Think Rich Pinoy Wealth Seminar Last February 9, 2013

The last Think Rich Pinoy Wealth Seminar was held last Saturday February 9, 2013 at Enderun Colleges in BGC Taguig City. Yours truly was again given an opportunity to serve in the TRP Wealth Seminar last Saturday. My husband was in the technical while I was the timekeeper. We also facilitated during the Cash Flow 101 Board Game.

There were two new speakers namely Leila Hernandez, Author of the 9 to 5 Millionaire Book and Edmund Lee, Research Analyst of COL Financials.

Below are the lessons I have learned and Noted from the speakers:

1. Bro. Bo Sanchez ( The Theology of Money)
       • Our Financial Life can be divided into 3 phases:
             o Phase 1: Desert Experience (Not Enough)
             o Phase 2: Desert with Manna Experience (Just Enough)
                 This is addicting but never gets addicted to it. We need to learn how to move to the next phase.
             o Phase 3: Promised Land Experience (More than Enough)
      •  Money is everywhere. The Purpose of Wealth is to help others.
      • Value your Financial Education. Free is not good. “Kailangan may taya”.

2. Sir Larry Gamboa ( Scaling up your Real Estate Start Up)
      • Action brings clarity.
      • Make your 1st step.

3. Eden Dayrit Alemania (4Fs – FIND it, Fund it, Fix it, Flip it)
      • Accumulate More properties for passive income
      • If you are jobless, you need a co-borrower for a bank loan.

4. Ronald Cagape (Numbers in Real Estate)
      • When still starting and still building capital, do buy and sell.
      • If with available capital, buy an income generating property.
      • Remember that you make a profit when you buy.

5. Edmund Lee (Investing in Real Estate through the Stock Market)
      • Investing is a need – For Retirement and to beat Inflation
      • The key in choosing a stock is Management (CEO).
      • Currently, stocks of Real Estate Companies are not yet bullish.
      • Tip: The Next Walmart  - Puregold ;)

6. Leila Hernandez (9 to 5 Millionaire – A Real Estate Start up)
      • If you invest in paper assets, you are like a Virtual Business Owner
      • Loan Refinancing have an added cost but can be waived depending on our relationship with our banks.
      • It is not advisable to invest in a lot that you will use for your dream house in the future. Better to invest the money in an instrument that can give you a high gain then buy your dream house in the future in CASH,
      • Her advise:
            o Hold on to your current job and do your best
            o Do your investing after work (weekends).
      • The key is Discipline and Integrity.


Being a servant in the TRP seminar for almost 2 years really  changed my life. Every now and then, there are new things to be learned. I learned  by serving. Indeed, every seminar is different not only because of the topics discussed and new speakers but also because of the people I meet. It also gave me a feeling of fulfillment knowing that I was able to be part of the TRP vision of creating millions of Filipinos by 2020.

 I also want to quote Sir Larry on One of the Secrets of the Winners is their Commitment to Mastery. Keep on learning. Invest in your financial education. If you think Financial Education is Expensive, Try Ignorance. ;)

I hope to see you in the Next TRP seminar on April 06,2013. I am not sure if I can still serve that time because it will be just few days before I give birth to our latest blessing.

May our Dreams Come True!

WHAT IF.... You Volunteered or You were Volunteered?

This question came into my mind when I was invited by Dr. Larry Gamboa Author of Think Rich Pinoy Book to give a Testimony on Real Estate and Stock Market last Monday May 14,2012 to the Retirees of La Salle - College of Saint Benilde. The Seminar is entitled " Life After CSB" which has four parts:


Part 1: Monday morning "Managing Change and its Challenges on Time and Life.”
Part 2: Monday afternoon “Managing Financial Opportunities for a Better Life”
Part 3: Tuesday morning “Exploring Business Opportunities and Employment in the Corporate World”
Part 4: Tuesday afternoon is specifically only for the retirees.



I was honored and blessed to be able to meet these great people. Actually, I was thinking that our audience would be of the retiring age of 65 years old but there were also young faces in the group. I learned that "VERO" or Voluntary Early Retirement Offer was offered to the CSB employees and the attendees were those who availed.  They will be receiving a good package. I also remembered that such thing was also offered by my previous employer when they needed to do some cost cutting measures but they named it differently - RIF or Reduction in Force.

But what is supposed to be the meaning of Retirement?
As per Wikipedia, Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours. Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to work any more (by illness or accident) or as a result of legislation concerning their position.


Whatever the purpose of the retirees in availing the VERO it is good to know that CSB made an effort to prepare them for the "Life After CSB". The speaker of the first part of the seminar was the CSB HRD Manager. He discussed the "Who Moved my Cheese" Book and it was so relevant to the theme of the seminar.

The speakers for the 2nd part of the seminar was Aya Laraya of Pesos and Sense. He talked about the advantage of Investing in the Stock Market. I have heard Aya talked for many times already but there is always something that I learn whenever I got to listen to him. It was also a blessing to be able to discuss stock market with him and get tips on his preferred companies - MPI, MWC and the three major Banks.

My testimony was after Aya. I shared about the advantage of investing in both Real Estate and Stock Market. My sharing focused on my two Real Estate deals and Stock Market Performance from the Year I started investing in the Stock Market to present.

