Sudhesh Giriyan is the vice president of Xpress Money. His experience in channel management brought him to the money-transfer company a decade ago. Mr Giriyan oversees the company's network in 150 countries across 170,000 agent locations and says one of his dreams is to see XPress Money in every country by 2015. A native of the Indian city of Bangalore, he has lived in Dubai for 13 years.
How would you describe your financial journey so far?
It's been pretty steady so far. I plan things well and my extensive experience in the finance industry has made me smarter with my money than when I compare it with the early part of my career.
Are you a spender or a saver?
I would say it is a balance of both — I do spend on things, but also save a decent portion of my earnings. Indians as a community are much attuned to the idea of saving. So I too am very particular about balancing spending with saving. Moreover, as an expatriate, I believe in financial security and hence save for the future.
What is your philosophy regarding money?
It's all about striking a balance. One should know how to manage money well, be conscious about expenditure and do spend, by all means, yet also keep aside a good chunk to take care of future commitments and eventualities.
Did you make any financial mistakes along the way?
Fortunately I have hardly made any mistakes when it comes to money. Maybe my upbringing, education, calculated approach and relatively simple living had a lot to do with the fact that I avoided financial pitfalls that some expatriates struggle with.
Do you believe in planning for the future?
Yes I do. Saving for a rainy day is very important. When the active working days are over, one needs something to fall back upon and financial planning helps immensely in the long run. It is also required for taking care of the many responsibilities that one has — such as children's education, marriage and health care among other necessities.
What is your idea of financial freedom?
When one learns to strike a balance between one's savings with one's spending. When one can strike a balance between wants and needs is when one achieves financial freedom.
Is money important to you?
Yes, it is, from a financial security perspective.
What do you enjoy spending money on?
Mostly it would be eating out and clothes primarily. Typically, I spend a couple of thousand [dirhams] on myself every month.
* Sananda Sahoo
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
