30. August 2010 by admin.

Recently, I changed my facebook relationship status into “In Relationship”. Within seconds, family friends start ‘liking’ it and made comments which vary from “I’m happy for you” to “What????” to “Picture please” and “Who?”. 

The reactions may steam out from the fact that since my last relationship ages ago, they found my love life sooo boring and uneventful. My father is getting worried, my dear lola is actually asking me if I still have plans to settle and friends think it’s time to think about it and seriously…

Whenever I say, don’t worry about me, I am happy as I am….this seems unbelievable to a lot of people. Others may even think I am just saying I am happy but actually feel the opposite. At the end of the day, surely as single, I could never ever achieve the highest level of happiness a human being could ever feel….or can I?

With all the concerns I get, advises to go out and meet more people, and perhaps prayers from my loved one that I may find my destiny soon, I realized that, in my single state, I can also be in a relationship…..here’s why:

Whilst relationship, according to Wikipedia, is normally viewed as connection between two individuals such as a romantic or intimate relationship, or a parent-child relationship; individuals can also have relationships with groups of people. Further,  these relationships usually involve some level of interdependence.

People in a relationship tend to influence each other, share their thoughts and feelings, and engage in activities together. Because of this interdependence, most things that change or impact one member of the relationship will have some level of impact on the other member.  

In short, every day, I am in relationship with people — my family, my friends, my boss, my co-workers, and associates. We influence each other, share our thoughts and feelings and engage in activities together. Most importantly, just as they  change or impact me as a person I dearly hope that I also make a difference to theirs. 

To take a step further. I am now engaged…to living my life to the fullest. I am in love with life and commits to be thankful every day for God’s blessings.   

Life gives us the opportunity to be happy (or miserable) in whatever state of relationship we are in, may we be single, married, separated or widowed. We have the choice. I choose to be happy within, now while I am single and will make the same  choice when I have a partner in the near future.  

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10. May 2010 by admin.

I just had my manicure done last Saturday, but somebody messed up my index fingernail today — and I do not mind at all!

Yes! As early as 7:30am, I was already taking the long line in my assigned precinct in order to vote. Days before today, I have visited Comelec’s online precinct finder so I was able to save time in looking for my name posted on the precinct door (which was anyway crowded as expected). Likewise, I received from Comelec a sample ballot, where my precinct is also reflected.

Wearing my most comfortable dress (from my sister’s closet :-), a bottled water, my favorite folding fan, and my sample ballot, I patiently waited and observed the whole process.

Initially, there was a confusion particularly on the queuing. A lot of voters, especially senior citizens complained of the long line. They even claimed, it was the worst election they ever experienced. Before, they said the process only takes 5-10 minutes and they were out. A volunteer was able to organize the line and after 15 minutes, everyone appeared happy and even excited.

After more than 30 minutes of moving from one seat to another inside the waiting area, it was my time to vote. Albeit the volunteer reminded us to make sure we have an identification card with us, the election officer only asked for my name which she checked on her list of voters. I presented her the sample ballot sent to me by Comelec to help fast track her search. I was worried for a while because she could not find my name — and I realized that she was looking for Varona, my middle name, rather than Baldomar.

Finally, she found my name on the list (beside it was a pretty image of me, I may say!). After I signed the voter’s list and was verified, I was given a marker and a ballot contained in a white folder (by the way, it looks to me like an ordinary folder–really!).

It took me approximately 10 minutes to mark my votes and I was very careful not to mark outside the oblong. After counting twice that I have the right number of senators and councilors, I proceeded to the PCOS machine to feed my ballot. A couple of seconds, and voila — I got the confirmation message that my ballot was scanned. I asked if I get a confirmation receipt (he he) but I was told, the message is my confirmation.

I went back to the election officer who asked me to place my thumb mark on the voter’s list and after which, she placed an indelible ink on my index finger.  That done, I was more than happy to leave the room and go home exactly at 9:30am. Two hours spent to vote - not bad.

Here are some of my observations:

Just couple of meters from the school, exactly at the corner of Kalayaan and Kakarong Streets, there were several people who were giving away sample ballots which I learned is a violation.

It would have been better if the list of voters could have been posted at the ground floor open area and not exactly on the precinct door. The latter created quite a jam especially on the alley outside the voting room. The pages should have been posted individually per precinct and thus, people checking on the list need not flip over it or need not crowd over the same area at the same time.

