Nigerian Kids vs UK kids

Some interesting perspectives I thought to share with you. Please note these are not my thoughts, but culled from different viewpoints and they make a heck of a lot of sense. For once, both optimists and pessimist agree on one thing: 2009 would probably be one of the most challenging times in living history for most people.Even those who predicted that Nigeria was too detached from the global economic crisis have all reversed their positions. Warren Buffet (arguably the greatest investor of our time) says: The secret to making money is to be cautious when everyone is greedy and to be greedy when everyone is cautious. But a lot of questions are on our minds:Have the Nigerian stock market reached its bottom? Should I average down by investing at these low prices? Is there a real estate bubble? Will Naira depreciate further? What else can I invest in? Will I keep my job in 2009?Will there be a banking crisis or consolidation? How best can I survive in 2009? This is our attempt to answer all these questions and more.Many experts on the Nigerian economy agree on the following predictions:Foreign exchange rate will depreciate further to between N145 to N155 and maybe closer to N200 per US$1 by mid to year end 2009; Nigeria's foreign reserves may have halved by 2009 ending, from about US$52billion in December 2008 ($63bn in September 08); Prime lending rates would range between 20% and 25% depending on CBN's willingness to print money and the mode of financing our N1 trillion deficit budget; Crude Oil prices would range between$25 to $55 per barrel depending on weather conditions and events in the Middle East; Real Estate prices would adjust downwards by between 10% to 50% (especially in Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island); Nigeria 's cocoa exports would drop significantly;There would be huge swings in share prices (upwards and downward) with an average slow trend upwards; Unemployment would rise (especially amongst bankers); Consumer confidence would drop and crime rate would rise; and the Foreign exchange 'black' market would re-emerge and trade at a premium of between 5% to 10% above the official exchange rate.Generally, all you need in 2009 are the 3 C's: CASH, COURAGE and CALM.CASH to survive and take advantage of all the golden opportunities which will arise.COURAGE to aggressively implement all the highlighted recommendations/ Tips; and CALM to remain steadfast.Other Tips Include:Determine & Monitor your Net worth: Net worth is what is left after you add all your Assets and subtract all your Liabilities. For you, Assets include:Shares which have been dematerialized into CSCS at current market prices; Real Estate with proper title documents; Cash in Bank; Gold and any asset with a high probability to appreciate and easily determinable market values.Please note that items like cars, cloths and furniture are deliberately excluded and are considered dead assets. Liabilities include: Loans, mortgages, and anything guaranteed to cause consistent cash out flows in the future. Your aim in 2009 is to measure and increase your assets/net worth consistently on a monthly basis.Form a Cash Backed Family Reserve: In 2009 we recommend you have a Cash Backed Family reserve in your savings or Fixed deposit account. This can be calculated by estimating your total family expenditure for 6 months assuming you and your spouse lost both Jobs today. If you do not have this reserve, sell what you can and cut all unnecessary expenditure until you can form this reserve.This amount should be left unused until 2009 ending. Once you have your cash reserve you can stop saving and start investing. Every additional inflow after your cash reserve forms part of your investible funds.Avoid Debt: With astronomical interest rates you should be very careful before you use any debt in Nigeria .Live below your means: If you cannot save/invest at least 10% of your income you are living above your means. To live below your means you should save/invest about 20% of your monthly income, every other expenditure should be cut off or suspended.Take a Health insurance and a life Insurance: This eliminates 2 major financial risks you and your dependents may face.Invest in Real Estate using Investment Clubs: With the proposed decline in real estate, small investments in different real estate ventures, with minimal debt would be preferable to large investments. This form of investment is usually available using an Investment Club.Invest in Equities: Invest with a 2 year perspective in selected high quality company equities with higher dividend yields and lower P/E ratio's compared with their pairs. Buy gradually, buy what you understand, and avoid stocks known to have manipulated prices. In addition you may invest in trusted Mutual Funds..Investment in Private Equity can be very profitable if done via experienced managers. I recommend about 20% of your investible funds should be allocated to equities.Invest in Fixed Income: Invest in Commercial papers, Bonds, Guaranteed investments, Treasury Bills, and foreign currency which can be easily liquidated to take advantage of interesting opportunities. I recommend that about 60% of your investible funds should be in this form.Like Buffet SEEK ONLY 'DEALS': In 2009 a lot of once-in-a-lifetime deals would emerge, however only those who are ready with cash would be able to take advantage quickly. Make it a point not to part with your cash unless it's a "deal of a life time".. Don't be in a hurry to invest. Always walk away if you are unsure. More deals would come subsequently. The opportunity cost of spending your cash is high.Reconfirm the status of your Pension (PFA) contribution: Those little monthly contributions could amount to a fortune in future.Safeguard your assets and yourself: This includes enhancing your immediate security as crime rate is expected to increase. Also, insure your House and any major asset.Do a Will or a Trust: As morbid as it may sound, this would make a world of difference to your dependants, just in case the unfortunate happens.Form the habit now and continue updating the Will as you increase your net-worth.Set 2 major Financial Goals: i.e. Education for you and your kids and Housing for the family. Invest towards them aggressively.Remain Motivated and seek opportunities aggressively: This is the time to remain motivated and violently seek opportunities. No gentle man survives the war front.Do a Budget and stick to it meticulously: To manage your expenditure you need to measure them continuously.In Conclusion aggressively preserve your cash. This would give you more options in 2009. Most importantly, be OPTIMISTIC not necessarily about the future which you cannot control, but about your ability to make the best out of whatever the future presents at you. Amidst this uncertainty, most of the traditional assumption that determine the industry boundaries/rules would have silently changed. Now more than ever, a Game Changing Idea will work

