It’s true you can learn any language by speaking (Expat students pledge to speak only Arabic while living in Emirati homes, January 19).
You can study all the grammar, but fluency can only be attained through speaking.
Hamida Mahmudur Rahman, Dubai
Protect yourself from financial predators
Your article Savings plan hard sell leaves UAE couple regretting they took the bait (January 21) really struck home. My wife and I arrived here in 2008 and almost straight away we were approached by financial advisers. Their manager approached us in a similar way. He told us about a 25-year mutual fund and that we should get into it. He pushed us hard to invest in high-risk funds. These people act like predators on the unaware.
We weren’t well educated about finance. We invested in a fund that was suspended later and we lost $10,000 (Dh37,000).
We were finally saved by another insurance broker who educated us and empowered us on our finances.
I am aware that financial advisers here target newly arrived expatriates to make their commissions.
As we know, all financial advisers work on commission only so they have to be ruthless. I wonder why nothing is being done about it.
Daniel Simon, Dubai
Your article attacks the financial services while this is clearly a careless decision by the client. A lot of people have successfully invested in such plans and made good money. I’m an adviser and will take the good with the bad, but I refuse to be painted with the same brush as an uneducated, inexperienced rookie looking to get wealthy quickly.
Sarfaraaz Khan, South Africa
Trump speech reflects reality
I do not agree with the view expressed by Hussein Ibish in his opinion article Trump's rhetoric bears little relation to American reality (January 22).
First, we have to understand that Donald Trump is not a politician, so when he speaks it’s “red-neck” or “street talk”, which is a measured and deliberate strategy.
Second, he stuck to his promises made in his campaign, such as bringing jobs back to America and making America great again. So there’s consistency. The analogy is simple: charity begins at home. Don’t expect to foster better ties with friends and family if your home is broken. As they say, fix your backyard before looking outward.
On the issue with Russia, why not become friends? Russia is the second-largest producer of rare-earth metals, which are used in high-tech products. The United States is the largest importer and a cut in supply will place them at risk. In fact, rare-earth metals have been identified as a national security risk. Those who have them want to keep them and those who don’t must import them.
Randall Mohammed, Dubai
Why is blogger called mum?
I find it interesting that the word "mum" is used to describe blogger Salam Katanani in the headline (UAE Portrait of a Nation: Mum does stellar job at delivering astronomical information via social media, January 20). Would you grant the same privilege to a male by referring to him as "father"?
Sana Ayesha, Sharjah
No news on deaths in Iran
This refers to the video you have posted on your Facebook page, of the Iranian building on fire (January 20). There were people in the building when it collapsed. Yet there is no news on the number of the people who lost their lives other than the firefighters. It was a busy commercial building. It was a catastrophe.
Maryam Zandi, Dubai
My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone who lost their loved ones in the Plasco tragedy in Tehran. It was heartbreaking.
Reza Taghavi Tehrani Nejad, Dubai
WITHIN%20SAND
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
SERIE A FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Roma v Udinese (5pm)
SPAL v Napoli (8pm)
Juventus v Torino (10.45pm)
Sunday
Sampdoria v AC Milan (2.30pm)
Inter Milan v Genoa (5pm)
Crotone v Benevento (5pm)
Verona v Lazio (5pm)
Cagliari v Chievo (5pm)
Sassuolo v Bologna (8pm)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm)
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The%20specs
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