Chalie's Cafe @ Taman Desa

Charlie’s is a cheerfully likeable neighbourhood eatery with a social conscience, opened by Malaysian couple Sonny & Debra with a view to benefiting indigenous workers from Sabah & Sarawak as well as people who might not be able to afford a meal.

There are two components of Charlie’s mission. Behind the scenes in the kitchen, the Borneo-born Sonny & Debra employ mainly folks from East Malaysia & try to use a fair bit of indigenous produce for their menu.

Secondly, for customers who want to help out, a pay-it-forward sponsored-meals system is available: Give the cashier RM5, take a receipt & post it on the board; other people who come in can claim a free meal using your receipt if they’re short of cash or struggling to make ends meet.

Charlie’s Cafe @ Taman Desa
Address: 29 Jalan Bukit Desa 5, Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur.
Mon-Sat, 730am-930pm.
Tel: 03-7988-0247 / 012 816 00 03

Indonesia Life Potentials

The domestic insurance industry and financial regulators expect insurers to maintain premium revenue growth and improve investment next year, as volatility in both stock and bond markets had previously affected performance.

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) commissioner for non-banking financial institutions, Firdaus Djaelani, said that the agency projected that the domestic insurance industry would experience an improvement in 2016 thanks to a positive economic growth outlook.

“We have found that, among insurers, there is a general assumption that the previous global uncertainty has started to stabilize and that next year will show an improvement,” Firdaus said recently.In terms of market indices, according to Firdaus, the global condition started to show signs of improvement as there had been a positive reaction toward the recent US Federal Reserve decision to increase its interest rate, the first in almost a decade.

“The financial market is predicted to have calmer reactions ahead so we hope this will have a positive impact on the insurance industry,” he said.Indonesia’s life insurance companies, heavily invested in local financial markets, recorded a 26.3 percent drop in revenue as of September, mostly caused by a 152.7 percent plunge in investment yield. Compared to 103.4 percent and 12.49 percent year-on-year (yoy) decline in the second and first quarters, respectively, the third quarter plunge in investment was the lowest, according to data from the Indonesian Life Insurance Association (AAJI).

Income fell to Rp 89.1 trillion (US$6.54 billion) this September while investment yield dropped to negative Rp 15.91 trillion despite an investment portfolio increase of five percent.Aside from market volatility, AAJI chairman Hendrisman Rahim said that the drop had also been partly the result of a decision by life insurance providers to shift investment to safer, smaller-return assets, such as mutual funds, deposits and property.

“We think that mutual funds will remain the prime placement for investment at least until early next year. The investment situation has yet to show any sign of improvement,” Hendrisman said. Besides affecting investment yield, previous slumps in both the rupiah and stock prices had also had an impact on the solvency of some insurance firms, prompting the OJK to set a series of temporary measures to ease their hardship.

On Aug. 25, the rupiah had weakened to 14,000 against the US dollar for the first time since the 1998 financial crisis, as the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), the main price indicator on the stock exchange, lost almost four percent.Following on from this, the OJK decided to relax certain regulations, including those set for risk-based minimum capital (MMBR), allowing insurance companies to meet a mere 50 percent of the minimum capital requirement, instead of 100 percent.Firdaus said that the temporary MMBR measure, which expired at the end of 2015, had been expected to help insurance firms improve through a relaxation, as opposed to having obliged them to periodically inject increasing amounts of capital.

Due to an increased number of new joint-venture companies as well as the first phase implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Hendrisman said that the life insurance industry would be faced with some challenges next year, including a rise in competition at both the domestic and regional level. In terms of premium growth, however, he remains optimistic that life insurance companies would show a 20 to 30 percent growth in 2016 due to a year-end target of 500,000 agents, with an aim to boost industry penetration.


Hendrisman said that optimism was based on the country’s demographic bonus and the low penetration of insurance but added that premium growth would probably not be able to exceed 30 percent next year due to the lack of capacity within the industry for penetrating the lower segment of the population.

