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What to look out in a will writing?
2008-05-08 02:33:00
An idea I extracted on a check list in newspaper for will writing Eg. 1. Appointing suitable personal representatives who will take charge of your estate and distribute it according to your will; 2. Deciding what to do with assets such as properties, investments, insurance proceeds and cars, after your death; 3. Appointing guardians for young children; and 4. Gifts to relatives, friends and charitable organisations. WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE A WILL AND DIED: Your estate will be distributed according to intestacy rules. it would be shared between my husband and children. If You were childless… Half of your estate would go to husband and half to your parents. If You were single and childless… Your parents would inherit your estate equally. In the absence of your parents, your siblings would inherit your estate, but if they were deceased, their children would be next in line. If You had no siblings… Your grandparents would be beneficiaries. And in their abse...
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Understanding Forex
2008-05-07 02:28:00
1. Buy Low Sell High The simplest way to do this is to go into a bank and open a foreign-currency fixed deposit account. Then you wait, hoping the currency you have invested in will strengthen against the Singdollar so you can earn a profit. Or You can also open a dual-currency account which we encourage that one should have a clear and better understanding before they even invest in it. 2 Join the carry trade In the carry trade, investors borrow low-yielding currencies and lend high-yielding ones. For example, with interest rates in Singapore currently at around 0.2 per cent, it seems beneficial to borrow in Singdollars and park the money in currencies such as the Aussie dollar, with interest rates in Australia at about 6.5 per cent, or the Kiwi dollar, with rates in New Zealand at about 8 per cent. According to a forex strategist at OCBC Bank, high-yielding currencies like the New Zealand dollar may have inherently higher historical and market-implied volatility. ie, exchange rat...
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Understanding foreign currencies trading and dual currency deposit
2008-05-06 08:24:00
Currency markets have weak correlations to stock and bond markets, hence their growing popularity among retail investors as a way to diversify portfolios. However, forex trading, like other forms of investment, involves a substantial risk of loss. There are two ways to get returns from using your Singapore dollars to buy other currencies. 1) First, you make money if the other currency appreciates at a faster pace than the Singdollar. 2) Alternatively, You can also invest in ‘high-yield’ currencies in countries that offer relatively high interest rates on deposits. Currently, these include Australia and New Zealand. You can buy foreign currency deposits at any local or foreign bank. Currency-linked structured products are another possibility. Eg. Dual Currency Deposits. With these, you bet that a currency will either rise above or stay at the pre-set price, or strike price, at a specific point in time. If correct, you will get your principal back and earn a pre-set rate...
More About: Trading , Currency , Foreign , Currencies , Understanding

Why You Need Major Organ/Bone Marrow Transplantation?
2008-05-06 03:22:00
When one gets affected by extensive cancer in particular, then there is a need of major organ/bone marrow transplantation. Concurrently, you need to judge on the metastasis and related complications. However, to save the life of the patient, many times transplantations are recommended. In 1950 to 1970, scientist Thomas worked out on these transplantations and subsequently got a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Epidemiological study revealed that only in 1954, first successful kidney transplant was done. When major organs like heart, liver or kidney get highly infected with structural damages, the transplantation of major organs is required. For example,  multiple valvular damages of heart, end stage illness of both liver and kidney become the causal factors for the transplantation of the concerned major organs. The causes for the need of bone marrow transplantation include the existence of progressing genetic diseases like Hurlers syndrome. In aplastic anemia, sickle cell an...
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What to look out for in “get rich” trading tips
2008-05-05 02:14:00
The newspaper indicated a lot of courses outside have been offering get rich schemes of people investing their money $3000-7000 in options or forex trading only to earn a little money back or lost it all. 38 people recently sued an options company for over promise and underdeliver. For Those who have heard before Joe Gerad’s seminar recently at NAC seminar 2008 would probably know that he advocates that there is nothing as quick money, get rich fast or “secrets offered by experts”. He advocated to take one step at a time. It is thus important to note what you are buying into and study it well. Banks are also smart to roll out foreign currencies tied up of “dual currency deposits” which aren’t really fixed deposits. According to trading experts, it takes time to master one form of investment vehicle well and time also to make consistent wealth. The recent Forex trader Ed Ponsi featured in the press also encouraged only to use 2% of wealth into for...
More About: Rich , Tips , Trading

