April 2018. Vacation time for the kids ended and time to go back to school. A moment where I also take a big envelop and put memories of the past year events, pictures, drawings of the kids in ONE big envelop and send it to our foster child in Nepal. I will this time add a tourist guide of the city of London. Instead of trashing it with the paper trash, we can give a child in Nepal a perspective on a world city like London. She can at the same time practice her English.
Now it’s also time to reflect on how we grow the money for our foster child. Our last update dates from July 2017…did our portfolio grow in the meantime ?
Why investing money for a foster child ?
As outlined in our Portfolio of our foster child, during the past twenty years I have travelled the world and seen more than 20 countries. One key insight that did touch my heart, was the poverty of kids in certain countries. In order to have a better life, it is SO important to have the right education to achieve a better lifestyle. I have seen kids living on the streets, kids who had been burnt in their faces to continue their lives as beggars, kids who were starving, etc…I have seen kids in life conditions that I will never forget in my life.
For that reason I have decided to support a child within Nepal through the organisation Cunina. Cunina shares the same dream as I do have. They believe that every child is unique, is talented and deserves a chance to develop these talents. That’s why I support Anisha, a girl in Nepal.
If you want to learn more about Cunina’s fantastic work, go to their website www.cunina.org or download the English brochure of Cunina.
My commitment to Anisha is to pay her education (30 Euro per month) until she graduates from university. Then my relationship with Cunina will end. However that does not mean my relationship with Anisha needs to end…
We do follow the situation in her country and came across the following interesting fact.
Nepal: Minimum Wage Increased
It was reported on March 1, 2016, that the Government of Nepal had amended the minimum wage provided for under the Labor Act, 1992. Notice of the change was published in the Nepal Gazette dated February 1, 2016. There is one minimum wage applicable to workers and employees who work on tea estates and another established for those who work in other enterprises, but “[t]he minimum wage is applicable to all workers/employees irrespective of status of the employment or the length of service.” (Upreti & Pandey, supra.) The tea estate minimum monthly salary for the current fiscal year, from February 1, 2016, through July 15, 2016, is NPR6,375 (about US$60), and the minimum daily wage is NPR228 (about US$2). There is also a daily allowance of NPR30 (about US$0.28) for tea refinery and factory workers and certain other tea estate workers. (Id.) For the period after the current fiscal year, from July 16, 2016, through July 15, 2017, the minimum monthly tea-work-related salary will increase to NPR7,075 (about US$67) and the daily wage to NPR253 (about US$2.40); the daily allowance remains the same amount.
Effective February 1, 2016 (the date of publication of the notice in the Nepal Gazette), the new minimum monthly salary for employees in other enterprises is NPR6,205 (about US$59), plus a “dearness allowance” (essentially a cost of living adjustment) of NPR3,495 (about US$33), for a total of NPR9,700 (about US$92). The new daily wage rate for these other enterprise workers is NPR395 (about US$3.74). This is the latest information about the minimum wages in Nepal.
Our Objective
Portfolio Update
Today I put monthly 25 EURO in a KEYPLAN and you can read below what has been the return so far. KEYPLAN is our FIRST conservative investment strategy in our Portfolio Investment strategy.
The money invested so far is 1225 Euro and today it has generated 11,14 Euro extra money. The diversification of the money is spread amongst 11 different funds. The funds you invest in, are either chosen by yourself or advised by KEYTRADE BANK.
Please be aware that this strategy aims two factors: TIME and BUY ON FIXED TIMES. The funds do not generate any dividend income and the strategy of compounded interest does not apply here. The only extra income is my monthly 25 euro each month that purchases new participations in the funds. It is important to remain invested for at least 5 years, otherwise this strategy cannot be successful.
Below you can find the performance chart.
Going forward we will just continue to invest small amounts in this conservative strategy. We will see what it gives us as Return on Investment in 5 to 10 years. I am not thrilled about the current portfolio performance but it all depends on where the market goes. Investing consistently is one method to beat the market. It is not a guarantee tough…
I also use this conservative investment strategy as complement for my emergency fund as savings accounts do not generate any high returns or money.
Final Note
I have a strong belief that EACH ONE OF YOU can change one other person’s life in the world. I see many people spending money on materialistic things …but does that make them any happier? Each person decides for himself their purpose in life and their objectives. One of my perspectives is that if you can change someone’s life towards a better life, this world would definitely be a better place.
That purpose in life means YOUR LIFE DID HAVE A SOCIAL IMPACT. We have now achieved 24,7% of our long term portfolio objective. If we use an average salary of 150$, then the portfolio has grown to 8 month salary as an emergency fund. A good start !
Keep on following this blog in the coming years and you will find out if we achieve our final goal.
As usual we end with a final quote. A quote which fits this blog post.
Good luck with your investment strategy ! For whatever purpose you invest for…
Source : Quora.com Jul 20, 2017, Global Legal Monitor
2 Response Comments
What a wonderful thing to do, so impressed that you are committed to helping this child have a better life! Great post and you have a great heart.
Thank you !