Financial Planning

Basic and simple steps of financial planning

A financial plan can be a budget, a plan for spending and saving future income. This plan allocates future income to various types of expenses, such as rent or utilities, and also reserves some income for short-term and long-term savings. A financial plan can also be an investment plan, which allocates savings to various assets or projects expected to produce future income, such as a new business or product line, shares in an existing business, or real estate.

Mediclaim

It protects your savings when you are admitted in hospital and by submitting medical bills/doctor’s certificate, you can easily claim with the medical insurance company.

Recently, they started to issue cashless cards and it’s easy for patients to get admit in listed hospitals.

- You are safe as the expenses would be taken care by medical insurance company


Insurance

It’s not an investment, yeah! It’s only for your life safety coverage.

In your absence, your family would get the insurance claim amount and I suggest for “term insurance” where the returns would be very low however the insurance coverage would starts from 25lakhs. For more details on insurance coverage and how it’s work, click here

- You are secured with the basis insurance coverage with minimum premium amount.

Savings

There are lots of products available in the market with different assets classes like bonds, equity, mutual funds, real estate, gold, currency and portfolio management services (PMS)

Keep your portfolio with 20:30:50

It’s simple calculation, liquidity (emergency or short term funds 20%) - balanced (Medium term funds 30%) - equity (Long term funds 50%) it’s suits for the person who is within/around the age of 30 and for others who crossed the age of above 60, it’s vice versa.

- You have basic financial planning for your earning.

For more details, please get in touch with your nearby financial planner

Kulfi an Indian Icecream

Kulfi is one of the famous ice creams in India and varieties are available in different flavors.

Am fond of Kulfi ice creams and used to have Kulfi in Besant Nagar beach in Chennai where Kulfi’s are available in mobile ice cream shops (upto 4 Kulfi's at once).

Quality Kulfi ice cream would available in Besant Nagar beach near to the entrance and the cost would be 20INR as first quality and second quality would be 15INR


Special of Kulfi ice cream:

Kulfi is the famous Indian ice cream served by most Indian restaurants all over the world. It gets its special texture from the small bits of milk-skin that comes from simmering the milk slowly in an open wok.

Traditionally, Kulfi-wallahs used to freeze it in little earthenware or terracotta cones, with earthenware lids sealed in place with dough. It was then frozen in old-fashioned ice-cream makers using a mix of salt and ice, to lower the temperature enough to freeze. You can make it in any container in your home freezer. It is served with Falooda or on its own. This falooda is different from the falooda drink popular in Mumbai. Also see Kulfi 2, Kulfi 3 and Mango Kulfi. Makes approximately 10 kulfi cones.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 litre full cream milk
• 1/2 kg. sugar or according to taste - (Diabetics can add artificial sweetener but add it after cooling)
• 1/4 pint of double cream, malai if you live in India (optional)
• 1 tbs. corn flour or arrowroot flour
• 1 tbs. semolina (sooji)
• 3-4 tbs. cold milk or water
• A few strands of saffron (optional)
• 50 gm. almonds, blanched and chopped
• 1/2 cup green pistachios, blanched and chopped
• 1 tsp. green cardamom powder (ground illaichi)
• A little rose water or Kewda (screw pine) water


Instructions

1. Soak pistachio and almonds in hot water, leave for 1/2-1 hour. Hot water loosens the skin. Peel the skins off. Slice thinly or chop in a nut chopper. Do not put in food processor, it will make them too fine & paste like.

2. Boil milk in a wok/karahi/kadhai, until it is reduced to half. You must keep stirring it regularly. If it catches or burns, you have to throw away the whole amount because the smell of burnt milk is rather unpleasant. A heavy bottomed pan or wok works better, as milk is less likely to catch.

3. Keep scrapping off the milk-skin from the sides and bottom of the pan every few minutes and putting it back in the simmering milk. It is this skin that gives the kulfi it's distinctive, rough texture.

