Consumer Tips by Association of Banks in Malaysia

Protecting Your ATM Card

ATM Card is a debit card that you can use to access your account(s) at your Bank, and at other MEPS ATM. Besides that, you can use your ATM Card to access other service Terminals such as Cash Deposit Machines and EFTPOS terminals (if the service is available at your Bank). If your ATM Card bears the VISA PLUS, VISA Interlink, MasterCard Cirrus or Maestro logo, you will be able to perform the ATM or EFTPOS transaction overseas.

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Protecting Your Credit Card

A credit card is a payment instrument that enables you to make purchases of goods and payment of services instead of using cash or your debit card. You can use the credit card at any merchant locally or internationally, which displays the same credit card brand as that on your credit card.

The credit card issuer will pay the merchant on your behalf first and bill you later. When you get your statement, you are required to settle at least the minimum payment amount by the due date. The credit card issuer will impose finance charges (interest) on the outstanding amount if it is not paid by the due date.

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Investing In Unit Trust

Unit Trusts are collective investments that allow investors with similar investment objectives to pool their funds to be invested in a portfolio of securities or other assets.

As investors seek to maximize returns on their financial resources, unit trusts provide an ideal way for them to gain in the long run, returns superior to cash savings and fixed deposit investments. Unit trusts allow investors to have easy access to a wide range of investment exposure not normally available to them.

A professional fund manager is appointed to oversee the performance of the pooled funds in the respective portfolio.

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Pre-Payment Charges On Housing Loan

Most banks offer home loan facilities for their customers to purchase or refinance their properties. A typical housing loan requires a customer to pay a fixed monthly installment on a fixed due date. This is assuming there are no changes in interest rates, otherwise the installment amount and loan period could change.

When a customer wants to pay in excess of the fixed monthly installment, the excess amount is termed as “prepayment”.

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Security Tips When Banking Online

Internet Banking is becoming increasingly popular as it allows you to carry out various banking transactions at the comfort and convenience of your home, office or wherever you may be, during and after banking hours. However, there are still some customers who remain hesitant over online banking due to newspaper reports of internet banking scams such as “phishing” and “script editing”.

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Accessing Basic Banking Services At Minimal Costs

One may have already heard of the basic banking services, namely, Basic Savings Account (BSA) and Basic Current Account (BCA) but does not know that under these accounts, one can enjoy for instance free 8 ATM withdrawals and 6 over-the-counter visits. This article will provide you with some general information about BSA and BCA as well as assist you to choose the type of accounts that would best cater to your banking needs.

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Source: TIPS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, More: ARCHIVES

Your Career's Business Plan

Create a business plan for yourself, and make your career your life's work.

Author and career consultant Ronna Lichtenberg believes that by taking a day to think about the way you earn your living, you can make a huge difference in making your job more fulfilling. Whether you work for an employer or yourself, in a major corporation or behind the counter in a coffee shop, you're the CEO of your career. The tools any CEO needs are the same ones the rest of us need.

By following the steps outlined in Ronna's seminar, you can create your own business plan and find more fulfillment your career.

Who Are You?
* Write a curriculum vitae in 15 lines or less—not a résumé, but a description you might give to someone introducing you as a speaker.
* Repeat the exercise, but write your description as if it were 15 to 20 years from now.
* Start thinking about what it would take to get from the first introduction to the second. In CEO lingo, this kind of thinking is called gap analysis.

Most people have trouble with this exercise, according to Ronna. While many of us often worry about our careers, we don't take the time to think about them in a focused way. To help the process, Ronna suggests asking yourself these questions:

* Do you know what your most valuable skills are?
* Could you write an ad for yourself?
* Do you sometimes feel there's something stopping you from reaching your potential?

The next step involves thinking about what it means to invest in Me. Inc, and how to be your own CEO. Any CEO needs the following:

*A vision for the business
*Financial skills
*A marketing plan
*The ability to manage and motivate others

Work on these skills, concentrating on the next 18 months to three years. Ronna says that it's easy to become overwhelmed and give up if you go beyond that time frame.

Develop a Vision
Use these exercises to help you begin to see what Me, Inc. means for you. Remember, some people are better at visualization than others, so keep at it. After the exercise, take out your curriculum vitae again and look at it in the context of your visualization. Is your image of your future self in sync with what you described as your best working day? If not, why not? Rewrite your description to fit your new vision of your future.

It's time to develop a Me, Inc. business plan! Thinking about yourself as a business can feel funny, says Ronna, but even as an employee, you're offering buyers a set of products and services for a given price. Ask yourself these questions:

* What is your advantage over the competition?
* How does your "price" compare?
* Who is your target customer?