How You Can Heal Faster with Exercise!
2008-05-04 07:49:00
Differ from the past when doctors were afraid to let heart patients exercise, heart-attack patients are in bed for barely half a day before they are up and moving. This shows that exercise can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia, osteoporosis, gallstones, falls, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease and 12 kinds of cancer. Or an ailment such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, congestive heart failure or osteoarthritis? You can still exercise also if you’re always tired or in pain or have trouble breathing. According to Ms Marilyn Moffat, a professor of physical therapy at New York University (as mentioned in the newspaper) , the data she collected shows that regular moderate exercise increases one’s ability to battle the effects of disease. The goal is to do as much physical activity as your body lets you do and rest when you need to rest.The core of cardiac rehabil...
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Get to Know the Symptoms of Muscular dystrophy
2008-05-01 04:06:00
Muscular dystrophy is one of the conditions affecting muscles in many persons. The affected persons have difference in their gait and often complain about the difficulty in climbing or coming down the stairs. Yeah… Muscle related complaints are often noticed in these cases. Many times, medical experts are able to differentiate these changes well. There may be changes in the appearance of calf muscles. Bulging is often noticed in this region and some times, muscle cramps may occur. Stiffness of the muscular areas may be noticed or felt by the patient himself. Drooping eyelids is reported. Muscle spasms may occur or foot dropping may be noticed often. Hunch back appearance may be seen or lordosis is apparent in the affected persons. Curvature of spine becomes more prominent and there may be difficulty in getting up after the fall. Many times, there may be frequent falling incidences. Waddling gait is often reported in the concerned persons. Diagnosis is often based on history a...
More About: Symptoms , Muscular

What is Muscular Dystrophy?
2008-04-30 17:31:00
The muscular dystrophy is a condition in which muscles become weakened due to many causal factors. Slowly, the restructured muscle layers get replaced by fat and connective tissue fibers. Many times, multiple systems get connected, this complicating the problem to a greater extent including the gastro intestinal and nervous systems. Oculo-pharyngeal, myotonic diseases etc. are classified under this disorder. Mostly voluntary muscles get affected and however, cardiac muscles etc. also may get involved. The deficiency of the muscle protein called dystrophin becomes the etiological agent in many case of genetic oriented muscular dystrophy. There may be imbalances in the potassium level because this is concerned with muscles often. Genetic causes may be playing a concrete role in the muscular dystrophy. In 1830, Sir Charles Bill wrote on the strange muscle weakening condition encountered in boys. Death of such affected boys was reported in a gradual manner during the year 1850. Subseque...
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What is the Requirements for Keyman Insurance?
2008-04-30 02:31:00
The following is the latest guidelines on the submission of Keyman life insurance. This is according to the MAS audit requirements. Application For Keyman Insured must be a key personnel or director of the company* The following must be completed in the Keyman/ Business Loan Protection Questionnaire^ * If the insured is not the company’s director, we need information on his responsibilities / contribution to the company to be regarded as “key-man”. * If not all directors are proposed under key-man application, client needs to provide reason(s) why they are not insured Special notes on keyman cover: 1) Proposal Form and Quotation have to be signed by the insured 2) The proposal form must also be witnessed by the authorised signatory of the company (e.g HR/ Finance Mgr). It must be endorsed by the company stamp & the designation of the signatory must be stated. Witness to be signed by independent personel. Underwriting Requirement (regardless of Sum Assured/ Plan...
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Any low-risk options paying more than fixed deposits?
2008-04-29 01:31:00
Q I have always been very apprehensive about investing in funds as opposed to the safer option of putting my money in fixed deposits. However, after reading in your pages recently that interest earned from fixed deposits will be eroded by rising inflation rates, I am reconsidering my investment options. Are there low-risk investments out there that offer higher returns than fixed deposits? Also, how much of my income should be used for investments? I currently earn $4,000 a month, and after expenses, including servicing a car loan, I am left with $1,500, which I leave in my savings account. When the savings accumulate into a bigger sum, I put them into a fixed deposit account. A From the concerns you have raised, you seem pretty risk averse and have a strong preference for liquidity. In my view, you should consider an anticipated endowment where certain returns are guaranteed by an insurance company and you can withdraw about 60 per cent of your annual premium from the third yea...
More About: Options , Risk , Fixed

