Philippines no longer the sick man of Asia
Posted on August 22, 2012 by Randell Tiongson

There has been much buzz about the Philippines lately, especially in the economic front. Solid data shows that a country once tagged as the ‘sick man of Asia’ is now a country poised to lead in economic growth. While there are much issues the country needs to resolve, it is encouraging to finally see our beloved nation recover and grow further. Watch this video and feel Pinoy pride!

5 Golden Lessons in Managing Your Money

Posted on July 19, 2012 by lifeinsurance.ph 

LESSON 1. SAVE first, then SPEND 
Most people spend first then save what’s left. Too often, you have nothing left to save because you’ve spent it all. If you save first, then spend what’s left, you are on your way to being wealthy.

LESSON 2. EMERGENCY FUND 
What happens if you lose your job? What happens if you have to go on sick leave for two months without pay? Setting aside an emergency fund worth six months of your salary should be enough to tide you over for short-term emergencies. If you followed lesson 1, and are able to set aside say 10% of your salary every month, it will take you 60 months (5 years!) to accumulate a 6-months-salary emergency fund. If you save 50% of your salary, it will take you 12 months to accumulate the emergency fund. So save as big a slice of your salary as you can to build that fund.

LESSON 3. CRITICAL ILLNESS FUND 
What happens if you suffer from a heart attack, stroke or cancer? Do you have at least P1 Million for surgery and treatment? People who have accumulated some assets, end up selling those assets to cope with such a medical tragedy. If they have businesses, they end up selling their business or a huge part of their business so they can generate the funds to cope with the medical bills. For those who have limited assets, they end up borrowing from family, relatives, and friends, shifting the heavy burden to those people. Any financial planner worth his salt will tell you one thing to prevent such a financial tragedy from happening – get insurance!

LESSON 4. INVEST WHAT YOU CAN RISK 
Now that you have some savings, set aside some of those savings for INVESTMENT. What’s the difference between savings and investments? Savings are geared towards PRESERVING your money, whereas investments are geared towards GROWING your money. Investment carries risks. The higher the risk, the higher the potential reward. Pick investments that suit your risk appetite. The younger you are, the more risk you can afford. As you get older, shift your portfolio towards less riskier investments.

LESSON 5. PRESERVE WHAT YOU HAVE ACCUMULATED 
You’ve now accumulated your wealth, and protected it against emergencies and against major financial loss due to medical reasons. You should now consider preserving your wealth for your children and grand children. The government will eventually impose an ESTATE TAX on your wealth. Have a plan in place to protect and preserve your wealth for the next generation.

Investing as a Norm: Why Saving Money is No Longer Enough

Investing as a Norm: Why Saving Money is No Longer Enough 
By Ryan Ong | MoneySmart – Fri, Jul 13, 2012 12:00 AM PHT 

What if I told you I’m going to eat as much as I can now, so I won’t have to eat next year? Yeah, stupid, and a good analogy for saving to get rich. There’s a huge difference between “rich” and just “not poor”. Investing makes you rich; saving keeps you from bankruptcy. Good financial sense is a balancing act between the two: not letting your money stagnate with savings, and not blowing it on bad investments. In this article, we dispel some common myths about savings:

When it comes to finance, size matters.

What’s the Difference Between Saving and Investing?

Savings minimize risk, while investments maximize growth. It’s the difference between getting $2 for every $1, or just burying your money under a rock.

Savings preserve liquidity, making sure you have access to your money when you need it. Investing, on the other hand, requires commitment; investing temporarily removes your money (or your access to it) in the process of growing it. That’s why between the two, savings provides more psychological comfort. Our lizard brains are conditioned to hoard money, like dogs burying bones, or cats hiding food in the sofa.

Another difference is the prospect of risk. Saving is a risk-resistant (nothing is truly ‘risk-free’) way of using money. But even the safest investments carry greater risk than saving. Investments are a calculated gamble: “lending” your money in the hopes of getting back more.