4. Dissolve corn flour and semolina in 3-4 tbs. of cold milk or water.

5. Add this, sugar, saffron and cardamom powder to the milk. Stir continuously and boil for a further 5-10 minutes, until the mix thickens like custard. If it is too thin, add a little more corn flour dissolved in cold milk and cook for a further 5 minutes.

6. Cool.

7. Add chopped almond powder and pistachio.

8. Whisk double cream until thick and fluffy, add to the cooled condensed milk, and fold in gently. I usually omit the cream.

9. Freeze in Kulfi moulds or in any airtight container. If you have an ice-cream maker, use that. It will give you a much softer Kulfi. It is traditionally quick frozen in a mix of salt and ice (at low temperature of -20° C). This temperature is difficult to reach in normal home freezer. Kulfi is eaten when it is slightly melting on the outside/edges. So, take out of the freezer 10-20 minutes before serving, less in hot countries. If you don’t have time, either stand the moulds in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 seconds or microwave on full, for no more than 10-15 seconds.

10. Using a knife, ease each kulfi out onto the plate.

11. Serve with Falooda or on its own.


Notes

• Variations

• Chocolate flavoured Kulfi; add 3 tsp. cocoa powder dissolved in 2 tbs. of cold milk, along with cream.

• Mango kulfi; add 200 ml. of mango pulp, along with the cream. If not using cream, cool the boiled milk and then add mango pulp. As mangoes are very sweet, specially the tinned ones, reduce the sugar/sweetner accordingly

• For a sugar free version, use sugar free sweetener, instead of sugar. Add it after the condensed milk has cooled down.

Buy ingredients from a recommended supplier

To reach Mantralayam

After I posted on the topic of "My journey to Mantralayam" I found that most of the visitors were searching for distance between important cities and Mantralayam.

I have gathered some of the information on distance to reach Mantralayam from some of the important cities.


Below said travel time and distance are approx. and the mode of travel is Car.

Salem to Mantralayam - 551 kms - 8 hrs 39 mins

Bangalore to Mantralayam, via Anantapur - 369 kms - 5 hrs 43 mins

Bangalore to Mantralayam, via chitradurga - 436 kms - 6 hrs 54 mins

Chennai to Mantralayam - 535 kms - 8 hrs 7 mins

Tirupati to Mantralayam, via Nandyal, Kurnool - 416 kms - 6 hrs 5 mins

Tirupati to Mantralayam, via Tadpatri, Pattkonda - 403 kms - 6 hrs 17 mins

Hyderabad to Mantralayam - 234 kms - 4 hrs 13 mins

Vijayawada to Mantralayam - 409 kms - 6 hrs 55 mins

Mysore to Mantralayam - 561 kms - 9 hrs 21 mins

Goa to Mantralayam - 470 kms - 7 hrs 36 mins

Pondicherry to Mantralayam - 628 kms - 8 hrs 58 mins

Coimbatore to Mantralayam - 697 kms - 11 hrs 4 mins

Pune to Mantralayam - 572 kms - 9 hrs

Mumbai to Mantralayam - 725 kms - 11 hrs 29 mins

Human bodies

I was watching “Naan Kadavul” a Tamil movie in last night. I was in thinking that how some beggars were being handicapped to get benefits thru’ them by some of the non-hearted brokers.

Suddenly my thinking was diverted towards human body.

Do you know what is the use of human body?

There were lots of uses that are uncountable. Will you believe?

Lot of researches were going on to know the base of human body which contains close to 50 trillion cells, that is, human body will suit any kind of climate. We must aware that “Water” won’t be there in near future, may be after 30-40 yrs from today. Will human body exist without water? Still our body works with some other chemicals :-)

Human bodies react with different types of reactions, emotion. These are for what? And why?

Do you know your age?

The answer is Yes!

Wait, one more question for you.

Do you know the age of human body?

???

What is going on with human body? Who was the creator of human body? Why human bodies are taking birth, growing day by day and finally it dies.

Mantralayam

My journey to Mantralayam

Click to see distance to reach Mantralayam

This is one of the nice experiences and that I can’t forget in my lifetime as I had nice journey without money in my purse :-) Will you believe me?