Sir Larry spoke after me and he discussed How to be become a MAVEN. He inspired the group to find their passion and monetize it. They can use it to generate income after CSB.

The response of the audience was overwhelming. They appreciated our sharings.

It was also a blessing to meet Dean Pax Lapid of GoNegosyo and be able to discuss Stock Trading with him. He recommends to have two Citisec Account. One intended for Long Term Investment and one for Trading. He advised me to only invest less than 1/3 of the amount I have in my account intended for long term. He mentioned that he preferred Holding companies specifically DMCI.

It was truly an overwhelming and a different experience especially thinking that you were able to share my experience to these people. I am greatly honored and thankful to Sir Larry for inviting me to give a testimony to the people of CSB. Thank you also CSB for the tokens below :)

Think Rich Pinoy Wealth Seminar Last March 17,2012

The Last Think Rich Pinoy Wealth Seminar was held is the Citisec Training Room 24th Floor East Tower Tektite Building last March 17,2012.

Yours truly was invited to be one of the speakers. Other Speakers aside from Larry Gamboa were:


1. Bro. Alvin Barcelona
* Feast Builder of Light of Jesus Community.
* Rock-Preacher
* Enterprenuer. Owns a School and other mico businesses.


2. Jay Castillo
* Owner of www.foreclosurephilippines.com
* Real Estate Investor and Licensed Real Estate Broker



3. Aya Laraya
* Realtor
* Writer
* TV Host
* Certified Securities Representative
* Certified Investment Company Representative

3. Marivic Salva-Angeles
* Real Estate Investor
* Licensed Real Estate Broker
* President of Happy Homes Realty
* Marketing Consultant of Think Rich Pinoy Realty

4. Grace Lucker
* Interior Designer
* Handy Woman
* Owner of Urban Dweller Management Creative Solutions



5. Eden Alemania-Dayrit
* Chemical Engineer turned into a successful Real Estate Investor.
* Bought, Renovated, Leased and Sold more than 28 Real Estate Properties.


6. Ronald Cagape
* Real Estate Investor
* Licensed Real Estate Broker
* Resident Cashflow Game Master of the TRP Wealth Seminar
* Publisher of www.livingcashflow101.com and www.smalldealblueprint.com


Each Speaker discussed different topics related to Real Estate.

Bro. Alvin was the first speaker. He discussed the Theology of Money. It sets the mood and mindset of the attendees on the purpose of wealth. He also discussed the strategy he used in acquiring the real estate property where his school is now operating which is the FIND > FUND > FIX > KEEP strategy.

Sir Larry Gamboa was the second speaker. He talked about how he got into real estate and how everyone can be a MAVEN or Expert in REAL ESTATE. He said that ACTION Brings CLARITY. We need to act to get things together.

I was the 3rd Speaker. I related Stock Market and Real Estate. I mentioned why we need to invest in both vehicles. I compared the two side by side based on nine criteria. I also discussed WHAT strategy I used, WHY and HOW I DO IT as shown below.

The fourth speaker was Jay Castillo. His topic is doing the numbers in Real Estate. He gave a CASE STUDY and also showed how to compute the ROI in real life as shown below:

Next was Aya Laraya. He discussed more about Building Wealth in the Stock Market and Citisec's EIP Program which is the better way to go in the stock market than doing market timing.

Maves Angeles was the next speaker. She discussed the Five Ways to Prosper in Real Estate as shown below.

Grace Lucker spoke after Maves and discussed how to stage and rehab an ugly property. She mentioned that a real estate investor shouldn't be afraid to buy ugly houses because it is easy to make them pretty. She also showed pictures of some of her great projects. She also mentioned that looking for a great property, we need to look for the Triple D:

Eden Dayrit spoke next to Grace. She shared her background and how she got into real estate. She mentioned that she went into hiatus for a year to work on some important matter but now that it everything is running smoothly again, she will be back into real estate investing. It was noted that even though Eden went into hiatus for a year, she was able to get by because of the passive income she's getting from her previous real estate investments.

The last part of the Seminar is the Cashlow Board Game which was spearheaded by Ronald Cagape. All the attendees enjoyed the game. I was blessed to be one of the facilitators and also learn strategies from the players. Ronald also announced the launching of his new site (www.SmallDealBlueprint.com).

Without being biased, I can say that the attendees were happy after the seminar based on their written feedback. Being a servant in the TRP seminar for the past few months changed my life. Every now and then, I learned new things. I attended the TRP Seminar May of 2010. It's been almost two years and I am still learning by serving. Every seminar is different not only because of the topics discussed but also because of the people I meet and knowing that in one way or the other we learned from each other. It also gave me a feeling of fulfillment knowing that I was able to be part of the TRP vision of creating millions of Filipinos by 2020. I also want to quote Sir Larry on what he said during the TRP Mastery Academy that " Experts are students first, servant always".

I hope to see you in the Next TRP seminar on June 02,2012. I am not sure if I will be invited to talk again but I am sure that I will still be there to serve by facilitating in the Cashflow Board Game.

May our Dreams Come True!

