Enjoying life after retirement
When I decided to opt for early retirement in 1991, I had everything planned. Well I thought I did! I settled all my bills, transferred all my properties to my children.
When I was working I was paying a housing loan amounting to RM1100 per month. I was renting the property for RM900 per month. It was a two-storey semi-detached house. I had spent more than RM200,000 on it and had taken a loan from a loan building society for RM100,000 in l981. It was for 15 years.
I only realized that for the last ten years, I have only being paying the interest and have paid very little on the principals. Well! I supposed that is how banks make money; on interest. When applying for the loan, I did not really understand the consequences. That is how so many people got cheated.
Banks and financial institutions always painted impressive pictures through their advertisements!!! But beware and watch out for the various catch waiting for you once the loan is approved. There are so many additional clauses which you are not aware of before taking the loans. They keep on changing and increasing the rate of interest until you end up paying more and more interest as the loan progressed.
My advice is, unless you are a government servant, avoid taking housing loans. Start savings from day one and build your own home free from loans. It is different, when you are in the government service where interest is fixed at 4 percent.
So when I decided to retire, I thought I would not want to be burden with loans since I would not be having any more income. And I also thought that I would not be burdening my children even if they had to continue paying the loans. They were still young had just started work. So after a short discussion with my two eldest daughters, a lawyer and an architect; both agreed that they would continue paying the loans.
I was so elated and overjoyed. So I transferred the property to my daughters. The house was intended for them anyway. I had always dreamed that I will give all my children a roof over their heads. My husband and I thought that it is our responsibilities to prepare our children for the future. Besides giving them education, we also wanted them to have a roof over their head, before we die.
My husband and I had always been very thrift about our spending. We only spent on necessary things and never take a break and go for a holiday. We only go on holiday where our works takes us.
But we were very lucky. As a deputy dean and a lecturer in the Law faculty, University Malaya, and later appointed as the Director of Institute Technology MARA(now UITM), my husband had many opportunities to go places. It is only on these trips that we will go for our holidays locally or abroad. I do not remember my husband ever buying his own tickets to go anywhere. It was always sponsored trips. My work, as a Public relations officer in the government also takes me all over Malaysia.
So when my husband left us in l996, our children already had one house each .We have six children. The size of the houses was immaterial to us. But we managed to achieve our goals in life. I am so grateful to Allah for His blessings.
Life after the death of my spouse.
It is eleven years now. My life had changed slightly. I have moved back to my home town, Kota Bharu and I am staying in the house that I had transferred to my architect daughter. My lawyer daughter and her family lives next door. I am quite comfortable living here because my daughter let me stay for free.
She has her own house in USJ Subang Jaya, Selangor. My lawyer daughter also has her own apartment in Menara Duta, while my other daughter built her own house in Kota Bharu. Both my married sons bought their own houses and rented out the houses given to them. They are all economically stable. I am so proud of them
Before my husband’s untimely death he had given me a few properties. I had sold some and hope to add values to these properties. My mother also left me some landed property. I had given some to my children but keep some for me. I am now developing them into commercial lots. With the rental I hope to develop these properties and make more money. I hope God will give strength and health so that I can fulfill my dreams.
I am enjoying my life much better than when my husband was around. I am now free to spend my money and go places where I have not been before. Now that all my children are grown up I felt more relax and free from responsibilities.
I have sacrificed a big part of my life to those I loved. Now I feel it is time for me to move on and enjoy the remaining part of my life with things that I have always wanted to do. I want to write my own memoir.
I want to leave a legacy that my children can be proud of. I am not leaving them anymore money or properties. They are all doing very well. They have acquired their own properties and have their own families to take care. Although my youngest son is still studying I know he will be as successful as his brothers and sisters.
I had been blessed with a loving mother, a wonderful husband and six beautiful children.
My mother was the greatest pillar of strength and my husband was the greatest teacher and friend to all of us. Words cannot describe my profound indebtedness and gratitude that we all owed to the two most wonderful persons in the world.
Now life has to go on. We have to chart our own destiny with guidance from our Creator. God willing all of us will have a wonderful life, today, tomorrow and thereafter. I wish that all my children and grand children and great children will bring themselves closer to Allah. Abide by His rules and be prudent in their endeavors
When I decided to opt for early retirement in 1991, I had everything planned. Well I thought I did! I settled all my bills, transferred all my properties to my children.