I was in happy to get holiday in Friday as my business days are from Monday to Friday. My friend and myself planned to visit Mantralayam, which is in Andhra Pradesh (India).

Since we planned two days before the journey, we are not able to reserve train tickets from Salem to Mantralayam, we decided to travel in unreserved compartments in train.

On Friday, there was a train to Mantralayam around 9.15 PM, unfortunately, my friend is not able to come to this journey in last moment due to some family problem. I decided that I should go alone, as I wanted to visit Mantralayam.

I started from my house to railway station around 8.30 PM, where the train arrival time is 9.15 PM. (30 mins bus journey require from my house to railway station)

I bought journey ticket for me and I paid around 135INR, finally I reached the platform and my train arrived in few minutes.

Oh… such a crowd, I thought I won’t get seat to sit, the same was happened and it was standing almost six hours (I struggled a lot to stand such long time) luckily some of the passengers get down in some station and was in seat successfully, that is around 3.00AM in the morning and do not have sleep at all.

Around 5.00AM in the morning, am getting sleep as I was in the window seat and I woke up around 8.30AM and I felt very hungry, I wanted to eat something immediately, I waited for next station to have snacks or breakfast.

Our train was almost 90kms/h fast and soon train was stopped in one of the station in Andha Pradesh, I forget the station name, I saw breakfast is available in the station, I was very happy.

I ordered two idlies and vada, which is, comes around 25INR, I opened my purse to give money, oh god! I have only 35INR in my purse and some coins around 15INR, I totally forget at all to withdraw money from ATM.

In that tension, I totally forget about my hungry at all. I asked my co-passenger that whether any ATM will available in Mantralayam. He told that he is not sure and he checked with others as I do not aware local language, and others confirmed that ATM would be there.


I was in tension and reached Mantralayam station around 1.00PM in the afternoon, I felt hungry but do not have money to buy. I walked out from the station and enquiring about the way to temple.

Oh god! I need to travel around 10kms to go to temple from railway station. Buses are not there at that time and luckily there was a share auto, the auto guy charged me 10INR to go to temple, I bargained with him to reduce the cost, he looked at me and told that “looking good and bargaining for 10INR”, mm… what to do… he do not know about my situation, finally I agreed to pay 10INR.

After 15mins of auto journey, I reached the Mantralayam temple and made a STD call to my house and informed that I have reached Mantralayam safely and I decided not to share with my mom, call completed and paid 3.50INR.

Time was around 1.45PM I felt very hungry, I prayed God Raghavendra to give some way, while going inside the temple, wow… I saw the board “State Bank of India, ATM, Mantralayam branch” I was very happy and rushed to withdraw money. I inserted my HDFC Bank ATM card in SBI ATM, it was not working, and I thought the time was continuing!!!

State Bank of India, Mantralayam branch was next to the ATM and I visited into the branch and complaint about what I faced, they informed to me that the HDFC bank software was not installed in their ATM and it was not possible to withdrawn money by using HDFC Bank card.

I decided to forget about the money problem. Anyhow, God will be there for me, to take care and trying to change my mood as am getting headache due to skip of my lunch and the time was around 3.00PM.

I was entering into the temple to have dharsan of God Raghavendra, they closed the dharsan for as it was lunchtime and the next reopen time for dharsan was 5.00PM, I felt very tired and my foots were not able to keep next step to go out of the temple. I managed somehow and walking towards exit.

God is there!!! Yeah! I saw the board in English and local language that “Free meals, take right” I was in high sprits to have free meals. I went inside and had belly fully, that is, more and more, as I do not know when I will take my dinner in night.

I came out from the temple and I was felt very sleepy due to the journey and headache. I moved next to the temple, and I saw some of the devotees are sleeping there, I went there and kept my bag as pillow and gone into deep sleep immediately.

When I was in deep sleep I heart some sounds, I woke up immediately and I turned my face towards the sound, it was from speaker and looked my watch to see the time, it was around 5.40PM in the evening.

