Subway had 33,749 restaurants worldwide, compared to McDonald’s 32,737. The surpass is consider as one most of the important element for Subway to growth their business especially in Asia.

The dominant in the food industry is important as they are creating employment to the US economy which badly need a boost too.

Even though Subway had overtake McDonald to be the largest restaurant chain in unit, but McDonald is still produce the largest amount in sales term.

10 unexpected possibilities in 2011

1. US growth roars back to life with growth above 4%
   With the strengthening employment, retail sales and capital spending at time when US Federal Reserve (Fed) and US government are pumping in additional stimulus, there is a good chance that the US economy will surprise on the upside.
2. The Fed starts to raise interest rates by mid-year
   If the US economy really starts to take off in 2011, the monetary policy might be tighten by the Fed as earlier than expected.
3. US bond yields rise and pushing up global bond yields sharply
   A further rise in global bond yields is likely in 2011 as the global economy continues to recover and deflation risk is priced out. However, the risk is certainly significant.
4. The Euro falls sharply against the US dollar
   The US economy is accelerating but Europe is weighed down by austerity measures and may need more moentary easing. The European sovereigh-debt crisis is yet to be resolved. As a result, a sharp fall might be expected for the euro. However, the Asian currency might go strong such as China and Australian Dollar as commodity demand remains strong on the back of solid global growth.
5. The Oil Price rises above US100 a barrel
   The oild price is expects to rise around USD 110 as US growth picks up and with spare oil production capacity being limited. This could add to pressure for monetary tightening in the emerging world to control inflation.
6. China has a hard landing
   If the inflation in China is yet to control or tighten, it will be a disaster that many continue to predict on the collapse.
7. The gold price fall
   Basically, the gold price will be remain up for longer term trend. However a correction in the gold price is high risk if the US starts to move towards monetary tightening in 2011. Oil would be a better bet if the US economy accelerates as it would imply a sharp rise in global oil demand.
8. The European sovereign-debt crisis extends to the US, with US public debt being downgraded
   If investors and credit rating agencies are worried about Spain, which has better public debt ratios than the US, then there has to be some chance such concerns will spread to the US where the budget deficit is set to worsen relative to GDP this year.
9. Volatility falls and the global economy enters a Goldilocks (not too hot, not too cold) year of solid growth and benign inflation
   Plenty of spare capacity, keeping inflation low combined with low corporate gearing and improving growth indicators, could all combine to result in a period of relatively low volatility in financial markets.
10. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cuts interest rates
    The Australian Rate had been hiking and been pushed back for further tightening due to Chinese economy slowdown. If the commodity prices are reducing and also the export volumes, then the Australia’s growth outlook would change significantly and interest rates will likely have to come down to boost other sectors of the economy to fill the gap left by the non-arrival of the mining boom.

source from Personal Money

Prior to this, employees were given an option of contributing 8% or 11% for a TWO-YEAR period.

Those who had previously submitted FORM KWSP 17A (AHL) Khas/KWSP 17AA Khas to maintain the contribution rate at 11% during the TWO-YEAR period do not need to take any action.

The Unclaimed Moneys Act 1965 requires business to send to the government a report on any unclaimed moneys in their possession. All these unclaimed money can be any form of dormant bank account monies, share dividends, life insurance policies, unclaimed wages or even EPF contributions.

This website http://www.umaca.my was introdued last November which allows free searches. You just need to key in your name or identification card for search on whether there is any unclaimed money from yourside.

According to UMA Compliance and Administrations Sdn Bhd (Umaca) Business Development Manager, Jennifer Tan, the Registrar of Unclaimed Moneys has more than RM1.5billion of unclaimed money accumulated over the years.

What you can expect from the system?

- Data for 2010 will be place all in and you may get most updated deetails.

- Older records dating back to 1998.

- Newer documents will be added into the system when government releases new lists.

