For Those Who Want to Lead, Read

by John Coleman

When David Petraeus visited the Harvard Kennedy School in 2009, one of the meetings he requestedwas with author Doris Kearns Goodwin. Petraeus, who holds a PhD in International Relations from Princeton, is a fan of Team of Rivals and wanted time to speak to the famed historian about her work. Apparently, the great general (and current CIA Director) is something of a bibliophile.

He's increasingly an outlier. Even as global literacy rates are high (84%), people are reading less and less deeply. The National Endowment for the Arts (PDF) has found that "[r]eading has declined among every group of adult Americans," and for the first time in American history, "less than half of the U.S. adult American population is reading literature." Literacy has been improving in countries like India and China, but that literacy may not translate into more or deeper reading.

This is terrible for leadership, where my experience suggests those trends are even more pronounced. Business people seem to be reading less — particularly material unrelated to business. But deep, broad reading habits are often a defining characteristic of our greatest leaders and can catalyze insight, innovation, empathy, and personal effectiveness.

Note how many business titans are or have been avid readers. According to The New York Times, Steve Jobs had an "inexhaustible interest" in William Blake; Nike founder Phil Knight so reveres his library that in it you have to take off your shoes and bow; and Harman Industries founder Sidney Harman called poets "the original systems thinkers," quoting freely from Shakespeare and Tennyson. In Passion & Purpose, David Gergen notes that Carlyle Group founder David Rubenstein reads dozens of books each week. And history is littered not only with great leaders who were avid readers and writers (remember, Winston Churchill won his Nobel prize in Literature, not Peace), but with business leaders who believed that deep, broad reading cultivated in them the knowledge, habits, and talents to improve their organizations.

The leadership benefits of reading are wide-ranging. Evidence suggests reading can improve intelligence and lead to innovation and insight. Some studies have shown, for example, that reading makes you smarter through "a larger vocabulary and more world knowledge in addition to the abstract reasoning skills." Reading — whether Wikipedia, Michael Lewis, or Aristotle — is one of the quickest ways to acquire and assimilate new information. Many business people claim that reading across fields is good for creativity. And leaders who can sample insights in other fields, such as sociology, the physical sciences, economics, or psychology, and apply them to their organizations are more likely to innovate and prosper.

Reading can also make you more effective in leading others. Reading increases verbal intelligence (PDF), making a leader a more adept and articulate communicator. Reading novels can improve empathy and understanding of social cues, allowing a leader to better work with and understand others — traits that author Anne Kreamer persuasively linked to increased organizational effectiveness, and to pay raises and promotions for the leaders who possessed these qualities. And any business person understands that heightened emotional intelligence will improve his or her leadership and management ability.

Finally, an active literary life can make you more personally effective by keeping you relaxed and improving health. For stressed executives, reading is the best way to relax, as reading for six minutes can reduce stress by 68%, and some studies suggest reading may even fend off Alzheimer's, extending the longevity of the mind.

Reading more can lead to a host of benefits for business people of all stripes, and broad, deep reading can make you a better leader. So how can you get started? Here are a few tips:

• Join a reading group. One of my friends meets bimonthly with a group of colleagues to read classics in philosophy, fiction, history, and other areas. Find a group of friends who will do the same with you.


• Vary your reading. If you're a business person who typically only reads business writing, commit to reading one book this year in three areas outside your comfort zone: a novel, a book of poetry, or a nonfiction piece in science, biography, history, or the arts.


• Apply your reading to your work. Are you struggling with a problem at work? Pick up a book on neuroscience or psychology and see if there are ways in which you can apply the lessons from those fields to your profession.


• Encourage others. After working on a project with colleagues, I'll often send them a book that I think they'll enjoy. Try it out; it might encourage discussion, cross-application of important lessons, and a proliferation of readers in your workplace.


• Read for fun. Not all reading has to be developmental. Read to relax, escape, and put your mind at ease.

Reading has many benefits, but it is underappreciated as an essential component of leadership development. So, where have you seen reading benefit your life? What suggestions would you have for others seeking to grow their leadership through reading?

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2012

Overlooking disability insurance can be costly

CHICAGO (AP) — Long-term disability insurance is the forgotten insurance.

The importance of auto, health, homeowners and life insurance is well known. But disability coverage, which replaces lost earnings if you can't work, tends to be ignored — until you need it.

