According to Chinese astrology, I am a tiger. “Rrrr!”

Right about now, some people are nodding their heads and uttering the words “No wonder”. Some others are saying, “I knew it.”

As a male tiger, following its namesake, I’m supposedly fierce, moody, strong and protective of my turf. I don’t know; the description applies to practically all the males who ever walked on this earth!

Of course, it is a source of pride to be a tiger. After all, which full red blooded man wouldn’t want to be associated with tigers? Is there a man on this planet who does not want to adopt the tiger as his symbol – strong, silent, powerful and yet graceful at the same time? So yes, I will admit that I’m proud that I am a tiger (although I had nothing to do with it; my parents did all the job, you know).

Of course, it’s not all roses. The problem with tigers is that they are always running into problems! Major problems at that. For example, the astrology books made these predictions of what’s coming for me this year:

Be careful this year
It is not a good time to make new investments
Beware of your friends and colleagues
You will have problems in your relationship
Good advice, but the problem is that the same predictions are repeated every year for as long as I can remember!

The signs stated that I’m supposed to have a problematic year. It doesn’t bother me one iota because just like everyone else, I have problems every year! (I have also overcame the problems every year.)

I’m supposed to be careful with my investments. Nothing new there. I’m always careful with my money. But then, it does make me wonder: is there a year when you should NOT be careful with your money? Is there a time when you could throw your money away like there is no tomorrow? I always thought that everyone should be careful with their money – all the time.

I should also watch out for friends that might betray me. It’s sad if it happens, but it won’t be the first one. But then again, only friends can betray you; enemies are expected to do you wrong. This is life, baby. It’s not all fun and games.

“So what are you going to do then, my tiger friend?” I see some people asking. “It appears that the odds are stacked up against you.”

The answer is this: the odds have always been against me. Just like the odds have always been against you.

As for me, I’ll do the same things I’ve been doing for the past 20 years – work hard, work smart, get better, rise higher.

When I run into problems, I’ll think them over. I’ll use my brains and if need to, ask for help. Then I take action. The problems always go away.

When I run into opportunities, I’ll think it over as well. I’ll study it, check the facts and then take the appropriate actions. While this is no guarantee of success (there never is), it has always increased my batting average.

So what I’m saying is this – we make our own lives, not some signs, not some animals, not some planets and not some stars.

You don’t have to be a tiger to understand that!

“The only thing that stands between a man and what
he wants from life is often merely the will to try
it and the faith to believe that it is possible.”

* Richard M. DeVos *

Q: I have obtained a loan for a property recently bought. This said property has been rented out and provides me an income of RM1,000 per month. My loan installment is RM950. I would like to find out:

Can bank mortgage interest be deducted in my personal income tax? If yes, then what is the maximum amount (as in RM) that is allowed for deduction? What are the criteria required for a full amount of deduction?

A: Yes, you can deduct the interest portion of the mortgage from your INCOME tax – all of it. For example, if the interest portion is RM900, than you can deduct all that. However, this is only applicable for an income producing property (in other words, you are getting rental income from it). This being the case, the deduction is obviously not applicable for the property that you are staying in.

By the way (and to be perfectly clear), this deduction is for your yearly income tax returns and NOT when you’re selling the property. That is Real Property Gains Tax.

* HOT TIP *

Read “Pewaris Jutawan” by Ahmad Tarmizi Jusoh