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A Step by Step Money Guide for
People Who Wanna Enjoy Life
NOMAD
FINANCE
GIRL
Copyright © 2020 by Rose Nikki V. Jurado.
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be produced in any form without
permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for excerpts used in
printed reviews and other media-related materials as long as proper
attribution is made.
The publisher and the authors make no representations or warranties
with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this
work and specifically disclaim all warranties. This book shall not be in any
way sold and shall remain free unless the author and publisher say
otherwise. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be
suitable for all kinds of situations. Readers must consult with a
professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author
shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages,
including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other
damages.
Written by Rose Nikki V. Jurado
All artwork by Chene Arieta
Edited by Cheryl Caballes, Jeniffer Visitacion, Anne Dalusong, and Benedict Lasala
Published by NFG Global
www.nfgglobal.com
First Edition, 2020.
Acknowledgements
This book will not be possible without the help, love, and support of
the following people.
Many thanks to my VIPs: Leo Advantage, NFG Global, Atty. Philip
Jurado, Lowela Velasco, Atty. Peejay Jurado, Judge Bambi Jurado,
and Sky Yaha Jurado.
My pillars of strength: Mia Apilado, Rooting for Celeste, and Zeefreaks.
My brains, spine, and gear: Anne Dalusong, Jen Visitacion, and Chene
Arieta.
My soulmate: Jhoana Cundangan.
My partner and bestfriend: Marc Mancilla.
Special thanks to JM Tan, Cheryl Caballes, and Benedict Lasala.
Thank you to all the Nomad Finance Girls and Guys who choose to
dream big every single day.
Salamat din sa Deep Focus Playlist ng Spotify at sa maraming 3-in-1
na kape.
Including all the names we need to thank is like counting the stars
across the sky. This book is a collection of teachings shared between
many ordinary people who, together, built extraordinary wisdom.
May we all continue to spread light and love. Plus ultra!
Table of Contents
The Mission
Step One: Set Your Foundation
Step Two: Manage Your Money
Step Three: Increase Your Income
Step Four: Build Your Emergency Funds
Step Five: Protect Your Money
Step Six: Make Your Money Work
Step Seven: Build Your Legacy
How’s your financial health?
A Letter for You
1
7
18
43
62
72
97
129
138
145
Para sa lahat ng tumaya sa sarili
nang may halong takot.
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“Anumang sakit o pait nagiging
kaakit akit depende sa Bakit.”
Sir Onofre R. Pagsanghan
1
THE MISSION
Many years ago, someone asked me this question…
What would you do if money isn’t an issue?
Being an extreme collector and a fan of comics about
heroes, I simply said, “I want to be like Batman or Iron
Man. I’m going to build a league of superheroes.”
It’s funny how life unfolds. One day, you’ll just realize…
“Wow, naabot ko na pala yung pangarap ko.”
Over ten years after answering that question, I found
myself asking the same thing to thousands of readers,
students, and mentees.
What would you do if money isn’t an issue?
And those who have chosen to answer this question,
dream, and take action became part of my own league of
modern superheroes – change makers creating ripples of
impact, day in and day out.
We call ourselves NFG Global: a group of young Filipino
men and women asking the most important question
anyone can dare answer.
What would you do if money isn’t an issue?
Pero bakit? Bakit ganun na lang ka-importanteng sagutin
ang tanong na ‘to?
I’ve come to witness many people from all over the globe
do the same thing whenever I bring this question to the
table.
At first, they’d say things like…
2
THE MISSION
“Bibili ako ng Lamborghini!”
“I will travel everyday!”
“Sasampalin ko yung boss ko ng pera!”
I love these sessions because we always get a good laugh.
But as soon as I ask the next question, the room filled
with laughter suddenly drops to a crisp, almost deafening
silence:
“Why?”
Suddenly, the guy who wanted the Lambo didn’t even
know why he wanted one. And so, we move on to the next
phase of the question…
They start pleading: “NFG, okay lang bang palitan ko na
lang yung sagot ko?”
Soon enough, their answers evolve to…
“I want to be a more present mother. Gusto ko ako ang
nag hahatid-sundo sa anak ko sa school.”
“I want to travel the world, meet people from different
cultures, and learn from them. I want to understand and
build relationships that can cross boarders.”
“I will quit my job and actually do what I love doing –
make art.”
The 'What would you do if money isn’t an issue?' question
begs you to explore what’s truly important to you. It asks
you to dive to the deepest pits in your heart and look for
the reason why you’re working so hard in the first place…
Para saan? Bakit? What is your Why?
3
THE MISSION
Now, here lies the problem…
Money is an issue
In this society, we were taught one thing: Life is a race.
Even before we were born, one spermie had to race with
millions of others towards an egg to complete your
unique self.
At the age of five, people already start building your
whole life with one seemingly innocent question: "What
do you wanna be when you grow up?".
In school, we had to obey and follow authorities to get
good grades – grades that are based on an outdated
system that tells us if we’ll eventually become good
contributors to society or misfits. We raced for a diploma
that should come with extra shiny medals, then we raced
for job offers, afterwards, for promotions.
While aiming for the top, we still have to keep in touch
with our friends, somehow land into a fairy-tale
relationship, serve as an organization leader, and still
remain sane – at least sane enough to look like you’re
living the best life ever on Instagram.
In exchange for the chance to buy all the best things
many, many billboard and pop up ads can offer, we offer
our souls to our bosses – we say yes to them, whether
they call us on a Sunday or at 3 in the morning because
for some reason, all things need to get done ASAP.
Eventually, you realize that only a few get to be
promoted every few years, so you gotta make sure that
you are the best. If you can’t be the best, at least you can
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THE MISSION
make your officemates look like crap. You step on every
person you can think of because work is life and you
really just have to feed your growing family, buy that car,
get a bigger house, and purchase bags with brand names
that get harder and harder to pronounce.
You do this for the next 50 years of your life hoping for a
good retirement plan that may or may not involve having
your kids make money for you while they try to build
their own families. If you’re one of the lucky few, you
wouldn’t have to go back to work after retirement. Then,
in the end, you die in a nice box that will rot anyway, and
that’s it.
Your life, ladies and gentlemen.
That is it.
…Really?
It seems that from the time of our birth, we were only
taught to race towards our death.
You Only Live Once
“YOLO” has built a notorious profile.
Kadalasan, ang naiisip ng tao sa “YOLO” ay “stupid kids
who don’t know how to handle their money well”.
But hey, we only really live once. With the kind of system
taught by our society, lemme ask you this: So far, have
you ever truly lived?
Survival in this world is based on a point system driven by
money. The more money you make, the more successful
5
THE MISSION
you are. This is simply ridiculous.
With the things that we were taught, what do we have to
lose in order to make more money?
Just the most precious commodity of them all – time.
And this is where my very own team of superheroes
comes in.
NFG Global
Our schools taught us many things (as seen above).
However, no one really taught us how to live… which is
kinda weird because we only have one life to live nga,
diba?
Did we really just exist to work and pay our bills? Were
we really just born to accumulate stuff? To impress
people? To live two lives: offline and online?
Mahirap baguhin ang sistemang kinasanayan na ng
karamihan. But what if there is a way to still live your life
to the fullest without waiting for society to change? What
if, by doing so, you are changing the society?
What if you can have more time for things that are more
important than money?
Nomad Finance Girls and Nomad Finance Guys are
ordinary kids living extraordinary lives. NFGs aren’t
necessarily wealthy – but they feel that they are because
they have all the time in the world to focus on those that
truly make life worth living: their passions and their
relationships.
6
THE MISSION
NFGs do not have to choose between a secured future and
a fun present because we can always have both.
NFGs are not just financially literate – we are also
financially able. We don’t stop at learning about money –
we practice what we know every single day.
We are in the mission of educating as many people as we
can. If you know how the money game works, then you’ll
know how to make money tirelessly work for you.
The financially literate Philippines
What does a financially literate country look like?
I
I
I
I
can
can
can
can
see
see
see
see
a dad witnessing his daughter’s first steps.
a musician creating world-class music.
OFWs permanently staying home.
students choosing the course of their dreams.
I can see people choosing their passions.
I can see people choosing their families.
I can see Filipinos understanding well that we only live
once – and in this one chance, we have to choose what
truly matters.
Through this book, I can see you finally deciding to live
like you only have one life.
Tara!
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FOU
"It doesn't matter how much you
have or make. It is your feelings
about money that determine your wealth."
Ken Honda
8
STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
Hair-raising or soul-stirring: I can’t really choose which is
a better way to describe Steve Jobs’ immaculate 2005
commencement speech at Stanford University.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone
else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is
living with the results of other people’s thinking.”
Our time is limited. We all know that. And I think that the
biggest mistake we make everyday is assuming that
tomorrow is guaranteed.
We think about death and we see our wrinkly 70 or 80year-old selves, believing fully that we actually have that
much time.
Sa totoo lang, ang swerte mo kung mabigyan ka ng
ganung kahabang buhay.
Because the truth is we can die anytime between a few
seconds from now and 50 something years from now.
Since we mostly expect that we’ll always have tomorrow,
we say things like…
“Marami pa naman akong oras para sa pamilya ko. Next
week na lang.”
“Bukas ko na lang susubukan.”
“Marami pa naman siguro akong chance noh?”
Says who?
Maybe, if we embrace the thought that we can die
anytime, we will actually start to live.
9
STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
With this in mind, shouldn’t we answer this question as
early as possible?
What kind of life do I want to live? A life dictated by
someone else? Or a life based on my own terms?
YOLO now, YOLO later
People who YOLO have gained the reputation of being
reckless.
If you’re friends with “money gurus” online, it wouldn’t
be a surprise if you find “advice” such as…
“Travel ka nang travel, wala ka namang ipon.”
“Kung tatanggalin mo lang ang milktea, may retirement
fund ka na sana.”
“Meron kang pang samgyup, pero wala kang insurance?”
I wouldn’t even really call these “advice”. Sa totoo lang, I
find these really annoying.
However, I also understand their intentions. It is true that
a lot of people do not even think twice about choosing
the present over the future – reckless and unwise.
Pero bakit ba lagi tayong namimili ng isa sa dalawa? Hindi
ba talaga natin pwedeng makuha pareho?
Why are you making me choose? I want both.
I want my samgyup, my milktea, my travels, and my
secured future, too! Asking me to choose one - mostly in
favor for the future - is the same as asking me to live the
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
life of a robot.
As much as we’re not working just to pay our bills, we are
also not working just to save for our future.
With the right mindset and the right money management
system, we can YOLO now and YOLO later. And this is
where we finally start with Step One.
How do you want to feel?
“Wha- wait... We’re talking about money right? Where are
the numbers? The charts? Why are you asking me about ~
feelings ~ ?!?”
Teka lang bes. We will get there. Remember: this is a step
by step money guide for you.
Step One contains the essentials that you would need in
order to YOLO wisely. Step One acts as your money life’s
foundation. A weak foundation sets long-term disasters,
so please spend a lot of time here. Once you feel
comfortable with the foundation you have built, then we
can move on to Step Two.
I really just asked you that question…
How do you want to feel?
You probably have a To-Do list. Or maybe a list of your
goals for this year. How about five-year goals?
Whenever I’m in front of an audience, I ask them about
these things, and I always see hands up in the air. And I’d
always bet that those hands would drop once I ask this
one…
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
How about a list of feelings you want to feel?
Instead of raised hands, I get puzzled looks – para bang
sinasabi ng mga mukha nilang, “Hala. Na-scam yata ako,
ah.”
I totally get where you’re coming from! I felt the same
way, too. But then I realized that we have this whole goal
setting thing upside down.
We were told a lie
They had a simple formula for happiness.
B + B + B = Happiness.
They told us, as long as we get the babe, the boat, and
the bucks, we’d be happy. And so, we ran after those
things.
We chased after money to buy more than what we
needed. Since most people were taught in the same way,
only those who have the bucks and the boat can attract
the babes.
Some of us did get the BBB. Sometimes. And some of us
did become happy. Sometimes.
Our drive to build to-do lists and chase for these
achievements all day everyday come from our innate
desires to feel something. What is it?
Maybe, you don’t really want to be promoted. Maybe, you
just want to fill in the hole left in you when your mom
kept on comparing you to your high achieving cousin.
Maybe, more than the promotion, you’d get more joy by
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
spending
more
afternoons
building
meaningful
conversations with your mom where she’s proud of you
for doing what you do best.
Maybe, you’re not really all that excited about your
upcoming trip. Maybe, you just want to seem adventurous
too, just like everyone else you’re following on Instagram.
Maybe, more than this trip, you’d get more energized by
staying at home and finally finishing that art work you’ve
always wanted to share.
Maybe, you don’t really want to purchase that high-end
bag. Maybe, you just want to get everyone’s validation
that you are rich and powerful. Maybe, more than getting
the bag, you’d feel more proud of yourself by
wearing your favorite plain shirt and tying your hair in a
messy bun as you create massive impact for the
customers of the start up you’re running.
What if, before building all of those to-do lists and vision
boards and 5 year plans, we first get clear on how we
want to feel?
Find out how you want to feel then do the stuff that will
make you feel that way.
So, what do you really want?
Run your own race
I’m currently in one of Robin Sharma’s classes. One of the
thoughts he shared that really stayed with me is this:
“What race is worthy for you to run?”
Run your own race.
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
I will translate the thought as another question for you to
think about…
How do you define success?
You see, our brains are hardwired to join groups in order
to survive. At dapat lang! Imagine, caveman ka, to protect
yourself from getting eaten alive by a tiger, you have to
stick with cavemen who are physically strong or who have
the necessary equipment.
The human brain before was equipped for basic and quick
survival. Until now, even if we’re facing totally different
threats, our brains still follow the same system without
asking questions.
Lemme ask you to do something…
Describe a successful person. I mean, really describe the
girl or guy in your head.
Ano ang suot niya?
Ano ang ginagawa niya?
Where can you find this person?
I wouldn’t be surprised if you imagined a guy in a nice
suit or someone with a shiny car and a gigantic house.
Just like our cavemen brains, we’re wired to stay in
groups. If the society says that “A successful person has
lots of money and stuff”, then defying this can mean
getting kicked out.
Who wants to get kicked out, right?
So, instead of getting the hate and the ridicule, we follow
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
their words as if it’s a law.
We work our butts off without even knowing why.
Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with believing that
success is all about money – if (and only if), you define
success this way.
But how do you define success?
If you’re living your life based on someone else’s
definition of success, then you’re just a dead man
walking.
If, for you, success means making money in pajamas, then
go for that.
If, for you, success means having a lot of free time for
your children, then go for that.
If, for you, success means doing something you love
doing, then go for that.
Define success and run that race.
The Money Mountain
How do you want to feel? How do you define success?
What do you really want?
Your answers here are the components for your
money’s foundation. Building a strong base is the most
crucial part in building anything. If you don’t want your
money life to be wobbly, then you gotta make sure that
you answer those questions as truthfully as you can.
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
Alam mo naman na hindi mo kakayaning lokohin ang
sarili mo. If, one day, you finally achieved the top of the
Money Mountain, we don’t want your success to be shortlived, right?
It all starts here in Step One.
But wait - what is the Money Mountain anyway?
The Money Mountain is the step by step money guide for
you. This will help you YOLO now and YOLO later. If you
want to enjoy your life to the fullest and live your life
your way, here’s your guide:
STEP 7: BUILD
YOUR LEGACY
STEP 6: MAKE YOUR
MONEY WORK
STEP 5: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
STEP 4: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
STEP 3: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
STEP 2: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
STEP 1: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
The clearer you get with your foundation, the more this
mountain would feel like an easy hill to climb.
But really, I chose to call it a mountain exactly because
mountains are hard to climb. The only way to reach the
summit is to take one step followed by another, and
another, and another.
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
I'm pretty privileged to be in a position where I get to
work with business owners, investors, and traders newbies and veterans alike. From my view, I get to see,
sort, and study those who make it from those who don't.
Alam niyo kung ano yung pinagkaiba ng mga taong
naabot ang goals nila sa mga hindi? Marami. Pero may
iisang laging nagsa-stand out.
Consistency.
Even if they don't get results, successful people do what
they have to do, over and over and over and over again.
Madaling maging enthusiastic, lalo na sa una when we
choose to say yes to new things. Mas madaling maging
enthusiastic when things are convenient for us. But here
lies the problem: most people think that simply saying
yes would allow them to instantly achieve their goals.
Hindi naman ganun yun.
Those who succeed remain enthusiastic even when things
aren't convenient for them.
Saying yes is just Step one. Step two is doing what needs
to be done. Step three is getting rejected, humiliated,
even broken. But step four is standing up again and
choosing to take another step. Followed by another. And
another.
And another.
All extraordinary feats are simply many, many small and
very ordinary actions done day in and day out. This is a
steep mountain. You will be tempted to quit numerous
times - and I am telling you, quitting will always be the
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STEP ONE: SET YOUR FOUNDATION
easiest choice. But just like winners, choose to stay gritty.
Stick with it.
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“Things which matter most must never be
at the mercy of things which matter least.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
I can still vividly remember the day my mom helped me
open my first ever bank account.
I had to miss the first half of school that day since banks
weren’t open on weekends and I just had to be there to
open the account with her.
I had no idea what it was for, pero nung pauwi na ako,
binabandera ko na sa busmates ko na “Parte na 'ko ng
Junior Savers Club!”. That fresh blue passbook seemed so
professional. Just like most kids na nagmamadaling
tumanda, it felt like a golden ticket to the world of grown
ups.
My mom was an extreme saver (still is) and
use her being an Ilokana as an excuse to
discounts and deals. Whether she’s shopping
tiangge or at a big store, she would always
bang discount?”.
she would
get major
at a small
ask, “Wala
My Junior Savers Club badge and my mom’s antics built
the foundations of my money life. By the time that I got
into college, I had enough money saved to quit the whole
get-a-diploma plan.
But just like most college kids, I had too much fun.
I blew up my life savings on bad investments, bad trades,
bad businesses, and yes – parties I can’t even remember.
In a span of just a few months, I had zero savings. I didn’t
even know where my money went. It’s as if… it just
magically disappeared.
“Magically disappeared” – I’m pretty sure that this is how
most of you guys feel. We often say, “Hala! Saan napunta
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
ang pera ko?!” But lemme be honest…
You know where it went. You know how you spent it...
Pero nagugulat ka pa rin!
Expenses, savings, and what?
