Just want to share this guide questions I captured  (with permission from the financial manager) when I opened a Unit Trust account at POSB near our office. Actually I asked the financial manager if they have a copy of the questions or if it is available online but they don't have so I took a picture.

10 Questions All Investors Should Ask

1.      1. Do you understand my financial needs and objectives?

  Financial institutions are equipped with tools to help you understand your financial health and investment needs. It is important to go through this financial check with your financial institution before embarking on any investment product discussions.

 2. Do you know my risk profile?

 Financial institutions are equipped with tools to help you understand your financial health and investment needs. It is important to go through this financial check with your financial institution before embarking on any investment product discussions.

 3. How risky is the product?

 Usually, the first question investor ask is “what kind of returns will I get?” It is important for you to know all the risks of the product first, before knowing the returns. Find out what is the worst case scenario. Ask for details of the various risk factors that may affect your returns or put your principal at risk.

 4. What are the expected returns on the product?

 You should be familiar with the conditions attached to the payment of returns, especially for structured products. If you receive information on attractive past returns, it is not much use to you if there is a limited certainty of those returns being replicated in the future.

5.  How does this product fit my investment?

        The financial institution should focus not just on how good the products are but how well they fit our needs. All investments should be considered together with the rest of the portfolio. This will ensure that you investment portfolio is well diversified and not unnecessarily skewed by any investments. 

6     6.. What are the various fees and charges? Does the product provider have the discretion to change the fees and charges at any time?

 This will help you understand how much you are paying to invest in the product and the principal amount that is actually invested. It can also help you to assess how the financial institution and its sales staff are incentivised and compensated for selling the product.

 7. How often will you update me on the product after investment

 You should ensure that you receive product updates from your financial institutions regularly regardless of financial or economic conditions. This will allow you make adjustments to your portfolio through the investment period. Customers should check their monthly statements and raise any questions that arise to their financial institutions.

 8. How long must I stay invested? What are the penalties, restrictions and procedures if I decide to liquidate some or all of my investments earlier?

 It is important for you to understand the length of time you must be invested in order to benefit from the product. This will help investors to plan their cash flows. Make sure you have sufficient savings set aside before investing in any products.

 9.  What alternative products offer similar benefits? How does the recommended product compare with alternative products?

 You should proactively ask for product comparisons. This will enable you to compare their risk and return profiles to make an informed decision on the product that is better suited for your needs and financial situation.

 10. Have I read and understood all the information, including the prospectus/term sheet/benefit illustration and product summary as well as warnings, exclusions and disclaimers, relating to the product I am considering?

 Make sure you read and understand the documents relating to the product. Note you may be asked to indicate that you have read and understood the material in the transaction documents. Do not invest in a product if you do not understand it or are not comfortable with the risks.

Sources: These questions are based largely on those developed by the Securities Investors Association of Singapore

General Disclaimer (Please refer to the image above)

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

10 Questions All Investors Should Ask

How To Be Happy – the Science of Positive Psychology

I attended the Social Psychology Singapore Meetup yesterday at Hub Singapore.  The event was presented by Stephen Lew, founder and director of The School of Positive Psychology in Singapore. It was the most attended meetup of close to 100 people. 

What is Positive Psychology? It is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living. The goal is to make life more fulfilling.  He suggested that we need re-phrase the way we greet someone with the usual “hello”, “how are you?” or “how do you do” but instead, ask someone “What goes right in life” or simply “What is right with you?”   

Here are some test questions to guide you with your present level of satisfaction.

Satisfaction with life scale

1. In most ways, my life is close to my ideal.

2. The conditions of my life is excellent.

3. I am completely satisfied with my life,

4. So far I have gotten the most important things I want in life.

5. If I could live my life over, I would change nothing.

Rate 1-7 Strongly disagree to strongly agree

(Satisfaction with Life Scale questionnaire Scale developed by Ed Diener, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Why we need to pursue well being? Well being is not just about being happy nor being wealthy nor successful. It is the combination of our love for what we do each day, the quality of our relationships, the security of our finances, the vibrancy of our physical health and the pride of what we take in what we have contributed to our communities.