So despite the risk, why do investments beat savings?

Saving money huh. Smells fishy.

1. Possible Loss vs. Definite Loss

Investments are a possible loss. There’s a chance investing in your Uncle Cho’s Stainless Steel Schoolbag shop wasn’t the wisest move. And even if you do make money, it may not be as much as you planned.

That sounds like a raw deal, until you realize that stagnant savings mean a definite loss. The inflation rate in Singapore (2011) is pegged at 5.7% and growing. Most banks pay out an interest of 0.2%. If a $15 meal today ends up costing $24 in 10 years, then what happens to your savings?

Because the money in your savings isn’t growing with inflation, it’ll be worth less as time passes. In about 20 years, that $5,000 you’ve saved up might last you all of a month.Simply put, you may as well dig a hole and dump your money in it.

The bank's new savings account was DIY.

2. Wage Reliance

Savings are usually tied to wages. Most of us save X percentage of whatever we get. This creates a whole host of problems, because our wages aren’t as reliable as most of us assume.

Wages are subject to a lot of variables. Falling sick, collapsing companies, retrenchment, or just plain getting old. Singapore’s re-employment act, for example, allows for a pay cut (down to the median wage) for workers over 62. These constant shifts in wages impair the growth or even maintenance of our savings.

Investments, on the other hand, aren’t usually tied to our working life. If you’ve invested in a growth plan, that growth remains constant, even if you’re fired or retrenched. Investments are the independent, self-sustaining members of your financial family; savings are the whiny cry-babies that need constant feeding.

The slave proudly presents his ownership document.

3. Quality of Life

Save money: Don’t spend. Don’t buy that book. Don’t watch that movie. Don’t get new shoes.

The less you spend, the less you express yourself, the less you live your life, the more money you’ll save. It’s more depressing than a Good Charlotte concert in the dark. Obsessing over savings means constant budgeting and control. And because savings won’t make you richer, you’ll be doing that for the rest of your life.

Financial freedom isn’t just about security; it’s about being able to experience life without worry. Savings alone will never give you that, because the entire basis of saving is anxiety. It’s about preparing for emergencies. And without investments, you’ll never be free to leave the bomb shelter and first aid kit.

"…and I save $40 a month on aftershave. Next, I'm moving into a cave."

4. Saving Will Never Make You Rich

This should be common sense, but it eludes too many people.

If you save $5000, you get…$5000. Saving doesn’t actually raise your finances, it just preserves a portion of it. And no tycoons ever got rich by diligently saving X% of their income for Y years. At some point, all those savings must come into play. Unless those savings are tapped for an investment of some sort, they will never add money to your bank account.

Conclusion

I’m not suggesting you empty that bank account and blow it all on investments. Rather, I’m suggesting that part of what you put aside should be invested. Ideally, you should be saving 10% of your income, and investing the other 20%.

If you’re not sure how to invest, stick to fixed deposits or simple insurance growth schemes. The only risk in these schemes is that you’ll make less than you expect. Short of the bank collapsing, it’s very rare to actually lose money.

Create Wealth For Your Old Age

Create Wealth For Your Old Age By Bo Sanchez 

Today, I’d like to talk about Income vs. Wealth. 

          But before that, let me answer this question: Why talk about money? 

Because we want every area of our life—even our finances—to be placed under the Lordship of Jesus. We don’t want money to be our master. We want to be the master of our money—and turn it over to God’s purpose.

       There are some Christians who don’t want to talk about money, so they run away from it. But when they do, their master becomes the lack of money.

       That’s not want we want. We want to learn how money works so that we can use more of it to serve God.

       Let me start talking about a special ministry that’s very close to my heart because I started it many years ago: Anawim.

If It Happened To Them, It Can Happen To You Too

Anawim isour home for the abandoned elderly—poor, old people we pick up from the streets. Throughout the years, hundreds of old people have been housed and fed and loved in our special home. After a few years of staying with us, they go home to God. Anawim is like a special departure airport to Heaven. Without Anawim, they would be dying in the streets.

