Of Wedding or Something Like That

My boyfriend and I have been together for seven years. Nope, he hasn't formally asked me "the question" yet. although I wish he will, sooner than later. Sometimes I can't stand the pressure from everyone from my mom to my boss.

When I was a bit younger, I imagined my wedding to be grand. Not as grand as Princess Diana's, but let's just say that I have some suppliers in mind and they are not cheap. But as I grow older, priorities changed. As much as I want a fancy wedding, I also want to have our own house.

To Beauty and Beyond

I may not be the best person to talk about beauty and make-up tips, but bear with me for a while. I got the whole cleanse-tone-moisturize in my regimen quite perfectly and I think my skin is ok (no breakouts, except during that time of the month where I experience a pimple or two.) But here's my frustration: doing my own make-up.

I attended a friend's wedding last Thursday. Since this is a weekday, I decided to come to the office in the morning to have some work done, then have my make-up done in the afternoon before going to the wedding. I know I'll save more if I can just do my own make-up. I mean, I can put foundation, blush, and lipstick just fine. But I'm not really confident with the eye make-up. This whole eye shadow palette confuses me. And don't get me started with the eye liner!

Emergency Fund Placement

I blogged about BPI increasing their minimum SDA requirement to Php 500,000 and my search for other viable investment vehicle where I can put my emergency fund. I'm happy because I was able to place the available funds last week.

Accessibility is one of my main considerations. I should be able to withdraw the funds around 2 days when needs arise. This is the reason why I still keep some in my savings account because money is only one ATM machine away. However, savings account only gives a very minimal interest rate, that's why, I feel the need to put a portion to other investment account that has a higher yield with a manageable risk.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

Christmas!!!

Whether you like it or not, Christmas is not just the most wonderful time but also (one of the) most expensive time of the year. Sales are everywhere, and to make matters worst, malls will be playing Christmas tunes while you're shopping (this gets me in the mood to shop more.) During the beginning of my working days, I find myself broke after holidays - after all those gift buying for various inaanaks, colleagues, friends, and family members, plus all that Christmas parties, who wouldn't? But inspite of all of these, I'm still a Christmas fan.

Why, BPI, Why?

In an effort to encourage people to invest in their Short Term Fund, BPI increased the minimum amount requirement to open a Special Deposit Account (SDA) to Php 500,000. Previously, one can open an account for only Php 50,000.

To give you a background, SDA is like a time deposit with a higher yield (lately, I got it at around 2.6-2.8% net of all fees).  SDA is a short-term investment which matures around 30-35 days. However, unlike time deposit, you cannot pre-terminate it. This type of account is not guaranteed by the PDIC, but by BSP - which makes it a relatively safe investment. Perfect placement for some of my emergency funds.

Earning While Sick

I think there's a virus in our office. I already have a couple of colleagues who took their sick leave a week ago. And last Tuesday, it was my turn. I suddenly felt chills Monday afternoon. I thought it was just the air conditioner. But I still have it when I got home. So I decided to take a time off the next day. While having my  rest, I decided to check my stocks. I also noted that EastWest (which I bought on their IPO) is increasing steadily. I don't know what got over me, maybe I learned my lesson not to be greedy, but I sold it at Php23.15. Now I found that the price further increased to Php23.30. Hah! Anyway, a gain is still a gain and I'm happy (I only got few EW stocks, so a gain of almost Php4K is not bad at all).

Date A Girl Who Invests in the Stock Market

Finally! After seeing all those "Date A Girl Who..." articles, I finally found something that I can relate to. :p This is just too good not to share:

Date A Girl Who Invests in the Stock Market

I particularly love this part:

"A girl who invests in the stock market will be the rarest people you'll meet here in the country. So when you find her: love her and never let her go. Invest your time understanding her. Invest your money creating beautiful memories with her."

See? I feel so radiantly beautiful all of a sudden. :)

What Keeps Me Busy Lately

It has been a long time since I last posted in this blog. Sorry about that. I'm actually busy doing my case study for the RFP Program that I took last July. Our task is to present a case on financial planning for a client. This financial plan consists of cash management, education (for those with kids), protection (insurance), and retirement. It took me a long time to figure out who will be my client, I finally found one, and they are close to me all along. I won't go much into the details, but I'm happy that I finally have a "client" for the case study. It's time for me to hold my White Collar marathon for a while and start doing the paper which is due 2 weeks from now. I just hope I'll pass the defense. Wish me luck.

