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I read this piece by Sumeet Vaid, Founder CEO of Freedom Financial Planners, in the Economic Times today on how it is important to cut back on expenses today, in order to build a sound financial future tomorrow.

I have always personally derided this perspective, saying its not relevant to people who have a steady career path and the confidence that their income will only rise over the years. Which means, what may seem beyond your reach today, will be something well within, tomorrow.

But this is a different take, which has its merits and logic, given the unpredictable world of today, and the fact that the best laid plans can also fall flat. And this is true, not just for individuals, but for corporates and companies as well. Take what’s happened in the US, for example – its a classic case of collective instant gratification backfiring in epic proportions!

A couple of excerpts from the article, and then a link to the complete opinion online.

“Usually, when we spend on buying things, we end up borrowing. You may think, “How can I borrow when I am spending from my own pocket?” What you don’t realise at that moment is that every penny you spend on buying something that is more of a want than a need, you are borrowing money from yourself. You may think that you don’t have to pay yourself back, but this tendency pulls you away from your life dreams and goals since you do not have the money to save or invest… “

“…An important fact put forth was that individuals forgo long term goals for instant gratification. Most of us just get a certain “high” while buying a particular product for e.g. a new pair of shoes, or going to the best restaurant in town. This habit increases borrowings.

A way to break this pattern is by making a clear demarcation between what you want and need. They are always two separate things. Though instant gratification is fun for the moment, on a long-term basis, it might not be what you need. Commit yourself towards creating reserves for your future, instead of just thoughtlessly spending money…”

Read the whole opinion here.

Related Articles

• Delayed Gratification and the Secret to Will Power (wisebread.com)
• Budget Rehab: Prioritize Your Purchases (money.usnews.com)
• THE END OF INSTANT GRATIFICATION: It’s Time For America To Stop Eating And Spending And Get Into Shape (businessinsider.com)
• In tough times, financial planners say their business is in demand (cnn.com)

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A couple of days back, my 10 year old daughter received an email from a stranger asking her: “Why are you creatingspam??” And this seemed to be in response to an email she’d sent (Fwd:) to some of her friends, and not him!

She showed it to me wondering what spam was, and why this person who she’d never heard of before, was writing to her email ID and asking this question?

Well, she echoed my thoughts exactly (except I knew what spam was). How and where did this guy get my daughter’s “Forwarded” email, and her ID? I checked the email in question in her “sent mail” folder, and I discovered she sent it out three months back – and no, she hadn’t sent it to this guy’s email ID – just nine of her friends, all of whom she had BCC‘d.

It was one of those “FWD: Sad Wa____t Story! Please read!!!” type email which we as adults and veterans of email over the years had learnt to ignore as fake or junk, but my daughter and her ten year old friends believed and were forwarding to each other in good faith.

Since I hadn’t been able to convince (or force) her to stop forwarding these kind of email to all her friends, I had taught, and convinced her to use BCC, and clear all the other email addresses in the previously emailed versions of any email, so at least she wasn’t also sharing half a dozen email IDs with people all around!

Keen to get to the bottom of this mystery mail, I first “googled” the guy’s name, and email ID. The results showed him out to be some guy in a north Indian city, who posted loads of blustering-and-trying-to-be-clever comments on consumer forums, and review sites. Then I did some more investigation into his email history (I can’t tell you how) and traced the sending IP back to where his ‘mouthshut’ profile said he lived.

This confounded me further, because with every search I did, I couldn’t figure out the connection between him and us.

Then on a whim, I googled my own daughter’s email ID – and boom! there it was ~ my daughter’s forwarded email ~ result 2 of 5!

It turned out to be someone’s Google Buzz, and although the original page had been deleted, the cached version still existed online!

I went through the thread, and there it was – the route from private email to public spam, via Google Buzz!

From my daughter’s email ID to her “sixth floor in our building friend”, who sent it to 12 of her friends, one of whom sent it to someone, who “Buzzed” the email as worth a read!