Of course, Comelec and teachers can only do as much and we should give them credit for doing their best during this period. I commend particularly the teachers, who despite the complains and sometimes insults they received, they remained calm and patient — dedicated to their important tasks.

At the end of the day, I am sure that the next election could be made better. With all the glitches reported, these should serve as lessons to Comelec so the process could be improved in the future.

I wish all the candidates, particularly my candidates good luck!

But most of all, I wish every Filipino good luck. I hope that we are able to vote the right persons for the most important  positions of our land.

God bless us all!

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14. April 2010 by admin.

It’s tax season again. Unfortunately, I was not able to break my habit of filing my return on the last day.

Fortunately, I already have a template from last year, and thus, with with very little changes on the figures (sigh!), the form is completed in no time.

Now comes the payment.  Despite the taxes the were deducted from me, it appears that I still have to pay more . Last year, this came as a big surprise for me and shelling out for the payment was really painful. I promised that on my next filing (this year) paying this additional tax shall cause me no more pain.

Following the YNAB program, I started allocating a budget every month for my tax payment. Basically, I just divided to 12 (months) the tax that I am supposed to pay in a year’s time. So every payroll, before I even contemplate on paying my bills and other expenses, I already peg this particular amount for tax and put this on a separate bank account.  Painful? Not anymore.

You could also apply this discipline for your other large payment or premiums such as tuition fees, annual car maintenance, insurance, etc.

In fact, this is the same principle if you want to save in order to buy a car or a house in the future, or to save for your retirement or your kids college fund.

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4. April 2010 by admin.

I have been a loyal follower of MoneySense Magazine since 2007. It is a magazine about saving, spending, and investing wisely. The articles are well written and provide practical advises and insights about financial-related matters and how we could properly apply them in our daily lives.

In 2009, MoneySense introduced their “Bookshelf”, an article which reviews books that are mostly best sellers. The verdict would either to browse it, skip it or buy it. I always take note of the books they would recommend to buy so I could look for it on my next visit to National Bookstore or Powerbooks.

However, if you are unable to read all the recommended books by MoneySense, or have no time to visit your local bookstore, worry no more. I have searched Amazon.com and collated all the recommended books on this link: MoneySense Bookshelf. Now, you could buy any of these books at your convenience at Amazon.com.

I also throw in some of my favorite books (as well as books specifically requested by friends). I hope this page will make it easier for you to find these books. Check this link regularly for an updated list.

Enjoy!

Not yet an Amazon member? Register here, it’ is easy and it is free.

Kindle: The #1 Best Selling Product in Amazon

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23. March 2010 by admin.

Yesterday, my nephew Don opened his bank account with BPI - and he is ecstatic!

I am glad too. At the age of 14 it is high time that he learns the value of savings using a bank account.

The Jumpstart Savings account is a savings account that is tied to a main account (usually a parent’s account). It allows the convenience of debiting the allowance from the parent’s account and crediting it to the kid’s account. The amount (minimum Php250) and day of debiting are pre-determined during the creation of the account.

Don was able to open his account for a minimum of Php500 and he is required to maintain a minimum balance of Php1K, otherwise a penalty of Php150 per month will be imposed. The balance has to reach Php3K in order to earn interest (less than 1% p.a.).

I am very pleased that he has lots of questions to the bank account officer. How much interest will I get from my account? How much will it be 9 months from now? What pin shall I use? What will happen if I forgot my pin?, etc. etc.  (I keep in mind that I have to teach him how to access his account online..)

As it is technically his parents who provide him with his regular allowance, I made a deal with Don. As my advance Christmas gift, he gets a regular monthly credit from me. It is up to him whether he choose to keep it until Christmas or spend it each month. Either way, no more Christmas gift from Tita Malet. And if by December, he is able to maintain Php2,500 balance on his account, he gets a bonus.

Good luck Don!

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21. March 2010 by admin.

Perhaps, one of the saddest news that anyone could ever receive in a work place is to learn that a colleague or their closest family member has died.  Blessed is the kind heart of every staff who would try to pass on an envelope to collect enough contribution to either buy flowers or food for the wake.

As the boss of your own small company, you may try to contribute bigger amount to help your employee, or his bereaved family in the burial expenses.

