Financial Wanders | Investing on MP2, How to Apply, Who are Qualified, Why Invest on MP2

For ordinary Filipinos like me, investment equates to being rich. That in order to invest, you have to have lots of money to spare; you have to have big savings in the bank. Now that I read a lot of articles about investment, I realized it is not. You don't need big amount of money to start investing. There are investments that start for as low as 50 pesos. Of course, these type of investments won't make us rich in the short term. You won't get as much return from them but what I want to establish here is the habit of saving and investing. Had I known this early on, had this habit of saving and investing been ingrained on me during my formative years, I would have started saving early on. I've been working since I was 11 years old but I only started saving (and by saving, I mean, religiously allotting a portion of my salary to my savings account) last 2020. Kinda late for some maybe, but there's no such thing as 'too late' for me, for something that I know will benefit me and my family. However, saving is just an initial step. The goal really, is to let your savings grow. And it won't grow if you just let it sit in the bank as deposit interest rates nowadays is too low, as low 0.25% annually.

Anyway, there are several investment vehicles out there in the market. There is mutual funds and UITF investment; there is VUL (though  won't suggest this one for investment purposes); there is stock trading and investing and there is MP2, the modified Pag-ibig II savings, among others. In this post, I'll be focusing on MP2.

What is MP2?

MP2 stands for modified Pag-ibig II savings. It is a voluntary savings facility offered by HDMF (Home Development Mutual Fund), more commonly known as Pag-ibig, to its members.

Who are qualified to apply/invest on MP2?

• Active members - those who are currently working and making their mandatory monthly contributions via salary deduction
• Retirees - those who already retired but is a previous member of Pag-ibig; also includes those who stopped working but made at least 24 monthly contributions
• Pensioners - those previous employees who are now getting their pensions
  

What are the requirements and how to apply for MP2?

MP2 application is quite easy to accomplish. You can go to the nearest Pag-ibig branch in your area, accomplish the application form and submit it for processing. Once everything’s okay, you will get your account number which you can then use to pay for your MP2 premiums.

Submitting an application for MP2 doesn’t always have to be traditional, as stated above. If you’re comfortable working with your computer, you can also apply for MP2 online. Instead of filling up printed forms, you just have to type/input the required information via online forms. A note for online application, have your MID and other personal information ready to avoid getting timed out and redo everything.

Where to pay for the contribution/premium?

Payments for your premium can be done online and offline, similar to online and offline application process. For convenience, you may use your bank’s online payment facility. You may also use e-wallets like Gcash. A note though, there’s a 5-peso service charge when you use Gcash. But considering today’s jeepney fare, paying via GCash is still cheaper and saves more time. Convenient too, since you can do it anywhere you are, as long as you have internet connection.

But if you prefer traditional way of paying obligations like MP2 premiums, you may still do so. Just go to your preferred bank and pay from there. You may also use payment centers like SM payment center to pay for your premiums.

Why invest on MP2?

There are three main reasons why you should invest on MP2. First, it’s easy and convenient. You can apply for MP2 account online and pay your premiums in the comfort of your own homes, via online facilities and e-wallets.

Second, it’s affordable and flexible. It’s affordable because you can invest as low as 500 pesos monthly. And it’s flexible because you can pay any amount you like even if you initially declared a 500 monthly premium. You may actually skip a month or two if you’re low on money, as long as you make sure the total premium on or before the end of maturity totals to 30,000 pesos. Just take note that if you opt to pay online, some payment facilities charge convenience fee (GCash charged 5 pesos every transaction, regardless of the amount).

