What To Buy and What Not To Buy At Dollar Stores

How to Shop at Dollar Stores

First Published Date: October 30, 2016

I still remember that day when I first found out that I was paying ten times or more for the same item at a regular retail store than a dollar store. It was a plastic shower curtain. I bought it somewhere for $10, and then accidentally I found out that the dollar store located next to the other store had the same item for $1. Since then, whenever I need to buy something and I doubt that there is a possibility that this product will be available at a dollar store, and it is not on my not-to-buy-at-dollar-store list, I check at a dollar store first. Today, I will go over some items I consider buying and some items I would never buy at dollar stores.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

What Not to Buy

Do not buy any food items, drinks, soap, can food and vegetables, shampoos, baby food, toothpaste, shaving products, lotions, razor, sanitary pads, pregnancy test tools, vitamins, pills, school supplies, pens, perfumes, and so on. You should be very cautious about buying anything you eat, drink, or put on your skin from dollar stores. The quality of these products usually is very low and you don’t want to jeopardize your health in the short or long term to save a few bucks. There is no way to know what they put in these in factories in China.

What to Buy

You can buy items like cleaning products, decoration products, kitchen products, disposable items, greeting cards, small tools, craft items, and so on. You will have a good idea of what types of items can be bought at dollar stores after going through what I mentioned. Items that have no direct relation to your health, consumptions, contact with skin, etc. can be bought at dollar stores.

What to Try

There are some items at dollar stores that you can try to check if these are worth buying later on. Some of these items are toys, educational supplies, pet toys, and so on.
Dollar stores give you the opportunity to save some money. However, money can be totally wasted too if you don’t shop smartly at dollar stores.

Bargaining A Beach Property In Malaysia

Malaysia Beach Properties Real Estate

First Published Date: August 31, 2016

Beach properties anywhere in the world are hot and no, it is not because of the weather. When it comes to Malaysia, the beach properties become a little too hotter. It is the best chance especially for foreign investors to reap five star luxuries at two star prices. Though a rapidly growing real estate market of South East Asia beach resorts in Malaysia are still low cost option, not to forget that the beaches of Malaysia are some of the best in the world. Add to this the impeccable service available on most Malaysian beaches, the friendly locals, the high standard of living which is on par with that of any European city, it is little doubt that Malaysian beach resorts have gained the repute of favoured tourist destination.

For years now Thailand and Malaysia have been popular tourist destinations but it is only recently that Malaysia is being taken seriously as real estate hotspot as it is safe from the "ring of fire" that leads to natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. Malaysian beach properties not only hold lesser risk but with the government actively encouraging investments from foreign quarters these are providing greater rewards. The government has introduced new property laws that are buyer friendly, providing tax incentives for better foreign investments and also fast tracking approvals of licenses so that the government and international developers can mutually benefit from the booming real estate market.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn

With numerous beaches Malaysia offers plenty of opportunities to invest in real estate. The West coast has luxury island retreats, the east coast happens to be the ultimate diving destination, Sarawak and Sabah states in Bornea has an eco-friendly appeal, Sepang not only has the F1 grand prix circuit attraction but coined as the "Gold Coast" it is the weekend getaway resort for many people, Port Dickson is a holiday home to many Singaporeans and with its high profile projects is also a favourite with other international developers.

But what is it that makes beach properties in Malaysia a better deal than elsewhere or as compared to past? The government recently abolished the capital gains tax on property purchase in Malaysia thus the investor can save in a major by investing in real estate in Malaysia. Over 15 years foreigners investing in Malaysian properties can get 70% mortgages. Foreign buyers will not have any restrictions on renewing leases after 99 years. Foreigners owning property in Malaysia will automatically get residency permit. So what more could one be asking for.

Currently Malaysia is offering the best investment opportunity as far as global property market is concerned. There are many factors that are encouraging this rapid development. These are rental yields, capital growth rate, government policies that are investment friendly, spurt in investments by corporate companies. This combined with increase in tourism and creation of newer better equipped luxury resorts all are heating up the property investment market of Malaysia. Intelligent investors will surely not want to be left behind as low cost opportunities especially in real estate industry don’t really last for too long

20+ Credit Cards and 800+ Credit Score? Is It Possible?

The Secrets of My Credit Score

First Published Date: November 3, 2016

The people I know and the employees at my banks almost have a fit when I tell them I have around 20 credit cards and a very high credit score, like above 800. For most people, more credit cards are associated with more debt and a lower credit score. More debt (for some people) I can agree with, but lower credit score? I could not disagree more.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

The general misconception about having more credit cards is that they lower your credit score. This assumption could not have been possibly further dispersed from the truth. Having a lot of credit cards is OK, as long you are paying your bills on time and keeping your Utilization Ration below 30 percent. However, 30 percent ratio is considered the highest limit you can go to keep a good credit score. Lower is better. For example, FICO and Experian data show that those who have the best credit score, such as 800 or higher, utilize only 7 to 8 percent of their credit. Your utilization ratio represents what percentage of your available credit you are using and makes up 30 percent of your credit score.