       But here’s a surprising fact: They weren’t always poor. 

At one point in their lives, all of them were earning good money. If you talk to them, you discover that some Lolas and Lolos were Government Employees. Some were Teachers.  One was the Principal of a school. One was a Dentist.  Yes, some were maids and laundry women. So you might say they were always poor. But I refuse to accept that. Because for more than 30 to 40 years, they were sending money each month to their nephews and nieces back home. (Nephews and nieces who abandoned them in their old age!)

But one day, they found themselves wandering in the streets without clothes, food, or shelter.

       Here’s my point: Are you earning today? Then what happened to them can happen to you.  Unless you decide to build your wealth for your old age.

       Let me teach how the 3 important steps to build your wealth for your old age…

The Only Way To Build Wealth Over Time

       People tell me, “Bo, Anawim is so beautiful. Please reserve a spot for me there.”

I answer, “I don’t want you to be our burden. I want you to be our blessing. I don’t want you to dwell in Anawim. I want you to donate to Anawim. In your old age, I want you to write checks to me—because you have surplus. To do that, there are three important things that you need to do to build your wealth for your old age.

1. Receive (Regular Income)

2. Retain (Simple Lifestyle)

3. Reproduce (Financial Literacy)

1. Receive (Regular Income)

If you want to become rich in your old age, the first requirement is to receive a regular income today.

Here’s the shocker: To build wealth in your old age, you don’t need super income, you just need steady income.

A lot of people think that income and wealth are the same. They’re not. A big income doesn’t equal big wealth.

       Let me tell you about Jack (not his real name). When I met him, he was President of a huge company and earning much more than P500,000 a month. 

His income was big. But so was his lifestyle. Jack drove luxury cars and travelled around the world. Always first-class.   He had a mansion in a plush subdivision.  Everyone around him knew he was wealthy. But they were wrong. 

Because throughout his working life, the most he saved was one million pesos. (That may be big for you and me, but to him, one million will last two months.) Why didn’t he save? Because he was banking on his fat retirement pay. Reason: He worked in that company for 20 years.

True enough, when he retired, Jack received P10 Million.  

But he never changed his lifestyle. After only 2 to 3 years, he woke up one day with all his money gone.  Soon, he sold his cars. Soon, he was asking money from his children.

       What happened?

       He did Step 1. He received an income.

But he never did Step 2 or 3.

2. Retain (Simple Lifestyle)

       People say money can’t buy you happiness. I agree.

       But face it, happiness requires a minimum level of money. I don’t live in Lala-land. We’re human beings with physical bodies that need stuff to survive and be happy.

       But the other side of the coin must be pointed out as well. After we reach our “Happiness Point”, more stuff won’t make us happier.

When it comes to possessions, I’ve reached my “happiness point” a long time ago. Any more possessions won’t make me happier. In fact, I believe the opposite happens: After reaching my happiness point, more possessions will lessen my happiness. (See graph below.)

Where Is Your Happiness Point?

                                      

Why does this happen? Because more possessions will mean more clutter, more stress, more worry, more envy, more costs, more taxes, more insurance…

Jack, the former company President, spent all his income. Like many people, he was enslaved by the hypnosis of materialism. 

To avoid the hypnosis of materialism, don’t swallow the world’s definition of “Rich.” You need to define what it means to live a “Rich” life.

Let me give you an example…

Are You Sure You Want A Mansion?

Everyone thinks that to be rich means you own a mansion.

Here’s my guess: For most of you, owning a mansion will make you less happy, not more. 

I believe owning a bigger house will give you bigger headaches. Bigger maintenance. Even bigger homeowners association dues.

My friend stays in a plush home. I was shocked to learn how much his homeowners’ association dues are: Each month, he pays P24,000. 

       I live in a small, quiet, third-class subdivision where neighbors are friendly and shirtless kids play on the streets.   Where 90% of my neighbors drive secondhand cars. My homeowners’ association dues?  (Drumroll please…) P120 a month.

