Its a rich man's world

The girls celebrating their tok's birthday...

Yet another year has passed and another birthday celebrated. We get older and we see the girls growing up. From the concerns of breastfeeding and nappy changes to the weaning and the toilet training... Sometimes it is scary to watch them as they grow, worried that you would miss these moments of joy worried of what is to come...

I think most parents wants the best for their children and with that, they want to be able to also provide the best. I guess it is also one of a parents' greatest worry, for most parents anyway, that they may not be able to provide for their children's needs especially educational needs.

I have been taking educational plans to prepare for my 2 girls education. Each plan matures at different years making sure that for each year of their time in university or tertiary education will be covered. If they go to university lah... if not I use the money for myself! There is still a concern that the money would not be sufficient should they require to study abroad. Being part of the middle class, I am not poor to qualify for subsidies or bursaries and neither am I rich to be unconcerned about money... It is a worry as well that we would have enough to finance our golden years.

Health costs and living costs are increasing so much that you wonder whether the money you squirrel away in the prime of your years would even be enough to cover your needs later on. I see enough lessons around me... of those who enjoyed their lives and earnings in the prime of their life and then struggled as they reached their golden years. I dun want that to happen to me and I dun think it is good to depend on my children or expect them to support me as I may never know what may happen to them. They may not, for some reason or other, be able to support me or my needs either.

But of course, I do not believe in just squirelling away money and not enjoying the fruits of my labour. I mean what's the point of saving so much and by the time you get old, you can't even enjoy it properly due to ill health etc.

So biggest lesson of the day - Strike a balance. Save enough for tomorrow and use enough to enjoy today!