Money is for nothing and Baby's for free (yeah right!)


They say money makes the world go around. This may be true in some sense as everything that we need to do on this planet involves money. If you need to eat, drink, pee and breathe (hello oxygen bars anyone) out comes the "ka-ching" and you're a few ringgit short. The Sultans of Swing talked about "chicks" for free but in our case, it is the baby for free...you wish.
My wife's elder brother is genius when it comes to finance and in particular, investment. It's very interesting to hear him talk and give advice. He always says that investment in property is good and investment in vehicles is quite the opposite (I guess I have to think twice before getting my Ferrari hehe).
Me and my wife met up with him recently to discuss a few things and in particular about his nephew or niece that is pretty much on the way, taking a deep breath, he mentioned about a few investment options like Amanah Saham Bumiputra (if I'm eligible), however as those things take time, he suggested an immediate remedy, one that starts with mere discipline and so easy to do. It's also something all of us have done when we were young, set up a coin box and look for any coins lying around in the car or house and to put every single cent into it. As the saying goes, "Sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit". He did the same when his daughter was born and have made it a habit to deposit the coins to the bank when it gets full and brings her along to show her the importance of saving. Today she is eight and well versed with the power of saving.
With his advice, we too have set up a coin box of our own and have scoured the whole house and car looking for the coins. The box is now half full (yes I'm an optimistic) and will happily go to the bank and pass it off to the teller once it gets full. So all in all, baby has a savings plan even before he or she is born. As Rome wasn't built in a day, this venture will continue...so next time if you see a coin in your pocket or find one that's laying around, collect it and save it either for your precious little one or for one that is coming.
Please let us know if you have other ideas on a savings plan for baby.


Picture by xcode (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wongjunhao/)

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