       Let’s do the math: If my friend lived in my subdivision, he would save P23,880 each month. If he invested (not traded!) that amount in the Stock Market for 30 years at 12% growth, he’d have P77 Million. Wow.

Today, I can afford a bigger house. But I refuse to have one. Because we’re very happy with my small house.   It’s small enough to know where my kids are. It’s small enough that we bump into each other a lot. If I don’t know where they are, I can just holler “Benedict!” and “Francis!” and they’ll come.

How Much Is Your Electric Bill?

I’m very proud of our electric bill. I only pay P3000 a month.

I know that electric bill isn’t the electric bill of a multi-millionaire. (Ahem). But perhaps that’s why I’m a multi-millionaire.

I have an air-conditioner in our living room. But I only switch it on when there are guests. That’s why my kids love guests.

The kids have an air-conditioner in their bedroom. But because they like staying with us, we only use the one in the master’s bedroom.

       My friend has less money than me (I know because I’m his financial consultant) but his electric bill is P18,000 a month. 

The difference between P18,000 and P3,000 is P15,000.

If he lowers his electric consumption to my level, that’s P15,000 that he can invest (I repeat: not trading!) in the Stock Market each month. In 30 years, at 12% interest growth per year, that P15,000 a month will become P45 Million.

What Kind Of Car Do You Drive?

A few weeks ago, I was driving my car. And my wife was beside me. While driving, I reached out and held her hand. That was when it hit me. I told her, “Sweets, my long-time dream has come true!”

“What dream?” she asked me.

       “Remember? Before we got married? When you were still courting me?  (Slap.)  Er, I mean, when I was till courting you? I’d drive you home. And I wanted to hold your hand. But I couldn’t, because I was driving a manual car. I had to keep on shifting gears. So I told you, ‘One of these days, I’ll be driving an automatic car. So that I could hold your hand all the way home.’” 

 Come to think of it, I think that was the line that clinched the deal. I won her heart from that day on.

       At that time, I was driving a car that was given to me. I couldn’t afford to buy any car, much less an automatic car.

       But that was also when I became an entrepreneur. And I began to earn more. Slowly, my income increased. But here’s how I became rich: For 10 years, my lifestyle didn’t change. I was still spending money as though I was earning 1/10^th of my income.

       Finally, I bought my first automatic car just last year—after 13years of our marriage. 

       I could have bought my car many years ago, when I became a millionaire. (I still remember that day. I was 34 years old. I told my wife, “Kiss me, quick.” After she kissed me, I said, “You just kissed a millionaire.”)

Delaying gratification works. It gave me time to grow my investments over time.

Does Your Pail Have A Hole?

       Building wealth is like collecting water in a pail. 

If there’s a hole in the pail, the water will just drip out—and you won’t be able to collect any water. 

That hole represents materialism.

What do you need to do? Plug the hole. And the only plug that can cover that hole is simplicity. If you don’t live simply, money will keep going out of the hole.

But alas, even simplicity isn’t enough. Plugging the hole in your pail isn’t enough. You need to constantly put new water into your pail…

For that, you need the third element…

3. Reproduce (Financial Literacy)

Retaining your money isn’t enough.

Why was Abraham wealthy? He didn’t only retain, he reproduced. The Bible says, Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. (Genesis 13:2) At his time, wealth was measured by the heads of cattle, sheep, and goats that you had.

       Here was their rule to wealth: If you wanted to become rich, don’t eat or sell all your animals. You have to keep some of them to reproduce after it’s own kind. The more animals you reproduce, the richer you become.

One sheep can give birth to one to three lambs every year. That’s a growth rate of 100% to 300% a year.

       The secret of wealth is to keep your wealth reproducing after its own kind.

Where Do You Invest Your Money?

       I’m not asking you to buy cattle, sheep, and goats. Times are different today. There are only three places to invest your money: Paper Assets, Business, and Real Estate. (Note: Paper Assets mean the Stock Market and Bonds.)