There are 5 pillars to well being and can be summarized as PERMA.

1. Positive emotions (P) -of which happiness and life satisfaction are all aspects such peace, gratitude, satisfaction, pleasure, inspiration, hope, curiosity, or love.The message is that it's really important to enjoy yourself in the here and now.

2. Engagement  (E) – state of flow (one with the music) and gratification. Time seems to stop, we lose our sense of self, and we concentrate intensely on the present.

3. Relationships (R) – care and love

4. Meaning and purpose (M) - living in service of something larger than yourself.

5. Accomplishment (A) – life and work achievement. we strive to better ourselves whether we're seeking to master a skill, achieve a worthy goal, or win a competitive event.

All are important in a flourishing life. Each is measurable and teachable. You can take an online character strengths profile at http://www.viacharacter.org/

Some takeaways that you can start developing your character. Keep a success journal and write at least 3 positive events per day in 21 days or more. In my previous practice, I wrote 3 events that I am thankful  i.e. grateful for the blessing, for helping an old person carry bag,  giving a seat to an elderly, giving smile to a sad faced person, etc.  So why the numbers 3 and 21. It takes 3 positive events to neutralize 1 negative event and 21 days to form a habit.

Last cool tip is to write a gratitude letter to someone who has had a positive impact on your life, expressing your appreciation. Mail it in using your handwriting and even better if you can deliver it in person. The important point is to get the habit of expressing your gratitude by writing it down, whether the person is not alive. 

Some good resources about Positive Psychology

www.positivepsychology.org (Literature)

www.psych.upenn.edu/seligman (literature and manuals)

www.authentichappiness.org (questionnaires)

P.S. Here's a cool video that explained about Positive Psychology.

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

Science of Positive Psychology – How to be Happy

Mr. Brian Tracy is coming to Manila on November 9, 2012 at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Makati City, Philippines.

Brian Tracy is a self-help author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, business coach, and keynote speaker. Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. 

He has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 55 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year. 

 Who Should  Attend?

This seminar is designed for every person who wants to quantum leap their success with customers in any business. The seminar is ideal for business leaders, executives, managers and supervisors that need to deliver results with customers and ensure profitability, salespeople, business owners, entrepreneurs and every person who wants to double their customers, income and profit. 

Brian Tracy is inviting you to his event, watch him below.

For more info please download the PDF at BrianTracyManila

Great News! FREE online seminar & workbook from Brian Tracy: Double Your Productivity worth USD295/PHP 12,500 will be given to the participants who will register by October 15.

The Schedule

8.00am Registration Open

9.00am Introduction and Official Launching

9.10am Morning Session

(Tea-break and Book Signing from 10.30am – 11.00am)

12.30pm Networking Lunch and Book Signing Ceremony

1.30pm Afternoon Session

(Tea-break and Book Signing from 3.00pm – 3.30pm)

5.00pm End of Session

What Will You Learn and Gain?

Learn how to make more sales in any market. Generate greater revenues and increase your profits against any competition. Move into the top 20 percent of people and businesses in the world today.

Over the past 30 years I have trained more than 5,000,000 business owners, entrepreneurs, executives and salespeople in 60 countries worldwide.

I will share with you some of the very best methods and techniques used by top people everywhere to increase their sales, income and profitability.

In this exciting fast-moving one-day seminar, you will learn the following:

