Moving With The Times

Looks like the pager is going the way of the dodo, extinction. This comes as no surprise as the technology now is to have mobile phones rather than pagers. Reflecting back, a few items have also been phased out of our lives. Walkman and cassette tapes, Laser Discs or Video Compact Discs and the players, Kodak and film photography is also making way for digital, even childhood toys are evolving from video game sets like Micro Genius/SEGA to iPads.

MAS FAIR has also announced its committee members and looks set to revolutionize the financial advisory processes. However, they have already been heavily criticized by industry practitioners even before implementing anything. Resistance can always be felt when there is change.

Change is constant. Even now, the way wealth is made is changing. Previously, it relied on brick and mortar businesses and were usually handed down from generation to generation. However, the wealthy billionaires of today are gradually from the internet movement. Facebook, google, ebay, amazon, groupon, twitter, youtube are fast becoming household names. Apple with its iPod, iPhone, iPad, iMac, iBook, looks set to replace ExxonMobil, a company essentially focusing on oil, as the most valuable company in the world.

I feel that FAIR objectives are sound and should be the direction for the change. However, my fear from the nomination of committee members, it will suffer from the capture effects. They are mainly made up of industry people who are resisting the change. I feel that a more effective group will be to learn from Australia or UK, bringing in consultants from these countries to share the pros and cons of changing the industry and what to look out for, learning from their mistakes and experience.

Recently, it was brought to my attention that an article I wrote very long ago was republished and it attracted a lot of criticism. Well, I am not bitter as I take a lot of the comments as positive feedback. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone does not have to agree all the time, that is how we progress. Controversial issues tend to get flamed but without these unique thoughts, different ideas cannot be generated for consideration.

Change is going to happen regardless if we like it or not. I rather embrace it and work with it then banging my head against the wall by resisting it. Cheers!