      

       Not everyone can start a business or buy an income-generating property now. (In time, yes, through financial education.) But I believe you can invest in Paper Assets now.   Out of the three kinds of investments, it’s the easiest investment to make in your life.

       Specifically, if it’s a long-term investment, I encourage you to invest in the Stock Market. I don’t believe that you should trade. That’s dangerous. I’m talking about putting 20% of your salary each month in giant companies for years—disregarding the ups and downs of the market. If you follow this simple system,the Stock Market is the best, safest, and most effective way to build your wealth in your old age. 

       I know that’s a controversial statement, but suspend your doubts and hear me out first.

Your Money In The Bank Is Shrinking

One day, after teaching people how to invest in the Stock Market, one man came up to me and said, “Bo, is the Stock Market really safe? I’m scared to put my money there. I feel safer in the bank.”

I told him, “Putting your money in the bank is a risk too.” I explained to him that there are two risks: (1) Loss of Capital and (2) Loss of Value.

We’re more familiar with Loss of Capital. When you put your money in the Stock Market—and the company crashes—you’ve lost your capital. (Note: I must tell you that if you follow my system of investing in the Stock Market, the risk is dramatically minimized. For example, if you buy Stocks of giant companies only, such as Shoemart or Ayala or BPI, do you think these giant companies will collapse in the next 10 years? The second risk we’re not very familiar with is Loss of Value.  And that’s what happens when people put their “long-term” savings in the bank. (I believe banks are there for our “emergency funds” only.) People don’t understand that though their money looks the same in the bankbook, it actually shrinks through the years.

When I was baptized as a baby, my parents threw a party in a restaurant. Friends and relatives were invited. Do you know how much my parents spent for that party? I know. I still have the receipt. Mom stuck it in my baby photo album. My parents spent 32 Pesos.

That was years ago, when money was money. That’s what I mean by Loss of Value. In the same way, if you keep your money in the bank, it’ll shrink over time.

Instead Of Borrowing, Lend!

Here’s what the Bible says:

The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. (Deuteronomy 28:12)

       Yes, God wants to pour bounty into your life.

       And God doesn’t want you to borrow. So stop borrowing. The Bible says, the borrower is the slave of the lender.  They say slavery was abolished 200 years ago. That’s not true. There are many slaves today of credit card companies. 

       Instead of borrowing, God wants you to lend. Can I give you another word for “lender”? Investor.

Don’t lend to any Tom, Dick, and Harry. Unfortunately, many people will run away with your money and never repay you. I believe He wants you to investyour money to giant businesses that will repay you with interest.

Filipinos Need To Learn How To Invest

      

       Some friends were inviting me to give a financial seminar to their large Christian community. So I offered to give them my seminar, How To Make Millions In The Stock Market. But the leaders of that community politely declined. 

       I don’t blame them. We’ve been brainwashed. We were taught that the Stock Market was dangerous, and the bank was the main way to save money.

       But in the US, 70% of the population invests in the Stock Market. In the Philippines? Less than 1% invests in the Stock Market.

       But I believe a day will come when this entire thinking of our country will change.

Two Ways To Get Into The Stock Market

       You can invest in the Stock Market directly andindirectly. 

“Directly” means you open an account yourself and buy the companies you want. You can do this through an online broker, such as our preferred online broker, Citiseconline. (I’m not an employee ofCitiseconline. I recommend them for two reasons. First, because they’re the biggest and best online broker in the country. Second, because I know the owners of the company and they have the same vision as we have—giving an equal opportunity for everyone, rich or poor, to build their wealth.)

“Indirectly” means you invest in a Mutual Fund company.   You can invest every month and they’ll manage your investment for you, for a management fee,of course. (If you use the indirect route, I suggest you invest in an “Equity Fund”, not their “Balanced Fund” or “Bond Fund”—if you’re investing for the long-term anyway.)