I then decided to go into the temple to have dharsan of God Raghavendra. I was in the queue around one hour and had good dharsan (I prayed god to show some way to get money J)

I enquired about the availability of ATM in Mantralayam, a gentle man was told that lot of ATMs would be there in Kurnool which is about 100kms from Mantralayam and it was around 10.00PM in the night. I get into the bus to go to Kurnool and driver stared bus around 10.45PM; Conductor was charged 35INR as journey ticket, somehow I managed with coins.

I reached Kurnool around 1.30AM in the mid night and enquired about the availability of ATM, with stress passer and watch mans there in some shops. As advised by them, I need to walk around 2kms to go to ATM. I was in confident that I will get money and hired an auto around 2.30AM (Imagine, I do not have money in my hand).

Auto driver and myself roaming around the city about 25mins, and ATM’s are not available. I was in little bit tension, as I need to pay at least 50INR to the auto driver and the problem between the auto driver and me was language, he do not know Tamil or English and I do not know local language “Telugu”.

The auto driver also not able to identify ATM and asked me to get down and demanding for 150INR, I slowly informed about my situation and asked him to take me to the near police station to get some help and he was a driving auto at his age of 18 (a small boy) and do not have license to drive auto, he is not willing to come to police station.

I convinced him to take me to last ATM which 0.5km from the place, while going I recalled the “Information kit of usage of my ATM” they mentioned that by using same card, I can withdraw money from Canara Bank.

I reached the ATM and it was ATM of Canara Bank, I went inside the ATM, put my card and I saw that it was asking my “PIN” oh…. I was very very happy and typed my password… wow… I get into it and requested for 3000INR… wow… money came out from the ATM and 3000INR in my hand, I looked the auto driver, he was also in happy by seeing my smile in my face!!!

I paid 150INR to auto driver and asked him to take me to some good hotel to sleep, I checked in to the room and slept happily.

Next day fine morning, I had my breakfast and enquired about my return journey whether do I have any train from Kurnool? The feedback is I need to travel back to Mantralayam to get direct train to Salem around 1.00PM the time was around 9.30AM.

Reached Mantralayam by 11.00AM, so I have two hours in my hand for my train and decided to have dharshan of God Raghavendra again. Due to rush in temple, am not able to come out before 1.00PM. Finally I missed my direct train to Salem.

I had my lunch and lefts to bus stand to go to Salem via Chennai/Bangalore. Again the time started for me, bus timekeeper informed to me that all buses to these cities will be there only in the evening that too after 7.00PM.

I can’t be stay till 7.00PM, as I need to be there in office next day morning. I decided to go to Salem city by city. Hope I have some relationship with Kurnool because via Kurnool only I need to travel again.

My route was in different bus from Mantralayam > Kurnool > Bellary > Anantpur > Bangalore > Salem.

After lot of struggles I was get down in Salem next day morning around 8.30AM.

I learnt different types of experience in this journey.

Click to see distance to reach Mantralayam

For more info about Mantralayam, visit at http://www.mantralayam.com/

Affection

We must aware that the affection is the type of feelings or a type of love between couples or between animals too.

I say that affection is one of the powerful feelings between the souls; for example, a doctor gives treatment to the patient without knowingly who is the person is and not with money minded.

If the doctor take care their patient with full affection, that is, taking the accountability to cure and support from patient, vice versa, any diseases can be cured.

A guy thinking about his lover to speak with her, immediately if he gets call from his lover, then it would be better understating between them or having real affection with goodwill, even thought they are far more than 1000 miles, see how the affection is working between them.

Each and everyday, we are exploring our affection in many way by doing our work in office or in house. If you love your work, then the result would be the great and perfect, others cannot find any kind of mistake on you or on your work.

You know that the coin has two sides, that is, head or tail; like that the affection has two sides, affection and disaffection.

Affection has full of positive energy that keeps our body active and we would be in satisfaction level, which takes us to next level of our life stage, whereas disaffection also will take us to next level, where negative emotions pass over our body and the result would be low/high blood pressure or with some other mentally affects.

A man starts his career at age of 25, and then he settled with his family at age of 50 with ample movable/immovable assets. He should get satisfaction at this age, if he keeps on his affection towards money, it will take him to mentally ill.