When I was working I was paying a housing loan amounting to RM1100 per month. I was renting the property for RM900 per month. It was a two-storey semi-detached house. I had spent more than RM200,000 on it and had taken a loan from a loan building society for RM100,000 in l981. It was for 15 years.
I only realized that for the last ten years, I have only being paying the interest and have paid very little on the principals. Well! I supposed that is how banks make money; on interest. When applying for the loan, I did not really understand the consequences. That is how so many people got cheated.
Banks and financial institutions always painted impressive pictures through their advertisements!!! But beware and watch out for the various catch waiting for you once the loan is approved. There are so many additional clauses which you are not aware of before taking the loans. They keep on changing and increasing the rate of interest until you end up paying more and more interest as the loan progressed.
My advice is, unless you are a government servant, avoid taking housing loans. Start savings from day one and build your own home free from loans. It is different, when you are in the government service where interest is fixed at 4 percent.
So when I decided to retire, I thought I would not want to be burden with loans since I would not be having any more income. And I also thought that I would not be burdening my children even if they had to continue paying the loans. They were still young had just started work. So after a short discussion with my two eldest daughters, a lawyer and an architect; both agreed that they would continue paying the loans.
I was so elated and overjoyed. So I transferred the property to my daughters. The house was intended for them anyway. I had always dreamed that I will give all my children a roof over their heads. My husband and I thought that it is our responsibilities to prepare our children for the future. Besides giving them education, we also wanted them to have a roof over their head, before we die.
My husband and I had always been very thrift about our spending. We only spent on necessary things and never take a break and go for a holiday. We only go on holiday where our works takes us.
But we were very lucky. As a deputy dean and a lecturer in the Law faculty, University Malaya, and later appointed as the Director of Institute Technology MARA(now UITM), my husband had many opportunities to go places. It is only on these trips that we will go for our holidays locally or abroad. I do not remember my husband ever buying his own tickets to go anywhere. It was always sponsored trips. My work, as a Public relations officer in the government also takes me all over Malaysia.
So when my husband left us in l996, our children already had one house each .We have six children. The size of the houses was immaterial to us. But we managed to achieve our goals in life. I am so grateful to Allah for His blessings.
Life after the death of my spouse.
It is eleven years now. My life had changed slightly. I have moved back to my home town, Kota Bharu and I am staying in the house that I had transferred to my architect daughter. My lawyer daughter and her family lives next door. I am quite comfortable living here because my daughter let me stay for free.
She has her own house in USJ Subang Jaya, Selangor. My lawyer daughter also has her own apartment in Menara Duta, while my other daughter built her own house in Kota Bharu. Both my married sons bought their own houses and rented out the houses given to them. They are all economically stable. I am so proud of them
Before my husband’s untimely death he had given me a few properties. I had sold some and hope to add values to these properties. My mother also left me some landed property. I had given some to my children but keep some for me. I am now developing them into commercial lots. With the rental I hope to develop these properties and make more money. I hope God will give strength and health so that I can fulfill my dreams.
I am enjoying my life much better than when my husband was around. I am now free to spend my money and go places where I have not been before. Now that all my children are grown up I felt more relax and free from responsibilities.
I have sacrificed a big part of my life to those I loved. Now I feel it is time for me to move on and enjoy the remaining part of my life with things that I have always wanted to do. I want to write my own memoir.
I want to leave a legacy that my children can be proud of. I am not leaving them anymore money or properties. They are all doing very well. They have acquired their own properties and have their own families to take care. Although my youngest son is still studying I know he will be as successful as his brothers and sisters.
I had been blessed with a loving mother, a wonderful husband and six beautiful children.
My mother was the greatest pillar of strength and my husband was the greatest teacher and friend to all of us. Words cannot describe my profound indebtedness and gratitude that we all owed to the two most wonderful persons in the world.
Now life has to go on. We have to chart our own destiny with guidance from our Creator. God willing all of us will have a wonderful life, today, tomorrow and thereafter. I wish that all my children and grand children and great children will bring themselves closer to Allah. Abide by His rules and be prudent in their endeavors
No comments:
Post a Comment