Lastly, it offers higher returns (dividends) compared with other investment facilities. And you can get even more via compounding interests if you opt to get the dividends on maturity date rather than getting it annually. Last year’s dividend is 6 percent but it went as high as 8.11 percent in 2017. The dividend rate is not guaranteed but the government guarantees the principal, meaning you’ll get your money whatever happens (unless it’s the government that failed 🙄). One more thing, dividend is tax free; unlike in savings wherein your interest will be deducted 20 percent for the tax. Pretty good reasons to invest right? So what are you waiting for, start your 2023 right; visit https://www.pagibigfundservices.com/MP2Enrollment/. I already did! (I’m an MP2 subscriber since 2021) 😊

PS: I made a video out of the short presentation I made from our soft skills training last year, you may want to check it out also. It's a shorter version of this blog post. Watch it here: 

~oo00oo~

It's not how much money you make, but how much you keep,

how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for. ~Robert Kiyosaki

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Financial Wanders | UITF Investment and Investment Risk Profile

If you read my blogs, you already know that I mentioned my UITF journey in several of my posts. A note to the reading public though, I am not a financial advisor and certainly not an expert in financial management. What I write is normally just based on my understanding of what I read/researched and my experiences about UITF and investment in general.

So what really is UITF? 

UITF or unit investment trust fund is an investment vehicle offered by banks to the investing public. It is a pooled funds (can be peso-denominated or dollar or other currencies) collected from investors and is managed by professional fund managers. In UITF, funds collected from the public are pooled together and invested in different financial instruments like bonds and equities.

UITF, though managed by professional fund managers, is not risk-free. It is subject to risk factors like changes in interest rates and stock market fluctuations. That’s why it is important that an individual find out his risk profile first before diving into UITF investments to minimize loses.

What is investment risk profile?

Investment risk profile is an individual’s evaluation of his ability to take risks on the money he’s going to invest. The areas subjected to evaluation include an individual’s financial capability in terms of his earnings, savings and investment time horizon. This means understanding the current financial state of an individual and the length of time one is able to let his money out for investment. Knowing an individual's risk profile is important to help find out the right portfolio appropriate to an individual's profile and to minimize the risks accompanied by this investment vehicle.

Investment risk profile is generally categorized into three; conservative, moderately aggressive and aggressive. Conservative investment profile means an individual can only accept minimal risk with minimum returns, one that's normally focused on preserving capital. Funds for conservative profile usually includes money market funds, a fund that seeks to invest on short-term fixed-income instruments and assets with high liquidity (ease of getting in and getting out of an investment) like treasury bills. 

Moderately aggressive investment profile means an individual is willing to accept some risks and invests on medium-term instruments that offer higher returns. In moderately conservative profile, an individual is usually offered funds that both invest on liquid investment that offers fixed return on a slightly longer term like bonds. When I first enter into investment, I was classified as moderately aggressive and was asked how much of my fund will be put on to low risk instruments and how much to put on medium risk instruments. Back in 2013, I didn't quite understand this concept yet and just opted for a 50/50 ratio. 

Aggressive investment profile on the other hand means you are willing to accept high risks for a possibility of much higher returns. In this profile, one seeks to maximize the growth of his funds on a long term horizon. Nowadays that I quite understand the risks that come with my investment, I purposely make sure that I get the aggressive profile so that I can invest on highly risky funds. These funds usually invest on equities and stock markets. This carries a lot of risks and there's a high probability of losing money. In order to counter the risks, I make sure to invest money that I won't be needing in the short term; money that I'm willing to let go for years, if need be. I also try my best to study market movement so that I would know somehow when to subscribe and unsubscribe to aggressive funds like what I'm doing with my BPI Invest Philippine Equity Index Fund. Of course, I can't exactly predict market movement so whenever the market goes against me, I do top-ups and accumulate shares. So far, with these strategies, I was able to ride the market fluctuations without losing money. I didn't earn that much but I definitely earn much higher return compared to just saving money on the bank, higher even compared to money market funds or time deposit.

Please note though that each and everyone of us is unique, our risk profiles are different, our financial situations are unique to us. What works for me might not work for you and vice-versa so please know yourself and your situation and do your own research before investing, be it small or considerable amount of money.

Where to invest in UITF?

As mentioned above, UITF is usually offered by banks. Many of the commercial banks in the Philippines offer UITF using Peso or other currencies, usually US dollar. Some of these banks include BPI, BDO, Security Bank, Metrobank, etc. Although majority of those that offered UITF are banks, there are investment companies that also offer UITF. One of these companies is ATRAM.