Government studies show that a 20-year-old worker has a 30 percent chance of becoming disabled before reaching full retirement age. Yet only about a third of employees in private industry have long-term disability insurance, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"It could be argued that the disability of a breadwinner is worse than the death of a breadwinner," says James Hunt, insurance actuary for the Consumer Federation of America, "because the disabled person is still soaking up money."

That's why it makes sense to purchase individual coverage if you're self-employed -- or not covered sufficiently or at all by your employer.

A look at what you need to know about disability insurance:

Q: How does disability insurance work?

A: Disability insurance protects from a loss of income resulting from an inability to work due to an accident or illness. You typically receive disability checks starting three to six months after you become unable to work.

There are three sources of this coverage: The Social Security Administration, employers and private insurers.

— Social Security Disability Insurance is the bedrock protection against disability. About 153 million workers are insured by the program through FICA taxes. But it has a very strict definition of disability and it can take two years or more to be approved for benefits.

— Many employers offer disability coverage through a group plan, which pays a specified portion of your salary.

— Private insurance coverage is most often sought out by high-income professionals such as doctors and lawyers who have made a huge investment in their earnings potential; self-employed workers, and executives looking for supplemental coverage.

Q: Do you need to buy coverage if you receive disability insurance through your employer?

A: It depends whether you could get by on the benefit checks. A typical group plan replaces just 40 percent to 60 percent of your salary, up to a maximum $5,000 a month or $60,000 a year. And if the employer pays your premiums, the checks will be taxable.

Benefits can last for either a set number of years or until retirement age. Check your plan's details closely. Company benefits have been steadily shrinking in recent years. Group policies often limit the duration of benefits to only two years if you can't perform your job duties.

If your policy looks insufficient, ask your employer whether you can pay for additional coverage. Otherwise, consider getting extra insurance from a private insurer to extend the duration or bring the coverage up to 70 percent or 80 percent of income.

Q: Why can't you count on Social Security Disability Insurance to cover your needs if you are disabled?

A: The average disability benefit is just $1,111 a month, based on payments by the Social Security Administration this month to 8.8 million beneficiaries. And you only qualify for it if you are unable to work in any capacity, not just at your chosen occupation. A list of conditions that are considered disabling is available by doing a search for "disability evaluation" at the agency's website, www.ssa.gov .

Q: What should you look for in a policy?

A: If you have a highly specialized job or can simply afford to pay the premiums, it's worth paying extra to have an "own occupation" policy. This coverage pays benefits if you are unable to perform the major duties of your own occupation. To trim some of the costs, it may be advisable to obtain "own occupation" coverage for one or two years and "any occupation" coverage after that.

The length of benefits is key, and will affect the cost of premiums significantly. Some policies pay benefits until age 65 or until your full retirement age for Social Security benefits, others for two or five years. Seek out a non-cancellable policy.

You probably also want a policy that will pay "residual" benefits, which will compensate for a decline in income if you are able to work at a new job that pays less.

Q: How much does disability insurance cost?

A: Prices vary based on age, gender, occupation, amount of coverage and health status. Check with a broker to get quotes from at least three different insurers.

For someone who does not have coverage at work, a plan with all the extras including inflation protection costs roughly 2 percent to 2.5 percent of annual salary for a man, and 3 percent to 4 percent for a woman. Women pay more because they file claims more frequently and for a longer duration than men.

If someone has coverage at work but wants earnings to boost benefits to 80 percent salary replacement, the annual cost is typically about 1 percent of the worker's salary.

___

Personal Finance Writer Dave Carpenter can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/scribblerdave

Understanding what,where,why,when,and how for your Personal Financial Plan.

Question 1: Overall, which of the following is the best source of investment advice?
The first result returned by search engines while searching for stock tips
An anonymous email
The financial section of the New York Times
A discussion between financial advisers that you overheard while at your bank

Question 2: Which type of brokerage firms will likely provide the lowest cost of buying, selling and owning shares of a public company?
A small brokerage firm for high worth investors
A full service brokerage firm
A discount brokerage firm

Question 3: If you bought shares in a mutual fund through a full service broker and the mutual fund lost 40% of its value, who will support the loss?
You, as the owner of the mutual fund shares
The mutual funds company, as the decision maker of its investments
The full service broker, as the company that recommended the mutual funds purchase
FDIC, as the insurer of the full service broker

Question 4: In which of the following situations will you be less likely to be asked your Social Security Number?
You apply for collection of social security benefits
You purchase a car with no financing
You apply for a job
You apply for a credit card

Question 5: If each of the following persons had the same amount of take home pay, who would need the greatest amount of life insurance?
John, a 30 years old man with no children
Dan, a single man with one young child
Mike, a retired man with two adult children
Mark, 50 years old single man with no children

Question 6: If your car was damaged in a flood, which type of automobile insurance would typically cover the damage to your car?
Universal
Term
Liability
Comprehensive

Press the Submit button to see the results.