- Easy assess that worth your time and effort to claim your money

Charges from Umaca

- Fees will be imposed on premium services to companies and professionals, as well as individuals who seek its help to apply to the registrar to claim their moeny

- Value of unclaimed is below RM 500, you can download the information pack for free.

- Value above this the sum of RM 500, a 10% of the value will be charged.

What is the INFORMATION PACK?

- a checklist of documents you will need and also a format of your application letter to the registrar

sources from Personal Money

It is always easy for us to pull out our wallet every once in a while and declare triumph! But don’t kid yourself… We know it is the RECURRING EXPENSES that really DROWN us all into debts.~

Most people neglect the monthly expenses due to their subconsciouls trained to ignore it after seeing the same line of item month after month. Let me show you the truth, when you are saving money every month, you will know that this is the area that is most beneficial to look into for elimination.

Do you want to know where shall you start? Here are the tips for it~!

THE MOST USUAL BUT IMPORTANT BILLS TO CUT FOR EVERY MONTH~!

1. Mobile Phone – Going into prepaid plans are not a bad idea if you dont want to burn your earns because you talk too much on the phone. Perhaps, you can probably save some money by paying as you go as most of the prepaid plans rate are HIGH.
2. House Phone – To be frank, I do not have a house phone and I have no idea why house phone is still exist. Do you still have one of it? That’s so 1980′s…
3. Internet – Do you looked into different technology beside streamyx and P1Max, which is more available to you? Do you know that you can actually buy an Internet capable phone and hook it up to a PC which is a feature known as tethering to get the same service for a lower cost? Or maybe I can introduce you a very good internet service in Penang call PenangFon which only cost RM60 per month for 2MB speed.
4. TV – I know ASTRO is everything. But do you know that there are many legal ways to watch TV online such like hulu.com or other tv online programs which u may ask GOD – Google~~!
5. Gym Membership – Do you actually go for the GYM?? Let me tell you what, most of the people who are in their fittest jog everyday! They run on the field, on the road, on the beach even in the parks. By the way, you do not need to pay a bunch of money and SMELL other people’s sweat JUST TO STAY FIT right?
6. Newsletters, Subscriptions – Well, unless they provide you a real value of it. If not, STOP PAYING FOR IT!!
7. Electricity – Change your habits! Turn off the electronics whenever it is not needed! Get your window open instead of switching on the air-conditions. You will realise that you are not only saving your money but helping the overall environment too.
8. Cars – You might need to pay for oil changes and regular maintenance but you can WASH YOUR OWN car~! PLEASE!

Activities You should really TRY~!

1. Try to stop bringing your credit card out for A MONTH – I know you will feel restricted, inconvenience and all sort of excuses. But you will slowly realise that you know where your money gone to~! It is amazing right that we actually recall and remember on our purchase SO MUCH better when we have to pay it in CASH~!
2. Try to pay all your bills by yourself and analysis it for THREE months – You will realise that you will find a way to cut some of them that are ABSOLUTELY NOT NECESSARY!
3. Pretend You are broke for TWO months – TRY IT! It is something fun and you should know that hard earned money should not be wasted these ways~
4. Add up all your monthly recurring cost for the whole year – Than you will realise that even it is only RM 30 per month is actually RM 360 per year which is NOT THAT CHEAP after all.
5. Check and Check your credit card statements – The most ultimate money suckers are those we put on AUTOMATICALLY charge to our credit cards! That is why your balancing digit is always on FOUR digits~!

WHAT DO YOU DO TO SAVE YOUR MONEY EVERY MONTH?

I know you have better ideas! Please Share it =)

Reference from moneyning

Going forward, investment-linked related products are shaping the direction of the insurance industry, say financial advisor representatives.

Increasingly, new launches by insurance companies are plans tied to their investment-linked products. Correspondingly, more consumers are opting for these policies. The total premium for investment-linked policies increased to RM942.6 million for the January-June period this year from RM495.6 million for the same period last year, based on the statistics provided by the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia.

