Negative Real Interest Rates

Today my mentor shared a piece of interesting article with me, which triggered my concerns.

Article: Zeti cautions on cheap money in KL, Yellen suggests rate hike in US
Link: http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/03/20/Cheap-money-caution-Prolonged-low-interest-rate-regime-can-lead-to-excessive-risktaking/

It is a very lengthy article. But what really caught my attention are these excerpts:

During the release of its annual report yesterday, Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said that it was undesirable to have a negative real interest rate regime for too long because it would cause financial imbalances.

Since early December last year, Malaysia has been experiencing negative real interest rates, a situation where the inflation rate is higher than the fixed-deposit interest rate.

What this means is that money that has been set aside as savings deteriorates in value because its returns are lower compared with the general rise in the price of goods and services.

In this respect, many expected Bank Negara to increase its overnight policy rate (OPR) two weeks ago, but the central bank maintained it at 3%.

In summary:

• Our money is depreciating in value.
• This situation is certainly going to stay on for some time.

It sounds to me that it's better to spend my money now than to save it in the bank, because if I spend my money now, I will enjoy full worth for my money; but if I save my money now, few months down the road I will no longer enjoy the full worth for my money due to the deterioration in the value of my money.

However, if you were to spend, make sure you spend on ASSETS (which generate income), rather than EXPENDITURES (which deplete income).

Another thing, if you're still relying solely on SAVINGS for your future, please reconsider and start learning the math of personal economy.

The Goodness of Fatty Fish

Here's a good article for those of you who wish to enjoy having good cardiovascular health throughout your entire lifetime, especially if your dietary menu doesn't feature a regular feast on fatty fish.

Article: Fatty fish boosts good cholesterol levels
Link: http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Health/Nutrition/2014/03/05/Fatty-fish-boosts-good-cholesterol-levels/

A UNIVERSITY of Eastern Finland study has found that eating more fatty fish can increase good cholesterol levels. 

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE and found participants who increased their fish fatty consumption to three or four fish meals per week had more large HDL (high-density lipoprotein) – also known as “good cholesterol” – particles in their blood than those who did not eat fish so frequently. 

For the study, 131 participants with “impaired glucose metabolism and features of the metabolic syndrome” were divided into three groups, the first asked to eat wholegrain products and bilberries as well as three to four weekly servings of fatty fis, the second asked to eat whole grains in addition to their regular eating habits, and the third, a control group, asked to eliminate whole grains and limit their intake of berries and fish. A total of 106 participants completed the trial. 

Daily fish intake in the three groups worked out to be 67g, 42g and 16g respectively. Participants who experienced the most positive changes were those eating three to four fish meals per week, and the greater the increase in fish intake, the greater the increase in concentration of large HDL. 

Fish consumed for the study included fatty options such as rainbow trout, salmon, vendace and herring. The fish were prepared without additional butter or cream. 

Cholesterol is generally divided into “good” and “bad,” with good cholesterol capable of removing bad cholesterol from arteries in addition to lowering risk of cardiovascular disease. Bad cholesterol contributes to increased risk of this disease. 

“People shouldn’t fool themselves into thinking that if their standard lipid levels are OK, there’s no need to think about the diet, as things are a lot more complicated than that. Soft vegetable fats and fish are something to prefer in any case,” postdoctoral researcher Maria Lankinen says. 

Researchers also emphasize the importance of maintaining a heart-healthy diet that’s low in red meat and high in fish and other foods that lower bad cholesterol, such as olive oil, whole grains and nuts. – AFP Relaxnews

It's time to start eating more fish! 

How Technology is Affecting Your Children's Sleep

Our ancestors used to have lots of sleep in a day. They rose with the sun, and slept with the moon. There's nothing much one could do in the midst of total darkness back in those days when there were no electricity and light bulbs. With better sleep quality, our ancestors had enjoyed having better health, with most of them dying of old age instead of heart attack or cancer.

Today, with the invention of light bulb and other electronic devices, people are staying up late at night. This has not only affected our health, but also our next generation - children - as they face trouble sleeping.

The following article is a good read on how technology has affected children.

