The ticket to freedom

BY RANI JHALA

Jay could not believe that he had made it!

He was seated in a room with hundreds of other applicants, strangers in every sense of the word, yet with whom he shared a common dream. To be the chosen one!

While the others used the ‘waiting’ time to socialise or rehearse, Jay chose to ponder over the journey that had brought him there. Only seventeen, he was mature beyond his years. The death of his parents when he was eleven forced that on him. His sister was only twenty-one when she accepted responsibility for him and became his guardian. For the next six years, she became his mother when he needed caring, and his father when he needed discipline. But he did not mind, for both those roles brought with them, her unqualified love.

And it was that very protective care that had resulted in their first fight, a fight that had lasted over three months and continued to this day, so much so that even on this, his most important night, she was not there with him. It was the first time she had not been supportive. It was the first time she had voiced an objection. Even now he could hear her words as clearly as if she was standing in front of him.

“Jay, this is crazy. You don’t know what you are walking into,” she had said vehemently.

“Didi, I know what I am doing. You yourself said that I am good. No, not good, the word you used was ‘best’,” Jay had replied.

“Even the ‘best’ can be hurt. I do not want you to be hurt,” she had said.

“But it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. This could make my life. Please don’t stop me, didi,” he had pleaded.

“At what cost, Jay, at what cost?” she had questioned.

“Didi, if I fail, I fail. But if I don’t give it a shot, I will always regret it,” he had countered.

“You have your HSC coming up. It’s better that you concentrate on that. That is more important for your future,” she had said adamantly.

“I won’t let this affect my studies,” had been his honest promise.

“Jay, fame brings with it ‘notoriety’ for there will be many who will try to pull you down, and money brings with it ‘greed’ and a ‘pretentious life’. We don’t want that. Surely what we have is enough. I will always be there for you. You do not need to worry about money,” she had said.

“Didi, I am not doing this for money. I am doing it so that I can use the gift that I have been given. It is useless having a voice if noone else can hear it. It is useless writing words that no-one else can read,” he had said, desperately trying to rationalise his thoughts.

“I know all that, I am the adult here. But I also know of the dangers of which you are not aware. Not many have walked on the path you are choosing, and come out whole at the end of that journey. You are complete. Don’t go and shatter yourself just to get known. You have real talent. Let time discover you,” she had said.

“What if that time is now? What if this is how it wants to discover me?” he had questioned.

“What if you are left dejected, humiliated or discouraged? You have invested so much time. Why do you want to risk it all, for this?” she had counter-questioned.

“Didi, what is really worrying you? You have always asked me to face life’s challenges head on. You have always guided me to fight every battle, and yet at the first sign of competition you are asking me to run away. You know me better than anyone else. Fame will not turn my head. Money will not ‘corrupt’ me,” he had said determinedly. His didi was then silent.

“Didi, you will not lose me,” he had added when the silence was prolonged.

“Jay, do you not see how ruthless the selectors can be? Do you not see how they tear a person down when it suits them? Do you not see the emotional rollercoaster to which the candidates are subjected? You won’t suffer alone, I too will suffer, each moment and each heartache with you,” she had said emotionally.

“Ah didi, they do that if you not the best, and you have already said that I am the ‘best’,” he had joked, knowing that she was not convinced.

“Jay, what will people say! That I made my little brother go out and sell his talent because his parents were not there to protect him. And that I left a minor at the mercy of judges who insult and ridicule the contestants to improve the rating or to demoralise another judge’s team,” she said, finally relayed her fear.

“It is you who looked after me, not the people you worry about. I only care what you think. And I am strong enough to take what the judges dish out. I can cope with everything as long as I know I have your permission. Let me try. Please!” he finally pleaded.

After many silent moments, didi had finally relented. “Okay Jay, go. You have my permission and my wish for your success, but I cannot come with you. I cannot go through that pain,” she had said with finality. She left the room while he watched his sister walk away from him, for the very first time.

And now he was here and his name was being called. Jumping out of his reverie, he rushed to the stage. His heart was thumping. He looked at the three judges. They smiled and he introduced himself. He could see what they were thinking. Their thoughts were written across their faces. Another kid with a guitar thinking he was good and looking for fame! For the first time he stood alone. For the first time, his didi was not there.