Of these companies and banks offering UITF, BPI, BDO and ATRAM (thru GCash) are the ones I’ve tried. Of the companies I tried, BPI and ATRAM are the ones I can recommend. I like BPI and I’d say it’s the most appropriate UITF bank for me. BPI’s certain funds (like BPI Invest Philippine Equity Index Fund, a fund that tracks the PSEI, the Philippines stock exchange index) has no holding period which means you can unsubscribe anytime you want to (Other banks require 30 days holding period which means you will be charged a fee if you unsubscribe before the 30-day period ends). In this BPI fund, peso averaging is also allowed, which means, if the unit value of this fund goes down, I can buy at lower prices and accumulate shares.

I also like ATRAM because even though I don’t have a dollar account, I can still subscribe to global funds. Other banks like BPI only offer global funds if you have a dollar account. The minimum initial investment is also usually high in global funds, from USD500 to USD1000. The minimum top-up amount, in case you want to accumulate shares is also high, at least USD200. In ATRAM, the minimum initial investment is PhP1000 and top-up amount is PhP500 making it quite accessible to all Filipinos, especially those like me who only has minimal amount to spare for investment.

 

If with BPI, I normally subscribe and unsubscribe in fairly short period of time, sometimes a week or two, I can't quite do this with ATRAM. ATRAM has longer settlement period and unlike BPI Invest Equity Index Fund where I can easily monitor it by checking PSEI movement, ATRAM's global technology feeder fund is quite diverse that  it's quite hard monitoring the securities they invest in. So for my ATRAM Technology Feeder Fund, I just accumulate shares on a pretty regular basis, every payday as much as possible. Will this work for me in the long term? Shall I get higher return from this fund in the future? As of now, I don't know.  I'm giving this fund five (5) to ten (10) years to work. In this same period, let's also see the rate of return of my BPI Invest Equity Index Fund and compare these two (2) funds. Hopefully, both goes well. Wish me luck my dear readers, if there's any. 😉

~ oo00oo~

Blessed Sunday everyone.🙏 Stay safe and healthy!😊

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Financial Wanders | BDO Securities (BDO Nomura) Trading Platform Review

BDO Nomura

I've been using BDO Nomura for several years now, since the start of my stock investment/trading journey. I even wrote how easy it is to apply for BDO Nomura account back in 2017. For the past 3 years, I tried to learn the ins and outs of stock investing and trading. At some point, although I have an 8-5 work before I got retrenched, I tried to do some daily trading. And in those trades, I win some, I lose many. I attributed all of my loses to my being a newbie in the stock market. And it's true! But after 3 years of being in the stock market, I realized it's not just me that is the problem.

In the past, there are trades that I know for a fact is so volatile and could really be a winning or losing trade real quick. But I still joined the herd; bought some and planned to exit just after I got my TP (target price), which I know would only take just a few minutes. I set a GTC (good 'til cancelled) sell on my target price. I also planned my exit, in case it goes against my predicted price. And it happened, it goes downward real quick! I'm logged in so I tried to edit my GTC and set a sell price 2-ticks below the current selling price to make sure that I could sell it at a minimal loss. The platform says my modification was successful so I continue watching while the current price was being consumed. When the selling price hits the price I set, I thought I successfully exited the trade. Unfortunately, it was just a thought! When I checked the View Orders tab to see the status, it's not there. I tried to refresh and check several times but I couldn't really see my sell order. I logged out of the platform and tried logging back in but I couldn't anymore. And that's it, I resigned to the fact that I probably wasn't able to sell my position since I couldn't see it.  Only after the trading hours was I able to log back in again. And it's confirmed, I wasn't able to sell my position.

this is supposedly BDO Nomura's trading platform homepage; yes I was able to login but I couldn't connect to the trading platform itself; this happened so many times I already lost count of it.

