My quest for financial literacy

          I have to admit that I have made serious financial mistakes in the past. It was a shame to suddenly realize that the usual 15-30 salary that I was comfortably getting suddenly came to a halt. It was erroneous to believe that with my employment track record, how can I be unemployed for so long? And it even stretched to more than a year. Huh?! Me --- jobless, financially dependent, without my usual purchasing power? Aaaghh!!! 
          And so I swallowed my pride, and accepted "help" because admittedly I needed some. 
        Staring at my P50k laptop which I paid in cash as my "remembrance" from my last project, and sliding my fingers on the screen of my smartphone, I sneered at my own folly. I could not sell these gadgets now for the price that I originally purchased. Though these were top of the line when I bought them, but there are many gadgets now that could easily surpass these, even at a lesser cost. 
         So what did I do? I hooked up with JobStreet and other job search engines just like any job seeker. For a time, I religiously bought Sunday job market newspapers until my budget was depleted. 
         Six months after my last day at work, I managed to get interviews with projects in the same industry that I was used to. But these did not prosper. Probably because I was honest enough also to admit that I was pregnant that time.
          And since my belly became more noticeable than my CV, I stopped looking again for jobs. Until I received an email asking me if I will be interested in becoming a Financial Advisor. It also offered FREE training on financial matters. Hmm... sounds trivial... sounds dignified... sounds interesting... and it's FREE!
          So why not? I got nothing better to do this time and I felt I need stimulation. This is totally different than my usual stuff. I told myself that to get different results, one has to stop doing the usual. 
          This now began my providential introduction to Sun Life Financial. It must have been by God's grace that I was led into this. I was even a bit excited that I was given financial education for FREE! (and with FREE meals and snacks!) 
          Indeed I wanted to know something about financial literacy a very long time ago. Talks about financial security, financial freedom, etc. etc.. I have read a number of books, magazines and articles about it but I just didn't know how to get there. It was hard to translate into action all the advise presented. Maybe, I just needed an uncomfortable jolt to make me really realize that the privilege of having a job and salary needed discipline and will power to make it really work. 
          I have heard and read about the concept of "making money work for you", instead of the usual "working for the money." And gradually now, I am confident to say that I am getting there. Slowly, but surely.  
          Before, I am skeptical about life insurance after being burned by my experience with a pre-need company that went bankrupt. Yet I got a traditional insurance for my eldest daughter out of respect from a family friend who was an agent from another company. There was a time that I felt the burden of having to pay the quarterly premiums, especially when my salary has stopped. I almost allowed it to lapse, but just in time, I learned about the importance of having a life insurance and even a forced savings for my child. I should not stop securing the financial future of my children. I realized that time should be my leverage for making my investment grow. Little by little, I am being forced to make it a habit to save and value money for what its worth some years from now. 
          I learned to count even the little things that eventually matter when pooled together. Like expensive taxi fares, or ice cream snacks, or pricey bag or shoes that become ugly with cracks after some time. I realized I can definitely do this again since I did not have these luxury before I was earning my keep. I can keep my expenses to a minimum so I can contribute more to my savings and investments for the future. Only these do not depreciate over time, instead will combat inflation and may provide means to tide very difficult times when we will need it most. 
          And as a Financial Advisor now of a very reputable company, the number one in the industry these days, I believe that being in this situation now has been given the grace of God. Providential, as I say it. 
          I have many realizations about how I handled my finances before and how I can still catch up to achieve financial security and freedom. Now, it has also become my mission to tell others to do the same. 

Brighter Life

It's been a while since my last blog. It was also in January of 2013 that I had passed my pregnancy test. Congrats! A new baby on the way! Fast forward... delivered a brand new baby girl on August 30. Then she was found to have a congenital condition called "teratoma" (maybe i'll talk about this peculiar condition sometime) that needed immediate operation last December 2013. And now she's flashing her two milk teeth and her pink gums. 

Aaahhh... the joys and pains of motherhood. I like where I am now. Though there are many challenges along the way but I have managed to get through them. Indeed, I haven't prayed for an easy life, I prayed to become a strong person, just like the saying from an old framed wall poster in my uncle's house of long ago. 

A week ago, my eldest daughter celebrated her fourth birthday (Yehey!). A week later (two days ago), she was bitten by our old dog (a doberman!) because she provoked him (Aww!). We rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night when we should have been sleeping already. Then early morning, we went back to the hospital again for the needed anti-rabies shots. Tsk! One can never tell when accidents happen with young children. 

Right now, I'm writing this blog at 3 a.m. because I felt I just had an epiphany. I should be writing more amid the demands of taking care of my children, taking charge of the household chores, and other interests that take up my time --- such as meeting people and sharing about financial education and helping secure their financial future. 

I have been a Financial Advisor for about eight months now. Still a rookie, still a few apps and ACs, still relentless in the mission of sharing information about personal finance, financial planning, saving and investing and hopefully make more people aware of what I didn't know better before I met Sun Life. 

I just took my licensing exam for the Investment Company Representative Certification Program (mutual funds) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (on the same day in between taking my eldest daughter to the hospital for her first anti-rabies shots). I fervently pray that I got the answers right and pass it since I was admittedly flustered during exam day. 

Nevertheless, I am hopeful that 2014 brings brighter opportunities and better chances at life. This is a new direction that I am taking. I am looking forward to facing more people and making them realize about their financial needs and how they can possibly address these needs with discipline and time. 

And now I'm going back to bed as I hear my 6 mo. old baby making her signature sounds, signifying that she is awake. Better get back to sleep. Have a great day! 
  

new beginning

Changes are always to be expected. As the cliche goes, the only permanent thing in this world is change. Although change is to be expected, still we can fall into the comfort of the familiar and the usual, especially if the current situation is already cozy enough to settle in. We hoped that we can hold onto that comfort for so long even if we already knew when such situation ends and a new chapter begins.

Such happens when an ideal working situation and the combination of great co-workers have been established for four short years, and then it has to end at the expected time frame.  Promises of upcoming work opportunities under the same management have been made with only a short waiting period, also known as "vacation time", before the next awesome project begins.

And yet, as expected of changes, it happens. There are delays to the awarding of new projects and therefore jobs. There are a number of possible reasons why the "vacation time" has to extend indefinitely, making Christmas vacation a double-edged holiday. There are no deadlines to meet, reports to submit, presentations to show. But there are also no Christmas bonuses and 13th month pays to spend for the usual holiday gifts and party dresses. And then a nasty feeling of insecurity slowly creeps in though you try hard to shake it away.

My vacation time has been extended for almost five months now and this is a real cause for restlessness. Maybe it is time to stop waiting for the next big break and begin creating the opportunity that would really take me through the long term. Maybe this is the change that was destined to hit me so I will be compelled to rise above this situation and reinvent myself.

This takes a lot of courage to acknowledge the situation I am in and move forward. It takes a lot of humility also to start from scratch. This then takes me to the realm of what I really wanted to do a long time ago --- writing to express, painting, spend time with my family, do crafts, own my time, force myself to develop my business skills and whatever worthwhile doing in this short life.