Book Review: The Turtle Always Wins by Bo Sanchez

Book Review: The Turtle Always Wins
(How to Make Millions in he Stock Market) 
Author: Bo Sanchez

Last March 18,2012 after The Feast in PICC, Bro. Bo Sanchez launched his new book about Investing in the Stock Market. It is a follow-up of his book " My Maids invest in the Stock Market".

As you can read from my previous posts, I am also promoting Investing in the Stock Market.The moment I got hold of the book, I couldn't let it off my hands. I started reading it while in the car and finished it at home.

It was a such a great book. I am happy that there are now books available in bookstores discussing Investing in the Stock Market in Layman's Term. The words and stories used by Bo made Investing in the Stock Market simple and understandable.

The book discussed the need to invest and compared the different people found in the Stock Market. Bro. Bo compared them to 4 different animals such as a squirrel, rabbit, sloth and a turtle.

Chapter 1 of the Book (Plant in the Spring or Beg in the Fall) was successful in setting up the mood to convince Filipinos to invest for our retirement. Bo narrated the story of two grandmothers who had different strategies on handling money during their younger years and how it affected their old age.

Lola Penny was a CPA who worked in a company for 38 years. She saved for big expenses but failed to save for her retirement. She relied on her company's retirement package. After retiring, she got 3M. She was not good in handling it so after 7 years, it was totally wiped out. She started depending on her children who also had problems financially. She even heard her daughter complaining to her "kuya" about the money she spent for their mother's medicines. This one really broke her heart.

On the other hand, Lola Pilar worked as a cashier in a music store for 19 years. She got a separation fee of P2000 which she invested in the stock market in 1966. She also put add'l money in the stock market whenever she had extra. She and her husband only invest in giant companies. They sold portions of the investment little by little for big expenses. At age 85, she withdraw everything and got an oozing P 1.2M. She became a millionaire through the stock market.

Bro. Bo emphasized that God gave us a choice and ability to create wealth. If we retire in poverty, it is not God's fault.

In chapter 2, Bro. Bo said that we can be rich. But it would be better if we can take others along to richness. If we follow the turtle strategy, it is not impossible for us to get rich.

Bro. Bo compared Investing in the stock Market with a RACE. The four different People in the Stock Market are the Animal Runners.

In the Story, the Turtle won first place. The Rabbit got the 2nd place. The sloth was 3rd while the squirrel was a no show. No one really knows what happened to him. Some say, he got lost and was killed by a bear.


Squirrel is the Typical Trader. 

It represents the newbie who gets into the stock market without understanding what he's getting into. It also represents the old-timer in the stock market. He earns some and loses some. It represents the 85% of people who get into the stock market and lose their money.

They want excitement. They look at their stock portfolio everyday. They buy now and sell a few days later or something within the day. They don't follow the rules and try to take a lot of shortcuts.  They are the typical gamblers

Some of them are devious. They fool other traders. They tell their friends to buy a certain hot stock, and when the price goes up, they'll sell and leave their friends an empty bag.

These typical traders can get lost in their trading and get killed by a bear market.


Rabbit is the Trained Trader.

Rabbits are also traders but trained. Trading is their full-time job. They follow very strict rules like:
1. They don't buy penny stocks. Only Giants.
2. They don't put more than 5% of their money in a specific stocks.
3. They never end a trading day with more than 30% of their money in the stock market to avoid surprises. They are still conservative.

Some rabbits break rules once in a while. Temptation is high on the floor. And because of these they only won second place. Because they lose part on their earnings along the way.


Sloth is the Typical Investor.

Sloth is a typical investor who buys and hold. He parks his money in a stock market and forget about it. Usually it's a huge amount of money. One time, Big Time.

According to Bro. Bo, it is a good strategy but not the best. It is recommended but with few conditions mentioned below:
1. You need to have a big chunk of money.
2. You need to buy a basket of great companies that you believe will be great for the next 20 years.
3. You have to buy when the market is down or flat.
4. You got to reinvest the dividends.


Turtle is the Trained Investor.


A Turtle investor does the most boring investment strategy in the world. He invests small amounts of money each month in great companies. He doesn't care is the market is up or down. He invests regularly and puts more money when the market is down.

Their goal is to earn 12% to 20% each year over a 20 year period.


HOW the TURTLE Beats the SLOTH?
- by reinvesting the dividends. Call it compounding.

HOW the TURTLE Beats the RABBIT?
- Rabbits will always be partially invested. Turtles are almost always invested. He can take advantage of the compounding effect.

HOW to FOLLOW the TURTLE?

1. Turtle lives below its means.
- Your expense should grow slower than your income.

2. Turtle builds his farm before his home.
- Secure your livelihood before your lifestyle.
- Establish your income stream before your expense stream.
- The perfect time to invest is when your money is still very scarce.

3. Turtle Invests his windfalls
- Aside from the regular habit of investing 20% of your income, also invest windfalls like bonuses, commissions, cash gifts and profits from side businesses.

4. Turtle Invests when its difficult to invest.
- Build wealth when everyone is afraid.
- Invest even if there are crisis.

5. Turtle Works in Cash Machines, Not Stocks
- You can't invest in the stock market if you don't have a cashflow.
- Spend 99% of your time on your business. Create your cashflow. Increase and Multiply it.
- Then spend 1% of your time investing that cashflow in the stock market.