 

I only bought minimal position so I didn't lose that much for the particular trade but this scenario happened several times that in total, a loss of considerable amount. There are other scenarios like not seeing my positions or non-loading of trading platform (see photo above) or not being able to login during trading hours (platform is under maintainance) so I couldn't trade. In part, not being able to log in and trade volatile stocks were okay; at least I didn't lose money but it also means I didn't have the chance to gain some too, a lost opportunity.

sometimes, I was able to connect to the trading platform only for the above instance to happen; i.e., I couldn't select a sector for which the stock I'm supposed to trade belongs

 

I'm not attributing every loses I had with BDO Nomura. I know I made some bad trades, too, but a reliable trading platform is essential in trading the stock market. The trading platform should always be available, especially during trading hours. It shouldn't undergo system maintenance from 9:30AM to 3PM during trading days (9:30AM to 1PM during this pandemic). I worked in the IT industry and our system maintenance was always during non-peak hours, normally during midnight when there are only a few people (if there is any) using our system or, if we really need to deploy some hotfix, to make sure to do it in just a few minutes.

Nowadays, I only use BDO Nomura for medium to long term trades. I don't do daily trading especially those highly volatile trades anymore. If you're planning to be a trader, and by trader, I mean those who want to do buying and selling stocks in just a short period of time, within the day normally, don't go with Nomura. Try other brokers. But search and research thoroughly. Ask people from trading forums and social media who are actually using the platform; list down the pros and cons of the recommended platform/broker, ask for their experiences and how reliable the platform is, and then decide from there.

But if you're a medium to long term investor, you can still try BDO Nomura. It's easy to apply, especially if you have a BDO account; no additional paper requirements. You can do everything online. The funding is also easy and real time, with no transfer fee so yeah, it's not 100% bad at all. Just make sure to know what type of investor/trader you are.

~ oo00oo ~

PS: I'm also trying another investment vehicle which is unit investment trust fund (UITF) but I'm using BPI for this one (and GCASH Invest Money too) ; will talk about UITF next time. Blessed Sunday everyone, stay safe always! 😊

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Financial Wanders | Easy Investing For As Low 50 Pesos with GCASH Invest

from GCASH Invest

My GCASH journey started as a game with office friends last year (2019). Although I'm a GCASH subscriber years ago, I didn't actually use it. Last March 2019, we chanced upon this GCASH promo wherein you just have to send 1 peso to 2 of your GCASH friends and you could win a cash prize (currently on-going Ang Pao promo has 202,000 Php as major prize). Actually, every subscriber who joined this promo is already a winner because GCASH gives you 3 pesos as the minimum prize for every successful Ang Pao transaction. Anyway, my GCASH investment journey started that way. 

Since then, I continued using GCASH and availed most of its services, mostly those that would give me savings and/or investment. One of the services I availed of is the GCASH Invest facility. GCASH Invest is a GCASH feature that allows its subscribers to make an investment with its partner provider for as low as 50 Php. By the way, GCASH and ATRAM (investment product provider) are both authorized/supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to offer financial investments. In case you're interested to start your investment journey, too, download the GCASH app, available on IOS App and Android Play stores.

In order to avail the GCASH Invest facility, GCASH subscribers MUST BE a fully verified subscriber. In case your account isn't fully verified yet, follow this instruction from GCASH on how to make your account fully verified. Once your account is fully verified, you may now start using GCASH Invest. To start GCASH Invest, look for the Invest Money icon/button on your GCASH app and register.

How to Register to GCASH Invest

1. Click the Invest Money icon/button to register. You will then be prompted to confirm your personal details (extracted from GCASH profile). Confirm and submit your details.

2. After confirming your personal details, you will then be asked to answer a survey/questions regarding your risk profile. This step is a must. Your answers to this questionnaire will determine what type of investor you are - conservative, moderate or aggressive. Conservative investors are those who prioritize security and liquidity of their investments. Conservative types of investment are low risks but poses lower returns. Moderate and aggressive investments poses higher risks (possibility of losing money) but also has the greater chance of earning more from the investments. Currently though, GCASH Invest only offers conservative type of investment which is ATRAM Peso Money Market Fund.

Once done with step 2 above, please wait for the approval of your GCASH Invest registration. You will be notified via SMS and email when registration is approved. Once approved, you may now start funding your GCASH Invest.

How to Fund GCASH Invest

1. Click the 'Invest Money' icon.

2. Click 'View Investment Products' button (currently, it only has one product available which is the ATRAM Peso Money Market Fund).