5 points in choosing Blue Chip Stock with good dividends to beat inflation
2008-04-28 01:24:00
Yesterday I was reading the Invest page on the investing stocks with good dividends to beat inflation, the column raised on fundmental analysis, which I extracted and place in here. This is part of the 5 pointers which I see. There are more pointers (One of the book I read on Philip Fisher’s theory on investing speaks about these points and more): 1. Does the company have the necessary know-how that is institutionalised throughout the organisation? 2. Does it have a strong competitive advantage? 3. Does it have good cash flow? 4. Is it conservative in its accounting? 5. Is it generous with dividends? A stock that answers yes to all five questions is considered a blue chip. Extracted from Sunday Straits Times 27th April 2008
More About: Inflation , Blue , Stock , Dividends , Good

What you Should Know about Encephalitis Treatment?
2008-04-27 04:20:00
The treatment of encephalitis may yield variable results. Yeah. This depends on the virulence of the organism affecting brain. However, antiviral drugs help a lot in curing the condition. Acyclovir and some times drugs like ganciclovir are used for treatment. Sedatives  are given to control the seizures or convulsions. Antibiotic injections are given especially when bacterial infections are also suspected along with the encephalitis. Corticosteroid drugs are chosen for the immediate reduction in the swelling of brain tissues. Immune based application like usage of interferon therapy is found to be useful towards offering remedy. In order to prevent this disease, suitable vector control measures need to be strengthened especially with control of mosquitoes. Similarly, the pig rearing areas need to be monitored and hygiene and health care in these species have to be improved. The diet needs to be nutritionally rich in minerals, vitamins and proteins in particular. Such measures in ad...
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What Symptoms Go Along With Having Encephalitis?
2008-04-25 04:18:00
The symptoms of encephalitis are varied ones in the affected patients. Many times, unsteady gait, less coordinated talk, fever, severe vomiting, head ache, stiffness in cervical regions etc. are always revealed by the affected persons. Some times, there may be confusion and  deranged judgment.There may be vomiting like sensation called as nausea and reduction in the free movements of the eye balls may be encountered in some cases. If not treated properly, then the encephalitis may lead finally into paralysis, seizures or convulsions and death. The disorientation and spastic paralysis are commonly encountered. But, flaccid paralysis is rarely encountered. The diagnosis of this disease needs CAT scan and other advanced techniques like collection and the subsequent examination of cerebro spinal fluid etc. Further, if there is a growth inside the skull, the radiographs may be of useful in the diagnosis. The symptoms like less coordinated talk and gait in addition to the stiffness of ne...
More About: Symptoms

Actual Education Costs in Singapore and Overseas 2008 to 2028
2008-04-24 00:22:00
Do you know the actual costings of education in Singapore , Australia and US? I have enclosed the attachment below for all of your reference. With proper planning, you can cover sufficently for the children’s education in university: university-costing-2008 .pdf
More About: Education , Costs , Overseas

Encephalitis: What We Know and What We Need to Know
2008-04-23 04:13:00
Encephalitis may be defined as the swelling of the brain tissues. Yeah. The inflammation of the brain is given this term in general. This disease condition occurs rarely in man causing  death. Incidences have been recorded in many age groups of persons. However, it is seen affecting children most of the times. This occurs in about thirty to fifty thousand persons in Asia per year. Outbreaks are rare in U.S. territories in Western  Pacific. Virus is the causal agent for this brain related disease condition.  The viral pathogen may affect the brain tissues directly or the virus may spread from some other tissues. When it directly affects, this disease is called as primary disease and when spreads from nearby or some other tissues, this is termed as secondary form. Japanese encephalitis virus, herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus etc. cause this condition. Viral form of this disease is always called as aseptic form of the disease since bacterial organisms are not the causal ...