By the way, I’m not the only resource for your financial education. You don’t have to attend my seminars or read my books. There are many other seminars and books out there. Find them and learn. This is about your future—so be serious in learning about it!

Do You Want To Grow Poor Or Grow Rich?

The statistics are appalling. Why do 20% of people in the world own 80% of the world’s wealth?

Answer: The magic of Compound Interest.

If the Stock Market will perform the way it performed in the last 20 years, P2000 a month over the next 20 years will make you P5.3 Million. If you put P5000 a month, you’ll have P13.4 Million.

Because of the magic of Compound Interest, anyone with a regular income + a simple lifestyle + financial literacy can be rich.

       It’s now your turn.

My very strong recommendation?  Invest 20% of your salary each month in the Stock Market. And build your wealth for your old age over time.

Let me end with God’s promise for you…

God Will Bless Your Storehouse

       In Deuteronomy 28:8, it says, The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your storehouse…

       Remember what happened to Joseph in Egypt? God asked him to build a storehouse during the 7 years of plenty—so that Egypt would have food for the next 7 years of famine.

God blessed that storehouse and Egypt prospered.

       Question: How can God bless your storehouse if you don’t have one?

       Today, I have a storehouse. My storehouse is my long-term investments in the Stock Market. 

       It’s now your turn.

       Build your storehouse so that God has somethingto bless!

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

Factors that caused our poverty:

Let me share with you this article from Kerygma magazine(Feb,2012 issue)written by Bo Sanchez 

What are the Factors that caused our Poverty?

One major cause is:A WRONG KIND OF RELIGION 

We were taught by our Spanish conquistadores

to be submissive, to obey orders, to bow low, shut our mouth and say amen. That was our model of a true Christian. Any desire to be great was stamped out of us.Instead we were taught to be simply content with our lot and pray for a better life in heaven. This kind of passive religiosity helped the conquering nation crush all rebellion. We were trained to be passive. To be content with the little things.That’s why our most famous folk song is “Bahay Kubo,Kahit Munti”

And our National flower is the tiny sampaguita.

Our national bird (until it was changed recently) was the ordinary maya. But even if the Spaniards have left us over a hundred years ago, we’ve not yet changed our brand of religion. IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON. FIVE CULTURAL ROOTS THAT ROB US OF OUR AGGRESSIVENESS A wealthy foreigner friend once said,”I haven’t seen a more polite,courteous and nicer people than the Filipino. This is indeed our strength. And that’s why we’re the best employees in the world. That’s why our biggest export is the Overseas Filipino Worker.

We export the best nurses, teachers, managers,domestic helpers, engineers and seamen.

 THERE ARE FIVE CULTURAL ROOTS THAT ROB US OF OUR AGGRESSIVENESS: 

 1) Haciendero Complex When we were mostly farmers, we had an haciendero who would take care of all our needs.Food,housing, education of the kids, hospitalization and so on. TO this day, we still want someone to care for us. To many Filipinos, the President of the Republic of the Philippines has become the biggest haciendero.

The governors and mayors and congressmen have become the new hacienderos.People depend on them. We’ve lost our aggressiveness because of the haciendero complex. 

 2) Bahala na! Attitude You ask your son “Did you study for your test today?” He answers,”Bahala na!” You ask your husband,”Did you tune up the car for our trip in Baguio?” He answers,”Bahala na!”

You ask your friend, “Did you go to the doctor for your check up?” He anwers,”Bahala na!” Bahala na means whatever will be , will be. It’s fatalism.Que sera,sera.The phrase originally came from the expression”Bahala na”, which means “as God wills it” Unfortunately through the years we’ve twisted the meaning and made it fatalistic. 

 3) Lotto Culture One day, I was talking to a woman who had large debts. I asked her how she plans to pay her loans. She said,”I’m buying lotto tickets.” I was about to laugh when I realized it wasn’t a joke. This was her only plan. Everywhere I go \, when I ask the poor,”How will you get rich?” they always give the same answer:”I buy lotto tickets”.