3. Click 'View Details' of your chosen product.

4. Click 'Subscribe' button.

5. Enter amount (50 Php minimum) to be invested then click 'Next'.

6. You will then be prompted to confirm your agreement on the product's Terms and Conditions. Click the checkbox beside 'I agree' then click 'Confirm'. You will then receive a text message confirming your subscription transaction.

I haven't yet done withdrawal or redemption of my investments but in case you want to redeem or withdraw your money, choose and click 'Redeem' instead of 'Subscribe' and then follow the app instructions. 

As of this date, my GCASH Invest money earning is around 1.4% of my investment, better than bank savings which is usually around 0.25%. Considering that I only made small investments every payday, 1.4% is already a good return for me. ATRAM's rate of return on Peso Money Market Fund is 3.2%, year on year.

~ oo00oo ~

This post was triggered by a gift I received from GCASH last Wednesday. Earlier that day, I got a text message from Entrego (a logistics company) informing me that my package will be delivered that same day. I've never purchased or ordered anything so I'm not expecting any package to be delivered to me. I then called Entrego and inquired them about the text message. The CSR told me I got the correct message and that I do have a package for delivery. I asked who the sender was but the CSR couldn't provide me an answer. I went out that same day and when I got back, the guard handed me the package, no sender information outside. When I opened it, I was surprised it came from GCASH. A simple gift; but it encourages me more to continue saving/investing and work my way towards my dream of financial freedom. Thank you GCASH! 

2020 GCASH Invest gift,
yes, I'm a certified GCASH investor! :)

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Random | 6 Things I Realized About Life In My 40s

It's been a while since I wrote a story here. I posted a short one last August about a quick tour in Intramuros and another one in January and that's it, nothing more. Two posts for 2019, 3 if only I was able to finish this one (I started this post last December). But I didn't! I've always wanted to update this blog and write a new article but I also always find a way not to do it. Does procrastination comes with age? 'Cause it seems that way for me, nowadays.

Anyways, I'm writing this one as my way of releasing my worries and sharing the things I realized now that I'm halfway through my fifth decade in this world. 

Save and Invest

Before I left my stable job (in government) last 2013, I'd always say to myself that money is not everything, that money can't buy me happiness. Now I realized, money may still not be able to buy me happiness but it can certainly buy me (and my family) a comfortable and less worrisome life. 

Don't get me wrong. I love my job in the private sector. I learned a lot, and I mean A LOT, in my field of work. I also get good exposures, things that I'm sure I would never experience had I stayed in the government sector. So yes, I don't regret leaving my stable job as I really am bored with it. But I regret not having saved money back then. I used to be that kind of person that live in the moment, without regards to the future. I buy things that I want when I want it, things that I would just give away after some time. I never think of saving up. My thinking was that I am skilled and I can always find a job that can support my living. It's wrong, very wrong thinking!

Last 2017, I started my stock investment journey. I used my small savings to open up an account in BDO Nomura. I thought investing in stock market will easily pave the way for my financial freedom. But I'm wrong, once again. In my more than 2 years stay in the stock market, I realized it's not easy.  On my first year, I gained around 10% of my capital so I thought, 'yes, I can do this'. In 2018, I was proven wrong. I lost my gain from my first year plus around 10% of my capital. At the end of 2019, I'm down 27%. But I'm not giving up. Miss Market is telling me to study more so I will study more so I could make wise trading choices this time.

credit to the owner, click the image for my post on starting stocks investing

Also, I will make sure that I save a portion of my salary, even if small, to build up my emergency fund and add-up on my investments. With God's blessings and provisions, I know I can do this.

Stay Debt-Free

I got my first credit card way back 1999, if I remembered correctly. I got several credit cards from different banks since then. During that time, I buy things I can't afford buying in cash and use my family obligations (I help support my brother's studies, buy things my family don't have) as a justification.  Back then, I always maxed out my credit card limit. Imagine having 2 or 3 cards at the same time and maxing out all of them. I also have loans from other people and institutions. So yeah, I'm in deep shit!