When I was in nursery, my mom who haggled relentlessly
with a Divisoria shop owner got me the complete Looney
Tunes ring set.
I was so excited about the rings that I wore them as
Thanos would: one character per finger. I literally had 10
rings on and went on to learn the ABCs.
One of the girls asked if she could have one. I’m not sure
where I got the idea, but I simply said, “Sure, but pay me
twenty petot.” Bungi ako noon.
She ran to her ate, asked for money, gave me the bill, and
chose Tweety Bird.
“Oh no, Tweety’s my favorite. Additional ten petot for
Tweety.”
That day, I discovered two very important things:
1) The power of buying low and selling high, and
2) the idea of providing value and earning more from it.
Trust me, back then, Tweety had a fan club of four year
old kids. And we all knew that he was really male (he
even had a girlfriend named Aoogah! #realfan).
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
I guess there are really just parts of our lives that remain
vivid. This is one of those memories that I can remember
in full color - as if it was meant to be a huge turning
point in my life.
I didn’t really bother using the lesson I got from that day
until a few years later, but now that I’m almost 30, I look
back and see how crucial that moment was.
In the Philippines, you’re either a spender or a saver. And
that’s all we know! We earn money and we only really
have two choices: Spend it or save it.
To help you picture why this is critical, I’ll share a lifechanging diagram that I picked up from Robert Kiyosaki’s
book, "Cashflow Quadrant".
E B
Employee
Businessperson
S
I
Self-Employed
Investor
The Cashflow Quadrant is divided into four parts:
Employee (E), Self-Employed (S), Businessperson (B), and
Investor (I).
The Cashflow Quadrant shows how each part deals with
money and time differently. A person may fall under one,
two, three, or even all parts of the quadrant. Let’s find
out where you are.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
Employee Quadrant
You are an E if, of course, you are employed. But the
main characteristic of an E is someone who exchanges
his or her time for money.
For example, if an E earns ₱25,000 net every month and
works 20 days a month for 8 hours a day, then an E
exchanges one hour for ₱156.25.
Es get active income. This means that if an E stops
working, he or she will not earn, too. Because again, to
get money, Es must give their time. And that’s
exactly what active income is: income you get in
exchange for your time and effort (aka income you get
when you act).
Self-Employed Quadrant
SEs are like Es but they have a little bit of control over
their location. These guys usually do not run by the clock
because of a boss. However, they still have clients to
impress. Without clients, SEs won’t make money.
Samples of SEs are freelancers who work from anywhere
and have location freedom. Without clients to work with
online, they won’t be able to make any money. They still
exchange their time for money - but they can at least
work on their laptops at the beach.
Doctors and lawyers are self-employed, too. Without
surgeries or cases, they won’t get paid.
Just like Es, SEs get money in exchange for their time and
expertise.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
Businessperson Quadrant
If a freelance writer hires other freelance writers, an
accountant, and maybe an assistant, she can get more
clients and pass them onto her writers. Now that she has
a system that gives her money even if she’s not in the
picture, the freelancer jumps from being an SE to a B.
Bs are like SEs in a sense that they don’t have bosses who
control or micromanage their time, location, and actions.
However, unlike SEs, Bs have systems that allow them to
do three significant things:
1) Produce more of their services and products within the
same amount of time,
2) create more time for themselves, and
3) make money even if someone else is doing the work.
Of course, Bs cannot entirely be taken out of the picture,
as he or she still needs to oversee operations.
Investor Quadrant
While Es, SEs, and Bs work for money, Is make money
work for them.
Is make more money by using money. Their money isn’t
simply sleeping in the bank. Every dollar goes to war
through bonds, stocks, real estate, currencies, or
commodities, and they work really hard while the the
investor sleeps, goes on vacations, or enjoys a good time.
Of course, not just because Is invest, they make money
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
instantly. Different financial markets work in different
ways and contain different risks. Is must be
knowledgeable not just about how the different markets
work. They must also know their own investor’s profile
and to understand which markets would serve them best
based on this.
Is earn Passive Income. This is the money that you get as
time passes by, or money that you get even if you’re not
doing anything.
Are traders investors?
Not necessarily. Trading is different from investing. In
fact, I would go as far as saying that traders are SEs. If
they don’t have trades, they don’t make money.
Trading is about buying and selling stocks, currencies,
and/or commodities within minutes, hours, days, weeks, or
months. In investing, we’re looking for long-term gains
and talking about holding on to a stock, a currency pair,
or a commodity for years.
We’ll take a closer look at these things in Step 6: Making
Money Work for You.
Which quadrant do you fall under?
You can be in any of the quadrants. Personally, I’m in all
of them.
I’m an E because I’m also an employee of some
companies I own. If I don’t do what I gotta do, I don’t get
my pay.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
I’m an SE because I trade the forex market. If I don’t
trade, then I don’t make money from it.
I’m a B because I have multiple businesses with systems
that are giving me money.
And I’m also an I because I have both paper and physical
investments making money for me.
“Who do you want to be when you grow up?”
Karamihan sa atin dito sa Pilipinas, tinuruan maging E.
Noong tinanong tayo ng “Anong gusto mong maging
paglaki mo?”, sinabi mo bang “I want to be an investor
po”? I doubt it.
When we were asked that seemingly innocent question,
did you ever notice that they asked “What do you want to
be when you grow up” and not “Who do you want to be
when you grow up”?
A change in one word could spell the difference in our
whole life and culture.
When asked what, we tend to think about the jobs we’ll
take or the positions we’ll get.
“Gusto ko pong maging pulis.”
“I’m going to be a doctor.”
“I will be an astronaut.”
But if asked who, we might have taken a longer time to
answer. Kailangan kasi nating isipin kung sino yung gusto
nating gayahin.
“I want to be like mom who makes amazing food for us.”
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
“I want to be like dad who plays with me all the time.”
“I want to be like ate who always makes me laugh!”
“I want to be like kuya who makes me feel protected.”
What does this have to do with managing money? Well…
everything.
Your money never lies
In Step One, I asked you three critical questions:
1) How do you want to feel?
2) How do you define success?
3) What do you really want?
If I were to summarize the essence of these questions, I
will ask it in this way…
What would you do if money isn’t an issue?
If the base or foundation you built is strong enough, Step
Two- the money management part - will be a breeze. But
if you lied to yourself during Step One, then I’m telling
you now: you will face serious problems.
But then again, to be quite honest, your money will never
allow you to lie to yourself because your money follows
who you really want to be.
Where your money goes is a clear reflection of your
priorities.
My friend who’s a single dad once called me to ask for
money advice. He was in deep debt and was having a hard
time trying to make ends meet, so I set up a meeting with
him to see the root cause of this problem.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
I asked him to show me a solid and detailed list of where
his money goes. Fortunately, during that time, he’s been
using a budgeting app. for three years that allowed me to
see everything, down to the very last cent.
Sabi niya, “Nag-tracker tracker pa ako, hindi naman
gumagana. Wala pa rin akong naiipon na pang college ni
Maxxie. Paid version pa yan, ha!”.
I looked at his budget and asked him straight, “What’s
your goal again?”
Goal daw niyang makapag ipon para sa college tuition ng
anak niya. Daw.
I read his budget from top to bottom. Wala.
Bottom to top. Wala pa rin.
Kahit saang anggulo ko tignan, his budget doesn’t show
any sign that Maxxie’s college education is in any of his
top priorities.
He didn’t even have life insurance to ensure that Maxxie
will get to study even if something happens to him.
In fact, a whopping 13% of his monthly income goes to
vices and 0% to Maxxie’s college education – his
“priority” daw.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I did mention that this book
will teach you how to prepare for the future while
enjoying the present. Heck, it’s entitled “How to YOLO
Wisely”. But if we’re going to do it, let’s do it right.
If his priority is really Maxxie’s education, then why isn’t
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
his money reflecting this? Why is his money saying that
he’s prioritizing something else?
You can lie on your budget sheets. You can make yourself
feel good by saying that you prioritize your family, your
growth, yourself, or your goals. But your money will
always follow your real priorities and your real answer to
“What would you do if money isn’t an issue?”.
Your money never lies.
And once all is said and done, tatanungin mo nanaman…
“Hala! Saan napunta ang pera ko?”
Prioritize what’s real, drop what’s fake
I often see posts online like…
“Kung yung araw araw mong kape nilagay mo na lang
sana sa insurance, edi sana milyonaryo ka na sa
retirement.”
“A samgyup a week keeps the millions away.”
“Nakakapag-milktea araw-araw pero walang ipon? Boba
pa more!”
Ano kayang ginawa ng milktea sa kanila?
As tackled earlier, our money follows our priorities. These
priorities can be divided into two types:
1) Fake Priorities
2) Real Priorities
Fake priorities are not yours. The big problem here is
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
you’re allowing other people’s thoughts, opinions,
validations, and beliefs to take hold of your priorities.
Just because others think that it’s trendy to wear this
brand or that brand doesn’t mean you have to keep up
with them… unless, of course, if you highly value their
thoughts about you.
If you say you want to live your life your way but buy
uncomfortable designer clothes to impress people you
don’t even like, then I’d say that those people are
actually in control of your life. And since your money can
sense that you prioritize other people’s validation, then
you already know where it will go.
Real priorities are yours. If designer clothes make you
feel energized, creative, and inspired, then go for them!
As long as you are staying true to what you really want,
as long as you’re choosing this to impress yourself and
not someone else, and as long as this is aligned to how
you really want to feel, then by all means, go shop.
Tandaan mo lang na hindi porket gusto ng iba ay
kailangang magustuhan mo rin.
This is what I tell my friends and clients when we fix their
budget and I see a huge part of their money going to
certain things like coffee, milktea, samgyup, books,
travels, movies, gadgets, food, etc.
Some of them buy milktea everyday just because the
whole office buys milktea during breaktime and they
don't want to feel left out - kahit na sukang-suka na sila
sa lasa at kulay ng wintermelon.
But some of them buy milktea because it makes them feel
30
STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
relaxed and it calms them down. They even attribute their
boosted energy and focus for their critical work to their
milktea breaks.
If I assumed that everyone’s the same and told my clients,
“Wala kang pera kasi puro ka milktea” without even
asking why, even if I give them a spreadsheet called The
Best Budgeting System Like Ever, even if I pass them to
the best financial advisor in the planet, even if I monitor
their money decisions 24/7, the whole thing will still
fail.
Planning out your money must be customized and
personalized. And we can begin by prioritizing what’s real
and dropping what’s fake for you – not for your friends,
not for your mom, not for your Kpop idol, but for you.
Once you get this clear, we can finally move on to the
Money Jar System.
Bago mo pa sabihing, “Hayyy, sa wakas. Dumating din sa
money management tool!”
Sis, bruh, we’ve been talking about money management
since the first part of this chapter. Money management
starts and ends with your priorities.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
The Money Jar System
“Money will only make you more of what you already are.”
T.Harv Eker
The Money Jar System was first introduced by T. Harv
Eker, author of the world-renowned book, “Secrets of the
Millionaire Mind”.
I’ve personally tried so many systems before and even
used apps and spreadsheets. But they all have two things
in common: they’re too restricting and they don’t work.
They probably don’t work because they’re too restricting!
I’m sharing the Money Jar System because it allows me to
enjoy both the present and the future. And, just in case
you forgot, this book is called “How to YOLO Wisely: A
Step by Step Money Guide for People Who Wanna Enjoy
Life.”
So, how does it work?
First, get your jars. Six of them. Yes, I really mean jars. As
in jars.
If you don’t want to use jars, you can use envelopes,
wallets, boxes, yung tupperware ng mama mo (pero ibalik
mo ha). Or, if it’s more convenient for you, you can use
multiple bank accounts. This is what I personally do.
For starters though, I would recommend using jars. During
the first 60 days, we’re trying to build a new habit. And
habits work better if our 5 senses can experience the
habit you’re building. Using a jar would be good for this
since you can see it, feel it, and hear the *kaching*.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
Okay wait, why 60 days?!
Deconstruction, confusion, installation
This one was taught by Robin Sharma. It takes 60 days to
build a habit. Not 21 days. 60 days!
The first 20 days is all about deconstructing your old
habits. During this time, hirap na hirap ka pang gawin
yung new habit. Marami kang iaangal… and this is
completely normal! There will be days when you’ll want
to give up.
The reason behind this is you still have your old belief
systems installed, and it would be hard to kick them out
during this phase. Just relax and do what you gotta do.
Eventually, you will reach day 21 and head on to more
days of confusion.
Between days 21 to 40, there would be a mix of old
belief systems trying to fight your new belief systems and
habits. During this time, you will try bargaining with
yourself. You’ll hear yourself say, “Baka pwede namang…”
Don’t worry about this. This is normal. You will soon
realize that you’re down to the last 20 days of your habit
installation.
If you’re a licensed driver, remember the time when you
were just learning how to drive. Weren’t you consciously
focusing on both of your hands, feet, and everything
around you?
Now, you can drive with one hand and eat with another.
You can do this because a lot of your movements were
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
already installed.
During this time, the
becomes automatic.
kayang hindi gawin.
beliefs and your new
new habit that you’re trying to form
Yung para bang hindi mo na siya
You’ve already let go of your old
beliefs now come naturally to you.
The catch here is, to make this work, you will need to
provide willpower for the first 60 days. But after those 60
days, everything will be automatic for you.
So, how does that work for our The Money Jar System?
Whenever you receive money, split it into these six jars:
Jar 1: Necessities Jar (55%)
The Necessities Jar is for, well, your necessities.
Necessities would include everything that is needed for
your daily survival. This includes your rent, food, phone
bill, medicine – mga bagay na pag hindi mo nabayaran,
lagot ka o mahihirapan ka.
If you’re saving up money for your emergency funds or if
you’re paying for your life insurance policies, they would
go to your Necessities Jar as well.
Whuuut - why?
In Steps 4 and 5, you will understand why both your
Emergency Funds and your Life Insurance Policies are
necessities, meaning they are crucial to your survival.
Ideally, you should place 55% of your
here. Alryyyyt, before you react… I know, I know.
income
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
“Just 55%? Paano na yung credit card bills ko?”
“55%?! Ang hirap niyan kung may mga anak ka na.”
“55% - pwede, pero magda-diet na lang ako.”
Keyword: ideally. Use this as a gauge for your current
financial health. If your Necessity Jar takes too much of
your current income, then you can choose from two
options:
Option 1, the boring and usually ineffective and quite
restricting option: Cut your budget and strictly monitor
every single cent until you go insane or become a
spreadsheet master.
Option 2, the more challenging but more effective and
life changing option: Upgrade your skills, fine tune your
network, find mentors, and increase your income.
Wala namang tama o mali diyan, but I’m just reminding
you that this book is called, How to Friggin’ YOLO (the
updated version might be called this instead) – so I’m not
quite sure with Option 1. Option 2 sounds fun, though.
Jar 2: Financial Freedom Account (10%)
Does being financially free mean earning millions? Not
really.
Review tayo, ah?
Active Income is income that you get when you act or
when you work. You get active income by working,
providing the services you have promised, or trading. In
this set up, you are working for money.
Passive Income is income that you get as time passes by -
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
income that you get even if you don’t work. You can get
passive income from your investments’ royalties,
dividends, interests, and capital gains. In this set up,
money is working for you.
Where does financial freedom come in?
You are financially free when your Passive Income
becomes greater than your expenses. Kung ang gastos mo
kada buwan ay ₱25,000, a consistent passive income of
₱25,000 promotes you to financial freedom.
When you become financially free, this means that you’re
not required to work anymore. As long as your passive
income streams continue to make money for you and as
long as they yield bigger profits versus your expenses,
then you are financially free.
The Financial Freedom Jar is your ticket to financial
freedom - this is why no matter how much you’re earning,
you must place 10% of your income in this jar.
Imagine that this jar is your Golden Goose that will lay
Golden Eggs for you every single day. As long as you take
care of your Golden Goose, then you’ll be fine - even if
you don’t work.
In Step Six, you will learn all about the Golden Geese that
you can get with your Financial Freedom Account.
Jar 3: Long Term Savings (10%)
Another 10% of your income will be placed into savings. I
can already hear some of you…
“Akala ko ba this is about YOLO-ing? Bakit ang dami kong
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
iniipon?!” Because this 10% will also be spent in the
future. The money in your Long Term Savings Jar will be
used to pay for the big things, like a downpayment for a
house, a dream vacation, a car - anything you deem
important in the coming years.
Remember that a small monthly contribution to this jar
can go a loooong way and can spell the difference
between renting your place forever or owning one (which
you can also have rented for passive income, btw).
“Can I have more than one Long Term Savings Jar?”
Yes, you can! Simply divide your 10% between the jars
according to your priorities.
Jar 4: Education Jar (10%)
Learning goes beyond the four walls of your classroom.
Self-made millionaires spend a good amount of money
investing in books, courses, seminars, coaches, and
mentors who can help them upgrade their skills and hone
their craft.
According to research from Thomas Crowley, over 85% of
self-made millionaires can finish two or more books per
month. Though there is always time for leisurely reading,
these people focus on non-fiction books that cover selfimprovement, leadership, and human behavior.
Personally, I use my whole education jar to get into
classes, buy books, join exclusive memberships, and get
access to both local and international mentors who can
help me speed up my progress.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
You are still your most valuable asset. Remember this.
Sure, there are a lot of free resources out there. But
there is another crucial reason why you must invest both
time and money in educating yourself: your network is
your net worth.
When you place money for education, you’re not just
investing in yourself, you’re also investing in new
relationships.
Imagine being in a class with like-minded individuals who
are also willing to invest both money and time for
themselves... wouldn’t you want to be surrounded by
these people?
And when you are surrounded by these new classmates
and friends who are ready to shell out cash for their own
growth, plus you go through the same system and class
together, wouldn’t your return on investment grow
exponentially?
To grow yourself and your tribe, place 10% of your
income in your Education Jar.
Jar 5: Play Jar (10%)
It’s now time to talk about my all-time favorite jar!
Use the Play Jar to buy stuff you want.
Travels? Date nights? Concerts? Shopping? Go for it. As
long as there’s money in your Play Jar, buy anything that
your heart desires.
Disciplined savers might be saying…
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
“Sayang naman. Hindi na lang ako maglalagay ng pera sa
Play Jar. Ilalagay ko na lang sa emergency funds.”
Nope. No, no, no. The Play Jar is the most important jar.
Lemme show you why.