And since my daughter uses BCC now and deletes the previous email routing , the trail started (or ended) with her and her email ID – indicating her as the source of this “spam” email!

Scary, eh? Well, this is what happens online. And if we’re not careful, we could end up in a lot more trouble than being accused by an self-righteous individual accusing you of spam!

So here are a few facts about email you probably don’t know:

Email Is Not Private Sending email, is like telling someone a secret. Once you’ve passed it on, it is no longer a secret, and its future is in the hands of the recipient – to respect and keep safe, or forward as is or even append suitably to suit their purpose.

Email Can Be Traced Back To Source There is no such thing as anonymous email. Every email ID is unique, and contains loads of information besides what you added to it – domain, travel route, source, etc. Some email routes can be tracked using freeware available online, and almost any email history and original sender can be traced by legal and extra legal experts.

You Are Liable For Your Email You Send Sending out an email, is like making a public statement, or putting something out in print – you become the owner of the statement, and are liable for the content contained therein – original or forwarded – rumour, slander, misrepresentation, abuse, confession, complaints, cribs, whatever. In many countries email is also admissible as proof in a court of law, and can be used against or for you depending on the case.

Official Email Can Be Read By Your Company, Officially One, since your “official” email ID is provided to you by your employers for the purpose of carrying on your “work” they have a right to access or read your email, as they can access your files on your official computer. Second, since they are the “service provider” and the email goes out under the company name, the company is liable and responsible for all email that goes out from their domain. So (mis)use official email at your own risk.

Email Is Permanent and Non-deletable So if you read this article and go back and delete some mail you’ve written, here’s more bad news – email is permanent in many ways. Deleting it from your computer or email account online, only destroys your copy of  it (visibly, that is). But copies of it exist with the person you sent it to, if it was posted/shared on the internet it exists there, and even if that page is removed, its likely that search engines like Google have cached it and will throw it up in searches!

So there you have it. Think before you email. Use it well, and it will serve you well.

Possibly Related Articles (Auto Generated)

• How do you define spam? (blogs.constantcontact.com)

Continue reading »]]> Here’s a post I first wrote exactly five years ago to this date, on 4th November, 2005! And yes, I’ve been blogging since before most people had internet in India!

I am republishing it today, because I think it is still very relevant here in 2010, as it was in 2005. Because while technology has evolved, people haven’t as much since then. And it is always good to get back to timeless basics every now and then!

Continue reading »]]> Today someone forwarded me the following text, on my BBM (that’s short for Blackberry Messenger, for those not from this planet). It’s insightful, and makes people laugh ~ especially the die-hard Crackberrys!

How BBmessenger Has Changed Us:
~ This is sooo truee!!

• You check your phone before you even wake up
• Ignoring people has become your forte
• Living alone is no longer lonely
• You wake up from a long night partying with no memory but hey it’s okay! Your bbm has a record of what happened because
• you wrote to someone every time you did something stupid
• You now have typing as a skill on your CV
• No need for a high school reunion because even your second grade maths teacher is on your list
• Everyone’s a comedian all of a sudden
• Your thumbs developed new muscles!
• You now have a BBM boyfriend/girlfriend  to add to the list
• No one has time for you yet they can update their status every 3 mins
• Your social life just became a lot more social‎
• When your battery runs out you’ll sell your liver for a charger, heck you’ll even help them cut it out
• It is no longer necessary to read the newspaper or watch the news, they just can’t keep up
• Gossip travels at the speed of type
• You know every time someones taking a shit or feels like shit because regular status updates are a must
• Your legs go numb or your back starts hurting cause you’ve been sitting in the same exact position for so long BBM’ing
• You anciently laugh out loud in public
• AND facebook no longer seems so important! Who would have thought?

It’s a BB world now…:)=)) =D
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Okay, so that’s the fun part, insightful and being forwarded and shared via BBM even as we speak. However, I am not here to praise and laugh. Rather, I am here to play spoil sport, and ask some uncomfortable questions, point out some very obvious negatives of BBM’ing..!