Free personal finance quizzes provided by Money Quiz.

Menyentuh hal perancangan kewangan, kita harus tahu akan kepentingannya dalam menerajui kejayaan sesebuah syarikat. Perancangan kewangan dipercayai menjadi tulang belakang kepada perniagaan yang berjaya di mana jika syarikat berjalan tanpanya, maka syarikat akan kehilangan cengkaman kewangan.  

Syarikat yang berjalan dalam pelan kewangan yang kukuh mampu menangani tindakan yang baik dan persediaan untuk membuat senarai gaji @ dalam akaun yang belum/perlu dibayar. Isu sebaliknya, syarikat terkemuka pun mungkin akan mengalami masalah apabila tiba masa senarai gaji perlu dilakukan sekiranya perancangan kewangan yang kukuh tiada dalam organisasinya. Oleh demikian, pelan kewangan adalah sangat membantu bagi pemilik syarikat untuk menghadapi masa sukar dan cemerlang dalam tempoh masa yang baik.

Antara perkara penting yang perlu diberi perhatian serius terutamanya apabila berkaitan dengan kejayaan kewangan dalam perniagaan. Pertama, setiap perniagaan mesti mempunyai pengalaman jatuh bangun dan cara pemilik syarikat mengendalikan rintangan tersebut merupakan kunci yang membezakan mereka dengan syarikat-syarikat yang gagal.

          Rancangan kewangan yang baik dan sesuai berguna untuk menghadapi keadaan tertentu seperti; apabila syarikat berhadapan dengan hutang terkumpul dan kenaikan kos. Jadi, bagi menjangka keadaan pada masa depan, syarikat perlu menyediakan pelan kewangan terlebih dahulu. Kejayaan kewangan sesebuah syarikat dikenalpasti apabila penetapan matlamat dan disertai dengan permainan peranan utama.

Kedua, berkaitan dengan organisasi. Ia merujuk kepada kewangan organisasi, bermaksud mustahil untuk sesebuah syarikat terus hidup/beroperasi tanpa mempunyai kewangan. Jadi, sesebuah syarikat perlulah merangka dan menubuhkan pelan kewangan dari awal dan tindakan seterusnya seperti menyemak dan mengemaskini rancangan setiap suku tahun. Hal ini penting dalam memastikan syarikat itu berada dalam landasan yang betul dan terancang.

Ketiga, juga penting iaitu di mana syarikat perlulah mampu menganggarkan pendapatan bagi tempoh akan datang. Tanpa anggaran, syarikat kemungkinan gagal dalam memastikan semuanya berjalan di atas landasan yang betul. Seterusnya, kepelbagaian juga memainkan peranan penting dalam kejayaan kewangan syarikat. Antara aliran/corak pasaran perniagaan yang ceruk, perancangan kewangan boleh menjadi amat berkesan terutamanya apabila ia difokuskan pada pembuatan pelaburan keuntungan ke dalam portfolio yang pelbagai. Dengan cara ini, syarikat akan diberi satu lagi aliran pendapatan yang berpontensi. 

Sumber: Trade Martes – The Global Business News and Strategy. 

Merancang Harta Bahagian 4

Wakaf


Wakaf dari segi bahasa merupakan satu penahanan manakala dari sudut teknikalnya wakaf merupakan pemberian yang tidak boleh dibatalkan, yang dibuat secara nyata atau secara tersirat untuk tujuan kebajikan bagi mendapatkan pahala daripada ALLAH.

