Why I think Straits times is wrong - How should you invest if you have 20k

My friend shared this link to me this Morning. http://www.bigfatpurse.com/2015/07/how-to-invest-if-you-have-20k-or-more-why-we-think-the-straits-times-is-wrong

You can find the link to the original straits times article in the above article.

Summary (If you are too lazy to read)
Strait Times consulted a few experts, they recommended invest 100% in unit trust if you have $20,000.
Bigfatpurse says unit trust is too expensive so should invest in cheaper ETF.

My view
"Would you pay someone so you can clean your room yourself?"

Buying ETF is exactly that.

Can ETF help you to decide which country is worth to invest more in?
Can ETF help you decide whether it is a better time to invest in high yield bond or government bond?
Can ETF do currency hedge so you invest in a country with potential growth but not risk in currency depreciation?

Just to list some example to show why we cannot compare ETF with unit trust.

You may say some ETF performed better than some unit trust. So this goes back to the first question, who is doing the work?

Because we all know investment returns are not guaranteed, past performance does not represent future performance ... would you have known which country, which stock will do best tommorow? Do you have market information to do analysis and make the analysis?  If your answer is yes to both questions, you are savvy you can DIY your own investment portfolio , you should probably invest in that few stocks you are convinced with (instead of just buy ETF which most probably include some stocks that you will not like) . If your answer is NO , then it's probably better to leave with the experts. While experts may make mistakes too ( nobody can have the crystal ball to know exactly what will " win" so there is always risk in investment), but the probability of going very wrong is much lesser than a blind bet.

So, Who are the experts?

This is where I disagree with StraitsTimes.
Consult your Financial Adviser if you have idle $20,000 in bank.
(Financial Adviser is not someone from a bank or an insurance company, find someone professional, who can really do a comprehensive analysis and give a comprehensive recommendation for you)

Because a real Financial adviser will discuss your ST, MT, LT financial goals, will look through your existing portfolio , will help you manage your risk , will map a financial blue print to reach your financial goals. Then will advise what you should do to your idle money best suited to your financial situations.

Maybe it's better to save in bank because you have to pay for your wedding next year?
Maybe it's better to pay off your personal loan so you do not have to pay 20 +% interest?
Maybe it's better to put into SRS to save tax?
Maybe its better to go into endowment ?

Or at least, an adviser who can recommend a portfolio or strategy better than just buying ETF.

Summary of my view (If you are too lazy to read the above)

If you want to and can DIY, research and choose the few stocks you are convinced with
If you don't, leave it to the experts, Find a good financial advisor. Do not invest blindly.

The battle of "How to lose weight"

Losing weight is a battle

It is so easy to gain weight, but so hard to lose weight.

I have gained at least 10kg after giving birth to my beautiful girls, and maybe 5 more after wedding. So it is a whopping 15 kg from my wedding photo time.

I did not seriously try to lose weight in the past... as I am rather happy with myself and thought that I can always try to lose more next time... but the "next time" never came, and I think my weight is now in an unhealthy zone, and I do not look as slim as before... BUT, I still did not take any action until the unfortunate situation that happened a few months back, that I finally decide I should do something!

SO the battle with weight starts.

Why is losing weight so difficult?
I googled it : http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=8_reasons_why_youre_not_losing_weight

My 3 reasons Why losing weight is a battle

1) We have to battle with our determination to start moving. 
Newton's First Law is one of the most powerful law in the universe. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. 

We do know that exercise is a key important reason to lose weight. We will not only lose some calories when we exercise, we will also have a healthier body when we exercise. But to start a regular, sustainable and enjoyable exercise regime is SO difficult. The key word is "enjoyable". Because if you do not enjoy the activity, it is unlikely you can do it for long and reap the health benefits, and also it might result in mental stress which will eventually result in more food intake....

2) We have to battle with our mind to fight off hunger
Yes, mathematically eating less, will result in negative calorie and should result in weight loss. But, time and time again, when I thought I ate very little and eat healthier food I should weigh lesser, the weighing scale will tell me another story. 

You may think that hunger is a natural reaction. When we are hungry, our body is telling us we need food, we should eat. But, our body is a magically irritating system that will just follow a clock. If you have a habit of eating supper, every night you will feel hungry and will need to eat. If you have a habit of eating tea-break, once the clock strike 3pm your stomach will start growling. Are you really hungry? 

Losing weight is an uphill battle to fight against the old bad habits and establishing good ones. 

It is the same with cravings. Do I really need the ice cream treat after my run, because I ran? Do I really need the coke because weather is so hot? Or do I really need the llao llao's Sanum because I need to have the smooth froyo with the crunchy caramelized biscuits, fresh sweet fruits and rafflellao sauce ???  I love food, I really enjoy having good food, but sadly most good food comes with fattening calories.....

3) We have to battle with our body system
Our body, as I mentioned, is a magically irritating system. Also applying the Newton's first law, it likes to stay "balanced" 

If you eat very little to lose weight, our body will adjust our metabolism rate to a lower rate, so we can "survive" and burn less calories. If we work very hard and exercise, our body will make us feel more hungry to compensate for the loss of energy. IF we exercise the same way and have the same diet for a period of time, our body will get used to it and find the balance to maintain the same weight. 

So, key to lose weight is actually try to outsmart and cheat our body.
eg, eat high fibrous food or maybe more protein so we feel full for longer period? Interval training, and rotating different kinds of exercise? Controlling our mind so we do not crave for certain kind of fattening food and just eat healthy food?

I have no idea how to do that...