House Fire: Be careful of your plug and what you place in the house
2008-04-22 02:33:00
Received from a friend who is in the insurance property business.It is well worth reading. It is forwarded around in our workplace and I thought it is important for the public to be informed. This is one of those e-mails that if you don’t send it, rest assured someone on your list will suffer for not reading it. The original message was written by a lady whose brother and wife learned a hard lesson this past week. Their house burnt down.. nothing left but ashes. They have good insurance so the house will be replaced and most of the contents. That is the good news. However, they were sick when they found out the cause of the fire. The insurance investigator sifted through the ashes for several hours. He had the cause of the! fire traced to the master bathroom. He asked her sister-in-law what she had plugged in the bathroom. She listed the normal things….curling iron, blow dryer. He kept saying to her, ‘No, this would be something that would disintegrate at high t...
More About: House , Fire , Place , Plug , Careful

Different Treatment Options for Deafness
2008-04-21 04:12:00
The treatment of deafness (loss of hearing) may become successful only when the deafness is secondary to the severe bacterial infections. Cochlear implants are recommended in case of sensorineural deafness. Tinnitus and acute deafness due to drugs and trauma or toxic factors may be treated with the usage of hyperbaric oxygen. Decocting methods are described in Chinese medicine using fresh ginger, Chinese dates, red peony root, peach kernel etc. Acute hypoacusis conditions were treated with the combination of antioxidants and hyperbaric oxygen in case of children. Ear wax needs to be removed in case of accumulations of wax and similarly, avoid the medications that can cause damage to ear structures like some amino glycosides. Occasionally surgery may be needed to remove pressurizing growths etc. in the region of auditory nerve or cochlear region. Myringotomy and reconstruction of  middle ear ossicles may be of useful surgeries. Fluoroquinolone compounds are currently used like cipro...
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Understanding Deafness Symptoms
2008-04-20 03:10:00
Person with deafness (loss of hearing) may not be able to hear what others are saying to him. Further, hearing of a person often depends on the extent of deafness. Similarly, the persons with partial deafness can understand in a slow manner than the persons with complete deafness. Sudden loss of hearing occurs mostly in females and is often unilateral and is called as sensorineural deafness. There is often dizziness and vertigo in such conditions. Audiometric curve helps for the diagnosis of sensorineural factor based deafness. Diagnosis of deafness can be made by simple history about the persons. Often, the relatives or the care takers of the person will automatically reveal the problem subsequent to an enquiry with them by the medical specialist. Further, otoscopy helps to rule out any lesions or injuries found in the auditory canal up to some depth. However, when the brain tissues are damaged involving the auditory nerves, then the diagnosis of the root causal factor becomes more...
More About: Symptoms , Understanding

