Invitation from the author of "Wisdom on how to live life"

My dear fellow human beings

How are you today?

Do you find that life is full of uncertainties? Do you wish that your life is full of peace? If this is your wish, I invite you to read the series of books that I’ve written. The title is “Wisdom on How to Live Life”. In this series of books, it offers many concepts that can help you live a peaceful life. Some of the concepts are new. They cannot be found anywhere else. Some of the concepts are conventional wisdom. They have been presented with new insights. While many happenings in our outer world are beyond our control, happenings in our inner world are entirely within our control. It’s up to each of us to adopt concepts so that irrespective of external happenings, we can live in peace. This series of books offers many such concepts – concepts that can transform your life. You can find more information about the books on this website: http://wisdomlife.page4.me/

May peace be with you!

Your fellow human being,

Tommy

The books can be ordered here.

Sudoku (Logic9)

Sudoku fans can try this online game. You can change the symbols from number to flowers and test your skill in artistic recognition. http://projects.easyapps.sg/Logic9/

Case study - financial planning for the young

This case study is suitable for most young people to plan for their future. It shows the importance of having a financial plan that is flexible and gives an attractive yield for the future.
Ask Mr. Tan

Benchmark for deduction under a life policy

I used a benchmark of 20% after 25 years to determine if a life insurance policy offers a fair yield to the consumer. This FAQ explains how I obtain this benchmark.
http://tankinlian.com/admin/file.aspx?id=260

Reforms in Malaysia

Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief of the Straits Times reported the likelihood of snap polls in Malaysia. She said that Malaysia had made progress on several reforms that were introduced after Prime Minister Najib Razak took office. Among the changes were measures to combat crime, reduce government red tape, reduced taxes to attract investors, and political reforms.

When I was in Kuala Lumpur, I also saw a report from a local NGO about the improvement in transparency and  combat corruption. Malaysia is making good progress, which will be good for Singapore as well.

WikiLeaks and George Yeo

Foreign Minister George Yeo said that the WikiLeaks reports on the views expressed by Singapore senior diplomats are taken out of context. They are confidential talk and should not be reported. They are also the impressions of the American diplomats to the remarks made at the cocktails and do not accurately reflect the views of the Singapore diplomats.

I agree with the foreign minster's views and his approach in addressing this matter. I hope that his remarks will be covered in the Australian paper that leaked the reports.

Tan Kin Lian

Make your own decisions

Some consumers sent their benefit illustration to me, asking me if they should buy the policy or if they should continue the policy that they have taken up before. It is better for them to find out the relevant facts and make their own decisions. They can read my book on financial planning, attend the educational talk or read the FAQs in my website. They can decide what is best for themselves.

Sydney Morning Herald - Big fat red faces

I wonder why the Sydney Morning Herald wishes to put Singapore in a negative light?
http://www.smh.com.au/world/big-fat-red-faces-for-singapore-leaders-20101211-18teg.html

Is it due to the attempt by SGX to take over the ASX - Australian Stock Exchange?

Tranparency International's survey on corruption

There are some negative findings in this survey that is worrying for Singapore:
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/12/press-muse-grafting-numbers/

I don't thnk that our media is corrupt but they are likely to be influenced by their advertising revenue and may not be willing to speak openly against business interest or government stands. Their role becomes less effective due to these constraints.

My view is that the ethics and honesty has deteriorated in recent years due to the focus on maximising profits. The government leaders failed to uphold a high standard, preferring to leave matters "to the market" and this has led to more dishonesty, cheating and over-charging.

Tan Kin Lian

Sidenote:
When I was in Kuala Lumpur, there was a report in the Straits Times quoting the president of a local NGO stating that Malaysia had made a signficant improvement in its transparency score over the past year, since the new Prime Minister took over, The effort against corruption is quite effective, as perceived by the general public.

Low ranking under UN human development index

Singapore has a low ranking of 27 among the developed nations in this UN human development index. In spite of a high per capita income and the hard work put in by Singaporeans, who have to work long hours at the expense of raising a family, the ranking is quite low. Something is wrong with our priorities and our system. I think that the focus on elitism and the low priority given to justice and fairness is bad for Singapore.

http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2010/12/singapore-income-gap-education-life-expectancy-compared-with-other-rich-nations.html

Tan Kin Lian