Hadith berikut dipetik daripada Sahih al Bukhari (Jilid 4 Bab.29. Ms. 27) mencatatkan authoriti membuat wakaf.
"Diriwayatkan oleh Ibn Umar. Ketika Umar mendapat sebidang tanah di Khaibar (melalui peperangan), dia telah bertanya kepada Rasulullah, Aku dapat satu tanah di Khaibar, aku belum pernah dapat tanah yang lebih berharga daripada tanah tersebut, apakah nasihatmu kepadaku? Maka sabda Rasulullah "Kalau kamu mahu, simpanlah ia sebagai wakaf untuk digunakan bagi tujuan kebajikan." Maka, Saidina Umar pun memberi tanah tersebut untuk kebajikan kepada fakir, kaum kerabat, hamba abdi, tetamu-tetamu dan orang yang bermusafir dengan syarat tanah tersebut tidak dijual, tidak dihibah, dan tidak diwarisi. Tidak menjadi kesalahan bagi orang yang mentadbirnya untuk memakan dan memberi makan kepada orang lain daripada hasilnya sekadar keperluannya dengan syarat dia tidak menjadikan tanah tersebut hartanya"

JENIS - JENIS WAKAF

• Wakaf Ahli ( Keluarga / khusus / khas) atau dikenali juga sebagai waqaf zurri

Wakaf Khas
Waqaf yang menjadi milik kepada mereka yang ditentukan dalam konteks waqaf. Dalam waqaf ini mereka sajalah yang berhak untuk mendapat faedah dan kegunaan waqaf tesebut. Waqaf ini biasanya ditujukan kepada kaum keluarga sendiri, alim ulama dan orang – orang tertentu.

• Wakaf Khairi (umum)

Waqaf umum ialah waqaf yang bersabit denagn nas al-Quran dan hadith, ia bertujuan untuk mendapat pahala dari Allah, beramal Jariah untuk fakir miskin dan juga untuk berjihad ke jalan Allah. Penerimanya adalah terdiri dari golongan fakir miskin atau badan kebajikan.
Waqaf jenis ini tidak memerlukan kepada akaun penerimaan bahkan ia terus menjadi milik Allah. Harta waqaf ini akan dikendalikan oleh pemerintah dan dimanfaatkan kepada saluran-saluran kebajikan.
Waqaf jenis ini juga dapat menikmati secara meluas oleh masyarakat dan sebahagiannya dapat merupakan salah satu sumber pembiayaan kegiatan pembinaan ummah samada dalam bidang sosial, ekonomi, pendidikan dan lain-lain.

• Wakaf Mustarak ( Campuran antara Ahli dan Khairi)

Waqaf ini merupakan campuran antara waqaf ahli yang khusus dan waqaf khairi yang umum. Misalnya waqaf tanah pertanian yang sebahagian dari hasilnya ditujukan untuk anak-anak cucu sementara sebahagian lagi untuk tujuan umum.

Setengah daripada waqaf jenis ini telah
menimbulkan masalah perpecahan harta yang melahirkan kerosakan dan lain-lain. Oleh itu setiap bahagian waqaf tersebut akan mengambil kedudukan serta hukum khusus samada sebagai waqaf ahli atau khairi.



RUKUN WAKAF


1) Pewakaf
2) Barang yang diwakafkan
3) Penerima wakaf
4) Lafaz wakaf

SYARAT-SYARAT SAH WAKAF

• Tidak boleh diberi hakmilik

Tanah wakaf tidak boleh dijual, dihibah dan dipusakai tetapi jika perlu, pemegang kuasa seperti qadi, wakil ataupun sultan berhak memberi milik/ kuasa kepada sesiapa sahaja sebagai pemegang amanah tunggal bagi semua wakaf.

• Hakmilik Allah s.w.t.

Sesuatu tanah wakaf yang telah sempurna dan sah di sisi Syarac tidak boleh lagi diganggu gugat atau dipindahkan atau dimusnahkan kerana tanah wakaf tersebut telah berpindah milik daripada pewakaf kepada hakmilik Allah s.w.t.

• Berkekalan

Wakaf dianggaap sah kerana ianya berkekalan, biarpun setelah keluarga tiada. Walau bagaimanapun, faedah wakaf itu akan berpindah pula kepada keluarga yang terdekat.

• Pemegang Amanah

Mereka itu mestilah mempunyai akhlak dan pekerti yang tinggi serta baik budi bahasanya dan berkelayakan atau berkeahlian untuk dilantik sebagai wakil termasuk menjalankan setiap arahan yang terdapat di dalam suratcara wakaf dan tidak boleh diingkari.