The country’s life insurance industry recorded a 16.7 percent growth in new premium income to Rp 57.6 trillion for the January-September period this year, a bounce back after having declined by nearly 10 percent last year.

The existing premium income of life insurers’ rose by 15 percent to Rp 43.21 trillion yoy as of September, thereby raising total premium income to Rp 100.80 trillion, a 16 percent increase yoy. Meanwhile, general insurance premium growth is expected to show an increase of between 15 percent and 20 percent in 2016 due to optimism within the industry with regard to the country’s economic outlook next year.Indonesian General Insurance Association (AAUI) chairman Yasril Y. Rasyid said that marine hull insurance would probably contribute the highest growth next year, hinting that this line of business would benefit from the government’s maritime program boost.

However, he said, some challenges would continue to linger as general insurers are predicted to see moderate growth in property insurance, while a negative outlook would continue for vehicle protection products due to a low automotive sales prospect.

“We have room to grow next year as there is an expected increase in economic growth accompanied by strong support from the government in infrastructure as well as policy relaxations, such as a low down-payment for vehicles,” Yasril said.As of September, Indonesia’s general insurance industry booked a 10 percent growth to Rp 42.3 trillion in premium revenue, from Rp 38.5 trillion in the same period last year.

The 10 percent growth had been lower than the 14.8 percent increase for the same period in 2014 due to the country’s sluggish economy, seeing automotive insurance, the industry’s main contributor (29 percent), grow a mere five percent as of September.

Group Insurance

Maybe you’ve been meaning to buy life insurance but just haven’t gotten around to it. If you recently got a new job, or if it’s open enrollment season, you might have a chance to get life insurance through your employer at little or no cost. Many employers offer free life insurance as a benefit, known as group life. All you have to do is sign up, and sometimes enrollment is automatic.

Basic vs. Supplemental Group Life
Employers often, but not always, provide a small amount of life insurance coverage for free. That’s basic group life. Typical coverage amounts are $25,000, $50,000 or an employee’s annual salary, rounded to the nearest $1,000. You may also have the option to buy supplemental group life insurance. These plans generally allow workers to buy extra coverage — sometimes up to three or four times an employee’s annual salary.


Reasons For Buying Group Life Insurance Through Work
There are three main advantages to buying supplemental group life insurance through your employer: convenience, price and acceptance. Convenience is key to those who know they need life insurance but haven’t bought it yet. Getting coverage through work can be the easiest way to protect your family. It also can be a good deal, sometimes offering rates you can’t beat by shopping around.
Finally, people with serious medical conditions may qualify for a much better rate through the group policy than they could get on their own. A medical exam is not required, although you might have to fill out a detailed questionnaire.

Disadvantages Of Group Life Insurance
Most people are unlikely to stay with the same employer for their entire career, which brings up the first major disadvantage of tying your life insurance to your job. You might be able to convert your group policy to individual life insurance if you leave, but the cost could go up significantly.
Your next job might not offer group life insurance. You could go out and buy an individual life insurance policy, in that case. But the cost of life insurance rises as you age, and you never know when you might develop a medical condition that could seriously raise your rates or even make it impossible to get coverage.


How To Decide
The first thing to do is to take advantage of any free basic group life insurance offered.
Next, compare the cost of supplemental life insurance available through your work to what you can find on your own. You might find you can get a comparable deal on your own, in which case it’s not worthwhile to buy life insurance through your work. Even if the cost of an individual policy is slightly higher, it’s still probably a better bet because of its portability. If you have substantial life insurance needs, such as many dependents, you might consider buying an individual policy and supplementing it with life insurance through work.But if you fear you might not qualify for a good rate as an individual, perhaps due to a medical condition, group life insurance through your work is a good idea. Just remember the limitations, especially if you don’t expect to stay at the employer for a long time.