Now, how about having too many credit cards? Having too many credit cards and maintaining them properly actually gives you an advantage to achieve a higher credit score. It’s shooting up your available credit limit (meaning making your utilization ratio lower) and showing positive on your credit report because lenders view you as someone who can be trusted with credit (because you are maintaining them positively by not racking up balances and keeping them active paying on time). After all, payment history makes up 35 percent of your credit score. So when you score perfect both on payment history (35%) and utilization ratio (30%), you already have an advantage towards scoring higher on the overall credit score. The other 15 percent (length of credit), 10 percent (types of credit), and 10 percent (inquiries) will easily follow.

One of the maximum credit card holders with an almost perfect score recorded by Guinness World Record was Walter Cavanagh of California, who has 1497 credit cards and a staggering $1.7 million line of credit. Other examples: The Points Guy Brian Kelly has 30 credit cards and 805 credit score. Ben Schlappig of One Mile At A Time has 20+ credit cards and 837 credit score.

The point is, there is nothing wrong with having too many credit cards as long as you know how to manage money and credit cards. However, I must warn that it requires a lot of discipline and work and this is not for everyone. You have to be extremely detail-oriented and extremely excellent in handling credit cards and money. If you are one payment late your credit score will take a nosedive.

Everyone has different purposes of achieving a higher credit score. My purpose is the satisfaction that comes from a higher score and also to utilize the various perks that come from having lots of different credit cards. I will talk about these more in my next book, Credit Card Hacks: What Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You to Know. Stay tuned.

The Best and Worst Cities to Live in the World

Canadian Cities Are Among the Top Ten

First Published Date: September 5, 2016

The Economic Intelligence Unit recently released its report called Global Livability Ranking. This report assesses the best and worst cities to live across the globe. Cities were ranked on categories such as stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture and environment based on 30 factors. However, cost of living was excluded.

The top ten cities are:

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Vancouver, Canada

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Adelaide, Australia

6. Calgary, Canada

7. Perth, Australia

8. Auckland, New Zealand

9. Helsinki, Finland

10. Hamburg, Germany

Six of the top ten cities are in Canada and Australia.

The most improved cities are Tehran in Iran, Dubai in United Arab Emirates, and Harare in Zimbabwe.

Some of the biggest declined cities are Damascus in Syria and Kiev in the Ukraine

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

Ranked at the bottom, the worst cities to live are Damascus, Syria, followed by Tripoli, Libya, Lagos in Nigeria, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

One important thing to point out is that Canada is the only country in North America that is on the top ten of the report. However, this is not the only report that puts Canada in the top. There are several other reports, for example, Mercer Quality of Living, UN Human Development Index, World Economic Forum are just only a few to mention that consistently put Canada at the top, beating any other country in North America and in line with a few other top-ranking countries the world.

Real Estate In Chile

Chile Real Estate

First Published Date: November 6, 2016

Is it possible to buy property in a South American country where foreigners are protected by the same rights as citizens? Where the police force is known for its honesty and does not accept bribes? A country with the highest GDP per capita in that region, a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), A+ Sovereign Credit Rating, and one of the lowest risk countries in the world for foreign investments? If you are looking for such a country for real estate investments in South America, look no further than Chile.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

In order to buy property in Chile, you don’t need to be a resident or even visit the country. Chile has the most developed real estate market in South America. The property market has remained fairly stable during the global economic crisis and has shown growth momentum. Although Chile is the world’s longest and narrowest country, stretching more than 4000 kilometers, the population and real estate volumes concentrate in the center region known as The Central Valley – where the capital, Santiago, is located. Thirty percent of the population lives in Santiago and it is the most visited spot by tourists. Also, Frutillar and Puerto Varas have become the fastest growing real estate markets in Chile and southern Chile.

Like anywhere else, you should be aware of some rules and regulations when buying property in Chile. Real estate agents are not regulated in Chile and it is advisable to hire a lawyer to perform real estate transactions in Chile. A title search must be conducted by a qualified attorney. Based on the title search, have the attorney draft a buy/sell agreement. Once completed, this agreement has to be signed in front of a CHILEAN Notary Public and then property has to be registered with the regional registry. You will also need a Chilean taxpayer ID number (RUT) to complete the whole process.

There are many investment or legal firms available to make your real estate expedition in Chile a breeze. Always do your research to find a firm that is reputable and meets your needs.