Some thoughts about the Financial crisis

Some interesting perspectives I thought to share with you. Please note these are not my thoughts, but culled from different viewpoints and they make a heck of a lot of sense. For once, both optimists and pessimist agree on one thing: 2009 would probably be one of the most challenging times in living history for most people.Even those who predicted that Nigeria was too detached from the global economic crisis have all reversed their positions. Warren Buffet (arguably the greatest investor of our time) says: The secret to making money is to be cautious when everyone is greedy and to be greedy when everyone is cautious. But a lot of questions are on our minds:Have the Nigerian stock market reached its bottom? Should I average down by investing at these low prices? Is there a real estate bubble? Will Naira depreciate further? What else can I invest in? Will I keep my job in 2009?Will there be a banking crisis or consolidation? How best can I survive in 2009? This is our attempt to answer all these questions and more.Many experts on the Nigerian economy agree on the following predictions:Foreign exchange rate will depreciate further to between N145 to N155 and maybe closer to N200 per US$1 by mid to year end 2009; Nigeria's foreign reserves may have halved by 2009 ending, from about US$52billion in December 2008 ($63bn in September 08); Prime lending rates would range between 20% and 25% depending on CBN's willingness to print money and the mode of financing our N1 trillion deficit budget; Crude Oil prices would range between$25 to $55 per barrel depending on weather conditions and events in the Middle East; Real Estate prices would adjust downwards by between 10% to 50% (especially in Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island); Nigeria 's cocoa exports would drop significantly;There would be huge swings in share prices (upwards and downward) with an average slow trend upwards; Unemployment would rise (especially amongst bankers); Consumer confidence would drop and crime rate would rise; and the Foreign exchange 'black' market would re-emerge and trade at a premium of between 5% to 10% above the official exchange rate.Generally, all you need in 2009 are the 3 C's: CASH, COURAGE and CALM.CASH to survive and take advantage of all the golden opportunities which will arise.COURAGE to aggressively implement all the highlighted recommendations/ Tips; and CALM to remain steadfast.Other Tips Include:Determine & Monitor your Net worth: Net worth is what is left after you add all your Assets and subtract all your Liabilities. For you, Assets include:Shares which have been dematerialized into CSCS at current market prices; Real Estate with proper title documents; Cash in Bank; Gold and any asset with a high probability to appreciate and easily determinable market values.Please note that items like cars, cloths and furniture are deliberately excluded and are considered dead assets. Liabilities include: Loans, mortgages, and anything guaranteed to cause consistent cash out flows in the future. Your aim in 2009 is to measure and increase your assets/net worth consistently on a monthly basis.Form a Cash Backed Family Reserve: In 2009 we recommend you have a Cash Backed Family reserve in your savings or Fixed deposit account. This can be calculated by estimating your total family expenditure for 6 months assuming you and your spouse lost both Jobs today. If you do not have this reserve, sell what you can and cut all unnecessary expenditure until you can form this reserve.This amount should be left unused until 2009 ending. Once you have your cash reserve you can stop saving and start investing. Every additional inflow after your cash reserve forms part of your investible funds.Avoid Debt: With astronomical interest rates you should be very careful before you use any debt in Nigeria .Live below your means: If you cannot save/invest at least 10% of your income you are living above your means. To live below your means you should save/invest about 20% of your monthly income, every other expenditure should be cut off or suspended.Take a Health insurance and a life Insurance: This eliminates 2 major financial risks you and your dependents may face.Invest in Real Estate using Investment Clubs: With the proposed decline in real estate, small investments in different real estate ventures, with minimal debt would be preferable to large investments. This form of investment is usually available using an Investment Club.Invest in Equities: Invest with a 2 year perspective in selected high quality company equities with higher dividend yields and lower P/E ratio's compared with their pairs. Buy gradually, buy what you understand, and avoid stocks known to have manipulated prices. In addition you may invest in trusted Mutual Funds..Investment in Private Equity can be very profitable if done via experienced managers. I recommend about 20% of your investible funds should be allocated to equities.Invest in Fixed Income: Invest in Commercial papers, Bonds, Guaranteed investments, Treasury Bills, and foreign currency which can be easily liquidated to take advantage of interesting opportunities. I recommend that about 60% of your investible funds should be in this form.Like Buffet SEEK ONLY 'DEALS': In 2009 a lot of once-in-a-lifetime deals would emerge, however only those who are ready with cash would be able to take advantage quickly. Make it a point not to part with your cash unless it's a "deal of a life time".. Don't be in a hurry to invest. Always walk away if you are unsure. More deals would come subsequently. The opportunity cost of spending your cash is high.Reconfirm the status of your Pension (PFA) contribution: Those little monthly contributions could amount to a fortune in future.Safeguard your assets and yourself: This includes enhancing your immediate security as crime rate is expected to increase. Also, insure your House and any major asset.Do a Will or a Trust: As morbid as it may sound, this would make a world of difference to your dependants, just in case the unfortunate happens.Form the habit now and continue updating the Will as you increase your net-worth.Set 2 major Financial Goals: i.e. Education for you and your kids and Housing for the family. Invest towards them aggressively.Remain Motivated and seek opportunities aggressively: This is the time to remain motivated and violently seek opportunities. No gentle man survives the war front.Do a Budget and stick to it meticulously: To manage your expenditure you need to measure them continuously.In Conclusion aggressively preserve your cash. This would give you more options in 2009. Most importantly, be OPTIMISTIC not necessarily about the future which you cannot control, but about your ability to make the best out of whatever the future presents at you. Amidst this uncertainty, most of the traditional assumption that determine the industry boundaries/rules would have silently changed. Now more than ever, a Game Changing Idea will work