6. Turtle Believes He'll Win
- You need Wealth Competence but more importantly Wealth Consciousness.
- Mind first then Reality.
         LAW#1 You will gravitate towards what you unconsciously desire.
         LAW#2 What you can see, you can create. What you cannot see, you cannot create.


The TURTLE has a name. We call him SAM.
SAM is an acronym for Strategic Averaging Method.
It is semi-passive investing
SAM is passive investing with a little bit of "cheating" or "timing".


Five Rules of Passive Investing
1. Invest monthly for 20 years or more.
2. Invest even when there's a crisis.
3. Invest only in giants.
4. Invest in many giants.
5. Buy when the price is beneath our "Buy Below Price". Sell when the price is near our "Target Price"


Three Big Advantages of SAM
1. Faster Giants - Lesser Choices
2. Lower Prices - Buying at cheaper price. Make money when you buy. This prevents chasing a rising stocks.
3. Secured Profits - Lock your profits from a company that gone up and reinvest the proceeds to another company that has still room to grow.


At the end of the book, Bro. Bo invited the readers to become a member of the Truly Rich Club to maximize your earning potential in the stock market. Truly Rich Club Members gets Bro. Bo's Stock Update eReport, Wealth Strategies Newsletter and Stock Alerts.

I am a member of the Truly Rich Club for 2 years now. And it was all worth it. The membership fee I pay monthly is very little compared to the profits and gain I got following Bro. Bo Stock Alerts. I do believe (like the Turtle) that We Can Win if we follow these Rules mentioned in the Book.



I highly recommend this book!!!

In Summary:
Price: Php 225 only (got mine for only Php200 during the book launch)
Content: Super Check
Recommended: Super Check

Book Review: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

I've already been hearing about T. Harv Eker from the seminars I have attended and maybe people I have meet but never really took attention on him. However, few days after finishing the book "Ang Pera na hindi Bitin", I went  to a bookstore looking for another book to read and chanced upon this book of T. Harv Eker. I got curious about the Title and bought it together with another book on Warren Buffet.

I am very glad that I bought this book. It was awakening and very comprehensive. It was divided into 4 parts namely:

a. "Who the Heck is T. Harv Eker and Why Should I Read this Book?"

b. PART ONE: Your Money Blueprint

c. PART TWO: The Wealth Files

d. "So What the Heck Do I Do Now?"

At first, I thought that I gonna be bored reading this book because of the long chapters. But it never happened to me. A had a lot of realization while reading it.

Harv discussed our Money Blueprint, where it came from and how it affects our thoughts, action and attitude towards Money. He also mentioned steps and ways on how can we change our money blueprint for the better. 

He also used some mathematical equations which are:

1. T > F > A = R

Thoughts Leads to Fear

Fear Leads to Action

Action Leads to Result

2. CZ = WZ

Comfort Zone equals Wealth Zone. By expanding your comfort zone, you will expand your income and wealth zone.

On part Two of the Book, Harv discussed the Seventeen (17) Ways Rich People Think Differently from Poor and Middle Class People which are:

1.  Rich people believe “I create my own life”.  Poor people believe “Life happens to me.”

2.  Rich people play the money game to win.  Poor people play the money game not to lose.

3.  Rich people are committed to being rich.  Poor people want to be rich.

4.  Rich people think big.  Poor people think small.

5.  Rich people focus on opportunities.  Poor people focus on obstacles.

6.  Rich people admire other rich and successful people.  Poor people resent rich and successful people.

7.  Rich people associate with positive, successful people.  Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people.

8.  Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value.  Poor people think negatively about selling and promotion.

9.   Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor people are smaller than their problems.

10. Rich people are excellent receivers.  Poor people are poor receivers.

11. Rich people choose to get paid based on results.  Poor people choose to get paid based on their time.

12. Rich people think “both”.  Poor people think “either/or”.

13. Rich people focus on their net worth.  Poor people focus on their working income.

14. Rich people manage their money well.  Poor people mismanage their money well.

15. Rich people have their money work hard for them.  Poor people work hard for their money.

16. Rich people act in spite of fear.  Poor people let fear stop them.

17. Rich people constantly learn and grow.  Poor people think they already know.

I agree on all of these ways. I haven't mastered all of them but trying my best to correct my thinking. And put into practice all the things I learned because according to Harv, by doing so, we can quickly move to a higher level of life. 

We also need to understand the order to success for the Rich which is:

BE > DO > HAVE ~ If I become a successful person, I will be able to do what I need to do to have what I want, including a lot of Money. 

I believe that this book must be part of the first books for Financial Literacy because Harv was really successful in bringing out the root cause of our money problems and how can we effectively correct it.

Harv also mentioned some of the great investments we can focus on like Stocks and Real Estate. He even mentioned "Don't Wait to Buy Real Estate. Buy Real Estate and Wait".

Aside from the Rich Ways, there are also parts in the book where we make declarations which are listed below:

Place your hand on your heart and say the following declarations…

“My inner world creates my outer world.”

“ What I heard about money isn’t necessarily true. I choose to adopt new ways of thinking that support my happiness and success.”

