurate & still had 1 china stock under suspension.
Made me learn the importance of picking right stocks with proper corporate governance..

However I am sticking with stock over the mid/long term..

To all investors, regardless of the instruments.. huat ah!

 

[avalon74]

No leh, almost all parents I meet want to leave inheritance to their kids, may be not to their wife/husband but certainly to their children

That's true.. however the caution is that the children shd not be brought up with the idea that all is being provided for them, leading to complacency..
Else they may turn up to be bummers.. relying on parents.. (Reminds me of George in Seinfeld)

 

[avalon74]

My friend working in fund management company also said DCA is the best, she follows it herself and made very good gains over the last few years. I never follow her advice though. Now I stick to dividend stocks only, no more unit trust after the painful technology unit trust experience, am still holding to it...now half price only :(

Heard of a saying
Unit trust = You Need Trust..

 

[iamapseudoneem]

Hi all

Allow me to share my brief story. Have been going in and out of JB for makan/shopping/holiday for as long as I can remember. When got hitched in 2002 already planned to get a property in JB (can u imagine how cheeep that can be at that time?). Alas my missus was not for it for all the negative reasons that all bros/sis have mentioned in this forum.

We r both professionals. Have cleared my 5 rm HDB loan within that time and with 3 lovely kids fr P3 to Pre-sch. Took almost 10 yrs to convince the other better half.. during which from no restrictions by msian govt to min 500k rule imposed. Well it is better late than never right .

I do not regret for it is no use if I were to buy earlier and my missus neva wanna stay or step inside the hse. But now she is the one who kept planning what to buy or put in the new hse in 1+ yrs time. Plan to clear the loan in 10-12yrs..

Although we are not immediate neighbours, it is still good to know of fellow sporeans from different developments.

Btw i am taking the plunge at NI.

Wish me luck =)

Welcome neighbor! Which precinct did you get? Is it the semi-D at Precinct 4 or the new launch at 7?
I'm at Precinct 8. Good luck!

 

[avalon74]

Hangyong:

Just like buying stock. you buy/sell the fund on the exchange no middle man. ETFs tend to mirror whichever sectorial indices and are not actively managed therefore cheaper and faster to dispose or buy since no middle man. SGX main board lists some of these ETFs (e.g. from lyxor sectors in india, china etc). hope i got in correct, any person with professional training correct me if I am wrong =p

ETF are low expense ratio funds as contrast to Unit Trust/Mutual Trust..
Whether faster to dispose depends on volume being traded.. similar to common stocks in sgx..

 

[Analytical Professor]

Definitely support that its fully relevant.

I thought the news on new President candidate is more relevant as front page.

 

[Analytical Professor]

We may not rejoin Malaysia (out of selfish interests ofcourse of the powers that be!) but surely there will be greater cooperation between the 2 neighbours out of mutual benefit. In one word SYMBIOSIS.

I believe NJ will succeed although the gestation period may not be to our liking!

 

[Analytical Professor]

I think for the amount of money we pay the Town Councils do a reasonable job.

 

[Analytical Professor]

What you said is quite possible! Very much possible especially in the new age that we live in.

In my case, my wife is lucky lah.

Wow your wife must have felt very happy...oh I'm neutral on this, some people might have misgivings of spouse remarrying (especially widower) and the kids are disadvantaged, especially when there are kids from the new marriage, anyway this is what i hear from people i come across and not meant to be representive hor...

 

[Analytical Professor]

Nicely written and explained.

You stay at LF too?

Regarding the high maintenance charge at Leisure Farm, this is what they explained to me:

Strata-titled - expect to be expensive due to the need to maintain common properties.. for the case of Bayou Water Village i presume that would include maintaining that man-made canal
Individual titled - cheap, about RM200 plus for Bayou Creek