What a Guy is thinking about?

First, most guys only think about themselves, but they never really realize it. You have to think about what it is that you want out of him. Is this something that you have told him or hinted at? Guys aren't mind readers and they never pick up on the subtle hints. Guys think basic. They know what they want to do and how to do, but they won't do the things that you would unless you tell them.

There are plenty of things that guys think about, but most women feel that they think about their money, cars, and sex all day long. There are plenty of more things and they do happen to think about the relationship often. You will find that it isn't always about immature topics.

First, guys do think about the relationship and they think about things that you bring to their attention. Things like lies and being dishonest is just as much hated by guys as it is by women. When it comes to relationships, guys are very insecure. They are afraid that you are playing them and that this is all some colossal joke. That's why they think about things that you say or do in the relationship. They stay up thinking up the relationship just as much as you, the only thing is that they don't always verbalize what they are thinking.

They also like to get gifts and attention just like you too. There are some things that both sexes like and attention is just one of those things. When you notice that your boyfriend is getting a little needy, it's just because he wants to keep a little bit more of your attention.

You have to spend time together so that you both can fill the void that is inside. When you spend time together, you are also able to keep the relationship moving forward. Guys always want to spend time with someone; it is very rare that they do not want some type of attention. If you are positive in the relationship then the relationship will stay positive. They like to be romanced to. When you both take the time to do some romancing then your relationship will seem to be a lot stronger.

Another thing that he is thinking is, "Stop trying to change me!" When you get into a relationship, you do not want to step into it thinking that you can change them. You will want to be with them because he is just plainly being himself. They do not want someone to come into the relationship half hearted and want them to give up some of their most favorite things.

They are also worried about how you are going to judge them. They have a lot of insecurities just like you and they are afraid that you are judging them too hard. They are afraid of not being able to meet your expectations. They are thinking that you are putting way too many expectations on them and you are judging them too hard.

Of course, they do think about sex a lot more than women. They think about all aspects of intimacy. They think about the sexual acts, but they also think about the meaning behind things and relationships. They think about things like cuddling, hugging, and as well as the number of indiscretions that they wish they could have. It's not all about sex though; there are some other aspects of intimacy that does cross their mind.

You should not always judge them so quickly. You never know what kind of surprises they are up to. You should not always be so quickly to jump to conclusions because you will end up assuming too much. You should also never assume with men. They have no idea what you want unless you literally spell it out. Tricks and hints do not mean anything to most guys, because they are unable to pick up on them. This is because most men are not aware to their surroundings or the finer details in life.

Most men see things in a bigger picture rather than the small picture that women see. This can be very difficult, but if you learn how to communicate with each other, you'll be able to overcome your issues. It's hard to understand the other sex, but if you can take the time to ask some questions. You'll be able to understand each other with better communication skills. You'll also be able to make your relationship stronger by taking the time to ask him what he has on his mind