Deafness- An Overview
2008-04-19 02:08:00
Deafness (loss of hearing) can be defined as the state in which the affected person is not able to hear properly. Yeah. Often, the person might have lost the hearing capacity fully or in some cases partially. When nerve pathways are affected, the resulting deafness is called as the  conducting hearing loss. Hence, deafness can occur due to so many reasons. First the accident involving the auditory passage or canal and the auditory nerves in the skull regions lead to the development of deafness. WHO recently reported the epidemiological survey of deafness and blindness and the associated economic analysis. Children are highly affected and many persons accidentally get affected due to sudden loud sound. Rubella virus attacking during the pregnancy may cause the deafness in the mother. Any pressurizing lesion like a tumor or a tissue growth may lead to the variable degrees of deafness. Auto immune inner ear diseases can cause loss of hearing. Genetic reasons may also lead to loss of h...
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Discover the Remedies of Blindness
2008-04-18 03:00:00
The treatment of blindness often depends on the diagnosis of the problem. However one has to resort to right kind of therapy in case of blindness. Cryotherapy by freezing the parts of ocular surfaces may lead to cure in case of retinopathy of premature infants. Omega 3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid, zinc, vitamin A etc. need to be provided adequately to treat as well as to prevent the age related macular degeneration based blindness. Avastin is used by some ophthalmologists to treat the same type of blindness. Pan retinal photocoagulation uses the laser beam in cases of diabetic retinopathy.Vitrectomy is also carried out in these cases. Implanting of encapsulated cell technology based product helps in the treatment of blindness due to degenerations of ocular structures. Avoid exposure to chemicals and irritants in a constant manner. Attend the corneal opacity or infection in the eyes immediately and follow the advice from specialists systematically to avoid the progress of infect...
More About: Remedies , Discover , Blindness

HAND FOOT MOUTH DISEASE HFMD worst hit since 2000. What should you know of
2008-04-16 03:44:00
What is hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD)? HFMD is an illness caused by intestinal viruses, the more common strains being Coxsackie virus and Enterovirus 71. Someone with HFMD usually has the following symptoms: Fever for two to three days; Sore throat and runny nose; Rash (flat or raised red spots, some with blisters) on the palms of hands, soles of feet or buttocks; Mouth ulcers; Poor appetite; Vomiting and diarrhoea; and Tiredness and weakness. Patients are infectious for the duration of the illness. Does the illness affect only children? No. Both adults and children can be affected. Young children, particularly those under the age of five, are most susceptible. What is the treatment for HFMD? No specific treatment is available, except medication to relieve the symptoms of the disease. Can you die from it? Most cases of HFMD are mild. Occasionally, serious complications involving the nervous system, heart and brain can occur, leading to death. Sources summarised from Stra...
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What does Warren Buffet Thinks
2008-04-15 09:40:00
My tutor in stocks analyst just send me this article on Warren Buffet ’s outlook: Click here
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What’s reversionary bonus?
2008-04-14 18:33:00
Where do you see this? Life insurance policies. What does it mean? Good news for you. Reversionary bonus is a bonus that insurers pay out every year that increases what’s called the ‘cash value’ of your policy. The bonus is from investing part of the premiums you pay every year on your life insurance policy. But only policies like traditional whole life and endowment have reversionary bonuses. Why is it important? When you first bought your policy, your insurance agent may have shown you a schedule of how much the cash value of your policy is projected to grow over time. He may have told you that your policy ‘breaks even’ after a certain number of years, meaning the cash value starts to exceed the premiums you pay. He may also have told you that you will receive a certain amount in cash when you surrender the policy. These values, and exactly when your policy breaks even, depends on the amount of reversionary bonuses declared each year. And how mu...
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What is Blindness?
2008-04-14 03:59:00
Even diabetes can cause retinopathy in persons with increased blood glucose level and in such persons blindness occur. Any injury in retina especially the nerves in the eyes can lead to the loss of vision. Accidental fall of chemical with corrosive nature like sulphuric acid may cause blindness. Epidemiological survey reveals that Americans get affected by blindness mostly at the age of forty and above. Age related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy are the major etiological factors in USA for the occurrence of blindness. In 1987, about 598,000 persons in USA met the legal definition of blindness. In 1798, John Dalton wrote a scientific article on deficiency of color identification and the this color blindness related problem was later called even as Daltonism. Anomalous trichromacy is an inherited form of color blindness affecting persons and monochromacy is a congenital color blindness. Uveitis, trachoma, corneal opacity and cataract contribute to blindness. I...
More About: Blindness