I'm sorry, Neil. But I'll see you in two weeks, sweetie. :)
Photo source

My Insurance Query Answered

During our Investment Planning class with Mr. Randell Tiongson, I asked him whether I should get another insurance policy aside from what's offered in our company. I'm single and have no kids. I'm not the bread winner in our family, but I contribute every payday. I know insurance is important because I want my family secured in case, you know, I die and go to heaven. :)

On Online Job

It was around five years ago when someone told me to join Odesk. At first, I was hesitant to try. However, after reading some reviews from the forum, I concluded that this was not a scam. So I created an account...but forgot about it.

Money Mistake #1

I was a loyal prepaid Globe subscriber ever since I got my first cellphone, which was the trusty Nokia 3110. Technology has changed, as well as my cellphone, but I'd remained prepaid. One of the things I like most was the fact that I can control my expenses. I was ok with a Php 300 load for a month or Php 500 during Christmas and January, my birthday month (because that's the time I receive many greetings.)

That's until my boyfriend got his iPhone 4s. He was so happy with his cellphone because it's so "smart" (what can you expect from a smart phone?) He then told me to get myself one. "Why?" I asked him. Where he answered, "Because you deserve it. AND you don't want to call me because of you load limitations and for that you always ask me for a pasa-load" Noted.

The Good, The Bad, and The Bankrupt

I read a news on Inquirer.net saying that Manila City Hall is "virtually bankrupt." The article cited that the local government does not have enough cash to pay off its debt (which is three times more that its cash). Yikes! (Read the article here.)

Is this a reason to panic?

Lessons I've Learned from CAL

I invested in Calata Corp. (CAL) when it had its IPO last May selling at Php 7.50 per share. Citisec (now COL Financial) only allocated 100 shares (which is fine with me because I don't know much about the CAL, but would like to buy anyway.) Lo and behold, before I knew it, the price continued to rise and I was just there, sitting in my work station, mesmerized, asking myself, "why is this happening?" But then, as fast as it went up, it eventually went down. And me? I was still there, still mesmerized and wondering how low can this get.

But just last week, I felt I finally came to my senses when I read this news. According to the news, there's an alleged manipulation in the price of CAL. As soon as I read that, I sold all my shares at Php 7.19. It was my first ever realized loss. Well, it's a small loss (Php 57.11  including all the fees), but still it's a loss and I knew deep inside that it should have been prevented early on (and gain in the process.)

So here's what I've learned:

SSS' Auto Debit Arrangement Program

I have my "senior moments." I sometimes forget the time slot of my favorite show (hence, my need for Torrent, hahaha!) and due date of my Globe and credit card bills. My worst moment is forgetting to double lock our door one night. Good thing, we were not robbed, but I had to face my angry mom the morning after.

Since I am now a voluntary SSS contributor (my employer does not withhold anything), I need to remind myself to pay my contribution and loan every month. But just today, I've discovered that I don't have to do that anymore.

OMG! I'm technically a millionaire!

I have just realized, after looking into one of our company benefits, that without me doing anything, I'll be an instant millionaire.* 

How?

The Comfort that is Online Banking

I hate long lines even though I've mastered falling in line since 1999 (I studied in UP where there are lines everywhere.) Patience may be a virtue, but long lines are just a waste of time when you can do other things, such as eating, sleeping, working out, reading. Though you can do all those things while lining up (working out? Hell yeah! Try standing on one foot), you have to be mindful of some people who try to sneak their way ahead of you.

With traditional banking, there's no need not to worry about sneaky people (I think they are more behave inside banks), however, I always need to fall in line (paydays are hell!) Sometimes, I have to sacrifice my lunchtime since that's the only free time that I have (closing time for most banks is 5 pm, except for BDO branches which have an extended time until 6pm.) In some cases, there are fewer tellers during lunch, which adds to longer waiting time. And for security reasons, you can't use your cellphone, even if all you want to do is to play Temple Run to pass time.

Hence, I fell in love with online banking.

Gym at Home? Why not?

Don't get me wrong. I love working out. The happiness I feel after sweating it out is exhilarating. As if I can kick anyone's ass any time, any day.

But I hate going to the gym.

The Beginning

Cliché as it may seems, I want to document my so-called “road to financial fitness.” I'm not so sure when did this realization began, but one day I just wake up and realize that I am not getting any younger (another cliché) and that I need to take control of my finances. I mean, who will manage it except for me? (Though, yeah, I could hire a financial planner, but it’s a shame since I’m an accountant and I really am capable of handling this on my own, thank-you-very-much.)

I was not born rich, but my parents worked hard (and still working) to give us a good life. I’m not saying that we are now rich. No. But this is way better than twenty years ago.