KESIMPULAN KESELURUHAN

Semoga dengan perkongsian ini dapat membantu anda menambah ilmu pengetahuan dalam perancangan harta pusaka Islam disamping menjamin keharmonian keluarga. Merancang harta sebagai bekalan kehidupan di akhirat mesti diurus dan dirancang semasa hidup lagi. Sebagaimana yang pernah berlaku pada zaman Rasulullah s.a.w, Baginda telah mengarahkan sahabat yang ingin pergi berperang agar mewasiatkan hartanya kepada orang lain. Ia bertujuan agar segala harta dan tanggungjawab yang akan ditinggalkan, sekiranya dia syahid di medan peperangan, dapat diurus dengan baik dan sempurna.
Sesungguhnya Islam telah menyusun, mengatur sistem dan kaedah terbaik bagi umatnya mengurus harta pusaka. Antaranya adalah melalui kaedah wakaf, sedekah, hibah, faraid dan wasiat.

Terima kasih.

Sebarang pertanyaan boleh hubungi Green i Financial Technology Sdn Bhd


Website: www.greenifinancial.com
Email: greenifintech@gmail.com
Tel. : +603-89120293 / 010-2174860
Fax : +603-89203870



Sumber : Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Melayu Perak

Merancang Harta Bahagian 3

Menghibahkan Harta Semasa Hidup

Seseorang Islam boleh menghibahkan hartanya kepada sesiapapun semasa hidupnya, sebahagian atau keseluruhan hartanya. Ini boleh berlaku kepada mereka yang tidak mempunyai anak kandung yang tidak mahu hartanya berpindah secara faraid kepada saudara-saudaranya yang lain. Hibah boleh dibuat dengan menukarkan nama ke dalam geran tanah/rumah/kereta.  

Hibah pada istilah syarak ialah suatu aqad yang mengandungi pemberian milik 

oleh seorang terhadap hartanya kepada seseorang yang lain pada masa hidupnya 

tanpa balasan('iwad). 

Dari segi istilah, hibah adalah berbeza dengan pemberian(gift) dalam undangundang Inggeris, di mana perkataan "pemberian" itu adalah lebih luas 

pengertiannya jika dibandingkan dengan hibah, di mana istilah"pemberian" itu 

lebih umum dan merangkumi semua jenis pindak milik. Manakala pengertian 

hibah adalah sempit dan mempunyai konsep undang-undang yang khusus. 

Dalam Islam, hibah sudah sah dengan adanya ijab dan qabul dengan perkataan 

yang memberi erti memberi milik harta tanpa balasan.Mengikut mazhab Shafie, 

bahawa penerimaan (qabul) itu hendaklah diambil kira dalam menentukan sah 

atau tidaknya hibah. Begitu juga, penerimaan barang adalah satu dari syarat sah 

hibah. Ertinya, apabila berlaku kematian  salah satu dari dua pihak sebelum 

penyerahan barang, maka hibah itu terbatal.

Hukum syarak juga menjelaskan sesuatu hibah yang telah diberi tidak boleh 

ditarik balik dan hukumnya adalah haram, sekalipun antara saudara mara atau 

suami isteri, kecuali hibah oleh bapa kepada anaknya, boleh ditarik balik.

Surah Al Baqarah ayat 177

“dia memberi harta yang dikasihinya kepada keluarga yang terdekat, anak yatim, orang miskin, orang yang berhajat dan hamba”



JENIS-JENIS HIBAH

i) Hibah biasa:
Melibatkan pertukaran hak milik secara terus. Pemilikan telah berpindah kepada benefisiari.

ii) Deklerasi Hibah:
Pemindahan nama akan berlaku pada masa yang di tetapkan. Melibatkan satu dokumen akad yang memberikan pemilikan kepada benefisiari.


Kelebihan membuat deklarasi hibah

• Aset yang dihibahkan tidak dianggap sebagai harta penghibah (pusaka)
• Berkuatkuasa serta merta mengikut terma dan syarat didalam deklarasi hibah
• Aset tidak tertakluk kepada faraid
• Hak benefisiari selamat dan terjamin

Terima kasih kerana membaca...
Nantikan sambungan topik Merancang Harta Bahagian 4......

Sebarang pertanyaan boleh hubungi Green i Financial Technology Sdn Bhd


Website: www.greenifinancial.com
Email: greenifintech@gmail.com
Tel. : +603-89120293 / 010-2174860
Fax : +603-89203870


Sumber rujukan: Pintar Pusaka