There are factors that led to this change. “When the markets are not rosy and the financial assets held got hit, it has created an alarming decision to move to introducing investment-linked policies than traditional policies,” said Phang Kar Yew, head of investment services of GV Wealth Planners Sdn Bhd.

“Life insurance companies had to deliver the returns on the survival benefits for their traditional life policyholders. With investment-linked policies, policyholders will now determine their risk level while the insurance companies become a facilitator to help the policyholders to manage the investments. There will be less liability on the insurance companies,” he added.

The implementation of the risk-based capital (RBC) framework for insurers last year has also led to the shift to offering investment-linked products.

“Under the RBC, there must be adequate capital for an insurer to meet its obligations to existing policyholders and also to continue writing new business in the future in any adverse conditions,” said Derick KK Tan, head of financial advisory services of Great Vision Financial Advisory Sdn Bhd.

“While the insurers have capital commitment, they also need to take care of the dividends to the traditional whole life participating policyholders that depend on the performance of the company. Ultimately, there will be preference to introducing investment-linked plans.”

Insurance companies are also shifting their risk to the policyholders because yields on their portfolios have fallen tremendously.

“The government can no longer pay a high yield for the Malaysian government securities (MGS) issued since the last financial crisis in 1997/98,” said Wong Keng Leong, practice manager and authorised representative (risk & investment) for Standard Financial Planner Sdn Bhd.

“This is in contrast with the products designed between 1990 to 1992, where the yield from MGS is more than 10% per annum. As a result, many of the insurers can’t honour the bonuses, which affected the trust of the policyholders on them, and this led to most insurers switching to investment-linked products.”

With the growing number of investment-linked products available in the marketplace, naturally, these will be on top of the list of products being sold to consumers.

“Policyholders need to be fully aware they are now required to decide their own investment strategy,” said Tan.

“The investment fund you choose will ultimately determine if there’s sufficient fund value to cover the cost of insurance that will escalate as the policyholder grows older.”

Conservative and balance funds are often recommended to reduce the large swings of the fund values since the main objective of taking up an investment-linked plan should be for protection purpose, he said.

Given that the performance of the funds chosen will determine if the policyholder will have enough units for future coverage and market forces are beyond your control, Wong advised one to pay their premiums on a more frequent basis such as monthly rather than annual payments.

“Also, it is wise to do a comparison of the plans offered. Look for ones that can offer lower cost of insurance and have higher premium allocation, which means more of the premiums would be unitised.”

Another way to put up with the rising cost of insurance, as you grow older, is to adjust the premium payable to the insurer.

“Investment-linked policies do offer more flexibility and it attracts individuals who need high protection but currently have limited budget. To ensure that the plan is sustainable as the policyholders age, they can either increase their premium whenever they can (giving rise to more money for future deductions) or they can reduce the basic sum assured,” said Wong.

This article appeared on the Personal Finance page, The Edge Financial Daily, September 14, 201

Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) recent proposals to reduce loan-to-value ratio for residential mortgages, being stricter on the eligibility and number of credit cards owned, as well as reducing the limit of personal loans suggests that our nation’s household debt level may need a reality check. As at mid-2010, household debt is around 76% to 77% of our GDP, says a recent Citi Investment Research and Analysis (CIRA) report. The figure is reported to average around 67% from 2005 to 2008.

In this modern life, everyone is looking to enjoy an enhanced lifestyle, notes Sean Lee, Group CEO of Oscar Wealth Advisory Sdn Bhd. One common mistake people make now is to own something that they “want”, and not what they “need”, added Lee.

KC Lau, author of Top Money Tips for Malaysians, says that most people only realise that they have gotten into unbearable debts when the situation becomes too severe. “If several loan instalments have been defaulted for three months and credit cards are maxed out, it is quite late to look into the matters at this stage,” he said.

How do you keep tabs on your household debt? There are a few formulas to help you assess if you’re borrowing within your means, says financial practitioners.