Article: Limit kids' technology use for better sleep: survey
Link: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/limit-kids-technology-better-sleep-survey-102521293.html

If your child is having trouble sleeping, or isn't getting the amount of sleep he or she needs, it may very well have to do with electronic devices. A new survey by the US National Sleep Foundation found American kids ages 6 through 17 aren't getting enough sleep, with almost 72 percent sleeping with at least one electronic device in their bedrooms. 

In a survey of more than 1,100 American parents, teens who slept with devices in their bedrooms were reported to get half an hour less sleep than those who didn't have devices in their rooms. 

The National Sleep Foundation recommended turning electronic devices off about an hour before bedtime following a 2011 study, as they keep the brain stimulated and suppress melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. 

Over 90 percent of parents surveyed highly valued sleep in regards to their children's school performance, health and overall happiness. However, this survey indicates parents may need to do more in terms of ensuring their children get the shut-eye they need. This includes rules about caffeinated beverages and TV shows before bedtime in addition to limited electronic device use. 

"A good first step in setting and enforcing sleep-related rules is to establish bedtimes," poll task force member Jim Spilsbury, Ph.D., MPH, said in a statement. 

The National Sleep Foundation survey also stressed that parents should be good role models for their children regarding electronic device use, as less than a quarter of children own such devices if their parents do not.

I'm definitely going to sleep earlier every day from today onwards! 

Is Your Salary Enough to Buy You a House?

Reading these 2 articles from The Star on the same day got me thinking...is this really the case?

Article #1: Salaries not going up as fast as prices of homes
Link: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/02/18/Salaries-not-going-up-as-fast-as-prices-of-homes/

Key excerpts:

When A.S. Gill bought his double-storey link house in SS12 in Subang Jaya back in 1985, it took about a quarter of his salary combined with that of his wife to realise their dream. The house was RM200,000 but now it costs RM1mil. 

“Today, I am estimating that youngsters would have to fork out at least 50% of their salary.”

“More young people are buying old houses with the support of their parents.” 

“If you want cheap and nearby the city, don’t expect it to be big. If you want big and cheap, don’t expect it to be nearby.”

Article #2: Klang Valley still affordable
Link: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/02/18/Klang-Valley-still-affordable-A-household-needs-monthly-income-of-RM14580-to-buy-a-home/

Key excerpts:

You must have an average household income of RM14,580 a month to afford a home in the Klang Valley, according to a recent study. 

It found that certain groups of buyers interested in strategic areas can have access to houses that are priced at 56 times their household income. 

The study also found that this same group can afford to spend up to 26% of their monthly household income to service a mortgage.

What can we conclude?

1. If you have a rich dad, good for you.
2. If your dad is not rich, don't blame and sulk, just go out and look for more money. You may not have a rich dad, but that doesn't mean your children should not have one.
3. If you blame everyone else other than yourself for not being able to afford a house, most likely your children will do the same too. And one thing for sure, you'll be one of the persons they blame too. This is called duplication.

Take action. Sitting at home watching, listening and reading news doesn't make you money. If it does, you should have been rich by now.

Scary and Worrying Things You Should Know About GMOs (Must Watch)

If you believe in whatever you've seen here, and believe that others also deserve having the same education on this topic, please kindly share it with your friends and loved ones.

Sometime ago, I was introduced to this topic about GMO (genetically modified organisms) by my mentor, and was advised to take precautionary steps to protect myself against any potential health hazards caused by GMOs. Out of trust, I took heed of his advice and started paying attention to my gut health.

Today, after spending nearly an hour watching this film below, I finally realize how serious this problem can be if no action is taken to protect ourselves from the GMOs.

Here's a film produced by the Institute for Responsible Technology about the untold story of GMO's harmful effects on humans and nature. I really recommend that you spend some time watching this film, as there are simply too many things to be discovered about this topic.