You may find it difficult to answer these questions, especially when trying to articulate exactly what your products and services are. Dig deeper for your answers.

Sell Yourself
Now you'll use your business plan to pitch Me, Inc. Selling may be uncomfortable for you, but to be successful, you need to be able to describe what you bring to the marketplace.

* Create your own ad: Fill in the blanks: The goal of your ad is "to convince ______ to buy ________ because _______." With this goal in mind, create your ad.
* Pitch your ad: Invite a friend or co-worker you trust to listen to your pitch. Give yourself three minutes for the pitch, and give your friend two minutes for comments.
* Make an impression: After your pitch, the listener should know what your "brand" was, and what made it different from its competitors.

You've figured out who you are, what your plan is, and how to sell yourself—what's the next step? First, evaluate yourself based on what you've learned.

Exercise Two: The Relationship Inventory

Once you know what you're selling, who are you going to tell? In the case of Me, Inc., you're going to be spending your time and energy. You'll be advertising yourself to the people you pay attention to. Make the most of your limited time by spending it with people who can help you grow.

Exercise Three: Making It Happen

* List three specific steps you would take to reach your goals.
* Write yourself a letter detailing your plans, stash it away, and read it six weeks later.
* Share your plan with a trusted friend and set a specific time each week to measure your progress.

Don't let yourself off the hook. If you're having trouble, figure out what's holding you back. Don't just dump the plan—revise it and recommit yourself. Soon you'll be on your way to working for the best company possible—Me, Inc.!

Source: Investing in Me, Inc

For sale - Balance of life

出售剩余人生

如果对生活无望，剩余人生也能拿来买卖。北京一名25岁正妹陈潇，在中国淘宝网开设「出售剩余人生」，只要网友出得起价码，就可以安排她的时间。陈潇靠这个另类服务赢得不少顾客，最高一天赚了2千元人民币。

「安排陈潇的生活是你们的权利，为你们服务是我的义务…」这是「陈潇的剩余人生店」的网络简介。陈潇的时间价格为1小时20元人民币，1天100元人民币，违法的生意不做。

曾经做过服装生意的陈潇，去年底因为心情不好在网上发文表示：「对生活感到绝望，想换一种生活方案，就由网友来安排我的生活吧。」之後，她开始认真按网友请求做事，最後正式开店。

这跟台湾所谓的跑腿商机有点类似，陈潇帮人送过咖啡、买火车票、陪同吊点滴、给乞丐送饭以及代替网友品尝小吃等业务。每次顾客只需支付钟点费与交通费。

陈潇表示：「难免会遇到骚扰情形，不过真诚的人也很多。」当前已有数百人购买陈潇的剩余人生。虽然有人认为陈潇只是想炒作赚钱，但也有网友认为，她让这个虚幻的网络变得真实而温暖。

【论坛原创】我把自己的下半生交给网络(开始吧)

Global Retail's New Dream Lover - Vietnam

全球零售商的新夢中情人

根据科尔尼的「2008全球零售业发展指数报告 (Global Retail Development Index, GRDI)指出，对于打算在海外开店的零售商来说，最具吸引力的地区是中东地区和北非，但人气最旺的单一国家市场则非越南莫属。

越南由第四名跳升第一，把蝉连三届冠军的印度挤到第二，俄罗斯和中国也各向退了一名。美国经济疲软、油价攀升、中国制造业成本激增，使得零售商把注意力转到扩张海外业务。 越南在零售扩张最具吸引力国家排行榜能够跳举榜首，是综合了经济、政治风险、国民平均所得、市场饱和度和市场吸引力等因素的评估结果。

越南的零售市场规模虽然还很小，但因为市场竞争程度不高，且国内生产总值 (GDP)成长率高达8%，使得越南市场非常具有吸引力。另一有利因素是越南消费者在亚洲地区年龄层最低，他们向城市移居，消费支出迅速增加。 据估计越南的零售市场规模在200亿美元，但越南政府预计今年零售市场可有20.5%的成长率，而达到5430亿美元。

反观大马则由2007年的第8名跌至2008年的第13名。

全文：Vietnam Tops A.T. Kearney's Annual List of Most Attractive Emerging Market Retail Destinations

The World's Hardest-Working Moms

全球工作最勤奋的妈妈

这里有一个问题：人们的寿命越来越长，年轻人越来越不愿养育后代──世界工业化发达的国家尤为如此。这些发展趋势都会令高技能劳动力的供应大大减少，抑制经济发展，并最终降低发达国家人们的生活品质。只有一种人能够将我们从未来逐渐衰退的漩涡中解救出来：母亲。

