On Retirement Pensions through Mutual Fund Investment

My colleagues and I, who are all Filipino auditors working here abroad, had discussion about social security contribution earlier during our lunch break.  We discussed how much should be contributed monthly to our social security in the Philippines, if we are really required to the contribution and about its frequency.

Personally, I paid my social security monthly premium during my first year of working abroad.  However, at the start of January 2012, I stopped paying for my SSS premium when I have read about news that some retirement pension plans are not being paid to the people, and that the monthly pensions received by “pensioners” (sorry for the redundancy) only ranges from Php1,200 to Php2,400 monthly.  Does anyone here know how much the monthly pensions received from SSS?

The Importance of Good Financial Planning

I clicked the start button of Bridgette (my laptop), opened the MS office application for Excel, and drafted a spreadsheet of how I would allocate my funds to arrive at my net worth.  It was a short-term planning, approximately one year financial plan, incorporating all the external factors that would influence my budget and fund allocations in the coming months.  In going through the journey of personal finance, having a financial plan plays an important factor at the starting stage.

I clicked the start button of my work laptop, opened the MS office application for Excel, and drafted a spreadsheet of a financial budget that I would allocate to my team before we start on our fieldwork with our next job client.  As much as we ensure that quality is being undertaken in the job, at the endpoint, the efficiency performance of the budgeted versus the actual results of our fee recovery still has greater bearing, internally speaking.  Hence, financial planning of the job budget is an important factor to always consider at the planning stage.

How to Manage Our Asset Allocation

Personal finance books and websites discuss about risk appetites in engaging into investments suitable for our own personal short-term and long-term needs.  It has been a wonder to me what the “proper” asset allocation would be for all assets available in the market: equities, bonds, cash, and alternative assets (such as real estates, and businesses).  I believe that part of managing our personal finances is creating a system to where we would like to put our assets on that would give us passive and earned income in the coming years.

List of Philippines Holiday for Year 2013

I have known earlier that one of the local airlines in the Philippines has again offered a piso-fare for domestic and international flights on 2013.  So, for all the folks out there who is an avid traveler and jetsetter like me, we surely want to make the most out of it and plan things ahead of time! Aren't we? :)  

Lessons on Death

My beloved grandfather passed away last week.  It was shocking news for the whole family because it was a sudden death – on the same day my younger brother celebrated his 25th birthday. For my younger brother, his every birthday would always be a blessing and a remembrance of our once beloved Lolo Tasing.

Just this weekend, on the night before his funeral, I was informed that he had barely four years to live – and our family was grateful that he started spending those remaining 4 years with our family – where he felt that he is loved and taken cared of. (I’ve been watching his video taken when we got our first home, when he helped out painting even with his crane, where he winked and danced and smiled and laughed and joked around. He was sooo alive in that video!)