Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. Proverbs 10: 4-5 Last year, I decided to open a savings account for my daughter. It was at that time when I resigned from my corporate job and started working at home. I only have a little savings and God taught me valuable lessons in life especially on managing our finances. My 2018 was my breakthrough. I learned about BDO Junior Savers and I knew then that it’s the start of my journey towards teaching Aki the value of money (saving and investing). With only a minimum amount of P100.00 you can open a savings account for your children. This is what I did, I went to BDO with Aki and I filled up an application form. I want her to be acquainted with how things work, and our first lesson was about PATIENCE. PATIENCE is an integral part of financial management especially in the concept of investing....

To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle- and all will- I say “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are.” -Jeffrey Holland I grew up in an environment where women are empowered. My mom single-handedly raised us when my father died. I was only 6 that time, my younger brother at 4. Life was hard but I didn’t know that because my mother was able to conceal the ugly side of life. Fast forward to present and I am now a mother myself. My daughter will be turning 3 this May and so far, I’m still able to cope up with the hustle and bustle of motherhood. Wow! Life’s pretty amazing and chaotic with a toddler. Being a millennial mom, these are the things that I’ve learned and experienced that I want to share with you. If you are a mother yourself, I know you can relate with these. If you are expecting or planning to have kids in the future, these might give you an idea of what awaits you. #1. A baby i...

“And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire. And that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.” -Mark Anthony 2018 was an awesome year! It’s the year I decided to make bold decisions and refocus my life. These are the top 4 things I’ve learned that I want to share with you. 1.        Career is not everything. There was a point in my life when I thought having a successful career is what matters most. I mean, having a regular pay check with incentives, car, iPad, and other perks of being a sales representative is lucrative. Yet, it cannot buy satisfaction. You will never be contented if you focus on material things and socioeconomic status. Career is not everything. When you rely too much on your job that you are afraid of losing it, then you have to refocus. Your career is imperative but there’s more to life than this. If you are no longer happy, no matter how you ...

“She was unstoppable, not because she did not have failures or doubts but because she continued on despite them.” -unknown Have you ever been in a situation where in you feel like things are not doing good in your life? It seemed that no matter what you do, you always end up a failure. It’s frustrating, right? At times you see yourself crying in desperation because things are too much to bear. Believe me, everyone of us go through fiascoes in life. Don’t be disheartened. There is hope. Here, I want you to think of a particular situation in the past wherein you failed. What was it? Was it difficult at that time to accept the failure? Did you doubt yourself? How did you feel about it? Disappointments in life are wonderful challenges mask in an undesirable way. A test to measure resilience. Now, what is resilience? It’s a person’s ability to bounce back. You might have gone through difficult situations in the past but when you look back at them now, you can say you mad...

Whenever we talk about money, we have varied opinions. Some would confidently say they have enough, while most would say they find it hard to make ends meet. Money is a big factor for survival. We need it to keep going in this race called life. But we should not be a slave of it. We should not let money control us. We should control money. We should control our finances. But how? The answer is financial literacy. It’s not about being debt-free or not having money problems at all. Financial literacy, according to Investopedia is the ability to manage personal finance matters in an efficient manner, and it includes knowledge of making appropriate decisions about personal finance such as investing, insurance, real estate, paying for college, budgeting, retirement, and tax planning. Managing your finances in an efficient approach is one way to gain financial freedom. You must understand your cash flow, the transfer of money into and out of your pocket. You can’t spend more than how m...

I didn’t have a passport until just recently when I was told to get one. For me, thinking about the process and the scheduling is so tedious I rather do something else. In my mind, I didn’t have a plan to go abroad anytime soon so why bother. But then, I was informed by my colleague that I was chosen as one of the representatives of the Philippines for a conference this August in Japan. That pushed me to get my passport. I will be sharing with you today the step by step process of getting a Philippine passport.   Prepare the requirements. a.        For new applicants and renewal of passport, you need to have an online appointment . Walk- in applicants will not be entertained. However, there are those who are exempted from passport appointment. The following individuals don’t need to set an online appointment and can go directly to the nearest DFA Consular Office: photo credit: DFA official Facebook page ü   Minor who ar...

I was told prior to getting hired that this job is not an easy job. Selling a life insurance is selling a promise. The old cliché “promises are made to be broken” sounds really obstinate. I told myself I’m a salesperson and very passionate in convincing others. Besides, I really wanted to know more about life insurance and be educated financially. Now, I feel what my manager told me during the interview. Talking to clients and explaining to them my proposal is not hard. The hard part is closing the sale (which is very crucial because how can you call yourself a salesperson when you can’t close a sale, right?). It’s when you tell the clients how much they will pay for the coverage that make them say, I’ll think about it or I don’t have the money right now. And I honestly understand them. Because I was like them. What made me change my mind was the realization that I didn’t have any to offer my daughter should something bad happen to me and I’d be taken out of the picture. That thought ...

Believe me when I say that Filipinos need life insurance. Why? Life insurance is a disciplined financial program that enables one to prepare for life’s uncertainties such as death, disability, sickness, or old age. PhilHeath and government/company pension is not enough to cover the loss. Here in the Philippines, typical Filipinos struggle with meeting their daily expenses. Sometimes, an ordinary worker’s wage is not enough to shelter financial needs. One would prioritize the basics such as food, water, electricity. I guess this is one of the challenges many Insurance agents face. Getting an insurance is never a priority. Is it really a priority? I would be lying if I say it’s not. But I cannot just force someone to get one without helping him understand its totality. Insurance is a life-saver. Allow me to expound on this. You may be asking how come a death benefit be a life-saver. While it cannot bring back the life of the insured, it can help sustain the lives of those who will be l...

"Basin pareho na sa CAP, malugi na ug di mo makabayad sa amoa." There are differences between a life insurance and a pre-need insurance. I, was also a recipient of CAP but sad to say I got nothing out of the hard-earned money of my parents. Then on, I did not believe in insurance. Until I resigned last year and became a SAHM. I read a lot from the internet and took online courses about financial management. I realized I need to have insurance. I contacted someone and informed him of my intention to be an insurance agent. However, an opportunity came from Sun Life Grepa and being a Bancassurance Sales Officer sounded really good. I took the 1-month training in Makati and learned a lot about life insurance. I also passed two licensure exams by the Insurance Commission making me a registered and authorized Insurance agent. It's hitting three birds in one stone for me. I understood Life Insurance, I got employed, and I can help others as well to be educated about it. Ba...

“Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year. By Believing.” -Sarah Ban Breathnach 2018 is over and a few hours ago, we welcomed 2019 with full of laughter, love, fireworks, and food. Oh, how time flies. I hope you had a wonderful experience last year. If not, at least it has ended and let’s get excited to better days ahead. Let’s be thrilled of what 2019 gets to offer. Here are ten things you can do to start the year right.   #1 Forgive One of the best gifts you can give to yourself is to forgive. Forgive the people that hurt you. It is through forgiveness that you can learn to accept things the way they are and stop dwelling on ‘what ifs’. It’s that time of the year to forgive yourself also. Remember, you are precious and deserve many chances in life. #2 Let go of the pain Let go and let God. There are things that we have to set aside. Let’s not dwell too much on bad memories and dark past. It’s time to move forward. The best time to start f...