Category Archives: Auto Installment Loans

Don’t Want To Enroll In AKPK DMP? Then, Start Managing Your Debt Now!

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Posted by Vedis the DMP Blogger on January 9, 2010 – 8:50 am
Filed under AKPK Debt Management Plan, Auto Installment Loans, Cash Is King, Credit Card Debts, Credit Cards, Debt Management Tips

You have a debt problem, but it’s not serious enough to get you into AKPK debt management program yet? Lucky you! If you don’t want to resort to enrolling in AKPK’s DMP or declaring bankruptcy in future, then make sure you start managing your personal debt now.

Here is Raymond Roy Tiruchelvam’s article on How to Manage Personal Debt.

THE “easier said than done” phrase latches on to this topic like ants to sugar. While getting into debt is made easier today with the many innovative marketing plans undertaken by financial institutions, getting out of if, leaves much to be pondered.

For those who do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, Bank Negara has introduced AKPK or Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency. I am assuming a single source of funds being financial institutions, and not “ah-longs” and other unconventional sources.

There is actually one step to be undertaken prior to managing your debt, which is managing your cash flow. It does not mean that if one is a millionaire, there is no need for debt management … well perhaps there is no need, since the ability to source for debt is high, but everyone will need to manage their cash flow, let it be millionaires or paupers.

Let’s look at some steps that we can take to ensure that we are able to manage our personal debts so that we do not go into the “PN4” or “PN17” status (which for companies implies a financially distressed state).

Let’s start with liquid debts, credit card and car loans. For the former, never follow the minimum payment requirement of the bank, which is 5% of outstanding sum. The reality is that it does not diminish in 20 months (5% X 20 months = 100%) – which is the general misconception.

Instead, spread the payment over a reasonable payable period. For example, if you purchase a personal computer for RM1,500 perhaps, you want to make a RM300 monthly payment over 5 months, rather than pay RM75 in the first month, then RM71 for the second month and so on (assuming one follows the minimum 5% payment, excluding interest charge).

As a matter of fact, if one were to purely pay the 5% minimum payment, do you know that it will take 50 years for the sum to trickle down to RM100. And mind you, even with that, the debt won’t be fully settled. Read More »

Let Me Save The RM1,400 As Emergency Fund

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Posted by Vedis the DMP Blogger on November 20, 2009 – 9:55 am
Filed under AKPK Debt Management Plan, Auto Installment Loans, Credit Card Debts, Emergency Funds, Home Installment Loans, Income Streams, Saving Money, Spending / Expenses, Utility Bills / Phone Bills

Extra Money As Emergency FundHubby’s full time teaching income has been increased from RM1,500 to almost RM2,000 after EFP and SOCSO deduction.

With hubby’s RM2,000 net income, together with my online income of RM2,500 (my income is between RM2,500 and RM3,000), I must say that I don’t have to worry much like I did last time when hubby didn’t have a fixed full time job.

After paying the AKPK debt repayments of mine and hubby’s RM680, auto instalment RM820, home loan instalment plus bank overdraft interest charge RM530, utility bills plus Internet connection and cell phone fees RM270, and food and grocery expenses RM800, there is still about RM1,400 left in hand to be save as emergency fund.

Of course, the amount of RM4,500 only started to appear on the 28th of October! Prior to that, hubby’s income was still RM1,500.

Though there should be RM1,400 left to be saved in the savings every month, we still haven’t got the chance to own the full amount of RM1,400 and save it in the account. Why?

Well, there had been a few unexpected expenses that sucked the extra money and personal savings away. Eye specialist fee, bifocals, vitamins, supplements, wedding gifts and funeral money gifts, …

Ask the Chinese Malaysians that you know, how many wedding dinners they have attended and how much they have spent on gifts and money gifts for wedding from the month of September till now?

And how many more wedding receptions and dinners they are going to attend and the estimation of wedding money gifts they are going to fork out this December?

Ask too if they have ever received two or three wedding invitations which are/were held on the same day?

These few months are peak season for wedding! Wedding is the bride and bridegroom’s business, why do they have to make the whole world busy and waste money?

I will never forget a wedding dinner that I attended Kuala Lumpur more than 10 years ago. It started at 9 p.m, two hours late!

I waited for two hours! I should say I wasted two hours waiting for the dinner to start. You know, it’s only a not-so-close colleague’s wedding.

Yes, from what I have written, I am sure you can figure that I hate attending wedding dinners. And also birthday parties.

I am now at the stage of life where I want to spend my time doing the stuff I like. I no longer want to use my time to do other people’s stuff or stuff that make others happy because I give them face but in the actual fact I hate it.

Of course, there are exceptions. I will still attend family members’ wedding dinners and birthday parties. I mean those who are really really close and those whom I like.

So, when do hubby and I really get the chance to own the amount of RM1,400 and save it as emergency fund in the saving account?