Narinig niyo na ba ito?
“YOLO ka nang YOLO, wala ka namang ipon"? How about
“Puro ka travel, pero wala ka namang insurance"?
Nakakabwisit. Of all the money beliefs out there, this is
what I hate the most: you have to choose just one.
What am I going to do with my savings if I’m already too
old to experience life?
Are we really just born to graduate and work just so we
can pay the bills, save, and invest?
Aren’t we simply living in fear and worry if all of our
income would go to the future, na pagdating ng future na
yun, paghahandaan naman natin ang future ng future?
To tell you the truth, I was one of those fearful moneyhoarding get-ready-for-the-end-of-the-world savers. I
would even look down on my friends who spent so much
of their money.
Not only was I stressed. Kupal pa ako. Stressed na kupal!
I was so worried about losing money that I never enjoyed
anything for myself. So much so that I dismissed my
health and overworked just so I could increase my
income, saved most of my money and said no to
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
gatherings with long-time friends, never felt fulfilled and
was always burnt out, and I lost interest in things that I
used to love.
One day, my collective stress caught up and I blew all of
my money for hospital bills.
Sleepless nights on that hospital bed witnessed my
breakthrough. I had to change something.
Your Play Jar ensures that you get to enjoy both the
present and the future. In fact, the whole jar system does
this for you - it makes sure that you’re placing money for
your future needs while you are enjoying your present.
Never ever remove the Play Jar. If you take this out, then
the whole system will fail for you.
If you have doubts about the Play Jar, what you have to
fix are your beliefs around money which will be tackled in
Step Three.
What’s the point of working so much if you’ll end up in
the hospital anyway? Doesn’t make sense.
Note: If you’re still in debt and you wanna prioritize
paying off your credit cards, then ditch this account until
you’ve cleared your debt.
A good 10% of your income goes for playing.
Jar 6: Give Jar (5%)
Good karma. Giving back. Whatever you believe in, as
long as you’re in the position to achieve financial
independence, then you’re in the position to help out.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
There’s no need to be rich in order to give. Your 5% for
the Give Jar can go a long way.
You can use this jar for birthday gifts, your favorite
charity, special occasions, or volunteer work.
There is also a deeper reason for the Give Jar…
It’s to eliminate your beliefs around money scarcity.
Our mindset plays a big role in our results and we will
dive deep into this in the next chapter. For now, let’s talk
about two opposite money beliefs: scarcity and
abundance.
If you’re clouded by the scarcity mindset, then you always
feel like you never really have enough. You might have
this mindset if...
You feel like money is always tight
Your first choice is to always cut back
You would rather enjoy things in the future - if ever
that happens
You think that your money situation is always someone
else’s fault
You’re scared of letting go of money and would rather
not give it away
You believe that it’s someone else’s responsibility to
give you money - a program you signed up for, your
family, your job, or the government
You want to hoard money because you want to feel
protected
You feel ashamed about your debt and your bank
account
You believe that in order to make more money, you
have to work more
...or that you have to be born into a rich family
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
If you have an abundant mindset, then you feel like
there’s always enough money going around. You’re
enjoying this mindset if…
You create money by providing value and answering
problems
Another person’s level of income doesn’t impact how
much you can make
You believe and know that you’re responsible for
creating your money
You actually love it that you’re responsible for your
income streams
You love money, but you understand that it’s just a
tool
You have a clear reason for building wealth - and it’s
not just to build wealth
And the reason behind building wealth is not based on
someone else’s validation of your image and success
You understand that money only magnifies who you
already are
You believe that it’s your mind that provides you peace
and calmness - not money
You believe that it’s easy and fun to make money
The Give Jar allows you to slowly move into the abundant
mindset from the scarcity mindset. For some people,
giving is easy, while for others, giving 5% of their income
feels like losing so much already. Allow this jar to show
you where you currently are in terms of your money
mindset and shift to a better place that will allow you to
make even more money.
Here’s the fun thing about abundance.
Abundance isn’t getting a lot. You become abundant when
you give a lot.
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STEP TWO: MANAGE YOUR MONEY
With an abundant money mindset, you’ll be able to give
more. The more you give, the more you’d want to
increase your money sources so that you can give even
more. This becomes a positive upward spiral for you
where you give and give and get and get.
Customizing your jars
The amount that you place into Money Jars can be
customized depending on your current money conditions.
If, for example, you want to provide 10% of your income
for giving, then you can adjust your contribution for the
other jars. If you want more money for playing, then,
again, adjust the other jars.
It’s important to remember, however, that you can modify
your contribution per jar, but you cannot remove a jar. All
jars play a significant role around your money beliefs –
the root cause of all your money problems and money
achievements.
If you try computing how much can be placed into these
jars with your current income, you will already get the
general condition of your money life. To carry a scarcity
mindset or an abundant mindset is all up to you.
Remember: you are exactly where you are because of your
choices. There is power in knowing that how you feel and
how you react to your circumstances are all your own
choices. Only by accepting this that you'll have control
over your results.
Why you choose certain things come from a series of
deep rooted beliefs that you may have picked up from
someone else or have built through personal experiences.
All of these things will be the foundation of Step Three:
Increasing Your Income.
:
E
E
R
H
T
P
STE
E
S
A
E
R
C
IN
E
M
O
C
N
I
R
U
O
Y
“The difference between winning and
losing is 99% psychological.”
Mark Spitz
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
2020 marked my 11th trading year.
When I started trading the forex market, I never imagined
that I would be managing money for a broker and a
money institution for two years as a professional trader.
Never did I think that I would quit that role to build my
own trading school. Never did I envision that I would be
working with one of the best retail traders in the country.
And never did I picture that we will be coaching over a
thousand students in less than three years.
Sometimes, I look back and think…
“How the heck did we do that?” The human body has its
limits. The human mind, however, is limitless.
As a trading coach, I’m given the privilege to study our
students who all come from diverse backgrounds. We
have public school teachers, entrepreneurs, single
mothers, college students, freelancers, and even company
directors and vice presidents.
All students are given the same environment, the same
strategy, the same access to resources, the same
everything. They even have the same trades! They trade
the same commodity pair and use the same strategy, the
same time frame, literally the same everything.
But how come their results differ?
Some students make and withdraw a lot of money. Some
burn their accounts.
How come?
The same goes for my team of financial advisors.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
I give them the same training, the same business plan, the
same environment, and the same kind of mentorship.
Some are able to get more clients. Some don’t get their
desired results even after a year.
Why?
If the strategies, the teacher, or the money isn’t really the
answer, then what is?
Quite simple, really.
The difference that makes the difference? You.
What’s underneath your money struggles and successes?
Sorry to break it to you, but this chapter will not teach
you how to get a side job or how to trade money. Madali
naman nang i-Google yan.
Step Three: Increasing Your Income really is
increasing your income. And you can’t do that by
adding skills, getting more knowledge, gaining
connections, buying the best tools, or starting
bigger capital.
about
merely
better
with a
Even with all of the best tools, mentors, and strategies on
the planet, if you don’t have the right mindset, all of
these things will be rendered ineffective.
What we’re trying to look for is congruence: a place
where your money-making skills and beliefs around
money would match smoothly and beautifully.
The money-making part is easy. All you gotta do is learn
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
it and practice it. But this is just half of the equation. The
more important half revolves around your beliefs.
For every money struggle you went through and every
money success you have achieved lies a belief that
allowed you to make specific decisions and take certain
steps that gave you your outcome.
Money is neutral
Money is good and bad. Money is important and
unimportant. Money is the problem and the solution.
Money is what you want it to be.
If you say that money is evil, then you’re right. If you say
that money is good, then you’re right, too.
You see, money has always been neutral. It takes no side.
It means nothing. It simply acts as a transactional tool for
buying and selling goods and services.
There’s no meaning behind money except the meaning
you give it.
Money is just a tool.
How you perceive it and its effect on you all come from
your own beliefs around money - and these beliefs may
be helpful for you, while some can be damaging not just
to you, but also for the people around you.
To test it out, lemme ask a few questions.
Let’s pretend that you have a debt of ₱10,000 that you
absolutely have to pay by payday. Your paycheck arrives
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
and you look at the amount written across it.
May utang kang ₱10,000 at eto ang nakuha mo. Ano ang
nararamdaman mo? Guilty? Shameful? Takot? Masaya?
Excited?
How about this one…
Binayaran mo na nang buo yung ₱10,000. Now, you have
to survive for 15 more days until you get your next
paycheck. How do you feel? Guilty? Scared? Lost?
Excited? Calm? Proud?
There are no right or wrong answers here, only honest
ones. Alright, two more…
Your next paycheck finally arrived! Anong nararamdaman
mo ngayong wala ka nang kailangang bayarang utang at
ngayong nakapag-replenish ka na? Guilty? Ashamed?
Takot? Kinakabahan? Masaya? Excited? Kalmado?
I guess we’re mostly happy and excited, right? And
lastly…
Nalaman mo na yung batchmate mo nung college na
bagsakan, kumikita nang triple ng kinita mo ngayong
buwan na ‘to for only four hours of work per day. How do
you feel?
Guilty?
Shameful?
Scared?
Happy?
Excited?
Calm?
How about mad? Inspired? Competitive? Confused?
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
Bewildered? Weh? Ayaw mo ba maniwala? Scam ba?
Impossible? Hulk-like?
After learning about your batchmate, what are the
questions and statements lingering in your head?
Why?
Your beliefs are always in control
What will determine your financial future?
Your long hours of work? Your mentors? The strategies
you use?
Even if you have the best ones, if your beliefs aren’t
congruent with them, then they’ll all be pointless.
There’s that word again - “beliefs”. What are money
beliefs anyway?
Your personal money beliefs will dictate how you perceive
money and work. Think of your beliefs as sun glasses. If
you’re wearing pink glasses, then you’ll perceive the
world in pink hues. But if your friend is wearing green
glasses, then she will perceive the world in green hues.
If you believe that it’s hard to get money, then you’re
right. You will have a hard time getting money.
But if you believe that it’s a breeze to get money, then
you’re also right. You will have an easy time obtaining
money.
Your attitude towards money and the beliefs you surround
yourself with can spell the difference between living a
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
life of struggle and living a life of abundance.
Now, here’s the catch: No one really knows whether your
beliefs are right or wrong.
Let’s imagine two 6-year-old girls in two separate rooms
containing two separate television sets. Suddenly, a
maala-Pinoy Big Brother Kuya sends an electrifying
announcement to both rooms.
“Pick up the controller and press the Power button.” Both
girls follow Kuya’s orders.
Kuya then says, “Whatever you’re seeing is the truth.”
And just like obedient robots, these girls live their lives
based on this “truth”.
Now, let’s have full control over their lives. Let’s place
them in the same school, the same batch, the same
classroom. Gawin na rin natin silang bestfriends. They go
through school together and graduate together. They’re
even each other’s maid of honor! Oh, and, parehong
buwan din silang manganganak.
You get the point.
But don’t be fooled. They did grow up in the same
environment. And yes, they’re the best of friends. But
they’re living totally different lives.
The other one is financially struggling, juggles three jobs,
and barely has time for her son.
One lives in an upscale neighborhood, makes more than
enough, and has so much free time for her daughter.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
We now have two 80-year-old women in two separate
rooms with two separate TV sets.
Suddenly, they hear the same, familiar, thrilling voice.
“Pick up the controller and press the Power button.”
Both women follow Kuya’s orders. Again, he says,
“Whatever you’re seeing is the truth.”
One screen displays one word in big, bold letters:
IMPOSSIBLE
And the other displays the same word:
IMPOSSIBLE
Whether you believe it’s “impossible” or “I’m possible”,
you’re always right. Your beliefs are always in control of
your actions and your decisions - or your lack thereof. It
doesn’t matter whether your beliefs are true or not. The
better question is: “Is this belief helpful or is it limiting?”
It’s your Reticular Activation System
You probably have heard of the Law of Attraction.
New Age beliefs teach the Law of Attraction as our innate
human ability to attract whatever we are focusing on. The
more we focus on the good stuff, the more good stuff we
get. The more energy we place on the bad things, then we
get more of those, too. With the power of our minds, we
can materialize anything we want from thoughts to
reality.
For some people, learning this may be a bit hard to
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
accept, especially when you grew up in a household that
acknowledges hard work as the only way to go. But the
Law of Attraction is beyond wishful and positive thinking.
In fact, you have your Reticular Activation System to
thank for turning your “good vibes” into actuality.
Your Reticular Activation System (RAS) is the part of your
brain that is responsible for getting information, filtering
it, and sending the filtered thoughts to the hypothalamus
which mediates your behavior.
What’s your favorite color? Mine is blue.
When I go out to buy bed sheets like a level 99 Tita of
Manila, my RAS immediately scans for blue bed sheets
because I think of the color blue more often compared to
other colors. It’s giving me what I want and filtering out
what I don’t want.
Think of your RAS as your assistant. It collects your
thoughts and filters them according to what you want.
Ang problema sa secretary nating ito, hindi niya alam
kung ano yung good thoughts at ano yung bad thoughts.
As long as you’re placing so much time and energy on a
thought, your RAS will filter it as important. Once it
labels a particular information as something important,
then it will tell your hypothalamus “Heyyy, I’ll show this
guy more of this stuff. Make sure his behavior matches
them, alright?”.
If your RAS filters “debt” as something important to you
dahil lagi mo siyang iniisip, then it will project even more
of that for you. Magiging mas hyperaware ka of debt. You
go out there, and you see more reasons to go into debt.
Or you will panic because you will be reminded of your
debts. This leads to stress and bad behaviors. This is
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
where your downward spiral begins.
In the same way, if you always think about
“opportunities”, then your RAS will filter them as
important. Suddenly, you see all the opportunities around
you. Sasabihin mo pa, “Wow! Swerte. Iniisip ko ito kanina
lang, ah?”.
It’s not that those opportunities have never been there.
Matagal nang andyan yan, ngayon mo lang napansin kasi
ngayon lang na-filter ng RAS mo para sayo.
This is why you have to be very careful with the thoughts
you're feeding your RAS. What you focus on expands.
I try my best to use this knowledge about RAS to my
advantage. People discount the concept of luck. But
actually, sincerely believing “I am a lucky person” has
done wonders for me.
In the context of having my RAS filter my thoughts,
believing in luck has given me so many opportunities and
courage. Does it matter kung totoong swerte ako o hindi?
Nope. But is it helping me out? Yes - a lot!
Some pages ago, I said this exact thing: “The moneymaking part is easy. All you gotta do is learn it and
practice it. But this is just half of the equation. The more
important half revolves around your beliefs.” Believing
that the money-making part is easy is another
empowering belief I’m holding onto. I’d rather make it
easy than get the same amount of money with so much
struggle and effort. And again - the more important half
revolves around your beliefs.
Whether you think it’s impossible or “I’m possible”,
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
you're right. Whether you think it’s hard or easy, you’re
right. Whether you think you will struggle or not, you’re
right.
Your thoughts and beliefs are always right.
Money is the root of all evil… or goodwill? Help?
To give you a clearer view of these beliefs, let’s talk
about one of the most common beliefs out there.
“Money is the root of all evil.”
I’m just gonna be very blunt about this… if I meet a
person who believes that money is the root of all evil, I
will never give that person money.
Remember: money is neutral. It’s not evil nor is it good.
It turns into whatever the holder of the money turns it
into. If you believe that money is the root of all evil, then
giving you money will only result in evil things. But if
you believe that money can be used for goodwill, then
money in your hands will be used for good deeds.
Whatever happens to money will be because of the user.
Money is just a tool, just like a knife.
A knife is neutral. It’s not good nor is it bad.
A knife is good in the hands of a loving mother who uses
it to create delicious meals for her family.
But the same knife can be bad in the hands of a
murderer.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
If “Money is the root of all evil” is one of your beliefs,
lemme ask you a question…
Saan mo napulot ang belief na ito?
Most of the time, the beliefs we have were only passed on
to us or taught to us by our own parents, schools, and
society. We picked them up because we trust these people
and institutions.
Sometimes, we make new beliefs because of our personal
experiences. The once neutral money became stained
when you were scammed by someone you trust - and
bam. The belief that money is the root of all evil was
born.
It’s not your fault. Beliefs are easy to pick up. And they’re
easy to change, too. We’ll get to that.
Before change takes place, we must first be aware of the
things we need to change.
What are the beliefs you’re currently holding onto which
may be detrimental for you?
Are any of these beliefs holding you back?
Here are 100 beliefs about money and success. Some are
limiting and some are helpful… well, it really depends on
the user.
Check them one by one and see if the belief rings back. If
it does, simply answer this question:
“Is this belief helping me live the life I want to live or is
it just holding me back?”
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
1. Money is the root of all evil.
2. The rich get richer because they are cheaters.
3. Time is more important than money.
4. I attract opportunities effortlessly.
5. Money can’t buy love but it can buy lots of good time with my loved
ones.
6. If I am successful, people will hate me.
7. It’s possible for me to make more money by working less.
8. I am where I am financially because of my parents.
9. Money is more important than time.
10. The harder I work, the more money I make.
11. I am a money magnet. Anything I do makes money.
12. I attract the right people into my life.
13. My friends help me become better with money.
14. Money is energy and will appear as you really feel about it.
15. The only way to succeed is to get promoted in my 9 to 5 job.
16. I’m terrible with money.
17. I attract successful people, successful experiences, and
successful connections.
18. There is always more than enough money for everyone.
19. My current money condition is the government’s fault.
20. I can enjoy the present and still have money for the future.
21. My actions match my thoughts.
22. Being born poor is a divine punishment from the gods.
23. If I have a little more than I need to get by, someone else has to go
without.
24. Working hard won’t necessarily give me more money.
25. God only loves the poor.
26. Success finds me everywhere I go because I only think and feel
successful thoughts about myself.
27. I don’t deserve to have a lot of money.
28. Money brings calmness and spare time.
29. I am a slave for money.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
30. Success is a mindset.
31. I am comfortable asking for payment for my service.
32. Being poor is hard work.
33. It is more stressful to be poor than to be rich.
34. Everything I touch becomes successful.
35. I am learning about money everyday.
36. I can make a difference by becoming wealthy and employing many
people.
37. The rich become richer because they’re good investors. I can be
one too.
38. Money is my slave. It works hard for me even if I sleep.
39. I succeeded at personal development because I invest in myself
first.
