Together, Let Us Start Investing

I came across a Facebook post that says, " The best time to invest was yesterday; the next best time to invest is TODAY."

Have you started investing? Or the better question to ask is, have you made that decision to finally start investing?

As 2014 comes to a close and we are given a clean slate with 2015, I encourage you to make the commitment to start investing today and turn your dreams into reality.

A dream is a goal with a deadline. And I believe that it is better if we have a "partner" who we can share our dreams with and make sure that we are on track towards achieving that goal. Two days ago, I was sharing with a friend my financial goal and that is to have my first Php1M in four years, at most, and I am starting with zero. That will be Php250,000 per year on average. As I check my latest payslip, I see Php847,000 gross income to cap off 2014 (and Php133,000 in tax -- OUCH!) so putting aside more than 20% for investment would really be a challenge. So, I ask you to please bear with me as I work through this goal.

The plan is to set aside Php20,000 per month from my salary and invest it directly in the stock market with COL Financial as my online broker. I will use the Strategic Averaging Method taught by my mentors at the Truly Rich Club. Like my friend, I will update you regularly of my portfolio.

Now I ask you, who is with me here? With as little as Php5,000, you can open an account with COL Financial and invest any amount (ideally 20% of your income) every month.

To learn the easiest, safest and most effective way to invest in the stock market, sign up at the Truly Rich Club and gain financial wealth and spiritual abundance at the same time. To join, click here.

Happy investing and be very blessed!

Look Up! How to Find God in Every Situation

Regular readers of my blog know that I am a Bo Sanchez fan and a regular Feast attendee. And since our goal at the Truly Rich Club is not only to gain financial abundance but to grow spiritually as well, I am taking this opportunity to share the lessons Talk 2: Pag May Time of the series Look Up with the purpose of blessing others.

GOD IS ALWAYS IN THE PRESENT by Bro. George Gabriel

For the series LOOK UP, Bro. George Gabriel started the second talk entitled “Pag May Time” with a Bible verse from Psalms 118:24 that says, ”This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Bro. George then tells about a clip from the movie Exodus where Moses meets God for the first time. When Moses asked God what he is going to tell the Israelites when asked who God is, He answers, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I am has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)

“I am” means that God is always in the present. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He does not change. The God who touched your heart at the Feast last week is the same God who is going to touch you today and says, “I am.” The God who helped you through a financial problem ten years ago and you are experiencing it again now, God says, “I am.” If you have been traumatized in the past and you have not healed yet, God says, “I am.” See God in the present moment.

In Ecclesiastes 5:20, “It is God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.” God meets your need right now. Sometimes it is not exactly what we are asking for, but it is in the now. And because God is in the now, we need to cherish and not take for granted the present moment.

Choose not to miss out on this moment just because you cannot free from your past or you are bound by your future. God is in your now, and right now, He has miracles, abundance and blessings for you.

In Yahweh you are near in Psalm 139, it says, “Where can I run from your love? If I climb to heavens you are there. If I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea still I find you there.”

God is always in your situation. And to live in the present moment, is to see God in the present moment.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY By Bro. Bo Sanchez

Life is so beautiful and precious, we need to enjoy it. The problem is we rush our lives because we have goals and deadlines that we fail to enjoy it.

More important than the destination is the journey because God is shaping our hearts on the journey, making us more like Jesus, increasing our faith, deepening our trust and expanding our love. God never rushes. We should, too.

To visually show the kinds of people who rush their lives, Bro. Bo used a freeze gun and three people appeared on stage with lessons.

1.       Pace yourself. People who rush and are always in a hurry. Remember that stress is the #1 killer in the world and there is no cure for stress. Learn to pace yourself by celebrating the journey.

2.       Push yourself. We should not push constantly. You must push yourself, and then pull back. We must learn to push seasonally.

3.       Paralyze. These are people who wake up every morning and have no dreams.

MAKE EVERY MOMENT A GIFT By Bro. JC Libiran

In life, when you want to achieve something, you need to do something. Make every moment a gift.

In Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” These verse teaches us two things:

1.       Never delay life. Do not wait for things to happen, make things happen. There are dreams that we want to make a reality, but they all start with a decision. Some are over exaggerating their past that they cannot move on. Some are over estimating tomorrow when tomorrow is not yet here. What we have under estimated is today. Make every moment as a gift.

2.       Never delay love. Life is short, what have I been doing in my life. Spend every moment with people who matter. There is a bigger dream for me, bigger things to do. For people who are losing hope, or losing a reason to live, be excited about our lives because it is the only thing that we have. Celebrate your life, celebrate your love.

ONE LAST NOTE

The secret to live happily is to remember that today is the first day of the rest of your life. Live today as if it were your last, because in this moment God wants you to maximize the blessings He has given you and share it to others, the love that He has put in your heart so you can give it away, the talent that is in you so you can use it to glorify Him. The best way to maximize this moment is to be God’s presence to others. Be a present by being present.

 

Be very blessed!