Session 1 – The Qualities of Top Achievers

• Apply the 80/20 Rule to everything you do

• Become the best in your field

• Develop unshakable self-confidence

• Increase your enthusiasm and commitment

• Take complete charge of your work and life

Session 2 – Setting Powerful Goals for Success

• Learn the three factors that determine your future

• Practice the seven most effective steps to goal setting

• Determine your most important values

• Identify your most important goals in every area

• Decide upon your “Major Definite Purpose

• Achieve more in the next year than most people achieve in five to ten years

Session 3 – Targeting & Prospecting – The Key to Winning more Customers

• Identify your best prospects for what you have to offer

• Focus your time on new business development

• Practice the three keys to greater sales

• Learn the qualities of a good prospect

• Get more appointments with better prospects

• Discover the real reasons that customers need your service or product

Session 4 – Building Trust and Credibility

• Build high-quality relationships with customers

• Learn the “Relationship Model” of selling

• Develop high levels of trust with each person

• Practice essential listening skills

• Build a positive reputation in your market

Session 5 – Uncover Customer Needs & Desires

• Ask your way to success with great questions

• Find the real reason why your customers will buy and why they keep buying more

• Uncover hidden buying motives

• Eliminate the price objection immediately

• Question for clarification

Session 6 – Presenting Powerfully With Maximum Influence

• Use the “Golden Triangle Method” to convince anyone

• Position yourself as an expert in your field

• Teach the customer how to benefit the most from your product or service

• Show, tell and ask questions continually

• Practice the “Trial Close” throughout

Session 7 – Answering Objections Clearly

• Identify the six major objections to any sale

• Uncover and neutralize price objections

• Sell higher priced products against lower priced competition

• Deal effectively with initial sales resistance

Session 8 – Closing the Deal and Securing More Business

• Prepare properly to close the deal

• Ask the customer to buy seven ways

• Practice the best closing techniques – used by the highest paid business people worldwide

• Increase your closing ratio from one in ten to one in two

• Learn the most important skill for gaining more business

Session 9 – Getting Re-sales and Referrals

• Make your customers happy they bought from you

• Get customers to double their purchase and buy again and again

• Respond quickly to customer questions and problems

• Develop a “Golden Chain” of referrals to multiply your number of customers

• Get two new prospects for every customer and get one new customer for every customer

Session 10 – Managing Your Time and Results

• Double your productivity, performance and income

• Focus on the most important use of your time

• Make a list and set priorities each day

• Use the “ABCDE Method” of results management

• Overcome procrastination and multiply your performance.

Summary – The Seven Secrets to Double Your Customers and Profit

You learn seven things you can do every day to be the

top performer in your field.

You learn the proven, practical methods of excellence

practiced by the highest paid people in the world of

business.

You learn the most important skills you need to double

and to continuously increase your customers and profit

in any market.

For more info please download the PDF at BrianTracyManila

Great News!

FREE online seminar & workbook from Brian Tracy: Double Your Productivity worth USD295/PHP 12,500 will be given to the participants who will register by October 15.

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

Brian Tracy Live in Manila – Double Your Customers and Profits

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

The Value of Personal Development

(click the image to enlarge)

No eyes has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM.

Please register below.

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

Christian Life Seminar Singapore 2012

Family Values worth fighting for – Lessons Learned

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

Family Values worth fighting for

Wishing You my friend and your family a Very Meaningful, Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year! 

Let us share God's love this holiday season.

Please allow me to sing a song for you.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 

Music composed by Hugh Martin, lyrics by Ralph Blane

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light

From now on,

our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,

From now on, 

our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years 

We all will be together,

If the Fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.  

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams

We had another great night for Personal Excellence and Growth meetup about the topic “Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams”. Incidentally, while on my way to the event place, I managed to pass along a bookshop selling second hand books besides the National Library Building. Wow, I found gold bars; I mean I bought two (2) books – Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams (hardbound) by Steven K. Scott and Getting Things Done by David Allen just for five (5) Singapore dollars in total. What a great deal considering the books still looked new?

Mr. Patrick Yc Lim, event organizer and speaker, shared a story of Edmund Hillary, as being the first person together with a Sherpa mountaineer to reach the summit of Mount Everest. A handout of his story was given to us and you too can get the article at Edmund Hillary story.

Patrick gave us an exercise and he laid down sets of 3D stickers of animals and insects such as whales, butterflies, dragonflies, bugs, etc. We were asked to pick one animal or insect and explained the reasons of our choice. I chose dolphin because it symbolized adventure, freedom and fun. It represents harmony with others with its strong communication skills. Dolphins easily adapt to a community and can be trustworthy.

