Personal Financials

Meet Joshua, a single dad with a ten-year-old son, helping to get his son out of bed and prepared for school while, getting himself ready for work as a welder. Joshua clearly understands his commitments and responsibilities, to keep himself and his son healthy, with a safe and secure roof over their heads and with transport options to benefit their lives. Joshua, clearly need some advice as to the hidden cost, which can and would have a devastating effect on his personal financial plan, also known as statement of affairs, and ultimately, eating into his income and reducing his ability to grow his savings and pension.

Returns On Investment

Money knows no borders, as each and every nation competes for large sums of foreign direct investment. Administrations invite investment bankers, hedge and private equity funds to participate in joint ventures. Projects, which benefit the nation's population, where utilities and other infrastructure entities, are built, operated, leased and transferred or commissioned and maintained under specific terms and conditions, while charging the public as regulated. Such opportunities generally allow for a long repayment period during which investors are guaranteed a minimum annual return. But this can only work, if the nation's law-makers legalize, implement and honor such long-term agreements, beyond political periods, requiring an independent office of budgets.

Governance 2018

(An extract from Foreign Direct Investment 2018)

This category, allocated 4.47% of the nation’s total expenditure, as reported by the office of the Auditor General 2016 and 4.31% in the 2017 revised estimates, while estimating 4.56% for 2018 up by 4.50%, as published by the Ministry of Finance, consist of positions, offices, agencies and ministries that monitors good, moral and ethical, behavior, such as; Ministry of Public Administration and Communications (MPAC) & The Personnel Department, The Judiciary & The Industrial Court, Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Other Heads of Expenditure involved in Governance, The Office of the Prime Minister, and The President & The Parliament.

Infrastructure Management 2018

(An extract from Foreign Direct Investment 2018)

Utilizing 20.38% of the nation’s total expenditure, as reported by the office of the Auditor General 2016 and 20.39% in the 2017 revised estimates, while estimating 20.60% for 2018 down by 0.17%, as published by the Ministry of Finance, to maintain and expand public spaces. Such Infrastructure expenditure has widely been realized and accepted to directly impact productivity; outputs, driven by comfortable and safe, work and play environments, for example; organizations to produce and deliver water and electricity, industrial parks, courts, police stations, hospital, schools, housing, administration offices, communications, community centers, open parks, transport hubs, roads and bridges, etc. This Infrastructure Management category consist of the Ministries of Public Utilities, Works and Transport, Rural Development and Local Government, Housing and Urban Development and the Tobago House of Assembly.

The Will to Live

The call is for a better world, new integrated systems, which eliminates Ego and Greed, moves the artisan, dreamer, planner, thinker or visionary, to the top of the social ladder, while downplaying personal wants and replacing them with public needs. Placing efforts to serve the many before benefiting the few. The average citizen, worker, union member, self-employed, politically active, in other words every individual, must understand, the existing reality, before committing to or taking a position in foreseeable disputes, insurrection or war.

Foreign Direct Investment 2017

As global Politics grapples with issues surrounding Open Markets versus Close immigration, investments are kept and driven into the largest economies, which have the strength of market size and numerous trade agreements, increasing access and influence, to record superior returns. Small economies, with much the same issues, have the advantage of granting greater access to decision-making, so investors, far removed from board rooms in large economies, are invited in, to participate, in small economy decisions and development, guiding their own returns on investment (ROI).

Governance 2017

(An extract from Foreign Direct Investment 2017)

A nation's development is badly hindered and retarded by individual greed; corrupt public officers, bias reporting, unfair hiring practices, slow justice, unbalance dispute settlements, unlawful opinions, compromised records, a lack of transparency, general back room dealings, selling executive influence, misusing presidential privilege, laws to benefit the few rather than the many, practices and actions which have to be avoided, rooted out, dealt with and, ultimately replaced by Good Governance.

Governance, with 4.39% of the nation's total annual estimated expenditure budget up 0.58%, is the category of post, offices, agencies and ministries that monitors good, moral and ethical, behavior.

Infrastructure Management 2017

(An extract from Foreign Direct Investment 2017)

It has been long realized and accepted that Infrastructure Management directly affects productivity; outputs driven by comfortable and safe work and play spaces, such as; water and electricity, industrial parks, administration offices, community centers, open parks, transport hubs, roads and bridges, etc. Utilizing 19.97% of the nation's total annual allocated expenditure to maintain and expand public spaces, the Infrastructure Management category consist of the ministries of Public Utilities, Works and Transport, the Tobago House of Assembly, the ministries of Rural Development and Local Government, and Housing and Urban Development.

Investors and Employers

The true employers in society are individuals with a small savings account, having bills to pay and living within their narrow financial means. They are not hard nose greedy rich people as often portrayed by the media or enemies of workers’ unions engaged in unfair tactics during employment negotiations. The public impression of employers is one of a bully not listening or concerned with reasons but forcing the most out of their workers, that may more describe management, and the true employers do not directly hire and fire such management. Management’s role is to please both employers and employees. Employees expect the best working conditions with fair remuneration packages. And employers expect a safe place to put funds and receive a competitive yield to live on.

Common Enemy

The human condition strives on disputes, competition, conflicts and arguments even where none exist. Disputes over the control of resources, Competition as a problem solver rather than collaboration, Conflict embroiling owners vs. workers, Arguments about the best use of profits. This is all based on egos, selfishness and greed, mostly executed by men supported by mothers, wives and daughters, who enjoy the benefits but refuse to ask any pertinent questions until negatively impacted. Clearly a common enemy is needed to solve all problems, bringing all creeds, races, religions, rich, poor, owners and workers, together, to promote peace and stop the human on human abuse. Many fictional works have already depicted such scenarios; alien invasion, comet collision, overheating of the earth's core, rise of the machines, disease, famine, water woes, begging the question, does reality truly have to follow art?