Original link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YDzZc-QFIwk

Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives

Here are some of the points which I have got out of watching this film:

• From the laws of nature, we understand that all organisms which have gone through thousands of years of evolution to survive until today are basically part of this whole big ecosystem to maintain harmony and balance. GMOs are simply created in labs and have not gone any "test of evolutionary process", thus may cause unpredictable effects when consume by our body.
• GMOs contain "Frankenstein elements" which our body system do not recognize, thus resulting in allergies when consumed. If your children have suffered from allergies to a certain food, most likely you've got in touch with GMOs in your diet. Children are more likely to suffer the effects of GMOs because their immune and digestive systems are much more sensitive compared to adults.
• GMOs are highly resistant to pests. Once consumed, it will turn our intestinal flora into a living pesticide factory. And this "living pesticide" will continue to live and duplicate in our intestines, causing problems like leaky gut syndrome.
• Statistics have shown a direct correlation between the increasing consumption of GMOs and the increasing frequency of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colotis, chronic constipation, gastroesophageal reflux, diabetes, autism, etc. 
• GMOs generally contain lower nutritional values compared to natural organic crops, therefore resulting in chronic malnutrition which leads to various types of diseases.
• Even if we were to avoid direct consumption of GMOs, we still couldn't know for sure whether GMOs exist in our meats (chicken fed with GMOs), dairy products (cows fed with GMOs), soy milk (made of GMO soy beans), supplements (derived from GMOs), and even infant formula (made of GMO soy beans). There are 4 major brands of infant formula shown in this film which contain more than 40% of GMO substances, which is rather worrying.
• If a product is not labelled as "organic" or "non-GMO", chances are, it is a GMO.

And many more.

Here are some precautionary steps which we can take to protect ourselves:

• Read labels.
• Choose organic or non-GMO certified foods.
• Always question the source of the foods - are they grown in organic or non-GMO certified farms?
• Eat foods which repopulate our intestinal flora with good bacteria.

Most importantly, share this knowledge with more people, so that the drastic drop in sales of GMO foods will trigger the manufacturers to stop producing GMO crops and foods.

"Kangkung" the Superfood

In the midst of this "kangkung craze" created by the beloved PM of our country (see "Cultural reference"), I made a search for "kangkung" on Google and found some amazing facts about this food.

A fellow blogger referred to "kangkung" a.k.a. water spinach as a "superfood"...
Article: "Superfoods you don’t know: water spinach"
Link: http://johnswannack.com/superfoods-you-dont-know-water-spinach/

While there's a website called "Nutrition Rank" which rated the water spinach as a "good food" for its nutritional values. By the way, this website is really cool!
Link: http://www.nutritionrank.com/calories-water-spinach-415826

While I personally think that the PM's "endorsement" of the water spinach was merely a political "spin" instead of an intention based on nutritional facts, I somehow have to thank him for bringing up this topic and lead me to find out more about this unsung "superfood" that grows in abundance in our country.

I guess the message is right -- let's eat more kangkung!  :)

Mediterranean Diets Starve Off Diabetes

Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/features/article/study-even-without-weight-loss-mediterranean-diets-stave-off-diabetes

MADRID, Jan 8 ― A new study finds that even if you don’t lose weight or boost exercise, following a Mediterranean diet can help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

In the Spanish study, people at risk for heart disease who followed a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and fats from nuts or olive oil were about 30 per cent less likely to develop diabetes over a four-year period than those who ate a low-fat diet.

The research was a subanalysis of last year’s influential PREDIMED study, involving 7,447 subjects at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Researchers from Universidad de Navarra found that subjects who ate a Mediterranean diet had a 30 per cent greater reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease than those who ate a low-fat diet. The new paper, published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at the development of diabetes among 3,541 subjects who didn't have diabetes at the beginning of the study.

Even just adding olive oil to your diet resulted in a health boost, the study suggests. Participants who added fats from extra-virgin olive oil were 40 per cent less likely to develop diabetes during the study compared with those who followed a low-fat diet.

Recent evidence from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston also found that middle-aged women who follow a Mediterranean diet may live healthier, longer lives. Scientists evaluated the diets and medical records of 10,670 women and found that after 15 years those women who followed a Mediterranean diet were 40 percent more likely to survive to age 70 or over without heart disease, diabetes, or other chronic disease. ― AFP-Relaxnews

ABCDE for Your Health

Today I read this article from the Star which talks about a subject very important for our health. So I searched for its original article from the website.

