Author: Deeya Nambiar

I believe in taking every day as a learning phase, and exploring my writing skills. I have enjoyed the challenges as a journalist, content writer and college lecturer, and at the moment am living life analysing the extraordinary in the ordinary!

Secure Your Valentine Financially

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Valentine’s Day has turned out to be one of the best phases at the time of economic slowdown. If Cupid’s arrow has struck the right chord of love, there are better ways to ensure financial security for a lifetime than just a V-Day special momentary gift.

From financial strength to financial security, the various practical investment practices can permanently bind the hearts for ever.

Of course, winning your partner to listen to you is in your hands. But before you start going ahead with your wise investment plans, do a complete homework to be aware and well informed about the various available investment resources. Also as a novice, taking help from investment consultants is very essential. The final call will be any day yours.

“Where to begin” finds answer in trying out the time-tested investment avenue. “Gold is best suited for occasions like these, as it results in a successful marriage of investment objective and consumption needs,” suggested financial advisors.

Gold as an investment has been resorted by the wealthy families world over for centuries because they are portable as well as compact. “With uncertainty in the stock market and decline in the US dollar, investors are taking a fresh look at gold as an investment option. Gold works as a perfect hedge against investment in other assets,” experts explained.

“In fact, when other investments take a beating, gold investment tends to stabilise.”

There are banks offering gold coins. Other than that, Gold ETFs and gold deposit schemes floated by jewellery houses too fit the bill. Not far in the market, India Post, in association with World Gold Council and Reliance Money, is planning to launch a gold accumulation plan, which facilitates the purchase of small quantities when investors have the money during a particular month.

Indeed, most financial planners recommend gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) to physical gold. “The savings start right from the purchase stage. All sellers, including banks, charge a commission on the actual gold price. This can be 1-5 per cent.

“In case of an emergency, the real value of gold cannot be realised. Banks don’t buy back, they only lend against it. Jewellers buy it at a discount. Gold ETFs have none of these problems,” experts explained.

In comparison to buying jewellery, a gold fund or ETF would be a better option as it has shown steady returns even during the most uncertain times.

Going beyond gold, there are other ways to secure for life. A health or life insurance policy for your loved ones, mutual funds with monthly or yearly returns, or even the monthly income scheme with post offices are a marriage of two souls to financial well-being.

“Like the sale schemes being offered by retailers across the country, the stock market too is in discount mode, with several large-cap stocks being available at extremely low valuations.

Moreover, the ongoing tax-saving season provides you with an opportunity to help your spouse plan his/her taxes as well. An equity-linked savings scheme (ELSS) with a good track record would be the ideal choice, as its lock-in feature would eliminate the chances of making withdrawals before three years.”

The underlying cause for many couples to take the extreme step to separation or divorce has for ages been the aspect of money and wealth. Financial security not only ensures a safe relationship, but also a healthy family reunion. V-Day is only an open invitation to think for a better tomorrow, if still you are not sure.

Gold Wins Valentine

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Gold wins heart yet again. Love is in the air as lovers are lost in thought – “what is the best gift to bring a smile on her face?” – for the special occasion of Valentine’s Day. History be history, love is love, and it comes for a price. The latest survey sums up gold jewellery as the most preferred gift for women across the globe.

“The higher gold price has added to gold jewellery’s desirability despite these challenging economic times. Gold’s perceived value and enduring emotional appeal are not mutually exclusive and sets it apart from other traditional gifts and apparently, holds the key to women’s hearts on Valentine’s Day,” World Gold Council’s (WGC) 2008 jewellery survey said.

“In contrast to jewellery, which has clear financial value, other luxury consumables were viewed as having short-term aesthetic appeal and, therefore, lacked the investment value and the longevity of gold.”

Even the younger generation who are “typically more interested in spending money on gadgets such as mobile phones than spending their disposable income on jewellery, appreciate the romance of gold jewellery.”

Women and gold have a long association. They would love to have gold jewellery if gifted on special occasions – birthdays, wedding anniversary, and festivals to name a few. And they also buy for themselves as and when situations are opportune.

On a more serious note, women especially Indians, regard gold as “an indicator of emotional ties”.

According to the survey, “81 per cent women claim that the amount spent on gold jewellery reflects how valued someone is.”

For women in the USA and China, there is more of romantic sentiment behind buying gold as a gift. To them gold “is a symbol of love”.

Probably on a more practical note, women in Turkey and Saudi Arabia cite a key reason for buying it as a gift is because “gold will not lose its value”.

The perception of women regarding gold varies across the world. In fact the prized possession is more about the psychology of women. It is therefore, a crucial phase for both the gold jewellery trade and the gold market as a whole to understand the consumer.

Valentine’s Day is an important occasion for receiving gold jewellery for women in different regions around the world. The yellow metal reiterates its power not just as a dead investment but also a matter of pride and heart. Reason: “it is everlasting”.

Published in Merinews.com; Gold Wins Valentine by Deeya Nayar-Nambiar

Four Indians in Forbes

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The economic slowdown has not got all the Indians trickling down in the latest list of Forbes’ world’s wealthiest CEOs.

According to a list of 10 wealthiest CEOs compiled by Forbes magazine, Reliance Industries (RIL) chief Mukesh Ambani is the third-richest chief executive in the world. The other Indians to follow are Lakshmi Mittal, Anil Ambani and Sunil Mittal.