In 2013, I was able to pay all my credit cards and personal loans. Except for my housing loan, I'm almost debt-free. I still use my credit card after that but I always pay in full, no roll-over balances. Then came 2015 when I lost my job. I couldn't pay my purchases in full so my outstanding balance started accumulating again. Of course, I found a job also in 2015. But I transferred to a more convenient apartment which led to bigger expenses so I wasn't able to pay my outstanding balance. In 2018, my father was hospitalized and I have no emergency fund to use so I rely on my credit card, too. My outstanding balance has accumulated once again. I used up almost 50% of my credit limit.

My not so good health last year made me realize that I shouldn't just live the moment, that I have to be debt-free so I would be worry-free, too. Since last quarter of 2019, I never made any big purchases, even if I'm tempted to. All new purchases (groceries, personal necessities) through credit cards, I make sure to pay in full. I also availed of installment plan for my outstanding balance to ease off on interest. I'm struggling but I know I'll be debt-free again. Soon!

Eat and Drink Right

I used to think I eat and drink right. But that was before! Most of the time, I skip breakfast. If I do have one, that would be late, around 10AM and mostly consist of just coffee or hot chocolate. I don't drink water that much (usually less than a liter a day). 

And since I can afford it, I usually eat out, too. By eating out, I don't mean eating in fancy restaurants. It's more like having lunch or dinner in fastfood chains. And this includes weekend meals, too. So yeah, I don't eat and drink right. But 2019 has been an eye opener for me. I visited the clinic almost every quarter last year when before that, I only went to clinic for mandatory annual check-up. My blood pressure is elevated, cholesterol and uric acid above normal range; conditions that if not treated immediately, could lead to more severe illnesses. So starting third quarter of 2019, I eat and drink right again. Less red meat! Less sodium. Less fatty foods. Less processed foods. Definitely just occasional visit to fastfood chains. More veggies and fruits. And I drink lots of water now, too. I make sure I get at least 1.5 liters (my initial goal is 2 liters) of water everyday.

my kind of healthy food: bulanglang tagalog, recipe on my food blog

For my few readers out there, eat and drink right. Don't wait for your blood pressure to shoot up. Don't let cholesterol and uric acid level go beyond normal range. Unless you want to take maintenance medicines for the rest of your life, eat and drink right. Now!

Get More Sleep

For the past 10 years or so, I only get an average of around 5 hours of sleep. There are times I go to work with just 1 or 2 hours of sleep. During my younger years, I'm more than fine with 5 hours. Nowadays, I feel so sleepy even in the early hours of the morning. It affects my job because I'm always late. Lack of enough sleep also contributes to my elevated blood pressure which leads to absences. I'm now not at my one hundred percent.

This 2020, I promised myself I will sleep early. So far, I'm still good with my promises. My internet connection will be cut down this January 26 so I hope I can keep this promise. I need to anyway, or else, I'll be forced to take maintenance medicine (for elevated BP), which I hate. For the past few days, my BP is back to normal level, so yeah, sleep pa more! ^_^

Sit Less! Move More!

This one I'm really struggling but I know I need to do it.  I need to lose weight. Everything I'm experiencing right now (elevated BP, above normal cholesterol and uric acid level, back and shoulder pain, GERD) was worsen by my being overweight. Okay, I'm still in denial stage, let's change it. I'm obese! There, I said it.

I used to work on my laptop with me lying in bed. I also play games and watch movies lying down. Now, I'm writing this post with me sitting on a chair, posture in check (bad posture also contributes to my pains). It's a start right? Mall-ing is better than lying in bed and playing games isn't it? After this, I'm going to the mall and window-shop and walk around. I'd love to enroll in a gym but I can't afford it right now so maybe, I'll get back on going to parks and walk around again. They're just stone's throw away from my place, anyway.

forest in the city @ Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center
this park is stone's throw away from my place

Limit Use of Gadgets

I got my first laptop (got a PC before that) in 2008, I think. That was the same time I got exposed to online games, too. I used to play Dekaron with officemates until the wee hours of the night so yeah, it worsen my bad sleeping habits. Around that same time, I got my first smart phone, too. By then, I learned to read ebooks instead of actual books. I started surfing the world wide web a lot, too.