40. It’s impossible to make more money with less work.
41. God wants me to prosper.
42. Money only magnifies who I already am.
43. Success starts with me. I choose to be successful.
44. It’s more spiritual not to care about money.
45. Success is about having a lot of money, buying a car, and buying a
house.
46. I graduated from a prestigious university. I deserve a bigger
paycheck.
47. It takes a lot of money to make more money.
48. I allow myself to dream a life of abundance.
49. Money is freedom.
50. Buying a house before I turn 30 will make me feel successful.
51. There’s not enough money to go around.
52. I work on my money goals everyday.
53. Rich people get rich because they see opportunities where others
see obstacles.
54. If I get paid too much, people will think I’m a fraud.
55. I honor my money-making skills.
56. I can become rich by helping other people.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
57. Sales people are greedy. This is why I will never enter sales.
58. He/She doesn’t deserve to have a lot of money.
59. My attitude attracts money.
60. My thoughts add value to my life.
61. I am blessed in many ways.
62. I manage my money with care and wisdom.
63. It’s not fair that those people have so much more money that I do.
64. Rich people are evil people.
65. Even in tough times, people can make money.
66. Hanging out with wealthy people teaches me a lot of important
things about life.
67. I would rather have rich people’s problems.
68. I enjoy using money for pleasure and fun.
69. I am very lucky.
70. I should wait until things are perfect.
71. I deserve to be happy, wealthy, healthy, and successful.
72. Rich people are in a better position to help others.
73. I am surrounded by money-making opportunities.
74. My arms are wide open for all the abundance in the world.
75. Young millionaires probably did it by cheating.
76. I believe in myself and my ability to make money.
77. I can save for the future and still have fun in the present.
78. I give value to others and they pay me for it.
79. The only way to save a lot of money is to not have fun.
80. Being conscious about every single centavo is the right thing to do.
81. People who give things for free probably will ask for something in
return.
82. I need to buy a car before I turn 30.
83. I can only achieve what I want when things are perfect.
84. There are a lot of things to learn about money outside the
classroom.
85. Making money is fun.
86. I can be wealthy and modest.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
87. The only way out of poverty is marrying someone from a rich
family.
88. I don’t deserve to have fun because I don’t have savings yet.
89. I only get what I deserve.
90. I am able to create the life I want for myself and my family.
91. To become valuable, I need to be a millionaire.
92. I have to do a lot of things you don’t like to get money.
93. The more money I have, the more time I can buy with it.
94. I do not have enough to share or give away.
95. Money can never buy happiness.
96. I always have money.
97. I feel ashamed asking for payment for my services.
98. I will never have enough.
99. This book is challenging me, but I believe I will become better
because of it.
100. It’s better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick.
To increase your income, install empowering beliefs
Limiting beliefs don’t help, so why keep them?
Beliefs are not set on stone. This in itself is a belief. If
you understand that you have full control over what you
believe in, then you can replace beliefs that limit you
with beliefs that empower you.
Some years ago, I was in a relationship with a stock
trader. I was trading the forex market already during that
time, so we enjoyed petty bickering on who can make
more money.
It was fun at first. After a few months of making more
money than he does, he started cheating on me.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
Not sure if I was slow o nagbubulagbulagan lang ako, but
I only learned about all the other girls during his
relationship with the third one.
And guess what? They were all traders, too!
I already knew why he did it. I didn’t even have to ask,
but of course, I wanted to hear him tell me the reason.
And he did. To put it plainly, his ego couldn’t take the
fact that a girl repeatedly beat him in making money
from the markets.
Years after that relationship, I found myself unable to get
through a trading ceiling. There was this certain price
point na tuwing nandun na ako, lagi akong talo! Hindi ko
maintindihan. Pinagdudahan ko na rin ang skills ko.
So, I went to my mentor and showed him my account. He
asked me, “Why are you sabotaging yourself?”
What? Bakit ko naman gagawin yun?
But then I looked at my trading history and he was right.
There were clear and obvious reasons to buy, but I still
tapped the sell button. Repeatedly.
When I started looking deep into the root cause of my
problem, I recognized the bad limiting belief from years
before…
“If my trading account becomes larger than my partner’s,
he will cheat on me.”
And even deeper: “If I go beyond my partner’s success, he
will cheat on me.”
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
Aaaand deeper: “If I succeed, people will betray me.”
There you go.
My head wrapped its decisions around this belief that I
didn’t even notice that my subconscious mind was
deliberately sabotaging my potential success because I
firmly believed that succeeding means betrayal.
Fortunately, there is a way to replace limiting beliefs with
more empowering ones. This is exactly how I saved my
trading account, myself, and my relationship:
Step 1: Question your old belief. Ask: “How has my
current belief held me back and limited me? What were
the specific instances when it stopped me from doing
amazing things? How did I feel about it?”
Step 2: Replace with a new belief. Ask: “What belief
would empower me instead? Will this new belief be in
direct conflict with my old belief? If I install this new
belief, how will my life change? If my life changes
because of this belief, how will I feel?”
Step 3: Strengthen and automate your new belief. Ask:
“How can I reinforce this new belief? What system should
I implement in order to strengthen this new belief? Are
there people who can help me stay accountable as I
install this new belief?”
You can dictate your life’s narrative. If you implement
better beliefs, you get to send better thoughts to your
RAS, which filters stuff you actually want and helps you
take action towards them. Every decision you make
changes the course of your whole life and it starts with
the beliefs you choose to hold on to.
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STEP THREE: INCREASE YOUR INCOME
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to
become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the
votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
Atomic Habits by James Clear
:
R
U
O
F
P
E
ST
R
U
O
Y
D
BUIL
Y
C
N
E
G
R
EME
S
D
N
FU
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree
and I will spend the first four
sharpening the axe."
Abrahan Lincoln
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
December 31, 2019.
“Bring it on, 2020!”
“I’m ready for you, 2020!”
“In 2020, I’m going to live like it’s my last.”
Ayan, sa kakahamon natin kay 2020, look at what
happened. Even before this whole COVID-19 thing
happened, we were greeted by health-risk inducing ashfall
from Taal. Remember that?
March 15 was supposed to be an ordinary day for most of
us. Just like many, I enjoyed that Sunday thinking this
whole pandemic thing will be a short-lived, easy-toanswer issue.
Boy, was I wrong.
Malay ko bang March 15 would be the last time I would
be able to step into the outside world. But my qualms
and worries are nothing compared to our frontliners’ daily
struggle. It’s nothing compared to those who have family
members who are ill with the virus. And it’s definitely
nothing compared to those who suddenly lost access to
their daily income.
This pandemic, ladies and gentlemen, is a health and
economic emergency we didn’t see coming.
Still, I’m going to pose this question here…
Did we have enough time to prepare for these possibilities
financially? Were we always given the choice to set aside
money just in case we suddenly lose access to our income
streams?
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
“Where do we get to the fun stuff?!”
“When will you start teaching me how to make money,
senpai?!”
I have been teaching you how to make money when I first
asked…
“What would you do if money isn’t an issue?”
But if you want to enter a war with only your boxers on,
go ahead and start investing and trading without
emergency funds and life insurance policies.
Just in case you forgot, here’s how we described the
Necessities Jar.
“Necessities would include everything that is needed for
your daily survival. This includes your rent, food, phone
bill, medicine – mga bagay na kapag hindi mo nabayaran,
lagot ka o mahihirapan ka.”
Your emergency funds and life insurance policies are
placed in the Necessities Jar because they are necessities
- things that are needed. These are not optional wants,
these are prerequisites, essentials, fundamentals, sine qua
non.
But why?
Optimism bias
Financial advisors usually talk about life’s uncertainties
because those are the things we have to prepare for.
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
But when dealt with these things, what do people say?
“Hindi pa naman ako mamamatay.”
“Hindi naman ako siguro magkakasakit.”
“Malabo naman ako mawalan ng trabaho.”
This is called optimism bias.
We tend to be too optimistic for our own good. We think
that bad things won’t likely happen to us and assume that
job loss, disabilities, illnesses, money risks, and death will
only happen to other people.
What are the unwise money things that people with high
levels of this cognitive bias do? They believe that they’re
immortal beings who are bound to get rich one way or
another.
What can we do if we find ourselves trapped in this bias?
Well, we can use it for more positive results (just trying
to be more optimistic here, people). How?
When we lean towards optimism, we have a better sense
of anticipation for the future and this gives us enough
motivation to pursue our personal goals. To leverage on
this, we can use our desired futures to make better
decisions now.
If you don’t want expensive uncertainties to drag you
away from your goals, then it’s time to start thinking
about how you can be financially prepared in any given
situation. And this is exactly how you will achieve your
goals - by lowering your risks as much as you can.
How do you lower your risks?
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
Simply by being prepared.
Who will survive? Whoever’s prepared.
If you Google the word “emergency”, this is what you’d
get: “a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation
requiring immediate action."
The problem with a lot of people is they think events are
unexpected, when really, they must be expected already if
we want to be prepared for them.
Imagine mo na nagda-drive ka tapos biglang na-flat yung
gulong mo. At the very least, you have a spare tire, right?
Having a spare tire indicates that you already know that
getting a flat tire is possible and you have come prepared
just in case it happens. And now that you need it, you
have something to use. All you gotta do is replace the
busted one with your spare, and you’re good to go.
But what if you made a totally different decision?
What if, a few months before the incident, you were
offered to buy a spare tire, but your all knowing,
immortal, optimistic, lucky self
said, “Hindi ko na
kailangan niyan. Hindi naman siguro mafa-flat
yung
gulong ko”?
And then it happens. Lo and behold, you don’t have a
spare tire to use.
That’s the thing with emergency funds: you have to
prepare them when you don’t need the money yet,
thinking that if the time does come, you have money
ready to work for you at your beck and call.
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
In this world filled with uncertainties, only the prepared
survives.
How much is peace of mind?
To know how much you’d need to complete your
emergency funds, simply multiply your monthly money
needs by six.
If, for example, your expenses in a month ramp up to
₱20,000, plus ₱5,000 for some leeway, then you would
need ₱150,000.
Ideally, this ensures that you have enough money for six
months just in case something happens.
But really, I think the right amount of emergency funds is
subjective. Remember that money is emotionally charged,
so different amounts mean different things to different
people. What you’re looking for when building your
emergency funds is peace of mind.
How much is your peace of mind?
When dealing with emergencies, this doesn’t include
medical bills and death - these are answered by insurance.
Emergency funds can cover simple yet unpredictable
events like suddenly needing a new dress for a wedding
or something as big as having your house repaired
because of a typhoon.
If, for example, you have emergency funds of ₱150,000,
this might be able to cover small medical needs which
may also be reimbursed by your hospital maintenance
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
organization (HMO).
But what if the emergency is beyond ₱150,000? What if
you’re diagnosed with a critical illness like cancer? It
would definitely cost more than your emergency funds.
These events must be covered by your life insurance
policy’s Critical Illness Benefit. We’ll tackle this in Step
Five: Protect Your Money.
What if the emergency is your death? Will ₱150,000 be
enough for your family’s daily expenses? I highly doubt
it.
In fact, if you pass away, all of your assets, including your
emergency funds and other investments won’t be passed
to your beneficiaries unless they pay for the necessary
taxes (oo, hanggang kamatayan nagbabayad tayo ng tax).
Now, here are my hindi-kita-papatulugin questions:
With these in mind, how much money would you need
for your emergency funds such that having it will allow
you to move forward and enjoy your present… no
matter what happens?
With what you have right now, what will happen to you
if you face any of life’s uncertainties?
With what you have right now, what will happen to
your family’s money if you face any of life’s
uncertainties?
We tend to forget that our money decisions don’t only
affect us. They all directly affect the people important to
us, too. This is why you can’t just jump to the “more
exciting” parts like trading and investing.
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
Remember: trying to grow and multiply your money
without protecting it first is like going into war nang
nakabrip o panty lang.
How to open a bank account in the Philippines
Since we need our emergency funds to be easily
accessible, we can’t place it in assets that we have to sell.
Imagine, nanganganak na si misis tapos kailangan mo
pang ibenta yung stocks mo para lang magka-pera?
Hello?
It must be easy and liquid enough to access when the
emergency arrives but hard enough to reach so that you
won’t treat a payday sale as an emergency.
Typically, a saving’s account in any bank would be a good
place for your emergency funds. Here are some things
you need to know:
You can start a savings account for as low as ₱100 as maintaining
balance.
Annual interest rates for savings accounts are usually less than 1%.
But there’s no need to fret too much about this since the purpose
of the money you’ll put here is simply for your emergencies - not
for money growth. You can let your money sleep while those
emergencies aren’t around yet.
If you use another bank’s ATM to withdraw or check your balance,
you will be charged a service fee.
Some banks incur penalties if your account goes below your
maintaining balance. The amount varies from bank-to-bank.
You can’t issue checks with a savings account.
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
Basic requirements when opening a bank account
2 Valid IDs:
School ID
Company ID
Postal ID
Passport
UMID
Driver’s License
Two 1×1 ID (taken within 6 months)
Proof of Billing:
Electric bill
Water bill
Phone bill
Tax Identification Number
Initial Deposit (starting amount depends on the bank)
The process
1. Select your bank of choice. Consider the following when choosing
a bank:
i. Initial deposit and maintaining balance
ii. Interest rates
iii. Do they have a lot of ATMs? Branches?
iv. Do they have online banking services?
v. What are the other perks if I join this bank?
2. Call the bank or check their website to see if they have other
requirements on top of the basic ones
3. Compile your requirements and initial deposit
4. Check if an online application is possible. If not, visit your branch
and apply there.
5. Go to your selected bank’s branch that would be convenient for
you to visit (near your home or your office)
6. Fill in and sign all bank forms
7. Review the terms and conditions
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STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY FUNDS
8. Provide all requirements and initial deposit
9. Claim your card as soon as it's ready
10. Go to the nearest ATM and change your card’s pin
11. Subscribe to online banking
12. Sometimes, subscribing to online banking will require to go to
the nearest ATM to activate your online account.
13. Start saving up!
Now that you have emergency funds, you have more
money to protect.
:
E
V
I
F
STEP
T
C
E
T
O
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P
Y
E
N
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Y
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to,
to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each
other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
Ironically, nothing teaches you more about life than
death.
For me, it was the death of a friend.
We were just a few days shy from graduating high school
when she passed away because of intracerebral
hemorrhage.
Seeing a friend you were just literally eating with
yesterday inside a casket is a good enough smack in the
face. I’d like to think that until the very end, she was still
teaching me something valuable: “Nikki, enjoy life as
much as you can.”
So I decided to make tons of money to enjoy life as much
as I effin’ can.
A few years later, I got into the life insurance industry
thinking that sales would be my golden ticket.
And then I received that call.
A client died.
Back then, hindi ko naman iniisip that a client would
actually die. Or at least, not while I was his advisor.
While his death benefits were being processed, I reviewed
our meeting, checked the names of his sons, and went to
his wake.
When I saw them, my heart broke. There they were - Kyne
who just turned seven and Gino who was just three. One
of the many questions in my head was, “Do they
understand what’s happening?” along with “How am I
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
even supposed to approach his wife who’s a full-time
mom?”. I had no answers.
I can’t remember how I did it, but I suddenly found
myself talking with Suzie - a young widow. I will never
forget her puzzled look when I introduced myself as her
husband’s financial advisor.
Natawa siya. Sabi niya, “Ang bata mo naman.” I didn’t
really know what to say, so I just said, “Oo nga po, eh.”
And then she started crying.
That’s when it hit me.
Minsan siguro talaga, mauunang makita mo yung
opportunity na pagkakitaan ang isang negosyo bago mo
makita kung bakit mo siya gagawin. I clearly remember
this day like it was just yesterday because this was when I
found out why I had to stay in the industry.
This is why I do what I do. And this is why I’m still here.
My client was a stranger I met on Facebook. But a short
meeting with him meant that two young boys can
continue studying, a widow can buy time to find work,
and a whole family can live on without the financial
struggles of losing their breadwinner.
Suzie gave me a hug and said, “Mahal na mahal niya
talaga kami, noh?”.
Without even realizing it, I became an instrument of
someone's unconditional love for his family.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
What are you really protecting?
If building your emergency funds is about preparing for
unseen events that may cost you money, then protecting
your income is about gathering all the necessary gear and
armor to make sure you survive the war.
The money game is not all rainbows and butterflies. It can
get bloody and violent. And those who enter this world
without the necessary protection get trampled by
uncertainties.
Sa totoo naman din kasi, hindi naman na talaga
uncertainty ang critical illness, disability, at death. Ayaw
lang nating isipin na pwede silang mangyare sa atin.
Remember optimism bias?
Let me show you what you’re really protecting.
Let’s create a fictional character and call him Benben.
Benben is an extreme saver (who also happens to be a
talented musician). His parents taught him to make every
cent count and to save as much as he can, so by the
young age of 22, he was able to save up ₱200,000.
Wooot, good job, Benben!
Every month, he can set aside at least ₱3,500 of his
income for savings. Benben decided to place his monthly
savings in the bank instead of paying for an insurance
policy.
Naisip niya, “Sayang naman kasi yung ₱3,500. Iipunin ko
na lang! Bata pa naman ako at hindi ko kailangan ng
insurance.”
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
I’m not going to write an elaborate story about how
Benben suddenly started feeling physical pains and I’ll
just get straight to the point: At age 35, he was diagnosed
with lung cancer.
Alright, now, let’s deal with money.
Benben’s savings at age 22: ₱200,000
Benben’s savings from 23rd year to 35th year
(₱3,500 x 144 months) = ₱504,000
Benben’s total savings = ₱704,000
If his lung cancer costs ₱2,000,000, what will happen to
Benben’s financial life? Three things:
1. He will lose ₱704,000 in savings
2. He will lose all the 12 years that he spent saving that
money
3. He will dive ₱1,296,000 into debt
Sucks right? Let’s be honest here – we all know that
fictional Benben who has ₱200,000 in savings by age 22
and can strictly save ₱3,500 per month for 12 years is
nearly god-like in terms of saving discipline in the
Philippines, diba?
Paano ka?
But before we even get to your money life, hindi pa tayo
tapos kay Benben. Kawawang bata. May sakit na nga, may
utang pang ₱1,296,000. Where will he get this?
Benben has already ticked off Step 1 of the What To Do
When You Get Critically Ill And Don’t Have Life Insurance
Guide: use up all his savings.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
What’s next?