Here’s my “How BBMessenger Has Really Screwed Us” or BBM truths you need to know!
~ This is sooo true

• You are constantly checking your phone, and not allowing yourself to relax
• You have a misplaced sense of urgency that forces you to respond to BBM no matter what you are doing or where you are
• BBM’ing when in company is as bad as talking on the phone when in company
• People are not interested in talking to the top of your head
• We now know that the incessant buzzing in our ears, is not a house fly, but someone BBM’ing in the vicinity
• Accidentally laughing out loud in public is not cute or funny after the first couple of times
• You can spot the real losers in your life by the amount of time they have, to BBM you, especially during work hours on weekdays!

There you have it – my issues with BBM. But don’t get me wrong, I am not trashing the technology. Because technology is only as good or bad as the people who use it – or misuse it!

So BBM this if you like, to all on your list, and even “conference” it. See who smiles and agrees; see who whacks you and loses “contact” with you!

Related Post: From Mike LaMonica’s Blog ~ Would You Answer a Text During Sex?

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Yes, Sure! I can talk to you anytime!

It’s amazing how this basic courtesy has all but disappeared in the world of mobile phones today. The courtesy of checking whether the person they’ve called, has nothing else to do, but to talk whenever the callers wants to. And god forbid, if you don’t take the call because you are busy, they will call back again and again until you click the green phone icon on your handset. Their assumption is, that if you are carrying a hand phone, you are doing nothing but just waiting to respond and chat with whoever, whenever they call!

Or is it not about you waiting with bated breath to answer calls, but about the self centered, self important delusion many people today strut around with? People – acquaintances, parents of your kids classmates, clients – they all naturally exude the irritating quality perfected by pesky telemarketers, and jump right into what they have to say, the moment they confirm it is you on the line “Hi Nosh, this is Soandso Whatever… what I wanted to say is that blah blah blah…”

And this can happen in the middle of a working day, early morning, sometimes even late at night! I have clients who call persistently at a certain time every morning, just to check if I have received their email sent half an hour back. I have clients who call at eight thirty every evening, after they’re done with their day, and are driving home so decided to dump all their questions and stuff they forgot to input during the day..! I have moms who call me ten times in the middle of the day, to make plans for our sons to get together and play (No Arati, I don’t mean you… I love your polite SMS, and other moms who insist on speaking should learn from you)

Interestingly, this problem is acute with junior people, and restricted to senior people, who despite their fancy designations are just “pappoos” in their organisations. They are like horses that shoot out of the starting gate, charging ahead, with blinkers on not looking left or right, just obsessed with their goal – which in this case is saying their piece irrespective of what the other person is doing!

Thankfully, senior or really important people in life and their own business, and even in the relationship, have the courtesy to check if you have the time to “talk right now“. I guess only these people, who actually do some serious work and value their own time, recognise that others too would need the same courtesy and respect as they do. And I can say this without exception – my biggest clients check if I am free without exception, even during the most urgent times and biggest issues… while the little ones are the most annoying!

So here are my tips for those who don’t recognise the value of the other people’s time:

1. Hi, Can you talk right now? Should always be your first question, no matter how important you think you are, and no matter what time of day you are calling.

2. Rediscover SMS. If the person doesn’t answer the phone, send them an SMS, don’t go redial crazy! If you insist on speaking despite the person not answering to your 7 calls in 3 minutes, please take the effort to text what you want to say, and if it is really important, the other person will respond via text, or even call back!

3. Have phone will talk is not an adage. It is a delusion of empty minds. The mobile phone is for mutual convenience, not self importance. Also phones have SMS, many now even have email. You’ve paid a lot of money for the handset. Use these other features as well.

Finally, if you’re in my phone book, and are reading this and thinking I am accusing you particularly, you are right. I am. And if you have a problem with that, call me anytime. You will? See I told you!

Continue reading »]]> Yesterday, a kid who joined my company just 2 weeks ago, quit her job with us, because she got a job with one of “the most wanted” creative agencies in the country.