For the past 2 years, my gadgets have become my life. I stayed on my bed the whole day; watching movies, playing games and just browsing the internet. And what has these gadgets brought me? Pains! Lots of pains! I now have chronic back and shoulder pains that extends to my neck and head, too. My shoulder and back hurt so bad that I have to transfer my bag (with just 2 phones, some coins and keys) from one shoulder to another several times during mall-ing. The connection? My excessive use of gadgets leads to bad posture, bad eyesight, bad eating and drinking habits, bad everything actually.

Now I'm planning to cut my internet connection at home. Steady and stable internet connection has contributed so much to my gadget and games addiction. And since I couldn't cut my fingers to stop this addiction, then I'll just cut my internet connection. I still have my cellular data connection but signal here at home is not good and and is unstable so it would definitely limit my time on games and online stuff.

 

~ oo00oo ~

What about you dear readers? How was your 2019? Was it good? I hope it was. But whatever your circumstances are, let us make this 2020 a better year for us all.  Let's improve and make ourselves worthy of all the blessings that God has given us, through the years. And let us all be grateful always, blessings and trials, for our Lord Almighty will never leave us and will always be there for us. Happy and prosperous new year my dear readers. God bless us all!

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Financial Wanders | Wandering New Track: My First Step Towards Financial Freedom

"A big part of financial freedom is having your heart and mind free from worry about the what-ifs of life" ~Suze Orman

Life's journey is full of twist and turns. There's no such thing as straight line to happiness and/or success. At times, it seems so twisted it looks like we'll never make it. But this doesn't mean we should quit. Oh, WE MUST NOT!

credit to the owner

For around three quarters of my life, I've been working. It's been so long that nowadays, I feel like quitting. Sadly, I can't. Not yet! I still need this 8-hour day job to go on living. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I'm merely stating facts. And this post isn't about work anyway, this is all about the new track I'm taking, the road to financial freedom. :)

Last year, we got a new boss in the office who introduced us to stock investing. (Oh by the way, we're an IT company; it's just that this new boss is into stock investing and told us about it.) I got so curious that since then, I started reading a lot about stocks and investments. After reading a lot and finding out that it should be the money working for me instead of me working for the money, I tried applying and opening an account with COL Financial, a registered online broker. Last February, I downloaded COL's registration forms and diligently filled-up everything. Because I have no time personally submitting the forms, I sent it via courier. Yey! I've done the first step, I'm on my way to financial freedom. Or so I thought!

Unfortunately, after waiting for more than a week, I got a reply (via email) from of one of their customer relations officer informing me that I've submitted incomplete documents. She's asking me to fill up the forms again without telling me what's missing. I got disappointed that instead of going through all their forms again, I went to BDO the following weekend and open an account with them. After getting my ATM card and registering for an online account, I applied for BDO Nomura (also an online broker affiliated with BDO) account via BDO Nomura website. No forms, no couriers, all online! After two days, I got an email telling me that my application is approved. I waited for another day or two and got another email, this time from PSE Tradex giving me my temporary trading PIN. I then logged in to my Nomura account, nominate a permanent trading PIN, fund my account and started trading and investing. That easy! No sweat, isn't it? Yes, first step done!

I'm into stocks trading and investment for a month now. I gained some, lose some. I'm still learning the ropes, the ins and outs of stock market but I know in time, I'll get the financial freedom I'm dreaming of, little by little, one step at a time. I know there will be lots of twists and turns but I also know that if I work hard for it, I'll be rewarded, if not soon, then later. When that time comes, I'll be making money work for me and not the other way around. What about you? Are you heading your way towards that financial freedom?

~ oo00oo ~

For those interested in opening an online trading account with Nomura, check out this link: 5-minute 5-step to opening BDO Nomura account. For more info and review of other online brokers, check this out: A Review of Online Stockbrokers (COL, First MetroSec, BDO Nomura, Philstocks, MakeTrade and BPI Trade) in the Philippines. If you still have more questions, I'd be happy to answer them and help you go through it, just post your queries below. I can only help you with opening and setting up a BDO Nomura account though, I ain't no stock guru. I, myself, is a noob! :) 

PS: This is a story of my personal experiences, this isn't a sponsored post.

Happy Sunday everyone, God bless!

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