Step 2: Check if your immediate family members have
savings and then use their money as well.
Step 3: If Steps 1 and 2 still won’t cut it, umutang sa mga
kamaganak at mga kaibigan.
Step 4: Kung hindi pa rin, ibenta ang mga ariarian katulad
ng kotse, bahay, at alahas.
Step 5: At kung hindi pa rin kakasya ang pera kahit
nagawa na ang Steps 1 to 4, mag bukas ng Go Fund Me
account at humingi ng donations sa Facebook.
Sounds harsh, but this is the truth. At minsan, para
gumalaw ka, kailangan mo munang makita yung masakit
na katotohanan.
This is what we’re trying to protect.
When 2020 started, I ran financial wellness workshops
where we taught this whole thing. I already expected na
katulad ng maraming financial wellness workshops namin,
when we get to this part, merong iiyak.
That day in January, true enough, a workshop attendee
started crying.
I asked her if she’s fine. Ang sabi niya, “Eto po kasi yung
pinagdadaanan namin ngayon. Nagpapa-chemo si papa at
nakapag benta na kami ng kotse.”
I approached her and asked her how she’s feeling. At the
back of my head, inisip ko that she’d probably affirm her
sadness. To my surprise, she said something else.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
“Galit ako.”
Hala. “Gusto kong gumaling si papa, pero sana naghanda
sila.”
Money can never replace your relationships or buy back
lost time. But these giant money-eating uncertainties can
be beaten if we choose to prepare for them.
This book is called “How to YOLO Wisely” - and to live
the best life possible, let’s suit up and wear our trustee
armor with pride and confidence, knowing fully well that
no matter what happens to us, we have a solid and strong
money defense.
We need to protect your money so that you won’t lose all
the time you used making money just to pay for your
hospital bills.
We need to protect your money so that you won’t pass
the financial burden to your family if ever something
happens to you.
We need to protect your money so that you don’t have to
watch your family and friends ask for donations online.
Two inevitable things in life: death and taxes
The bad guys in this story aren’t just critical illnesses.
There’s one inevitable money villian, too.
Death.
When we think of death, we think of our old wrinkly
selves. And that’s totally okay. Who doesn’t want to live
until they’re 80?
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
But the truth is, death can come as early as now. Or later.
Or tomorrow. Or next year. We don’t really know. The
only thing we know about death is it will happen
someday, and someday can be today.
With no guarantee that we’ll have many days with our
loved ones, how much money would you want to leave
behind if ever something happens to you?
Of course, the answer to this question depends on the
kind of family that you have now, your set up, and the
type of life you want to give them after your death.
Let’s say that you’re a mom who wants to make sure that
her kid gets to finish college, no matter what. If we peg
your death benefit (the money you’ll leave behind) at
₱5,000,000, how will you be able to save up for
₱5,000,000 with your current income?
How much should you set aside every month for
₱5,000,000? What if you haven’t reached your first
million yet, but you were suddenly taken out of the
picture, how will your child be able to finish college?
This isn’t half of the problem yet.
It’s time to drop a bomb that not everyone knows about…
Hanggang kamatayan, nagbabayad pa rin tayo ng
tax. Alam mo ba na pag namatay ka, hindi pa makukuha
ng beneficiary mo ang pamana mo? This includes your
savings, paper assets, properties - anything you have left
behind.
Republic Act No. 10963 says that your beneficiaries must
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
pay 6% of the net estate determined at the time of death
decedent composed of all properties, real or personal,
tangible or intangible less allowable deductions.
If, for example, you left behind ₱10,000,000, your
beneficiaries will have to pay ₱600,000 in order to get
your ₱10,000,000.
Some heirs may be able to pay for this, sure. But what if
yours can't?
How to deal with these money villains?
In the Philippines, we have three heroes for money
villains such as critical illnesses, death, and taxes after
death.
All of these fall under the Necessity Jar, which means that
I am not noting these down so that you can choose from
them, because you should have them all.
Here’s a quick recap of the non-negotiables so that you
can YOLO wisely:
1. Emergency funds that amount to at least 6 months of
your monthly expenses or to the amount that would
guarantee your peace of mind
2. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)
benefits
3. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) benefits
4. At least one life insurance policy
You’re probably familiar with the mandatory PhilHealth.
Once you get employed, you become a member of
PhilHealth and your payment is taken from your monthly
salary.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
PhilHealth helps you pay for a portion of your hospital
room fees, covers maternity benefits, and gives free
inpatient services if you go to government hospitals.
You don’t have to worry about age limits when it comes
to PhilHealth - anyone can have one for ₱1,500 to ₱6,000
annually.
Ang mura noh? Kasi maliit lang din yung coverage, and
this is why a lot of people opt for another healthcare
provider.
But then again, just like what I said, these are not options.
These are necessities. Get PhilHealth if you don’t have
one yet, then add an HMO.
Narinig niyo na ba itong commercial na ito?
“Sa panahon ngayon, bawal magkasakit.”
Bakit? Because getting sick is expensive.
HMOs work like PhilHealth, but give you better coverage
in exchange for higher monthly payments.
Some employers provide HMO upon regularization. Some
offer it for free, some reduce it from your salary, and
some don’t provide them at all. You have to check what
your company offers so that you can strategize from
there. If your company provides HMO, what happens to
your account if you resign or transfer to another
company? It’s still best if you get this on your own so
that you don’t have to be dependent on your company’s
benefits.
Different HMO companies partner with various hospitals
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
and clinics. Check if your preferred hospital is in the list
of the HMO’s network. If it is, then you go there for your
check ups, lab tests, and emergency visits and everything
will be paid by your HMO card. But of course, your HMO
benefits depend on your monthly payments, too.
Alright, so now we have PhilHealth to cover some basic
things plus HMO to cover more expensive hospital stuff.
Why would you need life insurance on top of these?
What you specifically need for life insurance is its Critical
Illness Benefit, which is just one of the many benefits
you’ll get with a life insurance policy.
This works on a reimbursement system, so you will need
cash or credit card to pay your bills until you get your
critical illness benefit claim from your life insurance
company.
As its name suggests, life insurance policies cover the
expensive stuff that some HMOs cannot, like cancer,
major organ transplant, coma, Parkinson’s disease, etc. Eh
eto naman talaga yung kakain at uubos ng ipon mo at
ipon ng pamilya mo, kaya we gotta be prepared for these
as well.
PhilHealth, HMOs, Critical Illness Benefits all work
together as one network and you can’t miss one of these
as these are essentials and necessities. But before we even
start hoarding, ang tanong...
Insurable ka ba?
All my mentees learn about everything written in this
book first hand. Best part is I get to show them the ropes
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
in person so that they can YOLO wisely.
One of them was a 21-year-old girl who was fresh from
college and helped her mom run their own carinderia.
After learning from my teachings, this girl was so proud
of being able to budget some money for her first life
insurance policy.
The team guided her throughout her application, sent the
requirements, and waited for the results.
Just a few days later, I received the bad news...
Her life insurance policy was declined.
How does life insurance work anyway? Think of it as
making a bet with the company that says, “Bibigyan kita
ng ₱5,000 kada buwan for 10 years, pero pag namatay
ako within 10 years siguraduhin mong bibigyan mo yung
pamilya ko ng ₱3,000,000. And if ever I get critically ill
within those 10 years, bibigyan mo rin ako ng
₱1,000,000. Deal?”
If you think about it, to get millions in benefits, you only
need to pay a total of ₱600,000.
So, paanong hindi malulugi ang life insurance company
dito? The life insurance business is a risk pooling
business. In order to make sure that the company doesn’t
collapse, the first part of the application process goes
through a strict underwriting process to ensure that the
applicant is far from getting ill or dying.
What does this mean?
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
It means that not everyone has the privilege to make
a bet with the life insurance company.
You can be all giddy and say, “Kailangan ko lang mag
bayad ng ₱5,000 a month tapos may ₱3,000,000 na yung
pamilya ko at may sigurado pa akong ₱1,000,000 kung
magkasakit ako. Wow!”, pero paano kung sabihin ng
kumpanya na, “Ayoko nga”?
And they can say this. Why?
They’re more likely to take the bet if you’re young and
healthy because that makes you less risky.
:
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Let’s go back to my mentee.
She’s 21, fit and healthy.
Bakit siya na decline?
Some policy applications
would require medical check
ups. She went through one
and the underwriting officers
found out that she has
hyperthyroidism.
The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) is an agency that
reports to all life insurance companies. Think of this as a
blacklist that helps life insurance companies protect
themselves against fraud. This blacklist contains the
names of people who were declined by life insurance
companies and the reasons why.
So, if my mentee was declined by one company and if she
decides to apply to another one, the second company will
see her name in the MIB database and will decline her as
well.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
What will happen to my mentee? Well, that’s exactly
what she was asking me.
"Ano na po ang gagawin ko?"
"Paano po kung magkasakit ako nang mas malala?"
"Paano po pag matanda na sila papa at ako na ang
breadwinner?"
These questions were hard to answer. Imagine mo,
papasok ka sa gera, tapos wala kang proteksyon. Ganun
ang pakiramdam ng mga uninsurable.
A lot of people run from financial advisors and decline
life insurance policies without knowing that the older
they get, the more uninsurable they become.
Other than being uninsurable even at a young age, what
are some of the common things about life insurance that
most people don’t know about?
“You’re an educator, not a salesman”
I always tell my mentees:
“If people fully understand how life insurance works, it’s
impossible for them to say no. The reason they say no is
because they have misunderstandings about it. And it is
our duty as financial advisors to educate them well.”
I’ve looked at money from various perspectives already:
as a buyer, a retail trader, an institutional trader, a broker,
a businessperson, a salesperson, a coach, a mentee, a
mentor, and an educator.
And I completely understand why a lot of people run
away from financial advisors.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
There are two kinds of financial advisors: salesmen and
educators.
Both earn in the same way - through commissions from
each financial policy sold. So, what’s the difference?
Salesmen earn by selling products. Educators earn by
providing value and solutions to existing problems.
“Hindi ba pareho lang yun?!” Nope. There is a massive
difference.
When you have a salesman in front of you, it feels like
the product is being shoved to your face. You’ll know and
feel it – this is about him and not you.
If you’re with an educator, you are learning something
valuable. Your once narrow view becomes broader, and
you get that “Aha!” moment.
Buying from a salesman feels heavy and off. When you
pay for your policies, it feels like a burden. Some months
later, gusto mo na tumigil sa pagbabayad.
Buying from an educator feels light. You feel like it was
entirely your decision. When you pay for your policies,
you feel happy and kilig because you understand where
your money will go. You can hear your future self and
your family thanking you. Buying from an educator makes
you beam with pride and say, “I’m doing this because I
love myself and my family.”
NFG Global Financial Advisors are educators.
I have four books in line and the one you’re reading is the
first one. When I decided to write this book, I asked the
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
help of the whole team. Ang tanong ko:
“Ipapamigay ba natin ito nang libre o ibebenta natin?”
It was an easy choice.
If you’re already at this point of the book, I’m confident
that this thought already passed through your mind:
“Bakit ito libre?!”
Because this is our mission.
To educate as many people as we can. To help people live
their lives to the fullest by being financially literate,
protected, and able.
Kaya isa isahin na natin... what are the
misconceptions about protecting your money?
common
“Hindi ko pa kailangan ng life insurance kasi bata pa
ako. Still healthy!”
As you age,
expensive.
your
insurance
policy
becomes
more
Well, okay, not more expensive because you get to decide
how much you’ll pay every month or every year. But what
happens is, for the same amount of money, your benefits
decrease.
Ibig sabihin ba nun, pag bumili ka ngayon at ₱2,500 per
month, next year mas mahal na babayaran mo?
Hindi. Pag bumili ka ngayon ng ₱2,500 at 10 years to pay
siya, sampung taon siyang ₱2,500 per month.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
But if you don’t buy this year and you decide to buy next
year, you can still pay ₱2,500 per month but with less
benefits.
Why? As mentioned earlier, the life insurance business is
a risk pooling business. If you’re younger, you’re less
risky as a client.
I don’t think I have to explain what happened to my
young and healthy mentee who became uninsurable,
right? In fact, the younger you are, the better it is for you
to get a policy.
Benefits are bigger / Your premiums (payments) are
more affordable.
Higher chance for you to get insured. Remember that
not everyone is insurable!
You have more time to grow your money.
Your life insurance is not all about death and critical
illnesses. A part of your payments go to investments too.
“Eh para sa patay patay lang yan.”
The younger you are, the more time you have to grow
your money.
The guaranteed death benefits and guaranteed medical
benefits are just some of the benefits of a life insurance
policy.
A part of your payments also go to investments. This can
be placed in the bond market, stock market, and other
markets (we’ll deal with these markets in the next
chapter).
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
As such, there is a chance for you to withdraw your cash
value (money that has grown) after a few years. This
money can be used for your retirement or for your child’s
education or for your vacation – anything, really.
As long as you don’t withdraw 100% of your cash value,
your guaranteed benefits (death and medical) remain
intact. Sweet, right?
Just remember that this cash value or this money growth
part is not guaranteed.
“Bakit ako maglalagay ng pera diyan kung hindi
pala guaranteed yung money growth?”
Yung paglalagyan ng pera mo are the same markets that
you invest in if you go directly to a bank or a fund
manager. It’s the same stock market, it’s the same bond
market, it’s the same commodity market.
All
investment
vehicles
like
stocks,
currencies,
commodities, bonds, art, real estate - literally all of them
- are not guaranteed.
This is why when you invest, the first thing you have to
think of is your investor profile. Are you the type who can
manage high risk investments or should we place your
money in less risky funds that will result in slower
growth?
“Wala akong pera para diyan. Dagdag gastos lang
yan.”
Money Jars!
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
Protecting your money is Step Five. The Money Jars is in
Step Two: Managing Your Money.
Sa Step Two pa lang, alam mo na kung bakit wala kang
pera, not just for this, but for anything else.
Remember din diba, your money never lies. It will go to
your priorities.
Sana ngayon mas naiintindihan na natin kung bakit napaka
importante ng Step One: Building Your Foundation and
Step Two: Managing Your Money.
Sa bagay, this book is called “How To YOLO: A Step by
Step Money Guide for People Who Wanna Enjoy Life”.
“May insurance akong nakukuha from my company.”
That’s good!
Now, check what your benefits are. Most likely, the
insurance you have with your company is a group life
insurance deal. Baka magulat ka, maliit lang pala ang
coverage. Here are some things you have to find out if
you’re receiving insurance benefits from your company:
Who is paying for this? How much?
How much will my family get if I pass away?
Will I get anything if I get critically ill?
What will happen if I resign?
Will I get retirement benefits from this insurance
policy?
If I were to get retirement benefits, does it mean that I
have to stay with my company until I retire? Am I
willing to do this?
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Am I happy with the benefits that I will get with this
policy?
Who has control over this policy? Me or the company?
Should I get a separate policy that I can fully control?
“I trade the stock market. I don’t need that.”
Okay, eh kumikita ka ba?
Yung hindi chamba strategy ha. Can you confidently say
that your trading profits can pay for uncertainties? And
can you do it consistently?
If your trading skills can, congratulations! Now, how will
you pass it on?
Some people pass their assets to their families before
they die just to learn na hindi pa pala sila kukunin ni
Lord. This might work for some, but not for everyone.
Your savings, properties, and even paper assets such as
stock market trades and shares remain frozen until your
family members pay for the necessary taxes after your
death.
The only asset that won’t be frozen if you pass away
which they can use to pay for taxes and unfreeze all of
your assets? Your guaranteed death benefits from life
insurance policies.
“Meron na 'kong life insurance.”
Congratulations!
Alam mo ba na mas marami pang car insurance sa
Pilipinas kesa life insurance? You’re one of the few
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
people who value themselves and their families more
than their cars.
It’s great to know that you have a policy already.
Now, let’s find out if your policies are already enough for
your needs.
We made a free calculator that you can use to check if
you need more policies or if your current ones are
enough.
What do you have to do?
Collect all of your life insurance policies or log into
your online portals.
Go to www.nfgglobal.com/policyreview
Fill it up according to the amounts stated in your life
insurance policies
The usage of this calculator is totally free. If you need
assistance, you can also sign up for a free consultation so
that an NFG Global Financial Advisor can assist you. Sign
up here: www.nfgglobal.com/freeconsultation
“Sus, gusto mo lang akong pagkakitaan eh.”
Gusto mo rin ba mag trabaho nang libre o mag negosyo
nang lugi? That would be stupid, right?
If as a financial advisor, I am providing value and
solutions for your financial problems, then I will really be
paid for it through commissions and referrals.
But of course, I would rather choose to be an educator
who is paid well and referred often than a salesman who
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
is paid as much.
And this is also why I love what I’m doing and why I help
and teach the financial advisors in my team! I always tell
them: “Kung hindi ka kumikita, ibig sabihin wala kang
natutulungan.”
This business model allows everyone to win. As a financial
advisor, our wealth and success is a prime indicator that
we have helped so many individuals and families.
YOLO with life insurance
I love travelling. And when I travel, I don’t like restricting
myself because of my budget. I want to see everything
there is to see and I enjoy it as much as I possibly can.
Kasi nga, YOLO!
One of my favorite travels happened in July 2019, our
second time to UAE.
I hopped into a helicopter with my boyfriend and business
partner, Marc, to get a better view of Dubai. Dubai from
the sky is something else! After our heli tour, we enjoyed
Moroccan Tea to rest for a 7-course meal scheduled at Al
Muntaha, Burj Al Arab.
Burj Al Arab is one of the tallest hotels in the world. It
stands on a private curving bridge on an artificial island.
Pumasok kami nang hindi alam kung ano ang ieexpect
aside from extreme luxury and impeccable service. Upon
stepping into the elevator, naalala ko kung paanong
hinanap ko lang dati ito sa Pinterest. I grabbed a photo of
a girl enjoying dinner here, printed it, placed it on my
dream board, and turned it into a plan.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
A few years, a lot of sweat and tears, and some failures
later, we were finally able to book a table.
In the earlier chapters, we talked about the Money Jars.
And I’ve already shared why the Play Jar is so important.
If we break down how much we spent that day, the saver
in me would slap me in the face.
➡
VIP Heli Tour
₱18,000 per person
Burj Al Arab 7 Course Dinner
₱35,000 per person
➡
Aside from the Money Jars, I’ll share a little secret that
allows me to enjoy life to the fullest, no matter how
crazy these costs can get.