Title: Vitamins and Supplements: What You Need to Know
Link: http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Supplements_340/Vitamins-and-Supplements-What-You-Need-to-Know.shtml

One of the most important takeaway from this article is that the author offered a very easy way to remember what do we need to do when it comes to choosing the right vitamins and supplements for our diet.

A - Analyse (Why do you take it)

B - Beware (Interaction and side effects)

C - Check (Label or packaging for seal of approval)

D - Dose (Proper dosage)

E - Expiration date

Do click on the link above to read through the rest of the article for more information on the use of Vitamins A, B, C, D and E.

Would You Prefer to Own or Being Owned?

Watching this short video clip below by Robert Kiyosaki about assets vs liabilities reminded me of an article which I read online regarding a major MNC in Penang's plan to "optimize their resources".

"Intel plans 300 job cuts at Malaysian plants"
Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/intel-plans-300-job-cuts-at-malaysian-plants-2013-11-11

In this article, it says that:

"Like any other large organization, Intel continually optimizes its resources in line with its evolving business requirements," said Nick Jacobs, Asia Pacific public relations director, in an email.

And:

The company is increasingly relying on larger, newer factories in Arizona and Oregon as well as plants in Ireland, Israel and China, where it regularly upgrades production processes that shrink the size of circuitry while packing more features into chips.

This reminds me of Robert Kiyosaki's definition of assets vs liabilities:

ASSETS put money into the owner's pocket; while

LIABILITIES take money out from the owner's pocket.

Having understood that, being smart investors:

People KEEP ASSETS which are MAKING MONEY for them;

And, OFFLOAD ASSETS which are NOT MAKING MONEY for them.

This goes on to say that:

When the company is making money, employees become its ASSETS which will be retained;

And, when the company is not making money, employees become its LIABILITIES which will be offloaded.

Most people have come to accept this very fact about the business world. But the question for us now is:

Would you rather become the OWNER of an asset?

Or,

Would you rather being OWNED as an asset?

Things that You May Want to Take Note

What's the importance of product labeling? Do you have a habit of verifying information on product labels?

What's the importance of certification and approvals? Do you check whether the products that you buy are certified and approved as being safe for use?

What's the difference between a "pricier original product" vs a "cheaper counterfeit product"?

Read this report: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/09/health/oxyelite-pro-liver-damage/

Here are the things which caught my attention:

OxyElite Pro is sold nationwide. Because it is a dietary supplement, it did not have to be approved by the FDA before going to market.

My take: Not everything that is sold at the local stores are approved by FDA as being safe for consumption. Would you consume a product that is NOT labelled as safe?

USPlabs informed the FDA that counterfeit versions of OxyElite Pro have been circulating in the United States, according to an advisory issued by the FDA. The agency is investigating whether counterfeit products are linked to any of the hepatitis cases.

My take: Counterfeit products are definitely not certified or approved for safety. Even if a counterfeit version can copy 100% the quality of its original, when something is found to be wrong with the original, there is no way the counterfeit version can be warned of a potential hazard because of not being in radar.

In April, the FDA said it was using "all available tools at its disposal" to eliminate supplements containing the stimulant dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, from the market. The agency said DMAA can cause increased blood pressure, shortness of breath, chest tightening, cardiovascular problems and even heart attacks.

My take: Being in the radar of FDA, a product manufacturer can be immediately warned of any potential hazard in their products, thus action can be taken immediately to eradicate the hazard.

FDA spokeswoman Tamara Ward told CNN at the time that 11 companies had received warning letters from the FDA over the past year asking them to stop marketing products that contain DMAA. All but one -- USPlabs -- agreed to stop using DMAA in supplements.

My take: Track record says everything about a company. Would you still trust companies who ignored warnings from authorities?

Can You Identify the Problem Here?

What happens when the seller doesn't really know what they are selling (because they don't own the product)?

Read this report: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/10/oxyelite-pro_n_4081375.html

The following quotes from the report got me thinking:

When the Hawaii Department of Health issued a request Tuesday that the diet supplement OxyELITE Pro be voluntarily removed from store shelves, they received almost unanimous acquiescence from stores across Hawaii. 

There was just one problem: one of the largest distributors of OxyELITE Pro in Hawaii said no. 