The exercise taught us about life of making choices. Why did we choose and why we didn’t choose the other options. What were our motives in the selection process?

In life, we need to ask a question in making a choice. Is this activity will help me in moving towards my dreams and goals? Here’s a great guide that will help you in going the direction of your goals. Get a blank sheet of paper. Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the paper. Above the line, draw an upward arrow and write down Responsibility.  Below the line is a downward arrow indicating blame, excuses, justify.

Your ability to respond is the key to every decision you take. Responsibility is about taking ownership of your choices. Their motto is: “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” When you do that, then you’re living above the line. The opposite is when you start the blame game. You blame the government, your parents or your friends from the poor results you made. You make an excuse about the traffic situation for coming late in a meeting. Others justify that they can’t become wealthy because they don’t have the right education. Did you notice any commonality among these? They are all telling a story, mostly of BS and full of crap. Be very careful with people who practiced this kind of behavior. Simply walk away from this kind of crowd.

Let us dig deeper and have a look about the input and output realities of our decision. What are the things needed to change our desired outcome. What determines an outcome is our behavior. It refers to the way a person behaves towards other people or other circumstances or events. A good motto is “how you do anything is how you do everything.” The behavior of a person is identified with an attitude. Our attitude determines what we see and how we handle our feelings. Say, if people think that smoking is bad for their health, then, they will quit. What determines an attitude is how you believe in yourself. Beliefs are the assumptions we create about ourselves. The clearer you are about what you believe and value, the happier and more effective you will be. A good sample of a belief system, success is not what you know; success is what you do with what you know. Most of our limitations we face in life are self imposed and created from our environment. Our thinking habits are generated from our parents, school, friends, and colleagues. The way we think is like computer software and we can reprogram the input. We can achieve this by reading books and learning from highly successful people. We see things in a different perspective.

Our choices will lead us to our desired goals if we follow the simple discipline of success. On the other hand, we drift away from our goals if we take the simple errors in judgment of failure.

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams

12 Ways to Improve Your Self-Image (Part 2 of 2)

(Please read 12 Ways to Improve Your Self-Image part 1 of 2 before you continue in case you have not)

7.  Unmask

A mask is a personality trait that you create and project to the world. Its purpose is to hide the real you. Masks are symbols of insecurity and self-doubt. They are often the result of someone’s expectations for someone else; it is generally at the expense of suppressing the real you.

“Time's glory is to calm contending kings, to unmask falsehood and bring truth to light.” - William Shakespeare

Remove the mask of someone else’s expectations and stop deceiving yourself. As long as the mask remains

8. Have compassion

You must be sensitive to the needs of others and be willing to give assistance.  As you progress along your success journey, you can acquire a greater sensitivity and a greater responsibility to the plight and condition of others. This human sensitivity puts you in harmony with your Creator, and elevates the quality of your own being.

All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. - Dalai Lama

We have dominion over every living thing on the earth. Genesis 1:28 tells “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”  This godlike dominion implies that it is our duty to be sensitive to and respond to the needs of others. This does not just apply to human beings, but to all things which live upon the earth. So, you must have compassion for, and be sensitive to the plight and needs of all living things – people, animals, plants, and the environment.

9. Grow from your mistakes

No one has ever succeeded without making mistakes. I got some bruises and lots of fall off the bicycle when I was learning to ride. If you are making mistakes, at least you know that you are trying. Mistakes are life-lessons in wisdom.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” - Albert Einstein

Often, you learn more from your mistakes and failures than from your successes. You determine what works in a particular situation by learning what does not work and then trying again.

Let your mistakes, through intelligent analysis and corrective actions, become markers showing the way on your journey to improve your life. You can’t live long enough to make mistakes all by yourself. Be willing to listen and learn from the mistakes of other people.

10. Acknowledge your weaknesses

Any weakness or personal shortcoming that is not acknowledged cannot be overcome. Refusing to accept your weaknesses can lead you to rationalization and self deception. You perpetuate that condition.

