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I have been teaching martial arts on weekends for quite awhile. It had really been a nice experience, though I am not talking about hardcore tournaments fighting or competition poomsae or anything similar. It is just purely like a hobby, like a job, like an activity I spent my weekend, meeting different people at different times, or something that prevents my body from going into “crouch potato mode”

I must admit I love kids. We are talking alot of kids, age at 3..4.. till 12. Many 4 year old tots running around the dojang, where they come once a week to play and learn new things. It’s fun because kids are the purest and honest at heart. They say what they think and feel. No bad intents, no evil thoughts, and they just live in a world of dreams and fantasies…

Well of course this comes at a price (I”ll talk more about the kids experience some time later), with me becoming very tired after teaching. No matter how tired I am, when I see these kids, it really really brightens up my day. If not for taking the warming up session (since I am the most junior), I might not have been so tired.

It could have been better if I can teach 2 hours by 2 hours with a small break in between, rather than what I am doing now at a 3 hours block. Time flies while teaching, so it is really doing something you like that’s more important.

Not a bad idea, but too many critical factors are being ignored (again). Retirement needs are a function of life expectancy, good or bad health, inflation and spending, not previous salary. Living a jet-set lifestyle requires a lot more money than staying home and watching television; failing to generate enough income can force retirees to give up activities that would make their retirement years more enjoyable.

“Most folks who hit 65 these days — if they wait that long to retire — are finding that they have more energy and more desire to do more things, and they need to plan on a higher level of spending in the early years of retirement,” says Rick Brooks, the vice president of investment management for Blankinship & Foster, a Solana Beach, Calif., advisory firm.

“Sixty-five is the new 55, where folks still have energy, they have resources and they are no longer shackled by the 9-to-5-job thing. While those conditions will change over time, someone who doesn’t replace all of their income may draw down too much early and then may be in a position where they outlive their assets.”

I have afterall finish my last paper on the 23rd June 2009. That day marks the end of my university course, as well as my life’s academic studies. Which means I will say good bye to school! And therefore now I am awaiting my transcript to be mailed to my house.

This post was something reminded me last time when I first started, even until today, after finishing. Though graduation is due only in a few months time, I’ll write it here the feeling I go through (and the rest of the part time students) when we study and work at the same time.

I often get people asking me this question. Especially working adults who will never had a chance to experience this. Some of us have the luxury of completing a graduate degree, before stepping out to work, so it is quite a different experience. For me it was the reverse; to work first so that I can support my family before funding for my degree course.

Let me just put the differences between 1) working and studying, and 2) working only.

1) Assuming you work 8-5 in a local firm. A typical nite class runs at 12 hours a week, including time for doing assignments, projects, and preparing for exams.

- You spent additional 30 to 60 mins travelling to your school after work duing school days.
- You need to eat your dinner fast! That means you might be eating junk, or spending more money.
- You reach school, get a seat, open your text book. Next you have 3 choices. Chat with your friends, read up and be hardworking, or sleep.
- You sleep throughout the whole lesson, thinking wouldn’t it be better if you had a laptop to do your assignments.
- You look at the time for a break, because you are very tired.
- Finally the lecturer releases you, right on the dot of 10pm. (You may choose not to come in the first place!)
- You get home +30 mins to an hour, and doing your usual stuff like bathing etc. It’s around 11:15pm.
- You start doing your assignment, or your project. It’s 12am.
- The next morning, you get so tired. Because right after 12 am finishing your assignments, you need to check mails, look at the latest handphone offers, run through a few web sites for information.
- You may need to take leaves, because the deadline for the project is today !
- If you don’t, you appear like a zombie at work.
- You have in total only less than 5 hours of sleep. (Because I take 30 mins to sleep, and 30 mins to wake up)

2) Assuming you work 8-5, and no part time study programs.

- Your after work time is controlled by you.
- You ask your friends / girlfriends etc out after work, the day before or even on the day itself.
- You have no time constraint. It’s ok if you are late 15 minutes… Just don’t do it again!
- You meet up, and decide slower, what to eat for dinner.
- You continue to chat about what happen today… last week… or even the whole of the month! (That’s because your time is free)
- You don’t feel tired. Who will be tired if you get to meet up with friends ?
- You don’t have to think about deadlines for any projects. Unless you have a tough job that gets you working even back home.
- You should reach home fast. Would you go somewhere far just for a dinner ?
- You reach home feeling rejoyced, because theres still enough time to rest and watch TV at home.
- You get yourself to bed, thinking what happen today. You still have 8 hours of sleeping time.
- You get up next morning feeling a good sleep, and get ready for another day’s work.

So you see the difference now ? If this goes on for two years, it does affect your lifestyle.
Not forgetting that a night course cost $10,000 to $20,000 a year, be it a Bachelor Degree or a Masters. That is what I call wasting time and money, and affecting your lifestyle.

I have classmates who work 8am-8pm, skipping the first few topics of a lesson. There are those who have to sacrifice for their family, including their kids. There are those who are unfortunate, whose family are poor, so they had to work first before studying. That means they have to save up for this course.

This example is only for weekdays. What about weekends ? I will be posting it shortly.

Some related posts:
I spent 12 hours, half a day at work

School projects non stop!

Managing part-time studies and full-time job

In the previous posts I mentioned having a change in life with how I handle and mange money. Other than working my sweat out to earn that keep just for bills, we have, or should I say, our financial system allows us to do something called investment. (after all banks, financial firms, insurance, all ultimately goes to trading onto business and credit interests to earn, and we should too.)

Without going into details, I’ll just redirect you to my trading and investment blog called

http://www.managemoneyonline.com.

It blogs down some of the winning and losing trades, as well as what really happen to my initial capital of 1xxxxx dollars.
*Warning, its pure hardcore posts in terms of stocks and market trading, on the NYSE and NASDAQ.

Here’s this month’s breakdown:
Savings and Earnings

$500/month Citibank Step up Account

Expenses

Lots of >$20 lunch while I was making $50-$100 on average trading daily.
And a terrible terrible lost in a single trade, that left me saving even my toothpaste for brushing. (Look to my trading blog for more details! http://www.managemoneyonline.com )

I didn’t really track this money as money went flying around my bank account, to my POSB account, then to through my EPS to my POEMS trading account.

his isn’t really a rule, according to experts, so much as a starting point. It’s hard to put a number on “the right percentage” to save because that ignores several factors, such as the return the money can earn, how long someone has to build a nest egg and the lifestyle someone wants to maintain.

If this rule gets people to save — even if they can’t afford to get all the way to 10% of income — then it’s better than nothing.

But if you follow this rule expecting it to deliver a secure retirement, you may be sorely disappointed.

Advisers have struggled with this one for years because an investor can spend years trying to save six months’ salary, and then keeping that money liquid for emergencies surrenders big growth potential.

A better rule might be to focus on living expenses rather than gross income. That would allow an emergency fund to cover its intended purpose: paying the bills, not replacing lost paychecks. The necessity of these funds can depend on a variety of factors, including disability insurance protection, the availability of credit and the potential costs a family would face from a job loss, health problems or the breakdown of cars or big-ticket household appliances.

Chances are, the average consumer will never face an emergency that requires him or her to come up with six months’ salary within 24 hours, which is why some advisers suggest that emergency funds can do double duty, being an investor’s most conservative bond investments while being accessible if the worst happens.