According to chartered financial consultant Adrian Ho, as a rule of thumb, a healthy debt-to-asset ratio is one that does not exceed 50%. “Half of whatever we have (assets) should be funded by our own money, while the other half, may be funded by ‘other people’s money’ (debts),” he says. In other words, if you decide to purchase a car, you should put down 50% of our own money and take out a loan for the remaining balance. Better still, buy it fully in cash if you can afford to, he added.

“If you start buying our home, cars, furniture and household appliances and all other gadgets and gizmos under the 10/90 formula or Zero-Percent Installment Schemes, it may spell trouble,” he said.

Another method is to look at your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, which shows how high your debt is compared to your income, says Lee. “A low DTI ratio means you don’t spend much of your income paying debts.

Meanwhile, a high DTI ratio means most of your income is put towards paying off your debt, leaving you without very little to spend or save.”

Lee offered a scenario: Assuming Alex’s household monthly income amounts to RM4,000, while his monthly household debt payment amounts to RM1,800. Going by the formula of DTI ratio, one should divide RM1,800 by RM4,000, and then multiply it by 100 to come up with a percentage. In Alex’s case, his DTI ratio is 45%, which indicates potential financial trouble, Lee pointed out. “35% or less is the healthiest debt load for the majority of people,” said Lee. “50% or more is a dangerous ratio where one should be aggressively paying off your debts or even restructuring your debts.”

One way to keep your household debt under control is to pare down your debt by making extra income. “Consider doing some freelance work that suit you such as writing, teaching, selling property, insurance selling and even doing Internet business,” said Lee, adding that one can also sell unused or surplus household goods in exchange for some cash. “Learn how to invest in stocks, unit trust and alternative funds to overcome high interest loans,” he pointed out. “But, you should first make sure that you have a good understanding of the risks involved.”

In Lau’s view, one should have a default set of criteria to deal with debt problems. This would include not buying stuff on installment plans (with the exception of big ticket items like cars and properties), not stopping at the minimum required amount for your credit card bill, and making purchases on cash terms only, he said.

Meanwhile, Ho summed up his debt management tips in the acronym SMART “Stay focused on your needs not wants. Manage your cash flows based on your needs,” he says.

“Ask yourself before buying anything whether you really need it. Restructure your debts to achieve healthy ratio. Think “debt-free” and you’d achieve it someday,” he concluded.

This article appeared on the Personal Finance page, The Edge Financial Daily, September 23, 2010.

ALMOST all Malaysians, or 93 per cent, are aware that they need financial planning and banks that provide easy-to-understand products are in the best position to capitalise on this, according to a survey by British insurer Aviva plc.

The top three features Malaysians look for in financial services are fast and efficient service; advice and help they can trust; and information that is clear and easy to understand.

The Aviva 2008 Consumer Attitudes to Savings Survey found that the proportion of consumers who sought advice on a pension or retirement savings plan increased to 48 per cent this year, from 35 per cent in 2004.

CIMB Bank Bhd recently launched EasyLife Solutions, a range of easy-to-understand insurance plans underwritten by CIMB Aviva Assurance Bhd.

It aims to meet customers’ changing insurance needs at different stages of their life.

For example, a young married couple can opt for the EasyLife Men’s and Women’s Plan and add on the EasyLife Kids when they have children.

Financial advisers are also on hand at CIMB Bank’s branches to advise customers.

Malaysia’s insurance market remains largely untapped with the average sum assured being less than RM50,000.

Unlike other Asian countries such as Singapore or Taiwan which have a similar population as Malaysia and a high average sum assured, Malaysians prefer to save, rather than take up up an insurance policy.

According to Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd’s director and chief executive officer Koh Yaw Hui, this is due to a lack of acceptance and awareness by locals on the importance and benefits of an insurance policy.

“Malaysia’s insurance industry still has a high growth potential as the average sum assured is low and insufficient for policyholders,” he said recently.