“GNC uniformly informed us they were not going to remove it,” said Hawaii Deputy Director of Environmental Health Gary Gill. While all other retailers immediately agreed to remove the product from shelves, every local GNC manager visited by the DOH said they did not plan to stop selling the supplement.

My take: Which seller would you rather buy from? The ones who say "Let's temporarily stop the sale of this product just in case someone else got hurt"? Or the ones who say "Let's just wait for more scientific evidence before we stop the sale of this product"? For me, I choose the ones who put customers' safety first, not the ones who take a gamble on customers' safety.

A national representative for GNC said in an e-mail that GNC “never ‘refused’ to pull the product,” but that “GNC is not aware of any scientific or medical evidence that establishes that the OxyElite Pro product is unsafe.”

My take: Which seller would you rather buy from? The ones who "have proven credibility and capability to do their own research, manufacturing and certification of their own products"? Or the ones who "rely on other parties to do the research, manufacturing and certification of the products'? For me, I choose the ones who know 100% of what they sell to their customers, not the ones who are clueless of what they sell to customers.

It's always better to buy something from sellers who take FULL RESPONSIBILITY and OWNERSHIP of their products, rather than from sellers who merely sell products for a profit and avoid responsibility when things go wrong.

Living Longer Life

Many people want to longer lives, so that they could have more time to achieve their dreams and spend more time together with their loved ones.

If you're one of these people, you may want to read this article.
Title: US study finds eating fish linked to longer life
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/health/eating-fish-linked-to-longer-l/624230.html

Important points taken from the article:

• People with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids also had an overall risk of dying that was 27 percent lower, and a risk of dying from heart disease that was 35 percent lower than counterparts who had lower blood levels, said the study.
• Those with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids found mainly in fish like salmon, tuna, halibut, sardines, herring and mackerel, had the lowest risk of dying from any cause, and lived an average of 2.2 years longer than those with low levels.
• Researchers identified docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as most strongly related to lower risk of coronary heart disease death.
• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was strongly linked to lower risk of nonfatal heart attack, and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) was most strongly associated with lower risk of dying from a stroke.

I hope this article gives you more reason to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids in your daily diet, as opposed to omega-6 fatty acids which are very commonly found to be of higher levels in our modern day diet.

Diet, Parental Behavior, and Preschool Can Boost Children’s IQ

Here's an article from today's Star2 section which caught my attention:

Title: Diet, Parental Behavior, and Preschool Can Boost Children’s IQ
By: Association for Psychological Science
Source: http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Children_s_Health_200/Diet-Parental-Behavior-and-Preschool-Can-Boost-Children-s-IQ.shtml

Key highlights:

Overall, the results of the meta-analyses indicated that certain dietary and environmental interventions can be effective in raising children's IQ.

Supplementing pregnant women and newborns with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, foods rich in Omega-3, were found to boost children's IQ by more than 3.5 points. These essential fatty acids may help raise intelligence by providing the building blocks for nerve cell development that the body cannot produce on its own.

Interventions focused on interactive reading - teaching parents how to engage their children while reading with them - were found to raise children's IQ by over 6 points. These interventions do not seem to have an effect for children over 4 years old, suggesting that the interventions may accelerate language development, which, in turn, boosts IQ.

One word of advice, though. While it's important to raise a child's IQ level to ensure that they can survive the tough competition in school, it's also equally important to raise a child's EQ level to ensure that they can handle their own emotions and feelings amidst the multitude of negativity in the world around them.

I'm sure parents don't just want smart kids, they also want smart and happy kids, right?

One of the Biggest Brainwashing in Modern History

From the day we were born, our minds have always been a subject of programming and re-programming (or so called "brainwash"). We were taught how to do things following a set of pre-conditioned norms and rules. For instance, in some Chinese customs, if a little child starts holding pencils and spoons with his left hand, his parents would adamantly try to force him into using his right hand instead.

Everything that we do today is a result of programming and re-programming. When the outcome is perceived as being positive in accordance to social norms, we call it "education and training". When the outcome is perceived as being negative in accordance to social norms, we call it "brainwashing".