Early Arrival: Secrets to Becoming a Happy Retiree by Dean Pax Lapid

Two weekends ago, I was at the Kerygma Conference 2014 held at SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia. This is the biggest inspirational event in the country -- a time to deepen our faith in God and to learn new things about various interests.

Shown on the photo above is me with my mentor on entrepreneurship, Dean Pax Lapid. Today he launched a new book, How to Become a Happy Retiree: A Guide to Retiring Wealthy and Worthy in Your 40s. Now who does not want to know about that?! This is definitely one interesting topic.


Before the book signing, Dean Pax gave a talk about the same topic. Let me share with you some important notes.


1. If the reasons why you want to retire include a bad boss, burn out, office politics and tough commute, then just change jobs.


2. Anyone can prepare for a happy retirement. It is a mission possible with the right framework. We need to be ENLIGHTENED that retirement is not a pre-requisite to death. Death does not happen at 65. What if we live too long?

Remember that our social security pension will never be enough for a decent living. We also need to be ENCOURAGED to plan for our future. Lastly, we need the EXPERIENCE to grow our hard-earned money.


3. The most expensive advice is a free advice then sells you something you do not understand. Insurance brokers (who were called such because they are usually broker than you) are the perfect example for this.

Even I have experienced this in the past. I was given a VUL product, investment with a little insurance, although what I actually needed was only term insurance. I had no idea about the difference back then. So I was paying for something I do not need.

After reading financial books and a year of premium payments later, I just cancelled that policy and my money just went down the drain. I realized that I will only be wasting more money if I continue paying for it.

Some of my friends share the same sentiments with me.

One friend was given a VUL with Php7M life insurance. She is single and has no dependent. A bigger part of her premium payments could have been allocated to investments instead of insurance.

I have two workmates who have the same insurance broker -- and both of them did not understand what they actually signed up for. One of them, who is a very close friend, even asked me to talk to this broker, explain to me my friend's policy contract, and I am to explain it to my friend. After relaying it to him, his reply was, "Ah, ganun pala yun."

Before signing anything, please make sure that you understand every detail of the proposal. Make sure that it is tailor-fit based on where you are now (your budget) and where you want to be. That is the purpose of a VUL.

As a VUL client, these are my points of concern:

a. Profile of the insurance company

b. The amount of premium. This is computed based on your financial goals, but adjustable based on your budget. Although you don't invest what is left after spending, but you invest without sacrificing your lifestyle to the extreme. You can cut on your discretionary expenses and put these into investment instead.

c. The mode of premium payment, what you are most comfortable of. It may be monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

Personally, I prefer paying annually because it gives me less "payables" to think about every single month.

d. The sum insured.

Insurance has a lot of purpose. It does not only ensure that your family will not go hungry in case God calls you home. Insurance can be used to pay off mortgage and other debts. It can also cover your kids' educational fund. It can be for your retirement income. It can be your accumulated savings. It can be for charitable donations. It can be used to pay estate and death taxes.

e. The fund allocation.

Although this is based on your risk tolerance, it is your financial advisor's duty to explain to you the difference and which is most suited for you.

Last month, I saw my husband's annual policy report. He got this five years ago, he was 29 years old then. His investment fund was allocated in fixed income (low risk, low return). His money could've grown faster if it was invested in equity fund (high risk, high return). He wouldn't be needing the money anytime soon, anyways. After explaining the difference to my husband, we had his next premiums redirected to equity.

I appeal to financial brokers. Remember that our goal is to help Pinoys get out of debt and achieve financial freedom. Let us give them the best suited investment product for their goals, and not the one which gives the highest commission. Thank you very much.



4. Investing in foreigh currency (US$) is not a good investment. If you bought US$ back in 2006 where $1= Php53.07, you have already lost 16% of your investment as the Philippine Peso continues to depreciate, now at Php44.80 per US dollar.

5. Shopping is not the buying here and there. But it refers to the aerobic footwear that never sets in a gym, a diving watch that never gets damp, or a 4 x 4 SUV that will never experience a hill/off road. When we have decided to prepare for retirement, we stop buying things that have nothing to do with a meaningful life.



6. The formula that we need to remember to live comfortably:

Passive Income + Active Income SHOULD ALWAYS BE GREATER than your Lifestyle

This may sound like a cliche, but live below your means but within your needs.

7. Money does not grow on trees. It does not grow on banks either. Learn to invest your money where it would beat inflation and make the wonder of compounded interest work for you, and not against you. 

ONE LAST NOTE

Retirement is your responsibility. It is your response to your ability to prosper your money and family. 

Credits to Dean Pax Lapid for sharing his slides. With these new learnings, may we see retirement in a WHOLE NEW WORLD.

Be very blessed!

P.S. Do you dream of being a wealthy and worthy retiree in your 40s? Learn how to grow your money directly in the stock market. Join the Truly Rich Club and be mentored by Dean Pax Lapid.

P.S.2 Do you have an insurance need AND want to grow your money indirectly in the stock market? Send me an email at financialplanningforpinoys@gmail.com and we will create a financial plan for you.

P.S.3 I hope you find this post helpful. Kindly click the SHARE buttons below. Thank you very much.