Recently another kind of lotto has appeared: noontime TV shows. Poor people pin their hopes on winning these contests to rise above their poverty. For the poor, lotto isn’t a game, it’s their only hope. That’s so sad. By the way, some treat network marketing (or multi-level marketing) like the lotto.It’s a common invitation “join us”,our friend says,”because all you have to do is buy the basic package, ask two friends to join you, and you’ll earn millions.” That’s not true. My close friends who are successful in network marketing work like crazy.Some of them work 10 hours a day.Believe me,it’s not a lotto ticket, it’s something better---hard work that’s fulfilling and helping people at the same time. 

 4) Manyana habit One man said,”I will stop procrastination----starting tomorrow!”. It’s a close cousin of “Bahala na!” You ask your husband, “Have you fixed the roof?” He answers,”I’ll do it next week.It leaks only when it rains anyway.”

You ask your son,”Have you bought a new battery for the car?” He answers,”Next month.It still starts if you give it a little push anyway…” You ask your friend, “Have you started investing?” He answers,” I’ll do that after I pay my bills.

Besides God will provide for my needs…” 

 5) Crab Mentality I’ve met a lot of people who are afraid of what others will say. In our culture some people will look down on you because you’re aggressive. Some won’t like it that you’re aiming too high. Some won’t like you anymore because you’re trying to succeed. Some will criticize you because you’re becoming wealthy. Some will even create dirty gossip about how you got rich.

I urge you:Don’t mind the crabs. Fulfill your dreams anyway. Be aggressive.

Financial Independence

Financial Independence is simply having the means to maintain the lifestyle you choose without having to actively work...... It is a state of economic well-being.... ...where your personal investments of savings are generating investment income sufficient to cover your expenses...and type of lifestyle you want What is one of the keys? Investment income

My Story

I’ve worked with the bank for 22 years, after which I decided to resign to concentrate on my children.it’s a pure different world being a housewife, a niche I never knew before, not as stressfull as my previous role as branch head but quite more challenging coz the office hours were extended from 5-8 hour job to a 24/7 work hours. Frankly, being a banker and dealing with staff,co officer and clients are easier than doing constant boring household chores and specifically spending time and building relationships with the family. Why, we’re disciplined to do urgent matters that are not important than doing important things that are not urgent such as creating memories with our loved ones(The latter being more important.)But with this new role I learned a lot.
One thing I will never get used to is asking money whenever I needed to buy something.
Since grade school,I’ve always been independent. When I started to work,I used to buy things I want, decide what places to go, give money and share things to whoever and whenever I want to.Thus, asking money from anybody was alien to me.
After three years in hiatus,and with more confidence that the kids can quite do things on their own, I decided to work again. After so many explorations and experiments eventually I accepted a client’s invitation to join Sunlife, but after I researched the best insurance and investment company I can be proud to be a part of.
I feel I made the right decision, coz even before I join this company, deep in my heart, I want to help alleviate the plight of so many people, to help them raise their standards of living, to help them be financially independent. And I found out that Sunlife’s advocacy is the same as mine “Financial Independence for all Filipinos.” Before I was coded, there were rigid trainings and exams which I really learned a lot from. I had a paradigm shifting experiences concerning money matters which I feel I had the chance to see in a macro point of view.
Ironically, for 22 years of working in a bank, I’m not yet that financially literate.
I had a revelation that I still yet to learn some more with a handful of information I gained from my previous employment.coz the more I know, the more I still want to know. It’s like transporting to a different world of how to become financially independent.The experience was overwhelming but at the same time Challenging! Why? Coz this kind of job is not so popular! Considering a majority of Filipinos are yet to be financially literate. The more popular products cater more on the “wants” but the products that cater on the “needs”are usually the last thing on their list.
By grace ramos 1:14am 8-14-12

It's all about ATTITUDE!