We will take the same scenario where I said in the top of this message, if disaffection starts to grow between the couples, if he/she gets call from their lover, it would react as mentally disturb.

More topics:
Festivals!
Studies in aboard
Book of death
My Journey to Yercaud
After your age of 60

Agriculture

Agriculture is the production of foods thru’ farming and the key development that leads to rise of human society.

It creates food to run routine works of human and some extent to animals. Without having food, people cannot serve up with their works in both physically and mentally. Not only in terms of people, it keeps earth naturally.

It’s one of the oldest trades in our world from where barter system was in. It won’t stop today or tomorrow and the trade would be there till the last breath of human. Agriculture in India has a long history dating back to ten thousand years.

India has their own land to do agriculture with lot of natural resources where we can produce more foods thru’ farming.

Till today, India ranks second across the world in farming and output. It contributes 16.5% of total GDP in 2007 and 60% of people were active in farming and it’s one of the largest economic sectors in India.

Currently, the people’s contribution in agriculture is getting reduced and the most of agri people shifting their occupation to higher earnings like construction, textile and others.

To promote agricultural activities in India, the govt. of India regularly provisioning subsidies and other incentives in every budget. But the real problem lies in its implementation. Because most of the schemes are not getting reached properly.

Government has to come up with new ideas to streamline on how to reach the subsidies properly to the right person.

The growth of the agriculture sector in forthcoming days would be in top when compare to other sectors in India since some of the top private players has plan to keep their feet in agriculture.

Start to buy agriculture land or start to invest in agri lands wherever possible.

Goal for Gold

Gold once you hear the sound, it will come as no surprise to you to says that the gold is real money. Why? Because it fulfills your requirement and easily convert to real money whenever you want. The demand of the gold is always in high and the exchange rates are very attractive.

As you know that the growth of the gold price is getting tremendous and one of the best way to buy gold is thru’ systematically by every month, if possible every week.

Start to keep goal for gold by decent investment on a monthly basis, that is, start to buy at least a gram per month.

Now we will see the historical price of gold, every 25/5 years

Year - Price
1850 – 18.93
1875 – 18.94
1900 – 18.96
1925 – 20.64
1950 – 34.72
1975 – 160.86

1980 – 615.00
1985 – 317.00
1990 – 383.51
1995 – 383.79
2000 – 479.11
2005 – 601.74
2010 – current price
2015 - ???

Do simple homework,

12 months: 12 grams
36 months: 36 grams
60 months: 60 grams (I.e. five years)

Plan for long period such as 25 years

12 months X 25 years = 300 grams

Imagine the gold rate of one gram after 25 years from today.

Start to buy at least a gram per month in demant account, where you can keep your gold in your account, that is, not in real gold in your hand.

If you go out with your family to restaurant, shopping, movie or sightseeing, you have spent 1000 INR average. Try to avoid any one in a month and try to buy a gram, hope it is not costly to you and do not disturb this investment for 25 years.

Near future, gold plays a vital role across the world, as I have received lots of comments on my earlier post “Currency” that the global currency may be a gold!

Plan for your goal for gold now!

Unique Identification (UID) Number

The task is an initiative by Indian government to make a national identify card for every Indian with the purpose to improve the security level and e-serve to their citizen.

Some of the highlights are,

• Will obviate need for multiple documentary proofs
• Facilitate easy verification
• Facilitate easy availing of government or private services
• Help welfare programmes reach intended beneficiaries
• Serve as basis for e-governance services
• Cost effective
• Fake identities

• 
  

The project is in under control of Nandan Nilekani, a former co-chairman of Infosys Technologies.

The estimate cost to complete the project is 100 crs (US$30.9 billion) and will be rolled out to all Indian residents above the age of 18.

By initiative of this project will create 100000 new jobs in country and increase the business opportunities in domestic and international level.

After mid of this year (I.e. Aug 2010) the first UID numbers will be issued by our Indian government. (Days are very near)

Unique Identification (UID) Number is one where we can gather all kind of information about a citizen. Easily track their information like bank transaction, investment details, loan details, and payment of his telephone/electricity bill.