For the rest of this topic that I'm going to talk about here, I will be using the word "brainwash" because that's how I perceive this matter. You may have your own perception, and it's okay. There's no right or wrong here.  :)

Over the past year of research, I have learned that one of the biggest brainwashing in modern history is the idea of RETIREMENT.

"Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely." ~ Wikipedia

Let me ask you this, what is the minimum age of retirement in Malaysia?

If your answer is "55 years old", please read my question again clearly.

If your answer is "60 years old", please read my question again clearly.

If your answer is "I don't know", please get more information.

If your answer is "Depends", you clearly know something that the 3 categories of people above don't know yet.

If your answer is "There's no such thing as a minimum retirement age", you're probably already on track towards your retirement or financial freedom.

Yes. What I have learned is, there is no such thing as a minimum retirement age in Malaysia. You can retire any time you want, as long as you have the means to do so. If you consider yourself to be in employment for your entire career, then yes, there is indeed a minimum retirement age for EMPLOYEES in Malaysia, which is 60 years old coming July 1 this year.

P/S: I purposely remove the word "employees" from the question to show you the so called "brainwashing" that has taken place in our innocent minds.

Some people have always been in "retirement" because of the huge stream of passive income coming into their pockets from the huge businesses they have inheritted from their ancestors.

Some people have retired at the age of 30 because they have built or acquired enough assets to provide them sufficient passive income to sustain their living.

Some people choose not to retire from their jobs even though they have enough passive income from their assets to sustain their living. Call it semi-retirement.

Some people have been forced into retirement at the age of 55 years old because companies would no longer want to prolong their employment in the company.

Some people have not even retired at the age of 70 because they still have to look for contract jobs to earn money to pay for their expenses and liabilities.

If you're financially savvy, you don't have to adhere to this retirement rule set by the government. If you're financially intelligent, you won't even succumb to the brainwashing of this retirement age thingy.

You can retire any time you want, as long as you have the means to do so.

Retirement

What is the age for retirement in Malaysia?

If you answer is 55 years old, you need to update yourself :)

If your answer is 60 years old, please read on till the very end.

Coming July 1, the official retirement age for employees will be revised to 60 years old:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/minimum-retirement-age-act-will-be-implemented-from-july-1

Whether this is a good news or a bad news, it depends on your perspective.

If you're an employee and a subordinate in a company, it means:

• You can look forward to a longer career path.
• You can expect to pay more taxes over your life.
• You can expect your boss to be staying around for 5 years longer.
• You can expect your promotion to be delayed for 5 years longer because your boss will only be leaving by then.
• You can expect to only get to withdraw your hard-earned EPF savings 5 years later.

If you're an employee and taking a management role in a company, it means:

• You can look forward to retire 5 years later than your initial plan.
• You can expect to enjoy authoritative power for 5 years longer.
• You can expect to feel the competitive threat from your next level subordinate to replace your for 5 years longer.
• You can expect to have the need to reinvent yourself for 5 more years.
• You can expect to only get to withdraw your hard-earned EPF savings 5 years later than your initial plan.

If you're an employer and owner of a company, it means:

• You can look forward to having a bigger pool of manpower to hire into your workforce.
• You can look forward to getting better bargains in hiring employees because supply would greatly exceed demand.
• You can look forward to having lesser headache because there will be lesser turnover in your company as employees grab more tightly to their jobs because competition in the job market gets more intensed.
• You can expect to contribute more to EPF.
• You can expect to face more and more dinosaurs in your company that you try to get rid.

If you're a retail shop or restaurant owner, it means:

• You can look forward to having more sales revenues because people are going to enjoy 5 years of extended buying power.

If you're the owner of a bank, it means:

• You can expect having lesser worries of people failing to pay up their loans and mortgage.

If you're the government, it means:

• You can look forward to more people paying taxes.
• You can look forward to more people contributing to EPF.
• You can look forward to business owners paying more taxes as their revenue increases.
• You can look forward to having lesser headache in taking care of the elderly people's welfare because they can take care of themselves for 5 years longer.
• You can look forward to having a better package to offer to offshore investors in terms of workforce because the salary demands have gone down due to supply exceeding demand.

Who's the real winner?

Is this a good news or a bad news? Depends on your perspective.  :)