有越来越多的决策者、学术专家以及企业领导人都得出了这样一个结论，那就是：长期经济增长离不开许许多多在职妈妈们做出的贡献。由于大多数先进国家的高技能劳动力减少，而女性在受教育程度方面已经开始超越男性，越来越多的人将她们视为未被充分挖掘的一笔重要财富。

经济合作暨发展组织（Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD）一份题为《Babies & Bosses》（孩子与老板）的最新研究报告指出：「在许多『工业化国家』，人们认为越来越多的职业女性（尤其是在职妈妈），对维持经济发展以及保证养老金和社会保障体系向全民推广并实现可持续发展起着重要作用。」欧盟计画到2010年，其成员国的女性就业率至少应达到60%。

全文：The World's Hardest-Working Moms

Global Retail Theft Barometer 2008

全球零售盗窃晴雨表2008

俗话说，小偷状元材，任凭如何藏、如何防，道高一尺，魔高一丈。尽管零售巨头各显神通反偷盗，惟窃贼无所不在，花招更是层出不穷，甚至上演“贼喊捉贼”，叫业者束手无策。

别以为身为诚实消费者的你我就能置身事外，殊不知这笔“贼费”已悄悄地潜入我们的生活消费，导致每一个家庭每年被迫为盗窃者的行为“买单”，吸收高达43.59美元（约157令吉）的“隐蔽税”。

根据美国保点系统Checkpoint Systems委托英国诺丁汉零售研究中心The Centre for Retail Research执行全球零售盗窃晴雨表（Global Retail Theft Barometer）的调查显示，大马2007年6月至2008年6月的经营损失达2亿5600万美元（约9亿1995万6480令吉），较前期高出3.4%，经营损失率为 1.53%。亚太总经营损失达154亿零500万美元，大马为众亚太国家中，经营损失第三高的国家，在全球则排名第五。

全文：不景氣竊案增‧天下防賊

One week's job done in 3 days

《3天搞定一周工作！东京女社长的超强时间管理法》
◎出版／世茂出版◎作者／臼井由妃◎译者／李晓妃◎

她从懵懂的家庭主妇，一夕间被迫变身为日理万机的女社长，不但没有因此被击垮，反而在短短时间内让让公司跃升为年收23亿日圆的知名企业。

忙得不可开交的她居然在几年内陆续考上理学博士、健康医科学博士、房地产经纪人、MBA……等。「没时间」是她的口头禅，然而日复一日之下，她学会独门时间活用术，不只把时间变充裕，更同时取得多项难考证照，她说：「时间是不会拒绝你的」，有心想做事的时候，时间是不会拒绝你的。愿意尝试任何事的人，在时间、金钱、心灵上反而更有余裕，不管再怎么忙录，想做的事情还是要做。时间不该用减法去计算，而是用加法，「欲望」能让目标达成的时间缩短。

现代人总是活在强大的压力下过生活，有了工作时间就没了玩乐时间，多出了玩乐时间，却少了睡眠时间，由于竞争激烈，还必须挤出微薄的时间来学习新技能，许多人都会苦喊时间不够用。本书的女社长从家庭主妇，一夕间变成日理万机的女社长时，也总喊著时间不够用，后来她学会活用时间，此后她的时间不只够用，还有余裕可以从事各项活动。现代人最该学习的时间管理，让最多时间的女社长来教导你。

Notebook PC Shipments Exceed Desktops

第三季度笔记本出货量首超台式机

市场调查公司iSuppli发表报告称, 第三季度全球笔记本电脑的出货量首次超过了台式机. 该季度笔记本电脑出货量增长近40%至3860万台, 而台式机下降1.3%至3850万台.

iSuppli的分析师马修·威尔金斯Matthew Wilkins认为, 由于笔记本电脑市场的快速增长已经持续了一段时间, 因此这个结果并不是非常令人惊喜; 不过这却标志一个笔记本时代的到来, 笔记本已不再是商业市场或高收入消费者的专有工具, 而是成为每个人的工具.

iSuppli称, 尽管全球经济不断恶化,但第三季度PC出货量依然增长了15%至7900 万台, 该机构原先的预期为增长12%. 前5位的电脑生产商排名未改变, 惠普依然占据第一,出货量为1490万台, 市场份额接近19%; 戴尔、宏碁、联想和东芝分列第二至第五位. 宏碁在该季度表现最好, 市场份额环比增长45%、同比上升79%. 苹果的市场份额环比下降了0.5个百分点至3.2%, 排在第七位.

iSuppli也因此提高2008全年的增长预期, 从原先的12.5%提高到13%. 不过该机构预计明年的增长率只有4.3%.

原文：Notebook PC Shipments Exceed Desktops for First Time in Q3