Kasi nga, baka nakakalimutan natin… this book is called
“How to YOLO Wisely”.
So, what’s the secret?
Life insurance policies.
While life insurance is meant for the future, life insurance
is the best tool to acquire the enjoyment of the present.
Okay, so I’m currently 28 and I have eight life insurance
policies. Let’s break some of them down...
Some policies are meant for critical illnesses. Ibig
sabihin nito, kung maospital man ako dahil sa cancer,
heart attack, major burns, and/or other critical stuff, I
have at least ₱10,000,000 to get from all of my
policies. Cancer costs a lot! At least I don’t have to pull
out money from my savings and investments just to
pay for hospital bills.
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
All policies have guaranteed death benefits that will go
to my parents just in case something happens to me.
Some of my policies are partly made of investments in
bonds and equities (the stock market). Though money
growth in these investments is not guaranteed - just
like in any other investment vehicle - there is still a
chance for me to get money when I grow old. No need
for me to expect my future children to pay me back for
putting a roof over their heads for 18+ years, right?
So, how do these life insurance policies play a role in the
present if they’re all about the future?
One of my policies cost ₱3,500 per month. This ₱3,500
per month provides a guaranteed death benefit for my
family, a critical illness benefit for me, and a part of it is
invested in the stock market.
Sa halagang ₱3,500 per month:
Siguradong may maiiwan ako sa pamilya ko kung may
mangyari man sa akin (guaranteed)
May makukuhanan ako ng pera just in case maospital
ako (guaranteed)
May chance na lumago yung pera ko para sa retirement
(not guaranteed)
If I save ₱3,500 every month for 30 years, that will only
give me ₱1,260,000. Sa guaranteed benefits alone, lugi
nako ng milyon milyon sa pagsave ng ₱3,500 compared
to getting a life insurance policy.
And this is just one of my eight policies.
So ano nga bakit nga yan makakatulong sa present, aber?!
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STEP FIVE: PROTECT YOUR MONEY
Well you see, if I’m already prepared for the future, why
would I be worried about spending my money in the
present?
Using the Money Jar System, I already automatically place
money in my life insurance policies (because it’s a
necessity) which allows me to ensure my future. Kung
sigurado na yung future ko, bakit pa ako mag aalala?
YOLO na!
Remember: We were not born just to pay the bills and
invest and prepare for the future. Are you really living?
Or are you simply worrying?
Anyone who isn’t prepared for the future with emergency
funds and life insurance policies will definitely worry and
will essentially live life without a solid financial plan.
Kung mag yo-YOLO ka nang wala ka pang emergency
funds o life insurance, hindi yan YOLOing wisely.
Safeguard your future so that you can enjoy the present
all you want.
Every time I pay for my policies, I get this certain kind of
kilig dahil alam kong I did something for my future self.
And because that’s all set, all the money I have left can
be used to enjoy the only life I have now.
With wise financial planning, proper money management,
the right money-making skills, and a good set of friends,
you’ll be able to check items off your bucket list one by
one - with no limits.
Because hey, the only limit that we really have is having
only one life to live.
:
X
I
S
P
E
T
S
R
U
O
Y
E
K
A
M
K
R
O
W
Y
E
N
O
M
“Time you enjoy wasting is
not wasted time.”
Marthe Troly-Curtin
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
An attendee of one of my webinars once asked me,
“What’s an achievement you’re really proud of?”
I’ll let you imagine and feel my answer to this question:
Imagine waking up, not to an alarm clock but because of
birds chirping. Sounds cheesy and cliche, but I swear, it
happens in real life and not just in Disney movies.
Then, you get one whole hour for yourself. You use this
to meditate, to list down 10 things you’re grateful for,
and to read a short but powerful excerpt from any book
to jumpstart your day. After that, you do your morning
stuff, take a bath, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, and
enjoy a hot cup of coffee.
Maybe you’ll work, maybe you won’t. But if you decide to
dive into your calendar, you beam with pride and say:
“I chose to have these activities here.”
“No one forced me to place anything I don’t want to
have in my day.”
“Everything here is an opportunity for me to achieve my
best self and my goals.”
“This is the life I created and chose for myself. These are
mine.”
Then you do whatever you gotta do.
Pwedeng napakahaba ng To-Do list mo sa araw na ito.
Pwedeng napagod ka. Pwedeng nagpuyat. Other days
aren’t as packed. For some of them, you just read a good
book, enjoy playing games, or watch anime.
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
However your day looks like, what’s guaranteed about it
is you built it yourself. No need to drag your feet, heart,
mind, and soul to do something you don’t want to do.
You go to bed satisfied, thankful, and proud.
Before sleeping, you say, “I’m excited for tomorrow.
Thank you, Universe.”
An achievement I’m proud of: I never feel busy. Everyday,
I look at my calendar and the list of things I gotta do and
I flare with excitement. If I don’t want to do this or that,
it’s not on my calendar.
This, for me, is freedom.
“Busy with the ugliness of the expensive success,
We forget the easiness of free beauty
Lying sad right around the corner,
Only an instant removed,
Unnoticed and squandered.”
― Dejan Stojanovic
How much is your time worth?
Our forex trading students in Leo Advantage come from
vast backgrounds. We have public school teachers,
basketball coaches, make-up artists, and even surgeons.
I’m in charge of one-on-one review sessions with the
students. During this time, I get to take a closer look at
their personal money life, money EQ, beliefs around
money, and money habits. This way, I get to know why
they do certain things and make specific decisions when
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
they trade.
During a session with a surgeon, walang pasikot sikot,
diretso na lang niyang sinabe sa aking: “Nikki. Ang dami
kong kinikitang pera as a doctor. This has always been my
dream. But I’m tired.”
I asked him, “What exactly do you want to happen?”
He said, “I can tell you what I don’t want anymore. I don’t
want to grow old and realize that I suddenly have two
teenagers who won’t even hug me anymore.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered students making
lots of money as doctors, lawyers, pilots, or executives.
“Nagulat ako, puti na pala buhok ni daddy. Hindi ko
manlang napansin.”
“Suddenly, I’m 40. Walang problema doon. The problem
is I feel like I’m 60.”
“I always feel like I’m already too late because I never
have time for what I really want.”
What are they really looking for? They’ve got the money,
right? What else do they want? Obviously, something
more important than money.
They don’t just want time. They want time for their
families. Time for their relationships. Time for their
passions. Time for what’s truly important.
You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t
even have the luxury of time for the people and reasons
why you’re working so hard in the first place, then it just
doesn’t make sense.
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It all starts with awareness. When you realize that time is
more valuable than money, then you’re already wealthier.
A piso saved is a piso lent
By now, I hope you understand why there’s no point in
being busy with being busy and that being busy on the
wrong things is just, well, miserable. Having a big
paycheck sounds sweet until you realize that you don’t
even have time to spend it all.
Ano ang magagawa natin? What if we really have to
work? Hello, we have bills to pay, right? Hindi naman
lahat tayo pinanganak sa mayamang pamilya. Anong
gagawin natin?
To answer these questions, I will give you a question.
Do you ever wonder how banks make money?
This is one of the differences between people who have
both time and money and those who only have money:
those who have both earn interest, and those who only
have money pay interest.
When you place your money in the bank, it’s not really
safely sleeping in a metal box. Your money is being lent
to someone else.
YOURY
MONE
BANK
WHAT THEY GIVE IN RETURN
WHAT TH
EY DO
WITH YO
UR MON
EY
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
Kunwari, dahil sinunod mo yung mga natutunan mo sa
librong ito, you were able to build your emergency funds
amounting to ₱500,000.
You decided to place your emergency funds in a savings
account that gives you 1% annual interest.
While you’re out there doing your thing, your money is
working hard for someone else. The bank lent your money
to fund someone’s house loan, credit card, or car loan.
Other than the usual banking fees, your bank already
earned so much more from the interests they got with
loaning your emergency funds.
And what do you get in return for letting them play with
your money? 1%.
What’s your risk appetite?
Pwede kang magalit diyan at maasar at sabihing “Ang
daya! Ang daya ng banko!” or you can say “Ayoko na. I’m
going to quit and be a trader.” Pero babasagin ko lang for
a bit ang trip mo because here’s a fundamental truth…
Trading and investing is not for everyone.
At the very least, it’s not for people who don’t
understand themselves.
We’re finally in this part where we start talking about
making money work for us. I hope you already have all
your protective gear because we’re about to enter a
bloody war.
Before we step into the battlefield, we gotta know your
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risk appetite.
Trading and investing is a double edged sword. We often
just look at the gains, and we forget that placing your
money in the financial markets involves the risk of losing
it all, too.
“Wooow, totoo ba, I can earn that much from the forex
market?!”
“Yung kaibigan ko, nag stocks lang, naka pag resign na!”
“Pag gumaling ako magbasa ng charts, yayaman ako.”
Lahat yan narinig ko na with matching sparkly eyes pa, na
onti na lang luluwa na ng barya.
But the same people end up looking for another job
because they have failed to manage their risk appetite.
Not only did they lose money - they ended up poorer
than they were before they started.
Knowing your risk appetite is basically knowing how much
risk you can handle. If you really think about it, there’s
no formula for this. Napaka subjective, because for you to
know your risk appetite, you have to understand your
Money EQ, not your Money IQ.
People mistake knowledge, skill, chart reading, strategies,
indicators, news finding, and even connections as the key
to making lots of money from the markets. They focus
too much on Money IQ. Though these are important,
they’re just a small part of the equation. Even if you’re a
skilled trader or investor, your emotional attachments
around money can be proven detrimental to your
investing and trading decisions - especially if you don’t
have a clear grasp around the reasons why you carry
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specific emotions around money.
Naranasan mo na bang ma-stress dahil marami kang
utang? Mawalan ng tulog dahil negative yung trade mo?
Kabahan kasi hindi pa dumadating yung sweldo?
Eh yung tumalon sa saya dahil naka pulot ka ng ₱500?
Kiligin sa bonus? Ma-excite sa dividends?
Money is emotionally charged. Unless we understand why
we feel certain things about money, we’ll
keep on
making bad decisions around our investments.
You might be comfortable going through the market’s
highest peaks and lowest valleys. Or uncertainties can
make you lose sleep. The reason behind your decisions
around money are not logical - they’re always emotional.
So, how will you know more about your risk appetite?
Learning more about your Money EQ is honestly a long,
loooong game. In fact, you will learn some of the
essential things about yourself when you’re already in the
war.
But now, we can simply ask three questions which can
help you determine your risk appetite.
Question #1: Magkano ang kaya mo mawala bago ka
bumalik sa pancit canton for breakfast, lunch, at
dinner?
How much money are you willing to lose?
How much investment risk can you stomach?
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
Magkano yung pera na sa wallet mo na pag naiwan mo sa
jeep, hindi mo na hahabulin?
At pag nawala mo ito, ilang gabi kang hindi makakatulog?
Money growth calls for a certain amount of emotional
tolerance for risk. Markets fluctuate. If you stare at charts
or if you find it stressful seeing your investments go up
and down, you might do things that may be harmful for
your portfolio.
Those with low risk tolerance will pull out their money at
the slightest market fluctuation. And those who are too
aggressive will inject more money whenever possible.
Question #2: Ano ba ang gusto kong mangyare sa
pera ko?
Malamang sasabihin mo, “Duh, gusto kong kumita. Anuba
ghorl.”
Of course. That’s everyone’s goal. But why? Why do you
want to achieve this?
You’d be surprised that it’s common to see someone
saying “Gusto ko kumita in a wise and strategic manner”,
pero yung investment decisions parang naglalaro lang sa
casino.
It’s important to set your investment goals because this
will also determine the markets we can play in.
Some goals won’t really require you to join speculative
markets that give high rewards but also dabble in
extremely high risks. And some goals can only be
achievable if we place your money in markets that
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
provide more reward and more risk.
Question #3: Gaano katagal natin ito lalaruin? Pakiestimate nga, mars.
Here, we’re dealing with your investment timeframe.
Actually, there are two factors that come into play when
dealing with this question:
1. Ilang taon ka na ba?
2. How long will you let your money work for you?
Yes, in investing, your age matters… a lot.
People often think that investing is only for the rich.
Well, I believe that investing is for the young.
If you’re young, you have time by your side. Even if you
don’t have a big capital, and even if you start with small
money, you still get the luxury of growing your money
through compound interest – interest earning on interest
earning on interest. And you can only do this if you give
it enough time to grow.
Age also matters because older people tend to be more
risk averse because they know that they have less time to
recover possible losses.
Knowing these, hindi mo talaga pwedeng pag handaan ang
retirement nang bigla bigla lang. You can’t just decide to
start saving up or investing for retirement five years
before you actually retire.
If you want to know how much you’ll get every month
during your retirement years with whatever you’re doing
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now, you can find out for free by using this calculator:
www.nfgglobal.com/retirement Goodluck!
The money war zone
“Making your money work for you” or “Making money
while you sleep” is such a common money advice that it’s
almost cliché.
Financial freedom is not having to work on things you
don’t have and want to do because your passive income
covers your expenses. Passive income is income that you
get even if you’re not working. The formula looks like
this:
Financial Freedom = Passive Income > Expenses
Whenever people learn about this, they just jump right to
it! But the truth about passive income is it only becomes
passive after some enormous active work.
To build your Golden Goose that will lay your Golden
Eggs for you, you first have to be able to give any of
these three things:
1. Money called capital which you can put upfront,
knowing well that there are risks involved and that it may
take time before your money grows. You can attain
passive income by placing money in various financial
markets.
2. Massive energy and effort, knowing that you only have
to do this once and it eventually can give you passive
money through sales. An example would be writing a
book - it will take time and effort to write one, but you
can sell it later on and earn from it even as you enjoy
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life.
3. Lots of time in which you upgrade your skills and also
lose money and effort knowing that if you become good
at it, you’ll make income. Notice that I only said income
and not passive income, because I want to put trading
here. And as I’ve said earlier, trading is not a passive skill.
If you don’t trade, you don’t get or lose money.
Pwede kang mamili sa tatlong ito or you can have all of
them. I personally have all three:
Money: I have money in savings, money markets, time
deposits, variable life insurance, bonds, index funds, long
term stocks, real estate, collectibles, and commodities.
Effort: As Unit Manager, if my financial advisors
financially succeed, I make money as well through
override commissions.
Skills: It took me 5 years of learning, practicing, and
failing before forex trading became my top money maker
and beat my profits from all my businesses. Now, with
only less than five minutes per day, I get to make money
from the forex market.
Unless you have so much capital that can be placed in
money markets, you still have to do some work. And trust
me, it will not happen overnight!
Slow is always fast
When people learn about this whole passive income thing,
nakikita ko na yung kinang sa kanilang mga mata… and
then I get scared.
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
Paano ba naman,
resignation letter.
bigla
na
silang
nagda-draft
ng
I’ve seen too many people get caught up in this money
war that they get frustrated and become cynical when
they learn a fundamental truth: the slow game is the fast
game.
Warren
Bezos,
second
simple.
Buffett is the world’s most prolific investor. Jeff
CEO of Amazon once asked him: “You’re the
richest guy in the world and your strategy is so
Why doesn’t everyone copy you?”
Warren Buffett simply said, “Because nobody wants to get
rich slowly.”
The number one account, portfolio, business, and even
adulting killer?
Pagmamadali.
Skills are practiced and honed overtime. The same goes
for building a business, writing a book, or making
anything worthwhile.
Ikaw ba, magpapa opera ka ba sa medical student? I don’t
think so.
If we want to consistently make money from the markets,
if we want to be profitable traders, if we want to
successfully make money as investors or businesspeople,
we gotta take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Most people are too zoomed in and don’t see the
importance of all the losses and failures anymore. If you
just zoom out a bit, makikita mo na sa simula pa lang na
parte pala yung losses sa buong plano - kung may plano
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ka.
3%, 5%, 10% a month from the financial markets done
consistently for 5 years will yield bigger results than
tsyambahang 100%, 500%, 1000% in one week.
Being slow but consistent is the key.
Slow is always fast.
Welcome to the financial markets
There are many options available in the Philippines (and
there are a lot of scams too). Here, we will talk about
your financial market options which are readily available
through banks and some companies.
DISCLAIMER:
These are just summaries of some of the financial markets in the
Philippines. I did not include every single option (there are too
many) and every single detail. The options available here are the
popular choices that are readily available through banks and
companies.
I have no intention of promoting any company (whether a bank, a
life insurance company, or any institution that may provide and sell
these instruments). You can easily obtain the list of top performing
companies and fund managers online if you are interested in
joining any of these markets.
Remember, paulit ulit ulit ulit ulit: Before you get into any of these
markets, you must be financially, mentally, emotionally, and
psychologically prepared and equipped.
Before deciding to invest in any of these markets, carefully
consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk
appetite. Some of these markets may not be suitable for you.
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No investment advice or strategies will be given in this chapter. If
you want to learn more about your personal financial health and a
market you want to get into, please contact a licensed and
professional financial advisor. Schools that focus on specific
markets also exist.
But those who sign up for the www.nfgglobal.com newsletter will
get additional information and learning resources about these
financial markets.
The general rule of thumb in the financial markets is the
higher the possible reward, the higher the risk involved.
Alright, we’ll start from least risky to most risky.
Checking Account and Savings Account
A Savings Account is a bank deposit account that acts as a
safe piggy bank for your money. As you store your money
in a Savings Account, you earn interest overtime.
A Checking Account is just like a Savings Account, but this
allows you to issue checks. This is also known as “Current
Account”. Unlike Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts
don’t have withdrawal limits and don’t incur interest.
SAVINGS
Pros
A safe place to keep your money
Emergency funds
Easy withdrawals
₱500,000 is insured by the government
Initial deposit is affordable
Money earns interest
Can be linked to e-wallets or online
services
Cons Limited withdrawals amount
Transactions fees
CHECKING
Unlimited number of transactions
High limits for transactions
Checks are safer to carry
Perfect for recurring bills
Comes with a passbook & debit card
Can be used as a proof of payment
Convenient for making large payments
Helps with establishing credit score
Not for money growth (no interest)
Higher initial deposit
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
Major commercial banks offer both Savings and Checking
Accounts. It’s good to have both in order to manage your
money well.
As discussed earlier, you need to have an emergency fund
and a Savings Account will be perfect for that.
For recurring payments, however, a Checking Account
would be the better option.
