ADawnJournal.com Continues on AhmedDawn.com

Ahmed Dawn Dot Com

First Published Date: March 26, 2017

Please visit Ahmed Dawn Dot Com at www.AhmedDawn.com as I will be updating this new site.

Thanks.

New YouTube Banner

ADawnJournal YouTube Banner

First Published Date: January 22, 2017

If you happen to follow my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/adawn, you may have noticed that the top banner or channel art has new looks, including my name logo.

In the past, I put up a simple banner – which was just a picture of a volcano from my Tagaytay trip in the Philippines. I always wanted to make it a professional-looking banner; however, I did not have the Photoshop or graphic-designing expertise to make it happen.

After trying a few do-it-yourself banner and logo making tools online, I gave up on the idea of making a professional-looking banner and a simple name logo by myself and decided to hire someone to do the job.

The Internet has opened up endless possibilities to connect those who are seeking professional-grade work with those who are delivering it. And it’s not difficult to find a banner and logo designer anywhere in the world sitting from the comfort of my own home.

I placed an ad on one of the freelancer outsource sites to make a name logo and banner for my YouTube channel and within 24 hours I had 30 designers bidding for my work at various rates. One interesting thing to mention is that the most expensive offer was eight times higher than the cheapest.

After a massive elimination process, I decided on a young designer from Ireland who seemed to understand what I am looking for at a reasonable price. And his works met my expectations or I can even say went beyond my expectations, of course after several modifications.

I will attach the final version banner with logo with this article and you can see how it looks on YouTube by visiting my channel. As my YouTube channel traffic is going up, this modern-looking logo and banner will be a perfect fit, standing alongside with other professional-grade channels.

Is Travel Credit Card Scotiabank Gold American Express Now A Cash Back Credit Card As Well?

Scotiabank Gold Amex Credit Card Offers New Feature

First Published Date: November 26, 2016

Scotiabank Gold American Express travel credit card is known for its mega proprietary points offer on selected categories, beating any other cards. For example, 4 points for every $1 spent at eligible gas, grocery, dining, and entertainment purchases in Canada. You can read my full review here: The ScotiaBank Gold American Express Card Review. However, a recent change made on Scotia Rewards Program, starting November 6, 2016, makes Scotiabank Gold Amex Credit Card as a Cash Back credit card as well.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

In the past, Scotiabank Gold Amex card members were only allowed to redeem points for travel purchases, as it’s a travel rewards credit card. But to make the use of this credit card more flexible and attractive, Scotiabank is now allowing you to redeem points for statement credit on any purchases. This change of feature makes this card basically a travel credit card that works as a Cash Back credit card as well.

However, this change puts Scotiabank Gold Amex card in direct competition with Scotia’s own cash back credit card, the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card, which offers 4 percent on gas + grocery and 2 percent on pharmacy + recurring bills. Read my review on this card here Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card review if you need to decide which one to choose.

There is another travel credit card, the MBNA World Elite Rewards MasterCard, which offers a flat 2 points per dollar on all spending and allows you to redeem points for cash back.

I consider this cash back option offered by Scotiabank Gold Amex travel credit card as a positive change, as it provides greater flexibility for customers.

How Much Do Rich People in Canada Need to Retire?

Retirement Amount for Canada’s Wealthy

First Published Date: January 27, 2017

A recent poll done by BMO Harris Private Banking found out how Canada retirement would look like through the eyes of affluent people in Canada. The number stands at a staggering amount of $2.3 million.

Further, rich people are more confident than average people reaching their retirement goals. 95 percent of the wealthy said they are more confident in reaching their goal. On the other hand, only 69 percent of average people are confident in reaching their goals.

However, don’t let these numbers deter you from reaching your own goals. Your personal retirement amount can be totally different than any other person. As there are many unique factors that play a role in determining each person’s retirement needs, it is possible to retire with a much smaller amount than the amount for the wealthy ($2.3 million) or the average Canadian amount (about $900,00.00).

A Dawn Journal has a retirement section featuring lots of retirement articles and I encourage you to go through it.

Real Estate In Palm Island Dubai

Properties In Dubai Palm Islands

First Published Date: December 2, 2016

The Palm Islands in Dubai are artificial, man-made islands in the Persian Gulf and one of the most ambitious and talked about modern-day real estate projects. It is considered as the 8th wonder of the world and visible from space like the Great Wall of China. The Palm Island project is made of three Palm islands (Palm Jumeriah, Palm Jabel Ali, and Palm Deira) and there are varieties of apartments, villas, and houses available for real estate investors to explore.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

The Palm Islands were the idea of Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the king of Dubai. State-owned property developer Nakheel Properties is behind the development of this artificial archipelago with the help of Belgian and Dutch construction companies. It is estimated that nearly 53 million pounds of sand and 12 million pounds of rock were used to construct these islands from the ocean floor.

The Palm Islands have 60 hotels, 4000 beachside villas, 1000 water homes, 5000 shoreline apartments with other facilities such as shopping malls, marinas, water parks, sport facilities, a ski resort, and so on. Residents can access these islands via bridges, boats, or monorail system.

Apartments in the Palm Islands can range from 1 bedroom to 4 or more bedrooms. Each apartment can have a view of the landscaped gardens or the Persian Gulf sea view. Price range can be from lower $300 thousands to over $2 million dollars US. A villa can cost from less than 1 million US$ to 10 and above million US$ depending on location and what type of view it offers. The amenities available in one of the apartments or villas make you feel like are living in an upscale ocean resort – not in a residential unit.

Although residential property prices have slumped in Dubai right after the financial crisis in 2009, there have been steady upward trends in prices since then. Villa and apartment prices have gone up 20 and 7 percent annually since then. Many new projects have been announced in 2012. Multibillion dollar project Mohammed Bin Rashid City is one of the new projects to raise investors’ curiosity across the globe. It is expected to feature the largest mall in the world – with a park which is 30 percent bigger than Hyde Park in London.

Looking forward in 2013, Dubai’s property is expected to be one of the strongest performers due to its increased demand. Professionals relocating from Asian and western countries are expected to rise and push up the demand for luxury homes. Barring any drastic slowdown in global economy, we should see more high-end projects to keep up with its demand in the future years.