Time To Retire

A person should have saved enough money for his retirement by the time he stops working. But increasingly, this has become harder to achieve, owing to factors such as low interest rates and higher cost of living.

For many individuals, their savings in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) are not sufficient for their retirement years. In March, EPF CEO Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan said nearly 80% of contributors who turn 55 this year would not have enough EPF savings to enable them to live on RM800 a month for the rest of their lives.

The Allianz International Pension Papers 2015 ranks Malaysia No 47 out of 49 countries based on its Retirement Income Adequacy Indicator (RIA), which ranks countries according to their potential to provide retirees an adequate retirement income.

Who Is Azlan Sani Zawawi

Azlan Sani Zawawi is no stranger to this fact, having lost seven friends from accidents due to road defects. Road defects are not a small matter that can be left unattended. A slight miscalculation on the part of motorists can see these seemingly harmless defects lead to horrific accidents that sometime end in death or life-altering injuries.

It was then that Azlan, along with his biker friends decided to form Silaturrahim Brotherhood, a group, who frustrated with the failure of local authorities to address the menacing problem of potholes, took matters into their own hands by fixing damaged city roads themselves.

We use our own time and money, all to help reduce the risks faced by motorists. Currently we’re fixing potholes in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Melaka and Penang. The road to hell is filled with good intentions as experienced by Azlan and his friends, who in the course of their goodwill, have gotten into tight spots with the authorities.

The funding required for the patching up works comes from my own pocket, but when I don’t have the money to do it, I will mark the pothole so vehicles can be warned from afar, giving them time to properly avoid it. A simple pothole he added, can be patched with a cold mix that cost around RM70 while a bigger one can cost them up to RM3500.

Ugly Malaysian

The white sedan, parked illegally - blocking the ramp meant for the disabled, causing difficulty to several wheelchair users.

Six wheelchair users were blocked from getting off Gurney Drive walkway.
 

Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar

Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has made it clear that he is above politics and does not favour any politician.

I did my research and this is not our custom. Neither is shisha. I was shocked and disgusted when I saw women in headscarves and even children puffing away.

I realised that this was the beginning of a disaster and had to put my foot down as soon as possible.

To me, this is a technology drug that will be harmful. Unlike drugs, this is difficult to detect.

I was fed up of the various authorities at both the state and federal levels, which could not decide on what to do.

They were dragging their feet and some politicians were making silly remarks such as vaping should not be banned because a million votes would be lost and bumiputra interest would be affected.

The Ruler dining at a restaurant in Muar, Johor. He later paid for his own food and also paid for all customers who ate at the restaurant that day.

I find it hard to understand the rationale or irrationality of any Malaysian leader who wants Malay­sia to quarrel with Singapore. It’s what I called crooked thinking.

There is so much we can learn from Singapore. They have done well, let’s be honest here. We don’t have to go on expensive study trips to Europe or the United States – just go across the Causeway to Singapore, they have done so many things that are correct and efficient.

Life Is Horny

Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department director allegedly stole a 100-year-old rhino horn only to return it two days later.

The high ranking government officer turned himself in at the Johor Baru Sentral police station at 9.40pm last Friday.

The director walked away with the perserved artifact from the Johor Royal Musuem on Oct 19 and despite police claiming he was easily identified through closed circuit television camera (CCTV) recordings. He surrendered to police two months later.

Whole Life Rocks

Whole life insurance can be important for people wishing to provide for family members or loved ones in the event of their demise, whether eventual or untimely.

Whole life insurance pays out a sum of money to those designated as beneficiaries by the insurance policy holder in the event of the death of the insured. Funds should be sufficient to support a family for a period of time in the event of unexpected death, and to cover the costs of funeral and burial services.

As this policy is in force for the holder’s entire life, the payment of premiums is generally required every year, or on some kind of regular basis. However, certain arrangements are possible that allow the policy to be paid up, with no further payments required, in as few as five years, or with one large lump premium payment. Rates are determined by the age and health of the individual, with the lowest rates going to fit, young and single individuals. While these policies may be purchased at any age and stage of health, willing providers and favorable terms become more and more difficult to find in the event of a serious diagnosed illness or advancing age.