Would like to share an article from the blog of jesse hartman: 
Excerpt from www.successmagazine.com, Written by Paul J. Meyer 

As a young man, I knew in my heart that I would not do manual labor for the rest of my life. On the inside I knew I was different than those around me, and over time, that belief became my reality. It’s been my experience that your outward existence will inevitably match what the heart and mind have already decided to do or be. Each of us has an overall pattern of thinking that is either positive or negative. The pattern you choose affects every aspect of your life. First of all, your basic attitude affects your belief in your potential for success. A negative attitude causes you to doubt your ability to achieve, while belief in your potential makes you willing to take the necessary action for success.

A positive attitude will also allow you to view challenges as opportunities rather than threats. People with negative attitudes think, “I can’t…” or “I doubt…” In contrast, each time you act from a positive attitude, your self-confidence is enhanced, your ability to achieve is proven, and you know you can succeed. Finally, people who have a negative attitude have buried the ability to see opportunity. A positive attitude opens your eyes to so many opportunities that your challenge becomes which opportunity to choose.

Who You Are 
Attitude gives us the power to become who we want to become, and determines who others think we are. Who you are is not determined by how you look, where you live, or who your parents were. Who you are is a function of specific choices that you have made. You are where you are and what you are because of the dominating thoughts in your mind. After all, as a man “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). We are what we think we are—not what we appear to be on the outside. An absolutely essential ingredient for success is a positive selfimage. The world operates on the basis of the law of attraction: what you are and what you think will attract corresponding conditions. If you have a negative self-image, you attract negative results. If your selfimage is positive, you attract positive results. This may appear simplistic, but it is absolutely true.

Your mental picture of yourself determines the measure of confidence you bring to using your potential and working toward your goals. Psychologists estimate we use less than a third of our actual potential. By increasing your potential even slightly, you can make a sizable improvement in your effectiveness.

The Hidden Good 
Regardless of external circumstances, beginning at an early age everyone is insulted, left out, taken advantage of, and discounted by others. And to add to the burden, uncontrollable, negative events naturally happen in life as well. However, when you make the decision to view your world with an attitude of gratitude, you are training yourself to focus on the good in life. Of the 100 companies I’ve started since the age of 19, 65 percent have not survived. They could be called “failures,” but with my positive attitude, I’ve never considered that I’ve failed at anything. These “failures” were only temporary setbacks and I learned to be grateful for each one because they all taught me something invaluable about myself. I know that in every adversity there is a seed of equivalent or greater benefit if I believe it, look for it, and work for it.

Goal-Oriented Attitude
Setting goals is vital to successfully achieving your improvement and personal development plans. It is the key to all fulfillment and achievement. Confidence, determination and innate personality traits contribute to success; but they all come into focus through goal-setting.

Probably 75 percent of my personal success has come through setting goals. (The other 25 percent is a combination of focus, desire, preparation and hard work.) If I’m not making the progress I would like to make and am capable of making, it is simply because my goals are not clearly defined.

There is something almost mystical about setting a resolute goal after you have developed a plan and set a deadline for its attainment. Such a goal produces a burning desire, the necessary self-confidence and the determination to follow through. Having a wild imagination is one thing, but being very disciplined and organized makes you different from the rest. It is common to dream, but rare to follow through and see dreams realized. Goal-setting is simply writing down your dreams, crystallizing your thinking and then developing a plan with a deadline for its attainment.

Along the way, you will face obstacles, but overcoming adversities and temporary defeats will make you stronger. When you reach your goal you will have accomplished much more than you set out to do. When I first started in the insurance business, my goal was to write a million dollars worth of business, but I only made one sale out of 14 initial presentations. My highest monthly income during the first nine months was $87. But I believed in my goal and never wavered from it.

Eventually I hit the million dollar mark and the year after that, sold almost four million!

A Worry-Free Attitude 
More damage is created by worrying than the actual manifestation of whatever it is you’re worried about. This is because more than 90 percent of all worries never come to pass.

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