Time Deposits
A Time Deposit account is another safe option for
conservative investors. If you’re looking for anything that
provides higher interest rates compared to a Savings
Account, this might be for you.
Basically, what happens is your savings become illiquid meaning hindi mo siya mawi-withdraw for a certain period
of time.
This allows the bank to play with your money without
withdrawals. In return, the bank will give you a higher
interest rate.
If you will place money in time deposits, this must be
money that you won’t be using during that period. You
cannot place your emergency funds here, kasi duh, paano
pag nagka emergency at hindi ka maka-withdraw?
Here are some perks:
Better returns compared to a saving’s account
You can choose its maturity period: 30, 60, 90, 180
days, 1 year, or longer
Up to ₱500,000 is also insured
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Helps you with your money discipline since you won’t
be able to withdraw and spend it
Unit Investment Trust Fund and Mutual Funds
If you want to get into buying stocks of top Philippine
corporations, you can do this by opening a Unit
Investment Trust Fund (UITF).
A UITF is a pool of money invested by the public. The
goal of this fund is, of course, to build maximum returns.
This fund is managed by trust entities through banks and
the money in it is provided by multiple investors with
similar investment goals.
Another thing that you have to know about UITFs is
they’re “open-ended”. Open-ended, hindi open-minded.
Ibig sabihin, if you place your money here, you can get
your money back any time as well.
Fund managers can invest the pooled funds into stocks
and bonds and investors earn through dividends, stock
price increase, or interest.
Some of you might be thinking, “Hindi ba ganito rin ang
mutual funds?”
Yes, mutual funds and UITFs operate in the same way but
there are still differences that you should consider.
A mutual fund also grows money through a managed fund
with pooled money from multiple investors. Just like
UITFs, the pooled money is used to buy and sell securities
(collective term for stocks and bonds).
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Okay, so anong pinagkaiba nila? Their difference lies on
the way they are managed.
FACTORS
MUTUAL FUND
UITF
Who offers
Investment companies
Bank
Who sells
SEC licensed advisors
Bank employees
What you buy
Shares of mutual fund
Units of participation
Pricing
Net Assets Value per Share (NAVPS)
Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU)
Who regulates
Securities & exchange Commission
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Which law governs
managed funds
Republic Act 262- Investment
Company Act of the Philippines
Republic Act 8791- General Banking
Law
Tax
Non-taxable
Withholding tax
UITFs and Mutual Funds can invest in stock funds, bond
funds, balanced funds, and money market funds.
Stock Funds are invested in stocks (duh). These are best
for aggressive investors who are okay with placing their
money in a volatile market. The risk involved in investing
in this fund is high. Despite the risks, a lot of people are
attracted to this fund because the potential returns are
also high.
Fund managers can invest pooled funds in individual
stocks or in indices. If you put your money in Index
Funds, you’re betting on the top companies of a country.
For the US, it’s SP500. For Japan it’s Nikkei225. For the
Philippines, we’re talking about PSEI’s top 30 blue chip
companies.
Bond Funds are invested in bonds (again, duh). These are
the stuff for conservative investors who want to make
sure their capital remains safe. But of course, low risk
comes with low rewards. Walang problema. Kung ang goal
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ng investor is to earn some passive income without losing
his or her capital, this is a good option.
Balanced Funds provide a mix of bonds and stocks and are
great for those who want to experience the potentials of
the stock market but also want to have the safety and
security provided by bonds. Para ito sa mga dalawa ang
puso.
Money Market Funds are best for conservative investors
who want to invest their money in short-term debts. Low
risk and low potential returns… but safe.
Variable Life Insurance
Life insurance policies do not only provide death and
medical benefits. Variable Life Insurance (also known as
Unit Linked Funds or VULs) give you guaranteed death
benefits and non-guaranteed investment benefits.
Think of VULs as your 3-in-1 package: you get to invest
in Stock Funds, Bond Funds, Balanced Funds, or Money
Market Funds and you also get the guaranteed death and
medical benefits.
Dalawang tanong ang pwedeng lumalabas ngayon:
1. “Eh kung ganito pala ang VUL, bakit pa ako mag
mumutual funds o UITF?”
2. “Bakit hindi na lang ako mag invest sa stocks
directly?”
Because it still depends on your current financial
conditions, skills, level of risk appetite, and financial
goals. Para mas madali:
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If it’s important for you to be protected with the
guaranteed benefits, go for a VUL.
If you want to make money from the growth of the
Philippine company and don’t have the necessary skills
to manage your own funds yet, then choose a mutual
fund or a UITF.
If you have the interest, time, effort, commitment,
money, and the right risk profile, then investing in
stocks directly may be a good option for you.
Stocks
Whenever I talk about stocks, I always feel that I have to
explain the difference between investing and trading.
Both of these provide opportunities to earn money from
highly liquid markets, but they do this in very different
ways.
Traders buy and sell stocks, currencies, and commodities
within minutes, hours, days, or weeks. They focus on short
term factors. The main question a trader needs to answer
is “In which direction will this stock move?”.
Investors have a longer game plan compared to traders.
These guys think in terms of years and hold stocks,
currencies, or commodities through the market’s
volatility.
Sabi nga nila, ang traders pa shota shota lang pero ang
investors, pangkasalan na. Kidding aside, you must know
whether you want to trade or if you want to invest. Para
rin hindi tayo yung traders na naglalagay ng “Investor at
PSEi” as jobs sa Facebook profiles natin.
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We’ll head back to trading later when we start talking
about market speculation.
So, what are stocks?
A stock represents what you own in a company. If you
have more stock shares, you own more of that company.
Essentially, when that company you invested in makes
more money, you make more money, too, because the
value of your shares go up.
A company’s growth multiplied by the amount of shares
you have = Kaching kaching!
Pero basag trip muna ako ha…
Kung ganoon siya paakyat, ganoon din siya pababa. If the
value of your stock goes down, then so does your money.
Other than capital appreciation, you also earn money
through dividends.
Some corporations you invest in may issue dividends to
shareholders. These represent your earnings. These
dividends can be given as cash or as additional shares of
stocks.
If we’re going to round up investing in stocks in easy
steps, it will look like this:
1. Choose your broker. As I said earlier, I will not provide
specific companies. Check for online brokers who have
a history of easy deposits and withdrawals.
Alternatively, you can get a licensed broker or
salesman who will help you go through the process.
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2. Open your stock market brokerage account online. You
can start for as low as ₱1,000.
3. Fund your account. This can be done via online
banking.
4. Place your orders online. If you have a stockbroker, call
him to place the order for you.
5. Track your investments.
Alam kong by reading this, ang dami nang HOW
questions. How do I choose a broker? How do I choose
which companies to buy? How would I know if it’s a good
time to buy? How would I know if I can exit already? How
to withdraw money? How do I track investments? How do
I study these companies?
May mas malupit akong tanong: Kung tanong mo yan
lahat, bakit ka nag bukas ng account?
I’ve been very clear from the very start - though this
sounds interesting, you should never get into any of these
markets without knowing the risks, preparing your funds,
studying how it works, building a strategy, and
customizing your whole plan based on your risk profile
and investment goals.
Oo, marami kang matututunan if you just jump right
away. But let’s not lose so much money and let’s not risk
our sanity by getting into the stock market unarmed.
Real Estate
If you have the capital to buy a property and the
operational money to build it up and manage it, then real
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estate may be for you.
This is a dream for most because unlike the stock market,
real estate is tangible. You buy it and you see it, feel it,
and even smell it.
There are various ways to earn from the real estate
market.
One of these ways is called flipping. Flipping involves 3
steps: buy, renovate, and sell. What you’re doing here
essentially is buying low and selling high. But of course,
in order to renovate it so that you can sell it for a better
price, you will need capital.
Other than flipping, there are also rentals (like
apartments), lease contracts (like gas stations), ancillary
profits (like vendo machines), and community listings
(like Airbnbs).
Sometimes, investors treat raw land like stocks which they
buy and hold. When you do this, what you’re really
investing is in the location of the property. If you believe
that the property rests on a future hot spot for
development, then you can buy it while it’s still
affordable and wait for its value to go up as its
surroundings get developed.
Speculation (Trading)
Speculation is primarily trading high liquid, high volume,
and high risk markets in exchange for high returns.
This is a double edged sword. If you can make ₱100,000
in a snap, you can also lose ₱100,000 in a snap.
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The most commonly traded markets are the stock market
(stocks) and the forex market (currencies and
commodities). There are many differences between the
stock market and the forex market but here are the major
ones:
Trading Hours
The stock market is open like a 9 to 5 job. Kung may
trabaho ka at nag tetrade ka during work, idaan na lang sa
Alt+Tab kasi malamang, pag uwi mo, sarado na ang
market at hindi ka na makakapag trade.
The forex market is open from Monday 5:00 am to
Saturday 5:00 am. This means that you can trade at 2pm
or 10pm or 8am. Whatever fits your schedule.
Liquidity and Volume
Liquidity deals with the amount of money circulating
around the markets. Mas maraming players, mas
maraming pera. Mas maraming pera, mas malakas na
volatility. Mas malakas na volatility, mas maraming galaw.
Mas maraming galaw, mas maraming opportunities for day
traders to make money. This also allows traders to enter
and exit at prices that they really want.
If the market isn’t moving, then you can’t make money.
The largest stock market is the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) which plays with around 200B USD a day.
However, this is nothing compared to the forex market
with an estimated volume of 5.7T USD a day.
This means that in terms of opportunities to make money
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I have an obvious bias for the forex market because 1) I
am a forex trading coach and co-own Leo Advantage, and
2) my main source of income still comes from the forex
market.
So, in this part, I will talk more about…
dundundunduuun…
The Forex Market
I’ve been in the forex market for 11 years. Within those
years, I worked as an institutional trader, a forex trainer
for a Singapore-based broker, and a trading strategist for
an Australian-based forex school. After these experiences,
I eventually opened my own forex trading school with
another CEO - my former competitor and now my
business partner and life partner (yiheee), MMM.
His pick up line was: “Dapat kasi pag nag jowa ka, forex
trader din.” Gumana naman.
Anyway, what is forex trading?
You probably know someone who knows someone who
knows someone who made it big by trading the forex
market. Now, you wanna dip your toes into this whole
forex trading thing.
We're all looking for other ways of generating income
other than sitting inside a cubicle, pretending to work,
and waiting for the clock to strike 5. In this journey of
trying to make money from the forex market, we were
somehow brought to believe that this market will
generate unlimited sums of money all from the comfort
of your sweet, sweet bed. Sounds good, right?
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But what is the forex market, really?
Being a forex trader is just like being a doctor, a lawyer,
or an engineer – you don't become one overnight.
Learning how to become a competent and profitable forex
trader takes months and even years of experience,
patience, and discipline.
Forex stands for "foreign exchange". Some people simply
call it "FX".
The forex market is where we exchange one currency (like
the US Dollars, Great Britain Pound, and the Japanese Yen)
and commodities (like Gold, Oil, and Paladium) with one
another.
That’s it.
“Wait - what?”
Alright, let's slow it down a bit.
Have you ever travelled to another country before?
If you had 100 US Dollars and you're travelling to Japan,
you wouldn't be able to buy anything using your dollar
bills.
The first thing you'd have to do is have your US Dollars
changed into Japanese Yen.Changing 100 USD to JPY
would mean that you have 10,614.50 JPY. Now, you can
definitely start shopping in Akihabara.
Here's the real deal: when you turned your USD to JPY,
did you actually lose your USD? Newp.
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You still have your 100 USD! It just turned into
10,614.50 JPY. Think of it as Peter Parker just becoming
Spiderman or the other way around. The same value,
different "costume."
You might have used the forex market before without
even knowing it. Go you!
Other than buying ridiculously cute things from Japan,
the forex market also helps businesses that ship stuff
from one country to another. If I’m going to buy
something from China and I’m from UK, it would be better
if talk money in terms of one currency so that they’re all
on the same page.
What are we actually trading in the forex market? And
how does it work?
The obvious answer: Money.
But you can also trade commodities like Gold, Oil, and
Palladium. Oh, and indices too! We have GER30, Nikkei
225, and SP500 among many others.
Forex can be a bit confusing for most because you’re not
really buying anything.
In stocks, when you buy 100 shares of a company, you
literally own 100 shares of a company. It’s so literal that
you can even use these shares as collateral when you take
a loan. It’s all yours and you can do whatever you wanna
do it — you can keep it or sell it, much like how you can
keep or sell your laptop, your playstation, or your books.
Remember, we’re talking about the foreign exchange
market. We are simply exchanging one currency into
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another — not owning anything.
The forex market always operates in pairs like GBP/JPY,
XAU/USD, and EUR/USD.
Think of the slashes as “versus”.
If GBP is doing better than JPY, then we will buy GBP. If
we buy GBP, we are automatically selling JPY. This
happens simultaneously.
If we’d rather take JPY than GBP because JPY is doing
better than GBP, then we will sell GBP. Doing so will buy
JPY at the same time.
Confusing?
Just think about the first currency in the pair (called the
Base). In GBP/JPY, the base is GBP.
If GBP is good, buy it. If GBP is bad, sell it.
So, how will you know if a pair must be bought or sold?
Well, that’s where your strategies come in.
But just like what I said earlier, we have to do this wisely.
The forex market is one of the most rewarding of them
all. And what does this mean? It’s also one of the
riskiest.
How will you lower your risk?
By creating your money foundation, building your
emergency funds, protecting your money, getting
mentors, studying, practicing, and accepting that you can
lose 100% of your capital.
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Investment Risk Quiz
I hope that by now, you understand why knowing your
investment profile is a fundamental factor before you
enter the markets. Given what you already know about
the markets, you can get a clearer view about your own
investment profile. To get to know yourself more, take
this quiz consisting of 13 questions. There’s only one
rule: be honest.
1. How would people around you describe you as a risk
taker?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Gambler yan!
Will do research then will take risk.
Very cautious...
Anong risk risk?! Doon lang sa safe!
2. May napanood ka sa TV na mas masaya kesa sa Game
KNB?. It’s a money game that asks you this question:
Which would you take?
a.
b.
c.
d.
₱50,000 in cash
A 50% chance at winning ₱200,000
A 25% chance at winning ₱500,000
A 5% chance at winning ₱5,000,000
3. You have finally completed saving up for your dream
vacation! But two weeks before your flight, you got fired!
What will you do?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Cancel. Malas.
Downgrade to a more modest vacation.
Chill lang, baks. Tuloy pa rin.
Sus, extend pa the vacation noh. Wala na pa lang
work, eh. Watanays!
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
4. You magically got $20,000 to invest. What will you
do?
a. Deposit the money in a bank. At the most, invest in
time deposit account.
b. Invest in bonds.
c. Invest it in long term stocks.
5. How comfortable are you in trading the stock or forex
market?
a. Huhu ayoko nga! Nakakatakot mamsh.
b. Hmmm, keri naman.
c. Suuuus #mastertrader kaya ako.
6. What comes to mind when you think of the word
“risk”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Loss
Uncertainty
Opportunity
Wooot taralets! Gusto ko yaaaan!
7. Experts are saying that prices of assets such as stocks,
currencies, and gold will increase in value while bonds
may fall. But you also know that bonds are relatively
safe. Most of your money are in high interest bonds. What
will you do?
a. Keep the bonds.
b. Let go of the bonds, put half of the money in the
bank, and the other half in currencies.
c. Let go of the bonds and place everything in
currencies.
d. Let go of the bonds, place everything in currencies,
and borrow money to get more currencies.
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STEP SIX: MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK
8. Given the best and worst case returns of the four
investment choices below, which would you prefer?
a.
b.
c.
d.
₱10,000 gain best case; ₱0 gain/loss worst case
₱40,000 gain best case; ₱10,000 loss worst case
₱130,000 gain best case; ₱40,000 loss worst case
₱240,000 gain best case; ₱120,000 loss worst case
9. In addition to whatever you own, you have been given
₱50,000. You are now asked to choose between:
a. A sure gain of ₱25,000
b. A 50% chance to gain ₱50,000 and 50% chance to
gain nothing
10. In addition to whatever you own, you have been given
₱100,000. You are now asked to choose between:
a. A sure loss of ₱25,00
b. A 50% chance to lose ₱50,000 and a 50% chance
to lose nothing
11. A generous tita left you an inheritance of
₱10,000,000, stipulating in the will that you invest all
the money in one of the following choices. Ano ang
pipiliin mo?
a.
b.
c.
d.
A savings account
A mutual fund that owns stocks and bonds
Long term real estate
Commodities like gold, silver, and oil
12. If you had to invest P1,000,000, which of the
following investment choices would you find most
appealing?
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a. 60% in low-risk investments 30% in mediumriskinvestments 10% in high-risk investments
b. 30% in low-risk investments 40% in medium-risk
investments 30% in high-risk investments
c. 10% in low-risk investments 40% in medium-risk
investments 50% in high-risk investments
13. Your childhood friend is building a start-up. Based on
his pitch, if you invest money for his start-up, you can
potentially earn 300%. If it’s a bust, you can lose your
whole investment. How much will you invest?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Nothing
One month’s salary
Three month’s salary
Six month’s salary
Scoring System
1. a=4; b=3; c=2; d=1
2. a=1; b=2; c=3; d=4
3. a=1; b=2; c=3; d=4
4. a=1; b=2; c=3
5. a=1; b=2; c=3
6. a=1; b=2; c=3; d=4
7. a=1; b=2; c=3; d=4
8. a=1; b=2; c=3; d=4
9. a=1; b=3
10. a=1; b=3
11. a=1; b=2; c=3; d=4
12. a=1; b=2; c=3
13. a=1; b=2; c=3; d=4
18
19
23
29
33
or below = Low risk tolerance (conservative investor)
to 22 = Average risk tolerance
to 28 = Moderate risk tolerance
to 32 = Above-average risk tolerance
and above = High risk tolerance (aggressive investor)
:
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LEG
“Legacy is not leaving something for
people. It’s leaving something in people.”
Peter Strople
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
I come from a family of lawyers. It’s in my blood and
even my surname — Jurado. It’s so maala-teleserye that
not becoming a lawyer is kind of a big deal, especially
when your brother is a genius in lawyer-ing.
I grew up thinking I would be called “Atty. Jurado” one
day, just like all the other Atty. Jurados in the family. I
had to become one. Or else.
One day, I realized that I wanted to become a pianist.
Then a filmmaker. Then a writer. Then a businessperson.