After the implementation of unique identification (UID) number, Indian government has a plan to link databases such as voter ID, passport, ration card, licenses and border area ID cards.

The union labor minister has on hand to link employee provident fund (EPF) database of 42 million citizens as the first database to be integrated into the unique ID system.

Climate interchange

Am very much happy to see the steps are taking to control the pollution by developed and developing countries across the world. Local governments are conducting their cabinet meeting in different ways to create awareness about the global warming.

China has implemented not to use plastic while shopping or carrying other goods. It was successful and the usage of plastic is getting down in some area. Instead of providing plastic bags while shopping, most of the branded shops were introduced cloth bags in attractive model.

Climate is changing gradually in some places in India, which we can easily identify. As everyone knows that Chennai is one of the hottest places in India and these days we can’t feel the hot in daytime and the highlight change is till morning 10.30 AM and after 5.00PM, the climate getting very cool with cool breeze.

If you want to go to outside during morning or evening in Chennai, do not forget to wear monkey cap or shoes or rain court. Yes, the climate is such cool. We can easily see the climate is getting interchange.

Further the climate is getting worst in most of the places in north India and transport like flights/trains has been cancelled. In some of the places, the electricity has been disconnected safer side. Light/Heavy vehicles are moving very slowly due to the mist.

Wrong selling

It’s a commitment specified to the client by the intermediates without company’s knowledge or company itself to sell out their product to the customer, which is not available in their product.

Most of the companies do not wrong sell their product as it’s affects company brand name in the market and it’s difficult to be in market or to do business.

There is an agreement between the company and the intermediates to sell their products and other commission details. By agreeing to sell the product, intermediates need to specify the product information, use of the product, insuring, returns for their capital or coupon rate for their deposit.

One more scenario, the intermediates may chance to misunderstand about the product, result or returns due to lack of knowledge or language problem. Before appoint intermediates, company needs to check the intermediates experience and his/her skills.

Training to the intermediates would be provided fully and need to understand whether the intermediates were aware of product information thoroughly.

Also there is a situation, to earn more commission or to go to next slap of percentage, the intermediates may do wrong sell or provide information, which is not related/not true about the product.

An example:

There is an investment company, they wants to sell their product thru’ intermediates by paying commission based on their achievements.

Investment Company offers to public that “investment of your money will deliver an average returns of 15-20%/pa for 5 years and above, and the money will be invested in stock market, also there is an risk that if market goes down your investment may come down below your capital.

Company offers commission slabs to their intermediates as 5% if collection below10 millions and 7% between 10-25 millions and 10% above 50 millions.

To get the maximum percentage of commission, the intermediates may sell out the company’s product to the customer by assuring above 40% or investment of amount would be in double for a period of 2-3 years from the date of investment.

Before going to sign up with the investment plan, customer needs to read the information kit, which is provided by the company while signing the application form or get in touch with company directly (thru’ call center) or access information by visiting their site.

Permanent patient

The growth of medical field in past 20 years was fantastic and forthcoming days are in the way of rose. We were in research of new formula and used deal with new medicines for new diseases. The rises of new diseases are due to lack of exercise, environment and other sources.

You must aware that doctors are having their own side business (or) having good relationship with medical shops, scan centers, lab to get commission. Some of them are charging high fees and getting commission by prescribes costly medicines, scanning and testing bloods.

By prescribing medicines (more dose) like this, they are becoming permanent patient to their clinic. Doctors are comfortable by getting regular fees from their patient every month.

Medical companies are selecting doctors and take them in the name of survey to foreign (for sightseeing) and booking accommodation in star hotels. The total expense for these trips will be taken care by medical companies to prescribe their medicines by the doctors. These companies are ready to spend millions to the doctor as they must aware that they can earn more profit from patient thru’ these doctors only.

Recently, associations of medicines were announced rules not to avail benefits like this from medical companies and I do not know how long these rules will be in force or active or followed by the doctors.