Financial Literacy in My life

How is everyone doing? i hope you are fine... I'm ok also only having some small details to worry about life.
its been sometime since i have written something here. Of course been busy with my new found hobby which happen to share the same interest with my wife.. Although she happen to be the one in the picture most of the time.

Other than the photography session and my miserable damage recovery for the industry, everything else seem to be very exciting. I got to thank my great friends for encouraging me and consoling me in times like this. I'm also grateful that i have them around. Last Friday was my birthday. Nothing important, no big deal thing. Practically kept it low profile so that i don't mess around too much.

Basically i got into reading again. Although i have stop reading for a while because of my laziness. But i got into reading once more. This time i picked up the Rich Dad Poor Dad book. I'm just curious why was it such a great book, that everyone who had read it or knew about it kept repeating that it is a great book. Rich and Poor dad is written by Robert Kyosaki. He talks a little bit about his life and how he has come into what he is today. Great thing is that he shares his ideas and everyone now gets to know about it. We live in an era where information is at our finger tips when we need it and also in an era where money is power and everyone is becoming rich. There are more rich people today comparing 1 century ago. In the olden days, we are confined to what we are by our parents, teaches and so on and so forth. there were no internet to share knowledge for and everything is by the books. It was the time where the form 5 exams will determine you a future or not and whether you have food on your table tonight counts on how hard you have work in the day. Life was thought. It was like that. My dad great up from a poor family. During war, everyone was poor. But my dad knew about how to plan his future. And he knew that in 40 years when he was still 20 he will need not depend on his kids to survive. Thats what i respect my dad and mom the best. They make me grew up and let me be independent. But never asked back.
Truly, i'm just barely surviving my days here. But no worries because i know a little now how to get out of it.

We all are in a system. Well i mean most of us. We grew up. When we are 5 to 6 we go to kinder-garden. All we knew was to play as hard as we can. Meanwhile the teaches will try their best to get some ABC and 123 into our brain. So we learn along as we are suppose to and we learn about numbers and words.

So when we are 7 years old we go to primary 1 to primary 6 and trying to pass all exams that were designed to makes us miserable. Exams were frightening to me. It meant that if i dont know means i get caning. I still feel like this today. Sad is that i never knew why exams were put into such a way to punish those that are less bright. We practice and practice. Memorize tables, and multiplication by heart and so on and so forth. Just for the exams. But we never asked why are you memorizing those tables. 1x1=1, 1x2=2 and so on.
I never knew why were they important, only to know if i dont know i m big trouble. Same goes for the dictation last time which i hated most. I used to remember primary 3, there was a math teacher who would give our multiply table and so on to test our brains. I sometimes and most of the times get caning from him. Those who got canned, they are considered as unlucky and stupid. If you dont get canned, means you have been practicing.
So what does the numbers mean? basically nothing today. All i know is the phobia of learning in primary school.
So in secondary school, things get worst. Because the peer pressure to be in the first class. Second class and so on. In form 3, we are being separated into Science or Arts class. Art classes were considered inferior and lower class compare to Science 1 and 2. I was in a science class, but was in the 2nd class. Science 3 was mainly for those weaker students who couldn't do add maths and had less subject. Science 1 and 2 were sought after. I think this does not happen in my school in Melaka but in the entire Malaysia.
We had accounting subject which was compulsory but was not important. Physics, Biology and Chemistry and Bahasa Melayu was suppose to be more important than accounts. Bahasa Melayu is basically the key to whether you get into the local Uni after the exams. If not just carry on and go to a private college. I wonder why does the education system force us to take a subject which they know that will be of no use in the future of Malaysians. Today, i can speak Malay very well, But i dont see how i use the Sajak and Puisi in my working life. But i struggled during my years of form 4 and 5 into this miserable subject which 90% of the time i never understood what were the person talking about.

In accounts, most people and including me took it less seriously. I thought learning accounting was a waste of ones time especially when you are going to be an engineer, doctors, programmers and so on. All highly paid professional jobs.
I paid little attention to accounts, and just merely pass during the SPM, That is because it was not useful in giving good grades in the results, It is being ignored and i used to complain that why are we studying this bloody subject. i knew Chee Teng Heng was the very few who scored the accounts A+ and did the SPM exams in just 30 mins. I had stuggled 2 hours in it and complaining why is it im doing this subject. I knew nothing about what is to come. I had no knowledge that accounting is important in our life. Probably they put there so that we learn something and hopefully it be useful in the future. And now it is really useful.

Before i came across Robert's book, i had literary no knowledge about what to plan for my future, All i knew was to make more money each year by doing what im doing right now. I know i had to invest to make the money grow. I see everyone around me do it, and got something out of it. For example my dad is one of them. But i never bothered to know about it. I was encourage by my wife to look for a better job that pays more and quit when it is no more able to pay you. that's how the brother and father does. They hope into different company and get paid better every time they changed jobs. I think they hardly invest but had invested some but failed. Thats is why my wife don't believe in Insurance, Mutual Fund, and Stocks. She said those are sure to loose money. I wonder. Then how does my father been able to have extra income even though he was working with the Government.
Not changing jobs but he has gradual increment by performance basis. How come some failed and other succeed? What are the correct stocks to buy?
Never the less i will be out there to get some. That is why i want to be financially literate. This term came from reading Rich Dad's book. I never learned them in school, and nor did my dad told me about it. I don't blame anyone but i m only ignorant about my financial education. So i made a promise to educate my sons and daughters to be financially literate and tell them what the school system is, and educate them on accounting and taxes. Why should we not pay the government. Why should we save the money and use it on our own. Thats more important than getting good grades A's all the way during secondary and tertiary education period not knowing about taxing and accounting when only they are out working get themselves trap into The RAT RACE. another term from Roberts book. I never know how to deal with all this, All i know is make more money and buy a bigger house and car. Go for more expensive holidays. I had no idea how come the rich get richer. I only knew if the rich gets richer because they have the money to invest. With the investment they get more money.
There are many things one should learn about the works of money, especially when it has got to do with everything in the life we are in today.
Working hard is no more a way of life today, working harder for a company only allows the owners or your bosses to be richer. Yes you get a raise and you get good pay, and respect. But you are still in a RAT RACE.
Its easy to get into the race, almost automatic when we start working. But it is so difficult to get out. So most of us like the majority stay and get on with it and face the fact that this is life.

How come no one tells me terms like RAT RACE, Financial Literacy and Liabilities and Assets. All i know if you want to be an accountant you need to know by heart if not just carry on what you are doing.
Now Liabilities and Assets are the 2 most important words in my mind now. And RAT RACE is what i dont want to join. But im already in one.

When i read more i know more and i want to share with you all. But first of all i want to improve my knowledge first and by understanding cash flow and assets, How i can make the column bigger.
Till then i hope you guys can pick up a Rich Dad and Poor Dad book and read it. Just for fun if you don't believe what i say, then you will be amazed by how little we know and why is it our education system is not doing. And then you will think about your children that will be in the system, What kind of future that lies in them.

Keep reading and improving the Financial Knowledge. See Ya