The bizarre thing is, she has no idea who she will report to, nor have any idea what clients she will work on! But it’s “______” she said, “and I have always wanted to work with them”

Well mine is a new digital agency, and I am used to hearing a lot of creative people from mainstream advertising not wanting to leave the space, even if all they do is get to write a 4 second voice over in a 30 second commercial, or claim a client written ad as their own!

Then came the bigger, bizarre twist in the story. She said she realised the above, but was joining them in their digital arm. Okay, now this is really ironic, I said, and explained that my digital agency, even though just a year old, is probably bigger than the place she’s joining. We have equally good, if not better brands. And the one’s we’re in the process of signing on, are bigger than anything they can lay their hands on, because of their global alignments.

“But none of this will make any sense to you” I said “if you don’t know what accounts they have and what you will work on… so why don’t you call them and find out? Take an informed decision” I told her, and “if you’re getting to work on something better than what we have here, I will happily let you go”.

She called them with her questions, and this is what she told me they said. The large agency’s HR woman abruptly told her on the phone “you will only know when you join us and come to the office” almost threatening that if she asked further questions, she may not get the job! “So are you still going?” I asked. “Yes” she said “it is ______”.

So what’s in a name? A lot it seems. Despite having no job description, no career plan for new recruits, and no basic human resource management courtesies, they still get people lining up their doors!

And that’s life in big name advertising agencies!

Continue reading »]]> As part of a monthly review of Indian advertising and marketing which I do for a far-east publication, I have been watching Indian political advertising very closely for some time now. I specifically mentioned the review, because if it wasn’t for it, I would have simply missed/ignored the ads… which is what I think most  people have done.

The Goop, The Bad, and the Ughly!

Most of the political advertising being released all around today is dramatically inane, and looks like it is targetted specifically on the blind spot of intelligent minds.

One slice-of-life, fits all

Most of the political have the same AV feel that comes from splicing disparate images shot at different times, to ‘lifted’ filmy tunes. The rest, particularly the ones by the opposition parties, blatantly challenge common sense and suffer from an acute lack of identity.

I am particularly apalled by the ads with talking heads sharing their pains and complaints about the economy, and how they’re going to vote for a party that has promised to change the economic situation!

Add to this are the one line ads by one party which actually promises to reduce prices and increase unemployment. Without taking us back to a closed economy of 20 years back, or worse enforcing communist doctrine, how are they going to realise such promises?!

Which brings me to the point of this post…

Who are these agency genius’ thinking up these ads?! They either have no clue of economics, don’t live in this world, or believe the people of India don’t have a clue of economics and have parked their brains on another planet!

In case it still hasn’t sunk in, it’s the economy, stupid! The economy is a sea of constant movement, with waves of progress, inflation, depression, and other economy elements incoming and outgoing from time to time.

Even though India is a relatively secure island in this unpredictable sea of global economics… it is not exempt from the international gales and storms that surround and cross its shores time and again.

To blame a political party for recession or rising interest and prices and other issues like terrorism that are rife all over the world is plain stupid. And you don’t need an economics degree to understand that!

Anti-incumbancy? Or anti-reality?

People who think they can cast away rising prices, inflation, and the recession by casting a vote against any government are stupid. And political parties that feed this belief are simply misleading the public, and should be led to the exit door.

Of course, parties in power (at the centre and state level) are doing their best to highlight their achievements – which again are partly thanks to the economy, partly due to the liberalisation started by the congress, and yes, partly due to the parties in power themselves.

The recession, prices and such economic issues are best addressed by good corporate governance, banking systems, pricing strategies… the problems we face today may be due to weak government regulation worldwide, but mainly due to corrupt and incompetent corporate management!

The real issues for electing a government in my mind are just two:

1.  Corruption all around: especially in the municipal organisations, the RTOs, the police, the list is endless… and of course corruption in politics.
2. The Communal and Caste Divide: we cannot choose a government based on religion or caste. the thought itself makes me shudder at the irresponsibility of such an action.