“What I modeled around money was their way. I choose my way.”

“ I release my nonsupportive money experiences from the past and create a new and rich future.”

“I observe my thoughts and entertain only those that empower me.”

“I create the exact level of my financial success!”

“My goal is to become a millionaire and more!”

“I commit to being rich.”

“I think big! I choose to help thousands and thousands of people!”

“I promote my value to others with passion and enthusiasm.”

“ I am an excellent receiver. I am open and willing to receive massive amounts of money into my life.”

“I choose to get paid based on my results.”

“I always think ‘both.’ ”

“I focus on building my net worth!”

“I am an excellent money manager.”

“My money works hard for me and makes me more and more money.”

“I am committed to constantly learning and growing.”

Touch your head and say… “I have a millionaire mind!”

Harv believes that these declarations are powerful but this would not give us any result until we ACT. Talk is cheap. Our Action is the one that will count.

I highly recommend this book!!!

In Summary:
Price: Php 335 only in NBS
Content: Check
Recommended: Super Check

Book Review: Ang Pera na Hindi Bitin by Eduardo O. Roberto, Jr.

I first heard about this book from the TRP Mastery Academy that I attended to last February 1 and 2. Sir Larry Gamboa used this book as an example of how to target your audience. I got curious about the book but I forgot about it after the seminar.

However, last Friday after a meeting and while waiting for my husband, I decided to go inside National Bookstore. I was trying to look for a book on Warren Buffet when I saw this book on the "Bestseller" Section. I remembered that it was the book that Sir Larry mentioned during our seminar. I didn't think twice of buying it and even got surprised seeing that it is only Php50.

I started reading it the night I bought it and finished the day after. It was a great book from cover to cover. The author was very effective of referencing Bible verses on his every topic. The way the author discussed each strategy on money management was simple and can easily be grasped by ordinary people.

These strategies are:

1. Save – Use the “Automatic Millionaire” savings system. This blog post might also help explain it. He also made this quote:

"Ang taong ipon ng ipon, pera nya'y di lilipad na parang ibon."

This is true because the basic and first step to financial freedom is the art of "Saving".

2. Give – Give to the Lord. He doesn’t need our Money. We have a “Rich and Generous Dad”. But He wants us to do this to help us. The more we empty ourselves, the more blessings he can pour unto us.

3. Get out of Debt and Stop Borrowing – The Borrower is a Slave of the Lender. Set a goal of getting out of debt and never borrow again.

4. Live Simply – Living a simple life can help you get out of debt and help you to save more.  It pays to be frugal. And always remember to “PRAY before you PAY". He discussed in the book why we need to do so.

5. Work Hard and be an Entrepreneur – Develop and Monetize our God given talents.

6. Invest – The best to secure your future is through investments. But he noted that we need to “INVESTigate Before we INVEST. Don’t fall for the “Get Rich Quick” schemes. You can check mutual funds, the stock market, etc.

7. Educate Yourself – Invest in yourself. Attend seminars, read books, etc. “If you think Financial Intelligence is Expensive, TRY Ignorance”.

These strategies when followed will indeed be a very effective way of making our PISO not to be BITIN.

The book is short yet comprehensive, simple and straight to the point which will never bore the readers. The comic illustrations were also effective on bringing humor to the strategies recommended. It was also written  in “Taglish” which made it successful in delivering his message to his target readers.

Another thing I liked about the book was the page where it listed down their Book Recommendations. Some of them I have already read but most will be on my "To Read" List.

In Summary:

Price: Check

Content: Check

Recommended: Super Checck

Boo-Boo # 1: Investment in LBC Bank

I blogged about this good investment find in 2008. It is about the Time Deposit offered by LBC bank. I did my research and was convinced to put some investment in this bank. Then, I forget about it.

However, Q4 of 2011, I learned about the closing of  LBC bank. Oh no!!! What have I done?! It was my first time and I didn't know what to do. I was also busy with other stuffs and forgot about it. I just decided to file my claim early this year as part of my new year's plan.

I realized, it was not that bad after all. My money still earned an interest of 16% for the 3 years it was with them. Thanks to PDIC, I still have a chance of recovering our Investment.


Lessons Learned:

1. Do your own due diligence in investing your hard earned money.
I did mine but I think it was not enough. ;)

2. Stay away with Mañana Habit. 
When a bank closes, file your claim as soon as possible to be included in the 1st release of claims. I was a month delayed in claiming. Depositors in my area was already able to claim their investment by the time I was only filing for mine.

3. Fail Quickly and Try Again.
My failure didn't stopped me. It just made me wiser. Actually, I am already excited to get my claim and invest it in the stock market. As per Bo Sanchez's  advise to the Truly Rich Club Members, "The Philippines Will be One of the Best Performing Stock Markets in the World". And I wanna be part of it. :)

Let's Keep Investing!!!

Decent Lunch from Chowking for only 40 pesos

Thanks to BPI and Chowking's Partnership. Last Monday we had another decent meal from Chowking for only 40pesos. It was consists of two Lauriat meal (Pork and Fish), 2 vegetable soup and 1 Large Drink for only 40 pesos. The Lauriat meal was the freebie I got from using my BPI Credit Card. I was so Happy. You too can enjoy it.

