My Top 10 Predictions for 2010

It has been one year since I shared with you my predictions for 2010 and for fun, my worst predictions. Here they are again along with the results:

Here are my top 10 predictions for the year of the Tiger. 

1. Asia will BOOM, led by SE Asia, China and India.
WINNER! Asia continues to boom and at a record pace.

2. Eastern Europe will continue to recover and soar

WINNER! Eastern Europe recovered while much of Western Europe is level or having debt problems.

3. Training and Speaking will be HOT as HR and C-Level people feel the need to ‘catch up’ over what was ‘neglected’ last year

SPLIT DECISION: Although a bit slow in the beginning of 2010, Training has gone HOT since September… in Asia. USA and Europe is still fairly slow.

4. Sales and Marketing will get more cash in their budgets

SPLIT DECISION: Most markets its a WINNER but some markets in Europe and the Americas, the money is just trickling in.

5. USA will still be pretty flat with healthcare and IT leading their recovery

WINNER!

6. Business in Oz will be strong by end of Q1 and NZ strong by June

WINNER! The Oz dollar is worth MORE than the greenback.

7. IF China curtails ‘entertaining’ at government (proposed now), it will spill over to private sectors and kill some F & B businesses, if not… ‘Party on!’

NEUTRAL: This was like a weather prediction… 10% chance of rain, it rains… 10% accuracy. Nothing happened. Still drinking red wine to the new year.

8. US dollar will be flat but stable until 2012, then drop like a stone (watch for China’s sell-off of $2 Trillion greenbacks or oil getting pegged to another currency)

MISS: It has not been flat. It fell against most currencies mid-year and then stabilized for the last few months.

9. Recovery will come from emerging markets and they will fuel recovery but at their ‘values’, not foreign values (they buy, sell and produce in their own economic scales, not at the scales or prices first world is used to) Hence, it may be easier for 2nd world to sell to these nations than first world

WINNER!

10. Gen Y is starting to move into entry level management. Watch for changes in leadership styles

WINNER!

SEE HOW I DID HERE: Smile Maker: Michael’s Top 10 Worst Predictions for the Year of the Tiger!
10. Doctors will tell us animal fat is good for us.

MISS! Fat IS good for us. High carb diets are not.
9. MEN: Your wife will tell you she loves it when you leave your socks on the floor. Women: Your husband will stop throwing his socks on the floor.

MISS! No one has socks appeal.
8. The Singapore government solves the dropping fertility rate of Singaporeans by granting instant citizenship to foreign pregnant women.

MISS! Instead the government is changing the rules on buying property. Maybe cheaper homes will help fertility???
7. The two new IRs offer $10 rooms, free drinks and free food.

MISS! They charge MORE than everyone else!
6. MOE stops testing students and adopts a new, “All should pass.” policy.

MISS! MISS! MISS!
5. The USA pays off it’s debt, ends the wars and becomes India’s call centre.

MISS! But maybe the US will consider a marriage dowery system and then taxing it to get out of debt???
4. Kissing becomes a Winter Olympic Sport… introduced by North Korea.

MISS! Nuclear kisses and artillery shells.
3. Iran’s Tourism Authority starts using the slogan, “Endless Beach…Water is Over-rated”

MISS! Iran actually has a lot of coastline.
2. Peace comes finally to the Middle East! (The bomb crater is 200 kilometers wide)

MISS! (thank God for that…although peace would really be nice)
1. Asia Pacific Breweries runs out of Tiger Beer because of the Year of the Tiger promotion. Singaporeans must resort to drinking… water.

MISS! Lots of Tiger beer to go around.

NEXT WEEK: Michael’s 2011 predictions.

Got comments or questions about the Top 10 Predictions for the Year of the Tiger? Just leave your comments here.

The two most dangerous words for your finances

We work hard to make money and then two words (one a contraction) squander our hard earned money and burn our future. The two words: “It’s only”

These two words devastate families and futures because they so insidiously work their way into our daily lives and our perceptions of what we ‘must’ do. Here are some examples:
“It’s only $6 and I really enjoy it.” referring to a designer coffee once a day. Crunch the numbers! $6, 5 times a week is $1,560 a year. In 30 years if you were to invest that amount monthly at 8% interest comes to $96,000! And ‘It’s only’ coffee! (7,200 cups of coffee at $13.33 per cup)

I make my own coffee and drink (too much) about 6 cups a day for $.50 a day. That’s 65,700 cups of coffee for $22,500 (8% interest) or $.34 per cup of 100% Columbian coffee.

“It’s only $300 a month for a maid.” Not true! In Singapore, if you add in taxes, levy, annual trip home, food, misc., it is about $1000 a month. Over 30 years at 8% interest, that is $1,500,000. For one and a half MILLION dollars, can you wash your own dishes and keep your own home tidy?

“It’s only $600 a month for a car.” Maybe that is the car payment, but that is not the cost of owning the car. Taxes, license, petrol (‘gas’ to North Americans), service, repairs, parking and misc. will bring you to $1200 to $2500 depending on the amount driven, country, etc. In just 5 years, that is $88,760 to $184,916 at 8% interest. In 30 years, a new car every 5 years will cost you  between $1,800,000 to $3,750,000. (buying a 2-year-old car and driving it 8 years can cut your costs by 30% to 40%)

Because we live in Singapore where public transport is so easy and cheap, we spend $450 a month on transport for a family of 4. Over 30 years that costs us $675,000, a savings of $1,125,000 and it is better for ecology.

It is no wonder people have to work so hard and long for so many years… or should I say, ‘It’s only’ a lifetime.

YES… sometimes cars and maids are a necessity. But is everything we buy a necessity? Are there cheaper, more cost effective options? Do not fall into the two word trap… It’s ONLY! Better to hang on to what we make and invest it wisely.

Smile Maker:  Maids work…
Woman of the house: “Did you clean out the refrigerator like I asked you?”
Maid: “Yes mame… everything was delicious!”

Got comments or questions about “Its’ Only”?  Just leave your comments here.

Top 10 Predictions for the Year of the Tiger

Well… 2010 is well underway and here we are in Lunar New Year week in the new Year of the Tiger. Gung Xi Fa Cai!

Here are my top 10 predictions for the year of the Tiger.

1.  Asia will BOOM, led by SE Asia, China and India.

2.  Eastern Europe will continue to recover and soar

3. Training and Speaking will be HOT as HR and C-Level people feel the need to ‘catch up’ over what was ‘neglected’ last year

4.  Sales and Marketing will get more cash in their budgets

5.  USA will still be pretty flat with healthcare and IT leading their recovery

6.  Business in Oz will be strong by end of Q1 and NZ strong by June

7.  IF China curtails ‘entertaining’ at government (proposed now), it will spill over to private sectors and kill some F & B businesses, if not… ‘Party on!’

8.  US dollar will be flat but stable until 2012, then drop like a stone (watch for China’s sell-off of $2 Trillion greenbacks or oil getting pegged to another currency)

9.  Recovery will come from emerging markets and they will fuel recovery but at their ‘values’, not foreign values (they buy, sell and produce in their own economic scales, not at the scales or prices first world is used to)  Hence, it may be easier for 2nd world to sell to these nations than first world

10.  Gen Y is starting to move into entry level management. Watch for changes in leadership styles