A Fable..
Or
May Be Not...
Every day, a small ant arrives at work very early and starts work immediately.She produces a lot and she was happy.The Chief, a lion,was surprised to see that the ant was working without supervision.He thought if the ant can produce so much without supervision, wouldn’t she produce even more if she had a supervisor!
So he recruited a cockroach who had extensive experience as supervisor and who was famous for writing excellent reports.The cockroach’s first decision was to set up a clocking in attendance system.He also needed a secretary to help him write and type his reports and …... he recruited a spider, who managed the archives and monitored all phone calls.
The lion was delighted with the cockroach's reports and asked him to produce graphs to describe production rates and to analyse trends, so that he could use them for presentations at
Board‘s meetings.So the cockroach had to buy a new computer and a laser printer and ...... recruited a fly to manage the IT department.The ant, who had once been so productive and relaxed, hated this new plethora of paperwork and meetings which used up most of her time…!The lion came to the conclusion that it was high time to nominate a person in charge of the department where the ant worked. The position was given to the cicada, whose first decision was to buy a carpet and an ergonomic chair for his office.
The new person in charge, the cicada, also needed a computer and a personal assistant ,who he brought from his previous department, to help him prepare a Work and Budget Control Strategic Optimization Plan …
The Department where the ant works is now a sad place, where nobody laughs anymore and everybody has become upset...It was at that time that the cicada convinced the boss , the lion, of the absolute necessity to start a climatic study of the environment .
Having reviewed the charges for running the ant’s department , the lion found out that the production was much less than before.
So he recruited the owl , a prestigious and renowned consultant to carry out an audit and suggest solutions.
The owl spent three months in the department and came up with an enormous report , in several volumes,
that concluded :
“ The department is overstaffed ...”
Guess who the lion fires first?
The ant , of course, because she “showed lack of motivation and had a negative attitude".
NB:
The characters in this fable are fictitious; any resemblance to real people or facts within the Corporation is pure coincidence…
The End
Bottom line :
Keep it simple.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Money saved = Money earned
Taking a few leaves from the books of our parents and grandparents :
1. Ensure that there is an emergency fund stowed away for a rainy day. A job loss, recession, illness etc. could prove to be a temporary setback for which you may incur additional expenses best managed with this emergency fund.
2. Keep impulse purchases to a minimum. Indulging in branded items for certain purchase choices like consumer durables and other long lasting products is fine. However, it does not mean that you should go overboard with being brand conscious all the time. In case of clothes, look out for the sales season where you avail discounts, shop for quality over quantity, which is any day better. However, if you are the kind who loves a lot of variety and like to outgrow your liking for the same kind of clothes over a period of time, indulge in less expensive clothes with a comparatively lesser shelf life, which can be discarded and refilled with other choices.
3. Don't live life king size all the time. Instead of planning a vacation that is out of the continent, you could try a vacation spot in Asia or India, which will bring the same benefits in terms of relaxation and fun and yet be less cumbersome on your purse strings.
4. When there is a boom, there is bound to be crash around the corner. So hold your horses and don't overindulge in luxuries, tomorrow may not work out as planned, nevertheless it is wise to be prepared for it, even if it is bound to take you by surprise. A little foresight could save you from a load of trouble.
5. Take care to have a mixed portfolio with investments in debts and equities apart from an emergency fund and other savings.
6. Debt counselors advise 60% of your income should be set aside for savings and investments and 40% should be able to cover your living expenses as well as any debt expenses you might have incurred.
7. Use your credit card judiciously and keep a tab of your debts to ensure they are safely manageable. In fact do not take a loan unless it fits it well with the rest of your financial goals and you can safely repay it without any stress to your budget.
Bottom line :
Think twice before you spend, after all its "your" hard earned money.
1. Ensure that there is an emergency fund stowed away for a rainy day. A job loss, recession, illness etc. could prove to be a temporary setback for which you may incur additional expenses best managed with this emergency fund.
2. Keep impulse purchases to a minimum. Indulging in branded items for certain purchase choices like consumer durables and other long lasting products is fine. However, it does not mean that you should go overboard with being brand conscious all the time. In case of clothes, look out for the sales season where you avail discounts, shop for quality over quantity, which is any day better. However, if you are the kind who loves a lot of variety and like to outgrow your liking for the same kind of clothes over a period of time, indulge in less expensive clothes with a comparatively lesser shelf life, which can be discarded and refilled with other choices.
3. Don't live life king size all the time. Instead of planning a vacation that is out of the continent, you could try a vacation spot in Asia or India, which will bring the same benefits in terms of relaxation and fun and yet be less cumbersome on your purse strings.
4. When there is a boom, there is bound to be crash around the corner. So hold your horses and don't overindulge in luxuries, tomorrow may not work out as planned, nevertheless it is wise to be prepared for it, even if it is bound to take you by surprise. A little foresight could save you from a load of trouble.
5. Take care to have a mixed portfolio with investments in debts and equities apart from an emergency fund and other savings.
6. Debt counselors advise 60% of your income should be set aside for savings and investments and 40% should be able to cover your living expenses as well as any debt expenses you might have incurred.
7. Use your credit card judiciously and keep a tab of your debts to ensure they are safely manageable. In fact do not take a loan unless it fits it well with the rest of your financial goals and you can safely repay it without any stress to your budget.
Bottom line :
Think twice before you spend, after all its "your" hard earned money.
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