Imagine if the person who died was an employee and a bread-winner of his family. Definitely, you would want to give more than your usual contribution.

But how much is more? Would it be nice that in such eventualities, the family left behind would have enough, not only for the burial expense, but also to cover for their expenses in the next months (if not years) to come, while recovering for the lost of their loved one?

How comforting it would be for his family, that while they have lost somebody they love, they need not worry about what the future may bring them.

Most large companies provide life insurance protection as additional benefit for their employees. Therefore, in case of death, beneficiaries receive a more substantial amount — definitely more than the value of the envelope being passed around.

Some smaller companies, however, placed getting life insurance for their employees the last item on their list of incentives. They think, perhaps, this benefit is not as attractive as an actual pay rise or bonus to employees. Maybe…

But let’s think again.

The premium of a group life insurance is more affordable than the premium of a participating individual life insurance policy. Most life insurance companies also offer group insurance for a minimum of 5 to 10 employees. If your company has less than 5 employees, your option is to offer them term insurance, which is also known to be the most affordable type of life insurance. Contact your life insurance agent to get a quote — you would be surprised that the premiums are actually very affordable.

Whatever option you take, please remember that the premium you are paying represents only between 5-10% of the value of the face amount that your employee’s beneficiary will be receiving in case of the unfortunate event — death.

The peace of mind being brought by that fact to your employees is definitely priceless and could be more valuable that a pay rise.

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12. March 2010 by admin.

That’s exactly what I did after completing my Variable Universal Life (VUL) e-training today. This is a prerequisite to getting an exam with Insurance Commission. Once insurance agents pass this test, they are then licensed to sell VUL products.

So why do I want to secure this license? Simple. As an agent, I want to offer various investment options to my clients depending on their needs. Some of these needs can be readily addressed by a VUL product.

Generally, there are two types of life insurance products: 1) traditional products and 2) non-traditional products

Traditional Products have pre-determine premiums, cash values, and death benefits. It may come with or without dividends, an example of which are whole life, endownment and term.

Non Traditional Products, on the other hand, do not carry pre-determined  cash values. The cash values depend on premium paid, mortality charges (cost of insurance) and expense charges deducted plus investment results. Example of these products are universal and variable life.

VUL combines the premium and death benefits flexibility of universal life with the investment flexibility of variable life, and thus:

Variable - investment control

Universal - premium flexibility

Life - death benefit

One item to keep in mind in availing this product. As an insurance with investment components, VUL allows the policy owner or life insured, not only the flexibility where to invest his funds, it could also give him the opportunity to also enjoy its benefits while living!

I am glad that I am able to widen my understanding in this product that in turn could be beneficial to my clients, who are technically speaking my family, friends, colleagues and affiliates. For sure, I am not the only one going to be singing my way to prosperity!

To know more about VUL products and how these could address your needs, click here.

Update: 18 March 2010 - Today, took the exam and passed. I am really pleased that I would now be able to offer this product. Thank God!

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8. March 2010 by admin.

Learning Curve is bringing again Francis J. Kong in another seminar set this coming 24 April 2010 at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at RCBC Plaza.

Dubbed “Disciplines of Breakthrough Entrepreneurs ” Francis Kong will share insights that attendees may be able to apply in their business life:

Interested participants gets 50% off the regular fee by availing of the buy 1-take 1 promo on or before 15 March 2010.

To know more about this seminar — check it out here.

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7. March 2010 by admin.

I have been accessing my bank account online for years now and I am surprised that a lot of people is still unaware of this convenient way of banking.

One day, I went to a bank branch to enroll one of my new bank account and I am more surprised that the account officer on duty could barely explain to the other bank client how their online banking works.

For those who are still unfamiliar with this type of service, here are the major reasons why you should consider banking online soon.

1. Transferring without fee (and in seconds) funds from your various accounts and other third-party accounts. For the latter, you need to enroll them first under the list of accounts which you could transfer funds to.

2. Paying your bills (credit cards, electric, telephone, cable and other utility bills). I remember in the past that I have to personally visit Meralco office and wait in line for more than an hour just to pay my Php500 bill. Imagine the time and transportation cost that you save by paying this online — wherein the transaction is completed in seconds.