As the hall fell quiet, he strummed the first chord. By the time he had completed his song, every person in the hall was standing, but more importantly he was receiving a standing ovation from the judges. He had made it! And there, by the exit stood his didi with tears streaming down her cheeks. Holding her was her fiancé. They were to marry the very year his parents died. With that tragedy, the two had put their marriage on hold until he was eighteen, so that she could fulfil the responsibility left to her. One more year, and he would give her the freedom she so richly deserved. And tonight’s victory was the ticket to that freedom.

By Navjeet Singh Matta, ASIC

Director-

2nd May 2012 is kind of an important date when after almost three years the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut the interest rates by 50 basis points, why I am saying this date is important and that is because this is the first time in three years that the RBA has cut the rates by more than 25 basis points. You see previously, major banks used to pass on the full rate cut to their customers which was announced by the RBA but interestingly in the last couple of years the major banks have not been passing the full rate cut to their customers. With the low-inflation figures and a weakening retail sector, the Reserve Bank really wanted to see the benefit to be passed on to the general public and that is why I think they decided to cut the rates by 50 basis points so that the banks pass on a good percentage of that.

At the time if writing of this article, I can inform you that except ANZ all major lenders have announced their decisions. The interest rate cut ranges from 30 basis points to 40 basis points and no major lender has passed on the full 0.50% rate cut to their customers. I think it’s an important time for our economy when the retail sector and the property market needed a boost to recover from the weaker figures. Property market and the retail sector have been a bit slow lately and this interest rate cut has already seen some positive movement. I have myself received lot of phone calls and enquiries after this cut. The first home buyers and investors should now seriously think to purchase a property as I believe that the property prices will now see a slight jump. The rentals are still high and one must take advantage of this fact and should can potentially save by buying own property or investing in one. Please feel free to contact me if you need any advice on home loan or a free property report either by calling me on 0412 452 429, sending me an email on nsmatta@gainhomeloans.com.au or visiting our web-site at www.gainhomeloans.com.au Our services are absolutely free. One thing I would like to advice to all of you that you should advantage of this rate cut. The first thing to do is to keep on making the repayments what you are making now and not ask the bank to reduce them because this way you are actually paying more towards your loan and thereby reducing your mortgage and also paying less interest over the life of the loan. Extra repayments on top will help immensely !

Lot of mortgage holders soon forget about their home loan after they take it and just keep on making repayments and rarely compare what other lenders are offering and I don’t blame them as we are all so busy with our work, family and other commitments that the home loan takes a back seat and we continue with our daily routine. That is where we come in picture. Gain Home Loans has been helping the community for the last 8 years, not only get the best deal as per their situation but also hold hand of our customers and achieve their financial dreams. We also have a financial planning arm which has experienced Financial Planners, Accountants and other professionals who can make your life easy by protecting and building your assets and make you financially independent in less time than if you do it by your own. With your home loan it is best to get it reviewed by an experienced mortgage broker, in most of the cases you can be better-off by switching your home loan and save thousands of dollars of your mortgage over the life of the loan. The other very important thing you need to find out is whether your loan is structured well because if the structure is not correct, no matter what your interest rate is, you may not be taking the full advantage of the less interest rate and that is another important thing to understand. I have outlined in some of my previous articles, how the major banks have been offering better discounts to outbid each other and to also get a larger share of the mortgage market, on the other hand we are being also told that these discounts are not sustainable and sooner or later the banks will recover their margins. Australia has only four major banks which have the lion share of the mortgage market and which actually is concerning. Previously we have seen all major banks increasing the interest rates outside the Reserve Bank and which make you believe that there is an acute shortage of competition against these major banks. So in future too, these major banks can potentially increase the rates and the current discounts may just be like a honeymoon !The government has tried to do it’s bit by making funds available for smaller player but then it’s too little for this market. Apart from these major lenders there are lot of second-tier banks and credit unions operating who offer really good services and excellent products. These lenders do not have too much media presence as the majors but do have good offerings, so if you want to compare and save, do contact an experienced mortgage brokers who can help you choose the right home loan for you.

Disclaimer: Any advice given in this article does not take into account the personal needs and objectives or financial situation of the reader. The reader should consider the appropriateness of this and seek professional advice before making a decision whether to acquire or continue the products and services mentioned.