This promo runs from February to April.
For a minimum single transaction of P1,500
FREE Chorizo Chaofan or Spicy Pork Mushroom Rice

For a minimum single transaction of P3,000
FREE Breaded Fish Lauriat or Breaded Pork Lauriat or Salo Dimsum Platter or Halo-Halo Fiesta (w/o Ice Cream)

For a minimum single transaction of P6,000
FREE Chowking Sulit Salo Set (good for 3)

Redemption period is until June 15, 2010.

Now, who would thought that there is no free meal nowadays? We just need to take advantage of the promos and freebies from our credit card. But also need to ensure that we pay our purchases before the due date to avoid charges.

Truly Rich Financial Coaching Seminar

Hubby and I attended the Truly Rich Financial Coaching Seminar Last February 19-20 which is 3 months after we attended the Truly Rich Seminar. I really wanted to attend both seminars but I was hesitant to inform hubby because the coaching seminar is quite expensive. Never thought that he would also be interested in attending. Unfortunately, the coaching seminar was already fully booked during the Truly Rich Seminar. I just ensured that we get to register in the next coaching seminar.

The seminar, like Bo Sanchez mentioned, is a buffet of choices for investments. We learned about:

1. Stock Market (EIP of Citisec Online)
2. Mutual Funds
3. X-curve
4. Secrets of Businessmen
5. Real Estate Investing
6. Internet Marketing

Things that I have noted are:
1. Time is GOLD. I should have not delayed the training but it's never too late.
2. Don't be a Procrastinator.
3. Communication is the Key.
-Small Minds talk about people
-Medium Mind talk about events.
-Big Minds talk about ideas.
4. Poverty is in the Mind.
" The Moment that you think you are POOR, is the time you become POOR".
5. Give the Best even at Worst.
6. You can decide to have a GOOD day.
7. Open your eyes to opportunity.
8. A good business plan is bankable.
9. Find a business partner by chemistry not by $$$.
10. Whatever Happens, TRUST GOD.
11. If you are a generous giver, you can claim.
12. SECRET of the RICH (Passive Income > Monthly Expenses)
13. To become successful, you need to stretch out of your comfort Zone.
14. The RICH is not the 1 who has the most but the 1 who needs the least.
15. No matter how much you increase your income, maintain your lifestyle.
16. Prosperity Plan - Plan while it is EASY.
17. Financial Disaster - Starting to Plan when the problem is already there.
18. INSURANCE is like renting. HOUSE is like savings.
19. Don't mess with your CASHFLOW.
20. Don't go Mingle company and personal funds.
21. Always be closing.
22. Your SPARE TIME is the BEST TIME to BUILD your WEALTH.

After the seminar, we both think that the money we paid for the seminar is all worth it.
1. We're able to listen to the CEOs of good companies.
2.We learned a lot of new things.
** There are things that we're doing before about the stock market that were wrong.
3. We heard a lot of inspirational talk. They also shared their mistakes that could help us avoid them.

We recommend this seminar to everyone. Trust us, it's worth every cent. If only I can turn back the clock, we'll attend this training years earlier.

Goals for 2010 (REVB)

Hubby and I attended Bo Sanchez's Truly Rich Financial Coaching Seminar 2 weeks ago and we can say that it's all worth every cent. We'll be posting our realizations and lessons learned on a separate blog entry. For the meantime, see below for some revisions we made on our REVA Goals.

1. Maintain the # of Coop Share deduction for our Emergency Fund.
REVB
a. Reduce # of Coop Share Reduction for our planned monthly investments.
b. Withdraw a portion of our Coop shares for investments and business.

2. Create other Sources of Income thru business.
- Tshirt Printing. Need to attend TRC Training (FEB or MARCH) - Backlogged.
- Personalized item/Scrapbooking Need to know how to promote/ Advertise
- Food Business Add to 2011 Goal
Additional to our list:
- Study Real Estate Investing
- Milk Retailing - started last week. Goal is to get our daughter's milk for free.
- Check for our opportunities.

3.Attend Bo Sanchez Group's Seminars
- Truly Rich Financial Coaching - Couple - DONE!
- Investing in Real Estate - Hubby
- Internet Marketing- Me

4. Minimize our Expenses - No Change
- Limit Lunch out during weekdays
- Utilities- follow tipid tips for water, electricity
- Limit consumables by having a weekly plan the dishes to cook and create a schedule for laundry and ironing of clothes.

5. Additional Investments - Complete Re-write
- Mutual fund (40% of our Coop Withdrawal)
** 35% for our Retirement
** 5% for our Daughter's Educ Plan
- Stocks (35% of our Coop Withdrawal))
Where are the other 30%?
- 10% - Tithe
- 10% - Milk Retailing Business
- 5% - 3rd Year Payment of our VUL.

6. Insurances
- Renew our Fire Insurance - Broker tbd.
- Update Beneficiaries
- Check/Revew - Life insurance
- Get an Educuational Plan for our daughter - converted to MF investment.
- Get a Retirement Plan - will not pursue. Will get our Retirement funds from the investments today.