“Being a CEO isn’t what it used to be. Crackdowns on corporate frills like private jets and over-the-top offices have become the norm, taking some of the fun – but none of the stress – out of running billion-dollar businesses.

“While some chief executives’ jobs may be in peril, these 10 have stuck it out long enough to partake in what’s left of the global economy. These have made our annual list of the world’s wealthiest CEOs,” Forbes said.

Despite a 62 per cent drop in RIL share prices since last year, Mukesh Ambani climbed up three places in the 2009 rankings.

For steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, who heads ArcelorMittal, it was a slip down to the fourth position from second.

While Sunil Mittal of Bharti Airtel has joined the league at ninth position, Wipro chief Azim Premji is out of the race.

Interestingly, the total number of Indians on the list have remained unchanged at four this year too.

“To compile our list for 2009, we looked at chief executive officers and managing directors (a title that sometimes denotes the top leadership position at corporations outside the US) of public companies the world over and ranked them according to the size of their stakes in the businesses they run,” Forbes said.

Yet the undisputed wealthiest chief executive is once again, the American billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

“Due to the difficulty of pinning down private holdings in the midst of volatile market swings, we excluded CEOs of private companies from our rankings. We also excluded individuals’ private holdings. Full net-worth estimates will be available in March, when we release our annual list of the world’s billionaires,” Forbes added.

Chapter of Life: Action and Reaction

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There are days in your life when nothing seems to be going the way you had planned and wished. There are days in your life, when your patient self gives away to the hurt words and actions of others. There are also days when you feel torn apart and you end up saying thing, which you should not have said. There are thus some days when you end up hurting somebody through words or actions even if you did not intend to do so. These are just your frustrations that you may have found an outlet for.

By the time you realise what had happened, equations in relationship often undergo change, forever. And the time that you missed never comes back. Still life, sometimes, gives a second chance.

Yet the best option is always to keep a check on yourself, before you even give yourself a reason to regret and wait for a second chance. My personal experience has done wonders.

– A deep breath to invite calm

It is very difficult to get a clear picture of a situation when emotions like anger and tears arrest you.
Have you ever wondered how you react when your boss calls you into his room to tell you that your performance has not been remarkable, especially at the time of recession? Some react instantly, some stay calm. For sure it would not be a laid back attitude as you know that the current economic situation has also turned more demanding from a performance point of view.
Of course you cannot ignore it. Also, the more you think about your boss’s remark, sleepless nights and a temperament to harm others with words will take more control of your otherwise friendly and calm nature. It is not easy to forget but still you can move over such situations – beginning by taking deep breaths. This would calm you down, and prevent an ugly display of emotions, war of words and wrong decisions.

– A second to think

When situations are not fine, emotions very easily shroud your thinking process. However, by taking a second to think will instantly prevent you from simply surrendering yourselves to the rule of feelings and sentiments. “I’m right, and you are wrong” would soon give way to, “May be I went wrong somewhere, I’ll get back to you”.
In case, if it is your boss who gave you a trimming down session, you would think about the probable reason for the boss’s reaction. Also, instead of bad mouthing and sulking, you would begin thinking of working on target achievements.
You need not run away from situations; or think of “I quit because he said so”.
A second to think can make a whole lot of difference.
– A word it takes to make or break
It is best to avoid any conversation when you cannot think well, especially when you are a victim of emotions. At such a time there are more chances of speaking out those words and things that are hurtful, display aggression, arrogance and animosity. The end result would be nothing but shocked friends, colleagues and dear ones. When you calm down, you will be equally ashamed of yourself and your actions.
As children you might have hurt your parents several times. Once you acknowledge your mistake, or in some cases the parents help you correct your ways, everything is back to normal. And you remember not to repeat the mistake. The parents forgive you and continue to love you as always. However, imagine such a situation with your boss? It becomes really embarrassing coming back to the office after you create a sticky situation.

– A sorry comes to rescue

“I’m sorry,” “I apologise,” “I regret my action”. These are some of the word combination you resort to sort out an issue. It means a lot if you genuinely mean it.
I remember leaving sorry notes on my father’s table. The boss also appreciates if you say sorry for your action. But you have to give your bloated ego a reality check to understand the practical demands of life.
In fact, often it is our ego at work that causes trouble in a generally peaceful environment. Therefore, do not expect anything in return for the sorry that you said to someone.

– A dislike, to adjust to

It is not necessary that you like everybody whom you come in contact with. Every person has a unique individuality. Your may like some, love others and hate few. But when living in a society, be it home, school, college or office, you have to learn to master the art of adjusting to your dislikes too. For instance, you do not like the way a particular colleague gossips, writes mails to top boss with cooked up office stories and situations that did not exist. Unfortunately the person shares the office space with you.
Every day you have to see and be with the person though you hate to do so. Therefore, you become rational. Since it is impossible to change a person, you decide to adjust and concentrate on work.

An article on life that you typed on computer is easy to correct or delete by pressing the keys or mouse button. In real life, you do not often get a chance to undo your emotions, words and actions, once it is expressed. As an ordinary human being, you are bound to make mistakes and sometimes break relations too; next time think before you act.

Published in ezine.com