Well… not so much in my pants… but they’re everywhere else! The other day, I was working in my office at home and heard my wife scream. I really didn’t think anything of it cause, well she over reacts to the smallest things… but still, I came down to check on her. I come into the bedroom and there are hundreds of ants all over our bed! I would see a few ants here and there around the house, but nothing to make a fuss about. This was just crazy! I don’t even understand why they’re in our house. We both do a pretty good job in keeping the place clean, I’ve put ant killer granules around the foundations of the house… I mean, what else are you supposed to do? So, as the obvious next step, we are on the hunt for some pest control. If anyone has some helpful tips, please share!

We all know how Desis roll - we roll in packs, everywhere we go.  In the clubs, at the restaurants, and even at work.   But is this making South Asians stand out in the wrong way?  Well, one of our readers thinks so:

Dear SABAsearch Bloggers,

I am a South Asian born American here in the Austin area.  I have recently moved in to the Austin area to work for a local tech firm.  The transition from the Northeast to Austin has been difficult, however, I have luckily been introduced to a group of South Asians who are working here in my compnay.

Recently, I was asked to join these guys down in the lunchroom here in our building.  I obliged.  When I got down to the cafeteria, I noticed our group huddled in the corner of the cafeteria, but also noticed that the group had gotten a lot larger.  In addition to the 6 of my new friends were around 20 other South Asian employees all sitting at one table.  There were no others joining us.  During the next month or so at the company, I noticed that everywhere I went within the company, I would always notice the South Asians only socializing amongst themselves.

I have noticed that this occurs more often with South Asian employees who have come from overseas to obtain a position here.  This is understandable as they are not able to effectively communicate with others in the same manner as we can.  However, I still feel that some are doing themselves a misfavor by isolating themselves like this in the workplace environment (and in other environments) from other types of people.    

As a director of my practice, I look for people who can effectively communicate and work well in teams.  I need people who jump boundaries and aren’t afraid to test the waters for a new idea or concept.  Therefore, it worries me that I see South Asians isolated in the manner i’ve witnessed.  I understand that socializing with people like yourself provides a solid comfort zone, but it also attracts attention in the wrong way, allowing people to perceive that you are not willing or interested in meeting or interacting with others.

South Asians are very talented, intelligent and even socially capable people.  We have many potential leaders among our population.  Therefore, I urge our younger South Asian professionals to embed themselves in different types of environments.  Introduce yourself to new people in the workplace, and make new friends.  Diversify your network and you will see many new doors open.  In addition, it helps to educate others about our rich culture.  I am sure many of you are doing this already, and I am glad to see many young South Asians gaining top leadership positions because of their natural ability to interact with others.

Regards,
Anil

After receiving this article from Anil, the SABAsearch Blog staff did some research and found many articles about “cliques” in the workplace.  Here is an article about cliques in the workplace and why it is better (professionally) to avoid them:  http://www.ravenwerks.com/leadership/tribal.htm 

When the first generation South Asian immigrants came to this country, the last thing they could think about was their retirement.  First and foremost, they were trying to land their first job, and just get settled on their feet.

But, from then until now, have South Asians properly prepared themselves for retirement?  Even though our culture assumes that our parents come to live with us after they retire, this has not been the case in many South Asian households in the US.   Therefore, we ask the question:  Are the South Asian baby boomers properly prepared financially for their retirement?  Unfortunately, we think not.

During a conversation I had with my uncle, I realized that financial planning (401k, Roth IRAs, Mutual Funds, Stocks, etc.) was not something he, or many other first generation US South Asians, understood.  The consequence to this is that now he doesn’t have enough money to retire with ease, thus still working at the age of 70 here in the US.  That’s bad news.

Here is an interesting excerpt we found on the the South Asian related Metlife website, which really drives home our point:

When you picture your retired life, it is possible that you see yourself back home in the land of your birth. We empathize with your desire to return to your roots. But the reality is, few South Asians return to their home country and most not prepared for the costs of retiring in the U.S. No matter where you ultimately plan to retire, the key is to be financially prepared….

So, for you younger South Asian professionals, the key is to plan ahead.  We’re not sure what the right strategy is, but we’re looking for answers.  If you are a financial advisor, please provide us with some advice or tips on how to plan for the future (financially), it would be greatly appreciated by not only our blog staff, but also by our readers.

If you are interested in finding a South Asian financial advisor in your area to help plan out your financial goals, please visit our Money and Finance section on SABAsearch.com, which contains listings of South Asian financial planners, advisors, etc.  Enjoy!