He said it is important to raise the level of awareness for protection locally as people do not see the returns.

“Illness or death is something they tend to take lightly and rather save than take up an insurance policy for protection,” he explained.

However, Koh indicated that the insured ratio is picking up.

Speaking on competition within the insurance industry in Malaysia, he said it is not an issue.

“The life insurance industry in Malaysia is a blue ocean industry as people are not competing against pricing. There is room for everyone to do well.

“As there isn’t much competition, it also provides a bigger platform for Great Eastern to focus and provide better service for our customers, he added.

The company has three distribution channels, the agency force, bancassurance and group insurance. It is confident that its agency force will continue to be the key driver for growth.

“For this year, we are aiming for a 85 per cent contribution from our agency force,” Koh explained.

To date, Great Eastern has about 2.3 million policyholders and a network of more than 17,000 agents nationwide.

The company aims to achieve RM940 million in new business premiums for the current financial year compared with RM817 million previously.

Koh said he is optimistic of achieving RM1 billion in new business premiums over the next one to two years.

Great Eastern recently launched its “Smart Early Payout CriticalCare” product, the first plan in Malaysia, that pays in the early stages of a critical illness.

The plan is expected to further boost the company’s growth this year. – Bernama

AIA Group Ltd said yesterday it could raise up to US$20 billion (US$1 = RM3.09) in its global public offering this month, putting it on track to be the world’s second biggest IPO of 2010.

Announcing details of the sale at a press conference in Hong Kong, the Asian unit of US insurer AIG said it said it will initially offer 5.86 billion shares at between HK$18.38-HK$19.68 (HK$100 = RM39.78) each, or up to US$15 billion.

It said it could issue up to 8.08 billion shares if it exercised a greenshoe option, which would bring the total raised to around US$20 billion and leave AIG with a stake of just 32.9 per cent stake.

“This IPO serves as a great catalyst for the next and exciting phase in the AIA’s history,” Mark Tucker, group executive chairman and chief executive officer, said via a live video feed from the US.

“With the global offering, AIA will become the only independent, listed life insurance group exclusively focused on the Asian growth opportunity – the first of its kind in the life insurance sector,” said Tucker.

Earlier this year, Agricultural Bank of China raised a total of US$22.1 billion from an IPO, exceeding the previous record set by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which raised US$21.9 billion in 2006.

Shares in AIA will be offered from today to Thursday, with trading expected to begin on October 29.

The US insurer, which is looking to repay US taxpayers after a government bailout in 2008, won approval last month for the sale of its Asian unit.

AIG was forced to look again at the option of publicly floating AIA in Hong Kong after the collapse in June of Prudential’s US$35.5-billion takeover bid for the company.

Among the cornerstone investors are the Kuwait Investment Authority, the oil-rich Gulf emirate’s sovereign wealth fund, and a number of Hong Kong tycoons.

The Kuwait fund, as well as Chow Tai Fook Nominee Ltd, NWS Financial Management Services and six other companies have agreed to buy a total of about US$1.9 billion worth of shares at the final offer price, AIA said.

Chow Tai Fook Group is a jewellery enterprise owned by Hong Kong billionaire Cheng Yu-tung, with a total market value of over HK$256 billion. Cheng – listed by Forbes as the 106th richest man in the world – also owns NWS Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of New World Development Company, which is involved in transport and financial services in Hong Kong.

AIA traces its roots in Asia back to more than 90 years and was the largest foreign life insurer in China in 2009 based on life insurance premiums.

“The life insurance market potential in Asia is unequalled. There is enormous headroom for profitable growth in all our markets and we have a very clear strategy to unleash the potential of AIA which we believe will deliver exceptional value to our shareholders,” Tucker said in a statement.

AIA said that as of May 31, it had total assets of US$95.7 billion and an operating profit of US$1.1 million.

The company believes its consolidated operating profit for the fiscal year ending November 30 will not be less than US$2 billion. – AFP