Ayun, hindi ko na pinangarap maging abogada ulit.
My dad eventually gave up. Until now though, my titos
and titas say, “Kung naging abogada ka, isa ka sa
pinakamagaling natin!” or “Kung nag-law ka edi abogada
ka na sana ngayon noh?”
I always thought that because I didn’t take up law, my
dad loved me less or that he was disinterested in anything
that I did just because I’m not a lawyer like him, like my
kuya, like my sister-in-law, and like everyone else in the
family. I had this weird belief that I had to make a lot of
money by the age of 28 just because my kuya became a
lawyer at this age. Sabe ko pa noon, “I’ll prove them all
wrong, then I’ll be happy.”
And I did.
I never became a lawyer but I did make money. Did I
prove them wrong? Yes. Was I happy? Hmmm…
I spent a lot of years focusing on goals that would prove
to everyone that I was someone, that I didn’t need to
become a lawyer to get their attention or to build money.
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
Often, we think our life is ours, pero hindi pala. Our goals
belong to someone whose validation we’re craving for.
Nabubuhay pala tayo para sa iba.
In some cases, we wanna achieve something just so we
can get approval from someone. Usually, these people are
our own parents.
“I just want my dad to say that he’s proud of me.”
“If I hear my mom tell me that she loves me, I’d be
happy.”
“Papatunayan ko sa kanila na kaya ko lahat ito mag isa.”
“I’ll prove you wrong.”
Familiar?
When we say and do these things, we’re not really trying
to achieve anything for ourselves. We’re just chasing
goals for someone else.
In the end, you may have proven them wrong. Pero
kaninong oras at buhay ang nasayang? Yung iyo lang.
It was only last year when I stopped doing things just to
prove my dad wrong. I was surprised to witness our
relationship blossom. I became more open to him and
vice versa. We talk and go on father-daughter dates more
often, and he easily tells me that he’s proud of what I’ve
done for myself.
Minsan nga, naiisip kong baka hinihintay lang pala niya
akong gawin ang mga bagay para sa sarili ko at hindi para
sa kaniya.
Whose goals are you chasing? Whose life are you living?
Are they really yours?
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A letter from the past
Written December 27, 2018
Received December 27, 2019
Dear Nikki,
Exactly a year ago, you learned a valuable lesson: hindi
nasasagot ng pera ang lahat.
But first, magpakatotoo tayo. Money can buy you
happiness. Temporary happiness. Unless, of course, if you
bought a dog. But don't buy dogs. Adopt instead!
Alam mo naman kung papaanong naayos ng pera ang iba
sa mga problema mo. It is a booster for nearly all areas of
your life.
Keywords: nearly and temporary.
Noong 2018, you asked yourself: "Eto na lang ba talaga
yun?"
What are we really living for? Is it just to work, save, pay
bills, and invest? Why?
Why has money become the driving force of our lives?
There has got to be more to life than chasing things that
only provide temporary pleasure.
This 2019, don't just get out of the rat race. Find and
destroy the maze itself. Acquire wisdom. Go out there.
The people you will meet have collected golden nuggets
that will light your path.
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
Travel the world, find your why, write, inspire as many
people as you can, talk with strangers, and I mean really,
reaaally talk with strangers, learn from ates and kuyas,
cry with new friends, paint, take a gazillion photos, talk
about what you're thankful for, talk about your pains,
share whatever you can, give, give, give, chase sunsets,
tell your parents you love them (everyday), dream bigger
dreams, fight for what you believe in, love fiercely, laugh
at trolls, laugh with trolls, eat whatever you want on the
menu, buy one-way tickets, and please please please...
Live intentionally.
Ask and face bigger questions. Ask why.
Do not allow other people to define who you are and who
you can be. Your downfall starts when you try to prove
yourself to others.
Above all, be kind - especially when it's difficult to share
your light. Those who walk with dark clouds need your
kindness and love the most.
2019's gunbe great.
Excited for your (mis)adventures,
Your younger (and hopefully chubbier) self.
What would you do if money isn’t an issue?
Babalik at babalik tayo dito.
Knowing your values and priorities, managing your money,
increasing your income, building emergency funds,
protecting your money from uncertainties, and making
your money grow will give you the mindset, attitude,
tools, and money you’d need to buy the most important
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commodity in the world...
Time.
When we think about money and our money goals, ang
unang naiisip agad ng tao ay “making millions”.
Well, not just millions. But “making kajillionzzz”. So so so
much money.
But when we really think about it and if we sit down and
do the math, you only need a bit in order to live a life of
freedom.
Whatever your answer is to “What will you do if money
isn’t an issue?” will be your legacy.
Legacy.
What is it, really?
And do we really need to build one? When I first started
watching all these inspirational speakers, they kept on
talking about legacy. And somehow, once you get into the
endless motivational loop and surround yourself with the
right people, you’ll start thinking about your own legacy,
too.
Kadalasan, when we think about legacy, we think about
death. At least, eto yung naiisip ko dati.
Before, I thought legacy was having your name used as
the name of a great hall, or having your story passed on
like a legend, or having your own Wikipedia page, or
getting your own statue after death.
We think that leaving a legacy is about being
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
remembered or being the star, the root and cause of it
all, the person to look up to, many generations later.
Is building a legacy really about creating your life after
death?
One ordinary day in 1888, a successful man read his own
obituary.
It was supposed to be his brother’s, but the editor of the
newspaper confused the two and placed his name
instead.
In bold, striking letters, the published headline said, “THE
MERCHANT OF DEATH IS DEAD”. This obituary proceeded
to describe a man who made lots of money by providing
tools for people to kill one another.
This event is believed to be the turning point of this
man’s life. He left his fortune and lived a life where he
awarded those whose work most benefited humanity. He
died eighty years later.
This is the true story of Alfred Nobel - inventor of the
dynamite and founder of the Nobel Prize.
We want to find meaning in our lives even if we know
that death is inevitable. And this is exactly why we YOLO
- we don’t want to be on our deathbeds thinking…
“Sayang.”
“Sana pala…”
“Kung ginawa ko lang…”
We don’t want to appreciate the only life we have when
we’re about to lose it -- that is, if we’re even given the
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
gift and luxury of reflecting about life on a bed rather
than realizing that we are going to die in a few seconds
because of an accident.
“Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to
live forever; you just have to live.”
-Natalie Babbitt
You don’t have to be an Alfred Nobel, a Steve Jobs, a Jose
Rizal, a Mother Theresa, or a Nelson Mandela. You don’t
have to die taking a bullet for someone else, write a best
selling novel, or build an empire to build a legacy.
I have learned that building a legacy is really about
creating the kind of impact you give every person you
meet along the way.
My 3rd year high school Chemistry teacher taught the
subject using vivid stories, our household helper for ten
years created the best pork adobo recipe in the world, my
grade 2 homeroom teacher looked me in the eye and said,
“Ang galing-galing mong magsulat!”, a student and friend
from Dubai sent me a heartfelt 10-page letter that
prompted me to write this book, and a stranger I once
talked with in a UV Express introduced me to lifechanging authors John Maxwell and Robin Sharma. These
are the legacies left behind by ordinary people. But their
impact on me will always live on - through this book,
through the other books I will write, through the
businesses I have and will build, through the people I
employ, and through the students and mentees we take
in. This is what building a legacy is all about.
Sometimes, it’s not our names written in history books.
But how many names are behind the famous ones? How
many people have touched their lives for them to be able
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to leave such incredible marks? Sometimes, we’re just the
guys behind the curtains and not the people under the
limelight. And it doesn’t matter. What matters is still this:
what kind of impact do you have on other people? What
kind of legacy will you leave behind?
To build your legacy, all you gotta do is live. Actually
live. Live your life your way. Live it according to your
personal values. Live it in your own terms. Live
intentionally.
Ikaw, what will you do if money isn’t an issue?
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H
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HOW’S YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH?
Find out how you’re doing financially with this quick and
fun quiz. All you gotta do is be as honest as possible. The
results of this quiz will determine whether you need to
tweak some things in your financial life or if you’re doing
okay.
Let’s start!
How much of your income goes to your expenses?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Less than 50%
51% to 70%
70% to 100%
More than 100%
If ever you lose your source of income today, do you have
at least 6 months of savings to live as you usually would?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Yes, at least 6 months.
No, but my savings can last me 3 months.
No savings. I need to find a job ASAP!
May utang pa nga.
Do you have enough savings to pay for emergencies?
a. Yes, I am confident that my savings are enough to
pay for emergencies.
b. I have savings, but I am not yet confident that they
are enough to pay for emergencies.
c. I don’t have savings. But I can sell some of my
valuables to pay for emergencies.
d. Uutang ako. Bahala na si Batman.
Do you place your savings somewhere safe and may yield
better returns?
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HOW’S YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH?
a. Yes, my savings are in the form of different assets
such as investments, life insurance policies, stocks,
etc.
b. Yes, I have a bank account for my savings.
c. I place my savings in an envelope or a box.
d. Not applicable. Ang kulit nito. Wala nga akong
savings, eh.
How much of your income goes to necessities?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Less than 20%
21% to 55%
55%-99%
100% tapos may utang pa
Are you currently saving up for any passive income
stream?
a.
b.
c.
d.
I already have passive income.
Yes, around 10% of my money.
Yes, minsan. Basta may extra.
Ano nga po ulit yung Passive Income?
Have you invested time and/or money on learning new
money making skills?
a. Yes! I have spent both time and money learning
more about money making skills.
b. I spent some time learning about money or
upgrading my skills… basta dapat libre!
c. I am willing to learn more about money. Willing
lang. Wala pa akong ginagawa about it, though.
d. Lol hi my name is Patrick Star.
Do you have a system for your money that allows you to
enjoy the present while still saving for the future?
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HOW’S YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH?
a. Yes! My system has something like the Play Jar and
the Golden Goose Jar. Plus I have an emergency
fund and life insurance policies.
b. Yes! My system both has something like the Play
Jar and the Golden Goose Jar.
c. I have the Play Jar… but no savings. Yikes!
d. Please repeat the question.
Do you save and/or invest a part of your income for any
medical plan?
a. Yes, I have both health insurance (HMO) to cover
the little things and life insurance (with Critical
Illness Benefit) to cover the big things.
b. I have a life insurance policy with Critical Illness
Benefit.
c. I have an HMO from my company.
d. Please pray for me.
If ever you suddenly lose your source of income because
of a pandemic, will your family be financially okay?
a. Yes, I am not the breadwinner.
b. Yes, I have enough money back ups for at least 6
months to cover the whole family.
c. No, I need to borrow money.
d. Halp. Plz.
If ever you are diagnosed with a critical illness costing
₱3,000,000, do you have life insurance policies that can
pay for your treatment?
a. Yes, my life insurance policy has a Critical Illness
Benefit that can fully pay for my medical bills if
ever I get any critical illness like cancer.
b. Kinda… my life insurance policy has a Critical Illness
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HOW’S YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH?
Benefit, but it’s not enough to pay for the whole
thing.
c. No, but I have family members who have savings
that can pay for it.
d. No, but my family members can ask for donations,
borrow money, or sell our material possessions to pay
for it.
If you retire at age 65, will your monthly retirement
money be enough? You can use our free calculator to
check how much you will get every month:
www.nfgglobal.com/retirement
a. Yes, I have assets that I can easily liquidate and use
to achieve my ideal monthly retirement budget.
b. I’ll be fine with less than ₱10,000 per month
during retirement…
c. I will borrow money from my children when I retire.
d. Retirement? Hindi na uso yan. Magtatrabaho ako
hanggang mamatay.
Do you know that you can be uninsurable? And that each
birthday, it becomes more expensive for you to buy a life
insurance policy if you don’t have one yet?
a. Yes, that’s why I got mine early.
b. I know that I can be uninsurable.
c. I know that it becomes more expensive every year
that I don’t get it.
d. Wooopppssss… never knew.
Will your children/siblings be able to finish their
schooling if you pass away today?
a. I’m not the breadwinner yet. But I will make sure
that I will give my family the gift of a life insurance
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HOW’S YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH?
policy when the time comes.
b. Yes, my existing policie’s Death Benefit will be
enough for their schooling.
c. I only have savings and some assets… but they’ll get
frozen when I die right?
d. Aalagaan na lang sila ng relatives ko.
Have you prepared your emergency funds, fixed your
debt, studied well, and protected your money before
investing?
a. Yes! Because this is the best way to protect myself
from risks.
b. At least yung emergency funds and life insurance,
meron na.
c. Emergency funds lang po.
d. Sugod mga martyr! Trade and invest tayo like a
gambler, woohooo!
Have you tried dipping your toes in any of the available
financial markets in the Philippines?
a. Yes, I have emergency funds, life insurance policies
that come with investments, other separate
investments, and I trade on the side, too.
b. Yes, I have emergency funds, life insurance, and
separate investments.
c. Yes, I have investments managed by a professional
and licensed fund manager.
d. Wala pa nga akong emergency funds. :(
So, how’s your financial health?
To know your score, simply add them up accordingly:
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HOW’S YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH?
A = 5 points
B = 3 points
C = 1 point
D = None
Bonus!
Set up a free one-on-one consultation with an NFG Global
financial advisor here: nfgglobal.com/freeconsultation
and get 5 additional points!
Results:
80+ This is great! Inspire as many people as you can!
60-79 You are missing essential things. Please set a
consultation with us.
0-59 GhOrL, you need our help.
A
R
E
T
LET
U
O
Y
FOR
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
Congratulations!
You have been accepted to be part of the NFG mission.
Devouring this book from page to page would have
equipped you with the necessary questions needed to
become superheroes of today.
Yes, questions. I believe that asking bigger questions is
more important than getting bigger answers.
“Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers. It happens
when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding
your whole life.” ― Shannon L. Alder
If the questions you were asking before getting this book
were “What can I buy when I make more money?” or
“How do I become rich quickly?”, I hope they have
evolved into questions that are richer and fuller –
questions with answers that are hard to find; answers that
require one whole journey across the world.
When I decided to write this book, my team asked me,
“What kind of reaction do you want to get?”
Sabi ko sa kanila, “Gusto kong magulat at magtaka sila
kung bakit libre ito.”
I hope that’s exactly how you feel now.
If, after reading, you have a lot of what ifs and should
haves, then please know that you are not alone in this
journey. There is a divine reason why you acquired this
right here, right now. Keep faith that one day soon, you
will find out why. May you use that small, flickering light
inside of you and build it into something remarkable,
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
something that lights another’s darkness. Ang nais ko ay
maging ilaw ka para sa iba.
It’s never too late. Just start.
In Latin, the word “passion” means “to suffer”. Yet, when
we think about passion, we jump into the things we like
doing. Maybe, instead of asking “What am I passionate
about?”, it’s better to ask “What am I willing to suffer
for?”.
What are you willing to suffer for? What are you willing
to do even when it’s inconvenient for you?
“Passion” is funny. Because as much as it can mean “to
suffer”, the word structure itself can also look like this:
“Pass-I-On”.
How can I pass myself to you? And if I do share myself to
others, what kind of impact will I create in your life?
What kind of legacy will I leave behind?
To tell you honestly, this was written in one week.
Writing a book this packed in a few days is easy. But
acquiring all the wisdom that has just been passed to you
took years of suffering and faith. This is exactly why it
was so easy to make.
Some parts of it were simple to obtain on my own. But
some had to be given to me by giants: ordinary people
who touched many, many lives. Some of them are still
with us and are still leading our mission in various parts
of the globe. Others have lived on to their next life - and
I can only hope to meet their new versions very soon. I’m
sure, however, that their will and drive to help as many
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STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
people as they can have been passed on to their mentees,
including myself.
I want us all to evolve and grow with this book. I am
planning to make multiple editions and to have them
printed so that you can pass them on as gifts. Until then, I
hope this digital copy provides the same light for
everyone.
May you use the knowledge and skills and questions you
have now to touch as many lives as possible. As an NFG,
you are a hero.
As the legendary creator Stan Lee would put it…
Excelsior!
Thankful in all ways always,
149
STEP SEVEN: BUILD YOUR LEGACY
Nomad Finance Girl
“What would you do if money isn’t an issue?”
When Nikki was asked this question many years ago, the
Ironman fanatic’s answer was “Build a team of
superheroes.”
At the age of 28, Nikki Jurado - known online as Nomad
Finance Girl - has built a following of more than 80,000
readers and has created and managed more than 8
businesses. Beyond being an entrepreneur and a forex
trader, she sees herself as an educator, writer, and
philosopher who helps people have more time for things
that are more important than money by understanding
the complex world of personal finance and currency and
commodity trading in the easiest way possible.
What’s next after this book?
“I think it’s more important for us to ask big questions
than to find big answers. I’m already writing a book about
this.”
Still so young and eager, NFG has no plans of slowing
down anytime soon.
150
The Leo Advantage is a currency and commodity trading
training community co-owned by NFG. They teach
individuals from all kinds of backgrounds the necessary
skills for becoming a profitable trader without the use of
indicators, economics, and with only five minutes of work
per day.
Ultimately, the core of a Lion trader is to focus on the
easy and obvious trades so that we can spend time on
things that are more important than money - our passions
and our relationships.
Join Leo Advantage classes:
www.theleoadvantage.com
www.fb.com/leoadvantage
NFG Global is a unit of licensed financial advisors from
Pru Life UK who help individuals and families enjoy both
the present and the future through financial education.
NFG Global provides customized financial plans to aid
individuals if ever life’s emergencies come their way getting diagnosed with a critical illness, disability, and
untimely death. They also provide assistance for
retirement and estate taxes.
Join the team:
www.nfgglobal.com/joinus
Get a free consultation:
www.nfgglobal.com/freeconsultation
Learn more:
www.nfgglobal.com
151
Written by Nomad Finance Girl
NOMAD FINANCE GIRL
Rose Nikki V. Jurado
Official Accounts:
Facebook: Nomad Finance Girl
Instagram: @hellonfg
For partnerships and inquiries:
hello@nfgglobal.com
152
Designed by Chinvest
CHINVEST
Chene Arieta
Official Accounts:
Facebook: Chinvest
Instagram: @chinvest
For partnerships and inquiries:
chinvestinyourself@gmail.com
153
If you find anything useful in this book and would like to
share it with your friends online, please tag Nomad
Finance Girl on Facebook and @hellonfg on Instagram.
Parts of this book may be shared with proper citation to
the book author and publisher.
May you live intentionally.