Yes and No to China Stocks
2008-04-14 01:19:00
YES 1 Recent slump opens up buying opportunities The meltdown, which saw many China plays sinking to 52-week lows, presents a buying opportunity. The worst may be over, and the downside risks for investors buying China stocks have become more limited as the companies are sitting on big cash pools. ‘The current levels mean a high margin of safety for entry. Go for the Chinese blue chips, which have already become blue-black,’ said DMG & Partners Securities senior dealing director Gabriel Yap. RELATED LINKS Five China plays to watch 2 Fresh interest from institutional investors New buying interest could come from special Chinese funds that can invest in markets overseas, called Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) funds. ‘More and more QDII funds in the pipeline for government approval are including Singapore as one of the markets they will invest in,’ said China-based QDII fund manager Rex Chen. 3 China growth story China’s econ...
More About: Stocks

Road accident injury claims rising
2008-04-13 06:19:00
2 yrs back I had the same incident. When I knocked into a car previously it was a light hit on the right bumper but when the bills came out, the motor workshop charge a fee on both the left and right bumper, headlights and even the bonnet. Ridiculous for hit only on the right side of the car. Workshop bills = $1600! and lawyer fees = $2800!!!! (more expensive than the workshop bills. Total repair fees was at $44,000. I was fortunate that I had reported my case early to IDAC and my insurance company had settled the bills. Naturally my ncd was affected, but I do learn a lesson. In such claims, take pictures and make both cars go through IDAC or if not now inform the insurer immediately. I now have a camera in my car all the time. News Exercepts below: —————&mdash ;————— Claims are sometimes larger than those for repairs, and they are driving premiums up Motor insurers, which have been battling the scourge of inflated repair b...
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Benign Brain Tumor Treatment Options
2008-04-13 03:47:00
Treatment options available for benign tumor are very negligible. Benign tumor societies are available and from these societies, one can get information about the community and persons affected by benign brain tumor. These activities help the patient to have more self confidence to fight against the problem. Phenytoin and carbamazine help in the control of seizures. But these drugs should be taken based on the prescriptions by a qualified medical person only. Radiation therapy shall be employed carefully and this needs consultation with a specialist, to avoid the over exposure. Surgery may be done in some cases but if the tumor is having metastatic sites in various regions, then caution needs to be taken during such decisions. Gamma knife radiosurgery is useful in difficult form of meningiomas. Chemotherapy using anti tumor drugs may be of helpful but the side effects of these drugs have to be taken care of properly in a systematic manner. Prevention is by means of enriched nutritio...
More About: Treatment , Tumor , Options , Brain

Tax Planning Submission: Have you done it?
2008-04-09 16:02:00
The tax planning submission is to be done by 15th April. Have you done yours? Personally I have done mine, I copied some info. from www.iras.gov.sg and summarised in the files attached. If you don’t have time, just download the attachments to use. know-what-is-taxable.doc how-to-calculate-your-tax.xls
More About: Planning , Submission

Term Insurance Pro and Con
2008-04-08 18:01:00
Term insurance: PROS Lower premiums than traditional whole life, endowment and investment-linked plans Offers better coverage CONS No annual bonuses or dividends Policyholders get nothing when policy expires or is surrendered Summarised from Singapore Straits TImes 6th April
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10 ways to overcome the shrinking dollar
2008-04-07 18:58:00
It takes discipline and a sound investment strategy to combat the corrosive effects of inflation, say financial experts. 1 Cut down spending, live within your means Review your lifestyle and consumption patterns. For instance, you can substitute a branded item with a no-frills one, or switch to a cheaper mode of transport like the bus. 2 Try to save 20% of your pay or more This is a useful tip especially for those just starting their careers, says head of ipac financial planning’s advisory team, Mr Bill Castellas. Establishing a disciplined pattern of ‘money behaviour’ will go a long way towards building surpluses for long-term investments. 3 Do not be overly conservative Invest your money instead of leaving all of it in savings deposits or fixed deposits, said Mr Lam. New Independent’s financial advisory manager Stanley Sim also suggests that instead of parking spare cash in savings deposits, investors can place it in money market funds that have zero s...
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