I just hope when people are out there voting, they’re listening to the voice of common sense in their heads, not the idiotic ads in the media.

Continue reading »]]> Okay, I see Breaking News on CNN that the organisers of IPL have decided to hold the tournament outside India. Simultaneously, I see Narendra Modi slamming the government on the security reasons that have led to this decision.

Of course, Modi is not alone with his vulture-like behaviour, as I see the rest of the non-ruling political parties jumping around and blaming the government for what is clearly a decision of the IPL organisers led by BCCI and Lalit Modi.

WHY? WHY? WHY?

Why cannot Lalit Modi and BCCI be a little patient and waiting for the elections to get over, instead being selfish and self-centred for wanting to stick to the dates in the middle of the elections!?

Of cource, it would be stupid of me to ask, why are opposition political parties blaming the government?

But why are fans across the country falling for what seems like selfish blackmail of the BCCI, and manipulation of political parties!?

CAN WE PLEASE THINK CLEARLY FOR A MOMENT?!

Of course it will be a huge shame if we cannot hold IPL in India due to security reasons. We are a stronger nation than most, and are very capable of taking care of ourselves and our people.

But everything has its limits of stretchability. Imagine our already stretched and under-armed security forces not only having to deal with a long-drawn-election schedule, but also having to do double-time to protect sports stadiums across the venues, hotels, and other gathering spots for fans!

Of course if IPL moves out of India because of security fears, it will mean we’re bowing down to terrorism. We must hold the tournament here, and show the terrorists we are not afraid.

But who took the decision to move IPL out? It wasn’t the government, it was the impatient BCCI that took the decision. The government just told them to wait till the elections are over..!

I BELIEVE THIS IS ALL JUST BLACKMAIL AND MANIPULATION, and we the people are unwitting pawns in the scheme of things.

BCCI knows the Indian public will be aghast, and blame the government. The BCCI knew that the opposition will act in the manner that it has. The BCCI probably hopes the government will now go out of the way to facilitate the matches on the dates Lalit Modi and Co want.

Narender Modi and Co have finally found a stick to beat the Congress with… instead of beating themselves up as they have been doing over the past couple of months! They finally have something to say, which people across the country will foolishly fall for!

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? CRICKET OVER DEMOCRACY??

Both the Modis can take their apologies and anger and… um, well, find something sensible to talk about for a change!

We have general elections once in 5 years and we need to focus on getting that right. Democracy is more important than any cricket match in my book, no matter how many Bollywood stars dance a jig in the stands.

If we want to see the matches in person, and in India, let’s just delay the IPL till the elections are over. Or watch it on TV in the comforts of our home.

Get real people! Let’s get our priorities right!

Continue reading »]]> “Ouch!” That’s the first thought that struck me as I picked up the newspapers this morning. No I am not referring to the coverage of the FM’s interim budget, but to the full front page ad for State Bank of India in the leading and very-expensive-to-advertise-in newspapers.

The full-frontal assault hurt for two big reasons:

1) You don’t spend this kind of money to advertise anything in today’s market scenario – especially to promote a brand we’re all well aware of.

2) The creative sucks as it reeks of a lie – SBI claims to be “The Banker to Every Indian”. Sorry to bust your bubble, but that is just not true. SBI is not my banker, and neither is it the banker for many, many people I know.

With this false claim, you the bank (SBI) and the agency (Interpublicity) are asking to be slammed by ASCI and every other body/person who monitors untruths and false claims in advertising.

Admittedly SBI is a huge bank. A respected one at that. It also has a long history with many Indians. And I personally have been a fan of its intelligent and insightful communication over the years.  But to make claims like this current one doesn’t help SBI’s reputation of trust. And to do it in this wasteful manner, is adding insult to injury.

Continue reading »]]> In my search for an image for a monkey in my previous post, I discovered this story about monkeys and the stock market. Very relevant to what’s happening today. So thought I’d share it with you

“Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.

The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to catch them. The man bought thousands at $10 and as supply started to diminish…”

Read the full story here->