When I was a young man , although I had a steady job and a steady income I was almost living in fear , fear of how I was going to face any eventualities in my future . I was so afraid of any untoward incidents that could befall on me . That was perhaps because I did not have any one to depend on . Although my parents were still around then , I could not fall on them for any assistance because they were also living in pathetic conditions . As such I had to be prepared in case of any eventualities .Worst still I was the sole bread winner of my family . I had to set aside at least 20% of my income for savings every month . I made sure that I had at least RM 10,000 ready cash in my bank . I was very frugal in my spending . Very seldom that I would spent outside the house . Whatever extra income from the increments of my pay and as a result of my promotions I would keep them all into my savings . I also had a strong desire to buy a house before the age of 30 so that if anything happened to me there would be a place to shelter my family . Eventually , my dream came true when I bought my first house in Shah Alam at the age of 29 .It was bought from a brother in-law who had lost interest in it .That time a double storey terrace house cost only RM 37,000.
At the age of 40 I began to plan for my retirement . I knew that I could not depend on my pension to live comfortably . There would be recessions and the pension would not be enough .I was determined to maintain the living standard I enjoyed even after retirement .I always reminded my wife that we should not expect anything from our children after our retirement . They would have their own commitments and we should not burden them. It is our responsiblity to educate them but our responsiblity ended the day they completed their education and have themselves employed . If they have any desire to contribute to the family that must be done with sincerity . As such I have to have other incomes to survive . What choice did I have then ? As a government servant I could not get myself involved into business . One day I thought that the few thousand ringgits that I had in my savings account would have given me better returns if I were to invest in property . It all began by buying low cost houses and selling them with a some profit .The profit derived , was invested into other properties including land and shophouses . I also made some fortune in shares during the bull run boom in the share market in the 1990s .From then on there was no turning back for me . Of course there were risks but I made the calculated risks . As a result I live quite confortably today .
Contrary to others perceptions , I made it through the hard way . There is no such thing that success would come easy . One has to work very hard both physically and mentally and be smart . I hope my children would follow in my footsteps on having a planned future . More so if their jobs are not pensionable . They should not expect anything from me as long as I am alive .