Goals for 2010 (revA)

Hubby and I set our 2010 goals 2 days before year 2009 ended but was not able to blog it. It was the RevA. After the seminar we have attended last week, we come up to our REVB. Let me show you 1st our REVA:

1. Maintain the # of Coop Share deduction for our Emergency Fund.

2. Create Other Sources of Income thru business.
- Tshirt Printing - Need to attend TRC Training (FEB or MARCH)
-. Personalized items/Scrapbooking - Need to know how to promote/ Advertise
- Food Business - Add to 2011 Goal

3.Attend Bo Sanchez Group's Seminars
- Coaching - Couple
- Real Estate - Hubby
- Internet - Me

4. Minimize our Expenses
- Limit Lunch outs during weekdays
- Utilities- follow tipid tips for water and electricity.
- Limit consumables by having a weekly plan for the dishes to cook and create a schedule for laundry and ironing of clothes"

5. Additional Investments
- 25k mutual fund (will be from our Midyear Bonuses)
- 20k Top-up for VUL (from our Coop Dividends)
- 100k for bonds if there would be offerings (will withdraw some shares from coop)
- Stocks (Amount:TBD)

6. Insurances
- Renew our Fire Insurance - might get from Philam again. BDO proposal is not as good as Philam.
- Update Beneficiaries
- Check/Review getting a Life insurance
- Get an Educuational Plan for our daughter
- Get a Retirement Plan
* Contact our new Agent and sched a meeting.

GOODBYE 2009

This is a super late 2009 Goals Review. But it's better late than never. Our goal was supposed to be reviewed every quarter but was only able to do it for 2 consecutive quarter. You can see our 1st quarter review here. And here is our year end review.

1.After giving birth, transfer part of USD savings from BDO regular savings to PS Bank or China Bank TD. - GOOD: DONE. Not in PS Bank or China Bank but in Asia Trust because they have the higher interest rate.

2. Current EF is at 25%. By the end of the year, it should be more than 50%. GOOD. We initially accounted for the money we have in our regular savings account. We forgot about our savings in our coop. Combining the 2, we now have more than 50%.

3. Transfer part of our EF to either BPI Direct TD or China Bank TD (whichever have the higher interest). BAD: Not done.

4. Invest in Mutual Fund (PAMI and/or Phil EQ). BAD: Not done.

5. Increase investments in Philippine Stock Market. BAD: Not done.

6. Renew our insurances. Moderate: We renew only one of our insurances.

7. Get a HS and/or College Plan for our soon to arrive Baby or just increase our investments. Moderate: Backlogged. We haven't made up our mind if we'll get one because of the bad news that we're hearing on pre-need plan companies.

8. Keep our Company Stocks (Grants and ESPP) intact and wait for the up turn. GOOD: We're keeping them.

OUR SCORE:
Not bad at all. We have 3 good, 3 bad and 2 moderate. I will be posting our 2010 GOALs soon.

Lessons Learned from our Daughter's Hospitalization

Here are some our lessons we learned from our daughter's hospitalization. Some would sound simple and funny but they are still lessons learned that you can also learn from.

1. Trust your instinct.
Tuesday night before she was hospitalized. I noticed a different sound on her breathing. I asked hubby to text the pedia if we can give her antibiotic. The Pedia told us that she should see our baby 1st before she can give a prescription and also advised us of her clinic schedule for the Holiday. Hubby and I already filed an advance leave of absence for the coming Friday. Hubby said that we can bring our baby on that day. I suddenly felt that she must be brought to the pedia so she can take the proper medication as soon as possible. Upon seeing my baby and hearing her breathing, the pedia told hubby that she can't let them go home. They need to stay in the hospital. Our baby has Ashma. It's good that I trust my instinct of bring her to the hospital that day. It could have gone worse and our hospital bill could have been more!

2. A Credit Card can save a Day
Since it was a different kind of emergency and we are not fond of bringing a lot cash. Hubby used our credit card for the Hospital Downpayment. The transaction is much easier. Aside from that, we're able to use the charge slips for food freebies that we had for our meals.

3. Philheath Card is a Necessity.
Our Hospital bill could have been ~20K. Thanks to Philhealth! We only pay a little more half of the total bill. So if you are not yet a member, you better enroll now. You can be an individually paying member for only 100/month or 1,200/year. This is just a little amount compared to your peace of mind.

4. We can live without a TV for 5 days.
It sounded like a joke but it's true. We stayed in a semi-private room for 2 days and a private room for 3 days. All of these rooms have no TV. There were no other rooms available. It's still an advantage because our bill could have been more. Anyway, on these days w/o a TV, we became creative on how we entertain our 9th month baby. It was all fun!

5. Blessings come unexpectedly
We could have touched our EF. But we're blessed not to have to because a long time loaned money was paid. It was even a little more than the amount that we need to pay for the hospital bill that we charged to our credit card. Thanks to Him!

You might be curious why we pay for the hospital bill and we should have a health card. Actually, we have one but our trusted pedia is not accredited. It's okay anyway, her PF was pro bono.

2009 Goals - 2nd Quarter Review

Whew. Looking at my 1st quarter review, I didn't make any progress. I need to get back on track. Hopefully, I 'll have a positive review next quarter.