Final Life Expense Insurance

Do you have a way to pay for final expenses after you’re gone?

 

The average funeral now costs more than RM20,000. Final expenses are often more than just funeral costs and can also include expenses such as unpaid medical bills, unpaid debt, immediate household expenses and even estate settlement costs.

 

With these kinds of expenses and futures thrown into flux, having a plan for final expenses can be one of the most generous acts you can do for you loved ones.

 

But what about the expense of life insurance? According to a 2013 LIMRA study, 86 percents of respondents say they haven’t bought life insurance due to high costs, yet they overestimate the price by more than double the quoted costs. Now there are even more simplified options to take care of your family with final expense life insurance.

 

This type of insurance can be designed as guaranteed issue (meaning that you may qualify with no underwriting or medical exam) or simplified issue (which requires answering a few basic health questions) though each insurance policy will vary. It can be an option for you if you have medical issues or needs which prohibit you from obtaining coverage.

 

Many of these products also offer estate planning trusts associated with them, offering options for final expenses and legacy planning. This can provide your family and loved ones the opportunity to continue to support causes you care about after you’re gone, such as leaving a gift to your church or a charity.

 

Life insurance truly is one of the most generous gifts you can give. In that spirit, working to help protect your loved ones from bearing the costs of your final expenses can be an incredible gift at a very difficult time. Final expense life insurance can provide for final expenses and allow your spirit of generosity to live on.

Who Is Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim

The Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, in a message of unity he issued on Christmas Day has said Malays should go back to the teachings of the Quran in order to exemplify Islam.

“Malays should remember our roots and education since childhood, and not be influenced by foreign elements. Let us refrain from extremism. I don’t understand why you have to be so afraid of respecting one another? Hate doesn’t make you a Muslim; it is common sense, love, and respecting one another that makes you a Muslim and human being.”

The quality of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts, so choose wisely. Tunku Ismail also said that as a Muslim, one’s faith and sincerity in making the Quran one’s guiding light was of the upmost importance. Being a Muslim is about your faith and the purity of the heart. Al-Qur’an is our guide. Don’t try to be smarter than the Al-Qur’an.

Who Is Diana Saw

On a holiday (2006) in Cambodia, Diana Saw witnessed a woman selling her baby. Sitting in that mother's hut made out of leaves with no toilet, running water or electricity, Diana, then in her mid-30s, thought: "How can two women who are around the same age live in such different circumstances?"

The Singaporean who had just left her job as a regional general manager for a billion dollar company put the difference between her and the woman down to "pure luck", but she didn't leave it at that.
"I thought, what was the best way to help these women after the whole experience? Was it to donate $50,000 to an NGO or should I come and set up something myself?

"I went back home and told my partner that this is what I want to do: I want to come back to Cambodia, start a business, employ single moms." Within two months, Diana had moved to Cambodia.

And through several failed business ideas, along with the difficulty of learning a new language and living in a different culture, she set up a small workshop making bags out of recycled materials.

Offering wages above the market rate and a cheerful working environment, she gave single mothers, and eventually other at-risk women, stable jobs so they could feel a sense of security.

"May they never sell their children again because they know that there is a job waiting for them and the children can go to school," she explained.

"I'm a big believer in jobs. I think having work, giving meaning to your life, and stability — that's important."

In Cambodia, where there are thousands of NGOs but continued pervasive poverty, it's easy to be disheartened by the magnitude of the social problems.

And it hasn't been easy for Diana running her small social enterprise: she's been cheated by trusted staff members, kicked out by landlords who then sell copycat bags, and even threatened with acid on her face.

Some days she wonders if she's even making a dent.

But then she reminds herself: "I'm not here to change the world. I'm just here to change the lives of those six women, 12 women, and their families."