“Our strength grows out of our weaknesses “-    Ralph Waldo Emerson

11. Be Yourself

People who pretend to be someone or something other than themselves never discover who they really are. When you try to be someone else, you become separated from your true self, your energies are diluted and your personal magnetism is greatly diminished. When you are true to yourself, you are in harmony with yourself, with other people, and with the world around you.

I advised my 8 year old son, just be yourself at your very best all the time. He has been consistent being on the top of his class.

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

12.  Never stop growing

The moment you reject the growth principle of life, you accept the static principle of death. The only way to attain the good health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity you seek and deserve is to grow into these qualities and attributes. To maintain them, you must continue to grow in knowledge, understanding and consciousness.

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. – Benjamin Franklin

Improving and developing your self-image into a positive is the best first step you can take on building the new you. It is upon your newly developed self-image that the foundation for the mansion of your dreams is built. If this foundation is based on doubt, fear, and negativity, your mansion cannot stand. But if it is built on truth, courage, compassion, self-confidence, love, and faith, your mansion stands on solid ground. It will stand forever.

“He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.” – Luke 6:48

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

12 Ways to Improve Your Self-Image part 2 of 2

12 Ways to Improve Your Self-Image (Part 1 of 2)

1. Be Honest with Yourself.

This is the best gift you can give to yourself.  How can people trust you if you are deceiving yourself? Pretending that everything is alright is one form of self deception. You are like a gardener who pretends that there are no weeds in the garden as he busies himself planting new flowers. One day he looks up from his planting and realizes that, in spite of all his efforts, the weeds have consumed his garden. When you are dishonest with yourself you destroy the possibilities for self growth and improvement. The weeds will consume your garden.

2. Develop Your Imagination

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” – Proverbs 29:18

Your imagination is the blueprint for your future reality. It is the first step in the creative process.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” – Albert Einstein

Develop your imagination by reading stimulating material. Meet up and get involved with exciting, successful people who can expand your realm of experience. Meditate regularly and engage in artistic endeavors. See more possibilities in every experience and every relationship.

If you can think it, you can do it. If you can visualize it, you can become it.

Once your vision – the thoughts about yourself and the world – is firmly crystallize in your imagination, it cannot fail to be realized.

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” -  Jamie Paolinetti

Where your imagination leads, your reality will follow

3. Be able to relax

Relaxation is the key to stress reduction, and to mental and physical regeneration. Without the ability to relax on a regular basis, you can, in over time, become victim to accumulated stress. This accumulated stress can lower your energy level, impede your judgment, and actually cause physical illness. Simple tiredness can distract your efforts and change the outcomes you experience in your endeavors.

If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it. – Herodotus (484 BC – 430 BC)

4.  Have that winning feeling

Everyone loves a winner.

The winning feeling is a strong positive attitude of accomplishment. It is reflected in the way you talk, your handshake, walk, act and even the way you dress. People are attracted to you when you have that winning feeling. Most people are quite willing to aid and assist to aid and assist you on your path to accomplishment.

“Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything.” – Vince Lomabardi

5. Cultivate Good Habits

Habits are actions or behavior patterns that become automatic over time, through frequent repetition and consistency. Good habits are those which induce positive cycles of good health, proper rest, a balanced diet, regular exercise, and right thinking. By developing good habits, you establish a harmonious relationship with all that’s good for you.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." – Aristotle

When you strip away all other excuses and explanations, where you are right now, whatever is going on in your life, positive or negative, is a direct result of your habits.

“First we make our habits, and then our habits make us.”

6. Aim to be Happy.

Expect happiness and be happy.

Expect each day to be full of happiness. Always wear that cheerful smile whenever you meet people. Approach and experience each day from a perspective of happiness. Focus on the good and positive aspects of every moment. What you focus on, through faith, will happen. When you face each day with a great sense of anticipation and expectancy, you become magnetized for the object of your expectations.

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

(Please read the last part for the 12 Ways to Improve Your Self-Image part 2 of 2)

Post from: Jerome Castañeda

12 Ways to Improve Your Self-Image part 1 of 2