It is clear that the reunion was an immensely enjoyable experience. What is unexpected was
that it was also a great learning experience, at least for this lighter. Specifically I
referred to the seminars held in Toronto. Three very different and equally interesting
topics were discussed. It may seem odd that seminars of a serious nature were held at a
40th high school reunion, and not hell raising, cigar smoking and drinking parties. Well,
we are who we are and we are Lighters.
The first seminar was on Health science, conducted by Jokesing, Dennis, Lum Sau-Ling and
white powder. Very interesting issues of snow lotus were brought up; samples were passed
around for those wanted to take a look or take a taste of it. White powder expressed very
insightful comments on why women live longer than men and why women are better manager of
time and resources. he cited that women knew how to utilize " clothing, food, housing
and "telephone" more effectively, resulting in a longer life. It was also the
first time for me to see snow lotus and snow lotus yogurt; and to learn about why women
are superior. I always knew it was so, just did not know why. Now I know.
The second seminar was on "diamond", and the speaker was Zai Yook-Fung. We
learned from him how a diamond should be cut to give the most brilliance ( the crown angle
is between 36-37?, and what are the basic principles in selecting a diamond. He told very
interesting stories about his adventure in purchasing uncut diamond crystals in various
countries. Many questions were asked about diamond color, quality, optimum weight and
certificating procedures. We also saw diamond rings on fingers of Lighters and spouses,
purchased from his firm. Please visit the website of his firm if you want to know more and
to purchase stones ( http://www.gendiat.com/ , linked by the Lighter site).
The third seminar was on retirement, investment and estate planning, conducted by Yau woon
Sung , Kung Huai-Han and Victor Yu ( husband of Cheng Leepo), all physicists turned into
financial wizards. Various issues dealing with investment, taxation, will making, family
trust and life expectancy were discussed ( if you are male and 60 now, your life
expectancy is 80; if you are female, life expectancy is 86). Brochures on some of these
issues were passed around for the Lighters to keep. Many questions were raised and
answered, a most educational talk for a lot of Lighters who may not have thought about
these issues. This Lighter happened to bring a few magazines on the cruise. One of them
was " Fortune" which had a cover story on retirement. "Fortune" claims
you need 70 to 80% of your current income to maintain a similar life style in retirement.
The more you make now, the higher the % you'll need in retirement. For those who do not
have monthly retirement income from your company in retirement, you'll need a pot between
$1.5 to 5.4 E6 to last for at least 40 years to maintain a 70--80% retirement income. This
calculation has factored in inflation, market fluctuation and other estimated risks. For
Lighters who are now 60 years old, the life expectancy is 20 years for men, and 26 for
women. But we need to build in a safety factor of 2, which make a 40 year-lasting pot
reasonable. " Fortune" did not specify how one stashes away a pot of this size,
however. Contact the smeinar speakers for an in-depth consultation.
I truly learned a lot from attending these seminars. Thank you seminar speakers for a
great learning experience.
|
Get
your own Free Home Page 