A note from one of our readers:

Dear Sabasearchers-

I am having a hard time finding a real trusting mechanic in Houston. I used to know a couple of them but they have all moved on to bigger and better things. Recently, I have noticed that all mechanics will try to squeeze you for every cent that you have. I own an American car (I won’t make that mistake again) and it has been giving me problems since I first drove it off the lot. I might be exaggerating a bit but you know what I mean. The newest problem with my car is so complicated that after taking it to 2 different mechanics I still have not found the problem, which scares me. It use to be if you dropped off your car in the morning like around 7 or 8 am you were almost guaranteed that the mechanic can diagnose the problem and have the car fixed and ready for you that afternoon.

Definitely not like the old days, when you had to take apart the car to see it with your own eyes. These new cars are all electronically wired, and so advanced that they must go through rigorous tests and check ups, before we can even start taking apart the car. So I just wanted to share this with the other readers on this site. And see what other nightmares that you have had to deal with. Oh yeah, and if you have any recommendations, please feel free to let me know. Thanks!!

We (The SABAsearch Blog Staff ) would like to hear what makes your city stand out among the rest.  We have tons of young South Asians in various cities across the US, but which one is the best?

Talk about the city’s events, festivals, nite life, entertainment, people, cost of living, job opportunities, etc.  We also want to know which city is the best for young South Asian singles.  After all, we all need a little lovin’, right?

Let’s see which city gets the most support.  Please feel free to post your comments, opinions, suggestions on where to go, etc.  Let the trash talkin begin!  (keep it clean folks!)

I’m newly married and my wife and I just bought a house…  Needless to say we are facing new expenses that we aren’t used to.  I’m coming to a point were I’m scared to spend the way I used to spend when I was single… or even when we were engaged… Does everyone feel the same way that’s been in my shoes?  It’s like I’m questioning every single purchase I make!  Its definitely not fun to do, but needed… at least until we get into the swing of paying our mortgage and utilities along with whatever else is up ahead for us…..   Some advice that I’ve received is to log everything that you buy for a month or two, create categories according to your spending and then allocate an “allowance” for each category that you have.  Another piece of advice that I found to be great was to do a 60/40 split on your finances.  This is basically where you save 40% of your income and live off of the remaining 60%.  So that means all of your bills (mortgage, utilities, car note, credit card bills, etc…) should all be payable by 60% of your income per month.  The other 40% should be broken up as follows:
10% - 401k or some kind of retirement fund
10% - Long term savings.  Something you wont touch for a long time until a big purchase comes around like a house, or college for kids or something of that nature
10% - Short term savings.  This is for unexpected expenses like repairs for your car or medical bills.  It can also be allocated for vacations or gifts during the holidays.
10% - fun money.  This is basically whatever you want to save up for or to just have a fall back stash.
 
Another piece of advice that I got, which I’m semi weary of is to get multiple credit cards (if your financially responsible) and divide them up to different categories of expenditures.  So basically get a very low interest credit card for big ticket items that you do not plan to pay off in the near future and get a credit card with “rewards” (which usually means higher interest rates) that you will pay off in full at the end of each cycle.
 
Does anyone else have advice or input on financial planning for couples that are just starting out?  I think we all could benefit from some good advice!

The SABAsearch Blog attracts lots of young South Asian readers who are interested in entpreneurship.   Most of these readers are either young South Asian professionals (working in corporate america), young South Asian entrepreneurs (already own their own business), or young South Asian students who are still deciding on their future.

Most of our readers have a burning question that requires some clarity - Is owning a business the key to success or the road to more stress?

We want to hear from both sides.  We want current business owners (first generation and second generation) to comment on their experiences.  Why did you go into business?  Is it just in our “desi blood” to run our own businesses?  Also, please offer a piece of advice for all of our young and aspiring South Asian entrepreneurs.

We also want to hear from the South Asian professionals who have selected to take the Corporate America route.  Does the stability make you happy?  Do you get more time with your family by doing a 9-5 type job?  Again, what piece of advice do you have for young South Asians entering the job marketplace?

There are many non-profit organizations that help young South Asians foster their careers in entrepreneurship.  One of those organizations is TiE Houston, which has a Young TiE chapter that provides a networking platform for younger South Asian professionals and entrepreneurs.  Go to their website and check them out.

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My wife and I just purchased a new home and now we’re in the process of getting new furniture. I cannot believe how many different stores there are! When it boils down to it, they all carry the same type of furniture, but have various prices and of course their different financing deals. For us, we’re not looking for the cookie cutter sets that are provided, so that makes it that much harder to find what we’re looking for. And to top it all off, our living area isn’t that huge so that narrows down our search a bit more. Ideally, I want to find everything at one location so I can work a better deal for buying in bulk and get it all shipped together but based off of what I’m seeing, its not going to work out that way…. Plus the majority of the furniture we’re finding is very “old school”. We’re looking for clean lines and a contemporary feel. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to go?