3. Opening a new account (savings or time deposit account) without the need to visit your bank branch. At BPI, for example, they offer a BPI-Save Up account which allows you to set-up a certain amount that will automatically be debited from your account on a specified period and credited to this account. The amount deducted from your account could be as low as 100. Minimum maintaining balance is only Php1000.

4.  You could access and check your balance online — anywhere. I know I sound like the bank’s ads — but this is actually true. You could view bank statements online, as well as any other accounts that you have enrolled in it (loans, credit cards, debit cards, etc.). So imagine that you are on a paid vacation and is waiting for your payroll to come, you do not need to pester your HR department to find out if they have already credited your account.

5.  It goes without saying that — if you could access your online account anywhere, you could also access it anytime. I could not count how many times that I have been busy with work, I could barely go out to buy my own lunch. Banking online means 24-hour access, and thus you could be busy all day, and still be able to pay your bills after work — you will be happy to save those penalty charges.

Activating your online account is fairly easy. Most often, you need to visit the Bank’s Website, look for their Online Banking log-in page/link, particularly the button that says “Not Yet Enrolled? Enroll Now!” or something like that.

Once you click the “Enroll Now” button, you will be directed to a page which requires you to encode your personal details and bank account number. After you completed the registration process, you will see a confirmation page (and usually an e-mail is sent to your email account) giving you instruction on how to activate your enrollment.

Most often, you need to activate your online access by going to your Bank’s ATM machine, and pressing the activate online access under “other services”. You may also need to wait for 24 to 48 hours before the Bank could activate your account.

Once you have accessed your online account, you may also need to take time to enroll your individual accounts, credit card and utility accounts. But don’t you worry. This is just a one-time set-up, and once you are done, all your transaction from thereon is just a mere couple of clicks away. Neat.

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2. March 2010 by admin.

“You do not get insured for your own sake” - Pia Magalona

This is the poster I see everyday each time I pass by Sun Life office on the ground floor of the building where the company that I work for is also located.

Pia Magalona lost her husband, the Philippine’s famous rapper Francis Magalona, to the most deadly strain of AML (acute myelogeous leukemia). I could only imagine how devastating it would have been for a wife to be left behind and now becomes the sole provider for her eight children. However, Pia is a believer of life insurance — and the importance of a life insurance was confirmed when she received thereafter a sum enough for her and her children to live by.

I do not want to sound morbid, but the only uncertainty of death is when. Perhaps, it is time to change our mindset about life insurance — for the sake of our loved ones.

I bought my first life insurance at the age of 28. The policy allows me to pay the premium for 10 years and still be covered for the rest of my life. I finished paying the premium last year and I bought another policy, this time a variable insurance — which means that a portion of the premium I am paying goes to a mutual fund investment.

Life insurance is a system designed to protect people against financial hardship in the event of a loss. There are different types of life insurance policies depending on your needs or capacity — but the three basic types are:

1. Term Insurance

• a life insurance that remains in force for a specified period or term provided the premium is paid as specified in the contract.
• Term pays the face amount only in the event of death within the stated number of years.
• There is no cash values, no profit sharing and is the most affordable in terms of initial premium outlay.

2. Whole Life Insurance

• a life insurance that remains in force during the insured’s lifetime provided the premiums are paid as specified in the contract.
• The face amount is paid whenever death occurs during the entire lifespan or up to the age 100 of the insured.
• There are cash values as well as profit sharing and dividends.
• The initial premium outlay is more than the term insurance but is more affordable than endownment.

3. Endownment Insurance

• pays the face amount whether the life insured lives to the end of a specified period or dies during that period.
• It has cash values, profit sharing or dividends. Initial premium outlay is the highest compared to term and whole life.
• However, it allows for faster accumulation of funds making it ideal for needs such as savings, education, retirement, investment and others while providing protection during the accumulation period.

To check what types of life insurance would suit you, you could ‘ask Lucy of Sun Life’. You could also follow their “Financial Planning in 3 Easy Steps”.

If you already have an existing life insurance, then I salute you. You have already taken the first important step for your family’s financial security. If not, then it is not yet too late, contact an insurance agent today.

Life Insurance gives certainty to uncertainty…

Death is a certainty…..when is an uncertainty…

To live is one’s right…..how long isn’t one’s choice…

Life Insurance cannot prevent your death…..

it prevents your plans from dying with you.

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