Rental Apartments

Economic research reported by international news outlets, all suggest that apartments located in major cities are well beyond the financial reach of persons working in those cities, resulting in long daily commutes, expanding city limits, growing ghettos surrounding the city centres and, as a further result, opportunities for those historical real estate owners to profit from the development of rental accommodations. When an average office city worker has to travel for over an hour, it is time to relocate that operation and the answer always seems to be, just outside the city limits, naturally moving operations, converting slumps into industrial and commercial parks with middle class housing units. The opportunity is for the previous owners in that location to sell or develop.

Funding the Future

The nation, which finds itself overdrawn in its current account, needing to raise funds to pay, public sector salaries back pay, overdue bills, recurrent expenditure, finance its infrastructural maintenance and new facilities, and is desperate to diversify its economy, must carefully examine and educate its population about all options. The executive can decide to continue borrowings, locally to finance budget deficits inclusive of capital expenditure, and internationally to meet its foreign currencies import bills and preserve its local currency strength, projecting long-term debt repayments, which would, unless revenues rebound, further grow the current public debt into an unmanageable size. The cabinet can also withdraw from the nation's cash reserves, savings, stabilizing or sovereign funds, invested in foreign low risks, low yield instruments, to finance its previously mentioned needs. Noting that, both borrowings and withdrawals together can solve the nation’s immediate cash flow problems.

Trust the Data

Data generating information and leading to intelligence coming out of the nation's Auditor General Office, Central Statistical Office and Central Bank, which is used to formulate ecological, social and economic development strategies, make knowledge based decisions and set implementation timelines, must be trusted by all groups of the society. Groups intended to distribute profits to its single or many owners via dividend payouts, so called (Profit-Sharing) private or public companies. Groups organized to keep profits for its future operations, so called Non-Profits or (Profit-Retaining). Groups that negotiate for working conditions, via individual or collective bargaining, so called Workers' Unions. Noting that, all such groups are and must be Profit-Making, as it is such profits that offer that crucially needed continuance, for Business must generate growth to paid salaries, taxes and continue, Unions must protect jobs and fair trade, and Government must balance its budget to improve living standards and protect the nation's most vulnerable.

Masking the Problems

Problems much like energy can not be created or destroyed but only transferred and in many cases such problems are deem to be solved by simply hiding it away. Problems are often misdiagnosed, in the first instance, as observed on a limited scale, from a single point of view, and by its effects upon a specific group. Problems are clearly multifaceted, when thought through it exposes numerous other problems if a single solution is applied and more than likely creates a greater amount of affected people than the original problem. Antisocial behavior, for example, is commonly dealt with by locking it away, keeping a community clean is to relocate its waste, modernizing a land transportation network is to lessen the need for excessive movement and managing an economy is to issue more money.

Selling State Assets

There is no need to dispose of state owed assets, new listings on the stock exchange can bring much needed cash into the treasury without losing the assets' future earnings capabilities, at the same time, forcing greater efficiencies by adding more regulations from the Securities Exchange Commission. Protecting employment, both Workers and Management jobs in line with performance, from threats associated with state funding and offering Investors peace of mind as to future annual returns.

Old Friends

 Childhood friends, Martin, Chris, Will and Tom, having gone separate ways, are reunited in their late sixties in a single dwelling complex, to reflect on their lives. Without spouse and children in their daily activities, they again became codependent, having been taxpaying workers, supervisors, managers, saved and invested through numerous financial instruments and pension plans, but never saw themselves as owners.

Nation Building

First World Nation status is ultimately measured by the level of financial sophistication of the nation’s population, as it pertains to national, corporate and individual – expenditure, revenue and (debt/equity) reserves. Money, similar to a bathroom scale or a kitchen thermometer, is only a measuring tool used to value tangible and intangible items and all must learn to use it. Investing in productive and administrative activities, to generate sales revenue and returns on investment, in order to repeat and grow other opportunities.

Data Driven Decisions

Drastic action is necessary, for nations to deliver improve living standards to its population, driven by Data from Births to beyond Deaths, to adequately and efficiently meet sustainable development requirements. A National Database, publicly accessible, with its backbone of registered births, which is linked to all aspects of life; Governance, Resource Preservation, Human Development, Infrastructure Management, Economic Drivers, Fiscal and Monetary Policy, to calculate the best use of resources.

Infrastructure Management (An extract from Foreign Direct Investment)

In times of surpluses, savings and investments, especially in infrastructure should be expanded. In times of deficits, infrastructure must be preserved; efficiently utilized and maintained. The nation’s housing stock, buildings and general monuments, public utilities, works and transport, and other miscellaneous items needs urgent attention.

The Ministry of Public Utilities facilitates the effective delivery of efficient, affordable and quality public utilities services through a committed, resourceful team of professionals in close collaboration with all stakeholders. It provides meteorological information and advice consistent with international standards towards the pursuit of national, scientific, social, economic and cultural goals and sustainable development. It is responsible for the inspection and certification of electrical works. Directs and regulates the fare distribution of electricity, water and the management of waste through its allocation to and oversight of State Enterprises. And through its Community-based Environment Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP), focuses on environmental protection, enhancement and beautification in communities.

A level playing field

Getting the politics out of financing crucial nation building issues requires strong, enforceable and actionable procurement legislation. Under the threat of fines and forfeitures and lengthy jail terms, Politicians and public sector employees must play no role in the award of commonly called Government Contracts. All private sector operations depend on the rule of Laws and enforceable Regulations to create success for their very survival. The public sector employees are placed in a difficult situation, a moral dilemma, witnessing politically driven abuses and being offered financial inducements, far in excess of their salaries, to turn a blind eye or, in many cases, actively participate.