A week at Queenstown

This will easily rank as one of the best holidays we have ever had.

A week at the beautiful Queenstown.

The view from our cottage of the mountains called 'Remarkables' (very aptly named...we thought) every morning took our breath away...and so did many other places in and around QT.

We had taken our little Indian coffee-filter, so made our own little cuppa. Sipping the Mysore Indian brew while watching the remarkables waking up to its snow-capped glory as the sun rose has left an indescribable and indelible impression in us.

This thought of ours found endorsement by an umpire who stood in the one-dayer on the 31st between NZ and Bangaladesh. He preferred to stand with his back to the mountains lest he get distracted by the captivating beauty of the remarkables and err in his decisions.

A great morning walk around the lake Wakatipu refreshed the soul and the place was so quiet and tranquil that sometimes I thought even speaking at a slightly higher volume would be considered rude by God.

Be Happy and Get Rich

The search for the holy grail of investment that can make hopeless investors to financial whiz kids led Arun Abey, an Aussie investment Guru to come up with these nuggets of wisdom:

THE WISDOM OF ABEY

1. Money alone will not make you happy. Living an "authentic life" will. People have more money today than 50 years ago, yet are no more happy.

2. Have a financial plan for you, not your money. Those with a financial plan report greater satisfaction with life than those who do not.

3. Your plan should be based on your goals, not goals someone else says you should have. Those selling dreams are probably trying to sell you something else.

4. Understand "The Prize". Over the long term, cash makes a real return of 0%-1%, bonds 1%-3%, property (without leverage) 3%-5% and shares 5%-8%.

5. Understand the "enemy within". You are wired to make bad investment decisions, and your financial plan needs to defeat that.

6. Beware false accounting. An investment you bought for $100 five years ago, and sold for $150 yesterday, but cost you $4 to buy, $10 in finance interest costs, and $11 to maintain and insure, made a 25%, not a 50% return.

7. Drip-feed money into the markets so you do not worry about short-term ups and downs. You'll be buying in both.

8. Do not attempt to chase fads, or time the market. You will fail, unless you are lucky. Very few people are consistently lucky.

9. Do not watch your investments constantly. Review annually.

10. Have a financial planner. Make sure he or she is not a commission salesman.