2009 Goals - 1st Quarter Review

We're not able to review our goals for the previous month because of our busy life. Anyway, I allocated this evening for this review.

1.After giving birth, transfer part of USD savings from BDO regular savings to PS Bank or China Bank TD. - GOOD: DONE. Not in PS Bank or China Bank but in Asia Trust because they have the higher interest rate.

2. Current EF is at 25%. By the end of the year, it should be more than 50%. BAD : It is currently at 21%, we used some of them when I gave birth instead of using all of our USD. It is still a good move because USD/PHP rate now is higher.

3. Transfer part of our EF to either BPI Direct TD or China Bank TD (whichever have the higher interest). BAD: Pending. still scouting for the best instrument.

4. Invest in Mutual Fund (PAMI and/or Phil EQ). BAD: Backlogged because I haven't studied the details of it yet

5. Increase investments in Philippine Stock Market. BAD: Backlogged. No budget. No extra.

6. Renew our insurances. Moderate: I renew one of our insurances. Supposed to increase one of our VULs but we didn't pushed thru because of the market condition.
7. Get a HS and/or College Plan for our soon to arrive Baby or just increase our investments. Moderate: Backlogged. We haven't made up our mind if we'll get one because of the bad news that we're hearing on pre-need plan companies.
8. Keep our Company Stocks (Grants and ESPP) intact and wait for the up turn. GOOD: We're keeping them.

Our Score: not bad at all. We have 2 good, 4 bad and 2 moderate. We're still on the 1st half of the year. I am targeting to have a higher score by the end of the year. Wish me luck. Hehe.

To Keep or NOT to Keep?!

We have saved some USD for my hospital delivery. Now that USD is not yet stable, we are having 2nd thought of using it. We are thinking to just use the peso that we have.

What do you think?

Goals for 2009

We scored good last 2008. We hope that we can make it better this year. So far here are our goals for this year:

1.After giving birth, transfer part of USD savings from BDO regular savings to PS Bank or China Bank TD.
2. Current EF is at 25%. By the end of the year, it should be more than 50%.
3. Transfer part of our EF to either BPI Direct TD or China Bank TD (whichever have the higher interest).
4. Invest in Mutual Fund (PAMI and/or Phil EQ)
5. Increase investments in Philippine Stock Market.
6. Renew our insurances.
7. Get a HS and/or College Plan for our soon to arrive Baby or just increase our investments.
8. Keep our Company Stocks (Grants and ESPP) intact and wait for the up turn.

Update on LBC Banks' Royal Earner Account Interest Rate (as of 10/24/08)

LBC bank is one of the banks that offers high interest rate for a 5YR TD. Learned about it from PinayandMoney Blog. Hubby and I inquired last Friday and there was a slight change. The interest rate for the TAX Free 5Y TD was lowered from 9% to 8%. This is still acceptable because currently most banks offers TD with interest rate ranging from 1.5% to max of 6% (PSBank).

We just hope that they will not lower it more because hubby and I are planning to increase our savings in this bank.

Rice Price Increase

Few years ago, our cafeteria is only charging us 3 pesos for a cup of rice. Just this year, they have increased it to 4 pesos. And today, we received a memo from our company that they will increase it again from 4 to 6 pesos.

The good thing is that our company will subsidize the additional 2 pesos. We will still be charged 4 pesos/cup. Thanks to the management. This is still a potential savings of 1040pesos/year for us.

Christmas Spending Tips

It's now less than 100 days before Christmas. For some, including us, a big part of their bonuses will surely go to holiday expenses.

I am not in the position to give saving tips for the Holiday Season because based on my initial forecast (excel file) , i might be spending 32% of it for the expenses mentioned below. I will try to lower it down but I am finding a hard time to do it.

Anyway, below are the things that we can consider during the holidays:

1. List, List and List.
- all the people that you want to give gifts.
- what would you like to give them - money, wrapped gifts or both.
- all the parties that you may need to attend to.
- all the contributions and potlucks that these parties may incur.
- the forecasted prices of the exchange gifts that may be required to these parties.
- the amount you need to give the carolers - adults and kids.
- the amount you'll give to the security guards, carbage collectors, messengers, etc.
- your budget for the noche buena and meda noche.

2. Budget
- list down all sources of income you'll have before the holiday like bonuses, business, sidelines, etc.
- set aside 10% or more (whatever your heart desires) for tithes.
- limit item1 to less than 50% of you total income. The lower the better.
- Save the remaining either for emergency fund and/or investments.

3. Shop Early
- Prices tends to go up when holiday goes nearer.

4. Take advantage of the Bazaars
- You'll find good finds here in cheaper prices.
- You can even haggle if you buy by bulk.
- For us, we're always looking forward to St. James Bazaar.
- Some Bazaar Schedules can be seen here: http://themrsg.blogspot.com/2008/09/2008-christmas-bazaar-schedule.html

Enjoy Holiday Shopping but ensure that you'll still be Money Smart!

PS:
Did I mention that the picture above is our actual Christmas Tree. It is only 3 feet tall and have been using it for 3 years now. I decided to change the color of the decors but still didn't spend that much. The balls, ribbons and shaped decors cost less than 300php.