Flair Promo Page
Published:Monday | October 26, 2020 | 12:11 AM
F. PROFILE
Five things you should know about Mark Golding
Mark Golding has thrown his hat into the ring for president of the 82-year-old People’s National Party (PNP) and was nominated to run against Lisa Hanna, St Ann South East member of parliament, for the presidency on November 7.
A former treasurer of the party, Golding is a top attorney and investment banker who was notably courted to join the PNP by Peter Bunting, his long-time friend and business partner. He was appointed to the Senate in 2007, and in 2017 entered representational politics when he easily won a by-election to replace veteran politician Dr Omar Davies as member of parliament (MP) for St Andrew Southern, a so-called PNP safe seat. In September, he was elected to serve his first full term as MP. Here are five things you should know about Golding.
1. Mark Golding is the son of Professor Sir John Golding, Jamaica’s first orthopaedic surgeon, and Lady Patricia Golding, a career public servant.
2. He studied law at Oxford University and graduated with first-class honours. He also received a Commonwealth Scholarship to attend the University of London, where he obtained a master’s degree in commercial and corporate law.
3. He is married to Sandra Golding. The two have three children.
4. The former minister of justice is a commercial lawyer. Golding was called to the Bar in 1990 and has been a partner in one of Jamaica’s leading law firms, Hart Muirhead Fatta, since 1993.
5. He is the co-founder of the investment bank, Dehring, Bunting & Golding (DB&G), in 1992, and co-founder of Proven Investments Limited in 2010.
F. FINANCE
Crunching Numbers with Carlton Stewart
Let’s talk about money. The currency is synonymous with wealth on one end of the spectrum and survival on the other. For some men, it is an essential part of being, and functions as a determining factor for provision and leadership in families and households.
While the world has since evolved from this patriarchal view, with many couples splitting the financial responsibilities, there are still those male counterparts who feel the need to bear the brunt of certain obligations. According to financial adviser Carlton Stewart, men naturally love to be in a position to support and to ensure things are in order financially. Because of this, they sometimes take more interest in the area of finance and money.
Stewart, who has been an active member of the financial sector since 2003, has decided to put his money knowledge to informative use by providing financial coaching via group sessions and individual one-on-one coaching sessions.
“I’ve met many people who aren’t handling money properly, and, as a result, make bad decisions financially. Most of these bad decisions are rooted in not having the know-how or right information. So I ventured out to educate people to improve their financial lives,” he told Flair.
Over the last two years, the numbers wizard has successfully provided financial education independently via social-media platforms. In recent times, he is offering free financial coaching to persons assisting with savings and debt-management strategies.
Stewart’s road to financial security had a few potholes along the way. Although his first job gave him the financial independence he desired, he lacked the knowledge to maintain solid savings.
“I took out my first credit card and felt like a king! The biggest mistake I made was to swipe and use the credit card even when it wasn’t necessary. By the end of one year, when I added up what I had spent using my credit card, it was more than what I ever had in my savings, and that was a light bulb [moment] for me,” he confessed.
Men, Stewart argued, are now facing varying challenges balancing responsibilities and providing support while being affected with job losses and reduced salaries. He weighed in on specific areas of money moves when it comes to those who wore the pants in the house, like budgeting. “From my experience, many men don’t really budget, and that has also placed a negative impact on their ability to pivot properly when financial crises suddenly or inadvertently kick in,” he said.
This is why he created programmes that give participants the opportunity to receive detailed personalised attention to their current financial position. Sometimes, a fresh eye on your position with expert objective coaching is all you need. “I assist with crafting your budget, share tips to track expenses and debt-management strategies. You are also given the opportunity to get clarity on financial terms and a better understanding of basic personal financial management.”
On the matter of investment versus savings, his original preference is savings. But with increased knowledge of investment and the potential profit, Stewart is definitely excited about investment. “With investment comes higher risk, albeit higher rewards, and as such, I try to balance the approach. But I’m definitely a savings kind of man.”
He shares these five financial tips for men to practise:
1. Look at ways to increase your income stream
2. Do your budget!
3. Spend less then you earn, especially during these times
4. Ensure savings is carved out in your budget and stick to your savings plan
5. Once you have sufficient savings, start looking at investment opportunities
F. LAWS OF EVE
Is your professional degree marital property?
For anyone who has completed professional studies, there is no doubt that you have acquired something of value when that certificate, diploma or degree with your name on it is finally given to you. In cases, however, where one spouse covered all of the household expenses from their income, often the wife, while the other spouse completed his studies. Or, one spouse assumed the role of the homemaker and primary caregiver for the children while the other advanced his or her career, the expectations may be different.
The question is whether educational qualifications obtained during the course of a marriage or cohabitation are marital property. In other words, where studies show that many relationships falter shortly after one spouse completes professional studies, should the spouse who sacrificed, by doing more heavy lifting or being the proverbial wind beneath the other spouse’s wings while he or she studied, be compensated for that effort? Is the professional qualification an asset to be discussed during the matrimonial property division?
F. KELLY’S WORLD
Telephone ting mash up life
Are consumers to blame for costly high-end cell phones? “We have demanded that the smartphone basically do everything. People want phones that can help them pay for stuff at the supermarket counter, phones that you can watch if’ Joe Grind’ is at your yard, phones to help start dem car, and phones to do the work of a laptop. Plus dem want cameras that can tek pitcha like satellite inna space. So the prices must high,” writes Daviot Kelly. See why he thinks we should get use to high prices for high-end phones in a new ‘Kelly’s World’.
Read his column in full at flairja.com.