Personal Updates

The Balikbayan Special, or Hindi Ganyan sa South Korea!

PinShareTweetShare0 SharesAs some of you know, I’m back in good old, lovely Metro Manila since the beginning of this year. No, Korea didn’t kick me out. I left semi voluntarily. And since this is my first post since coming back, I will indulge in one of the favorite past times of Balikbayans – comparing the Philippines with the country they just left behind. So in the grand tradition of generations of Balikbayans who are horrified to realize how backward *everything* is in here, despite having lived in this country for decades before moving to a new country, I present you

May 31, 2022 No Comments

PERA

How to Choose Your PERA Administrator

PinShare10TweetShare10 SharesOne positive and fairly recent development in retirement investing in the Philippines is the entry of another industry player whose goal is to bring the Personal Equity and Retirement Account or PERA to the masses. As I shared in my post, New Updates on PERA, ATRAM joined BDO and BPI to become one of the three (3) PERA administrators accredited by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) with its PERA by Seedbox platform. With this new PERA entrant, I believe it’s high time that we take a closer look into the importance of choosing your PERA Administrator. In

April 26, 2021 10 Comments

Back to Basics

But First, You Need a Financial Blueprint

Pin8Share7TweetShare15 SharesEver since I began plotting my way out of poverty and learning about personal finance – which started more than decade before I even conceived of writing this blog – I regularly came across people with the same goals as I do but were just proceeding without any specific direction. Like me, they wanted to be financially free in a number of years. But unlike me who had a financial blueprint that I implemented, they were “winging it”. It was crazy to me because for something as important as financial freedom, you’d think that people will exert effort to

February 27, 2021 2 Comments

Savings

4 Strategies You Can Use to Build an Emergency Fund

Pin1Share13TweetShare14 SharesThis is post is contributed by Katie Scarlett Needs Money friend Sherry Jane. The year 2020, in its seeming entirety, is a stern reminder that we all need to set aside an emergency fund. Having money may not solve all of life’s uncertainties, but it can help tide one over during a difficult financial situation. Emergency savings is different from ‘regular’ savings, and these funds should ideally be stored in separate bank accounts. The money held in a ‘regular’ savings account may be used for a much-awaited trip or to buy an item to commemorate a professional milestone;

October 7, 2020 No Comments

PERA

New Updates on PERA – Digital PERA and Tax Credits

Pin6Share38TweetShare44 SharesFinally! Some good news! I was one of the thousands of people who watched the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Facebook Live Event launching the Digital PERA (Personal Equity and Retirement Account) last September 9. Like many Filipinos, I’m looking forward to developments in the implementation of PERA, especially on the application of the tax exemptions and the ability to change PERA administrators. One of the highlights, at least for me, of the event, was the speech of BSP Governor Diokno. I learned so many things, many of them horrifying, about retiring in the Philippines. First

September 17, 2020 17 Comments

My Experience Wiring Funds to TD Ameritrade Account with BPI

Cross Border Investment

My Experience Wiring Funds to TD Ameritrade with BPI

PinShare12TweetShare12 SharesThis guest post is contributed by Real_Yield, one of the friends I met through the Reddit Phinvest subreddit and its discord server. Real_Yield is a bottomless font of knowledge. From current financial news, high finance concepts, to classical music, you can trust that Real_Yield will have his say, and everyone will listen. After opening his US brokerage account guided by my post How to Open a TD Ameritrade Account as a Non-Resident Alien and as a “token of gratitude” (his words), he consented to share with my readers his experience in wiring funds to TD Ameritrade with BPI.

September 12, 2020 12 Comments

Personal Finance

How To Make Personal Loans Work For You

Pin4Share8TweetShare12 SharesDespite our best efforts, there may come a time in our lives when we need to have access to a personal loan. One of those times is now when many are carrying the burden of continuing to support our families while at the same time dealing with a slowing economy, growing financial hardships, and even emotional trauma. Even if you started the year with a fully-funded emergency fund, you may be slowly dipping into it to pay for unexpected expenses related to the pandemic. Others may have started the year with a fully-funded emergency fund but is slow, or

September 9, 2020 No Comments

Cross Border Investment

The Ultimate Guide to Philippine Feeder Funds

PinShare69TweetShare69 Shares** Updated on 27 April 2021 to reflect updated fees for ATRAM Filipinos are increasingly becoming interested in investing overseas. With the democratization of information, including information only formerly available to the rich and the moneyed, we are now becoming more aware of our financial and investing options, including options outside our borders. My post on How to Open a TD Ameritrade Account as a Non-Resident Alien was read by tens of thousands of people, many of whom opened their TD Ameritrade accounts. So, I pat myself on the back for helping the common folk. Not only Filipinos

August 17, 2020 14 Comments

credit history reporting in the Philippines

Back to Basics

Credit History Reports – What We Know So Far

Pin4Share35TweetShare39 SharesOne of the most aggravating things a person can experience is when their credit card or loan application gets declined. Especially in the Philippines where transparency is not the norm and we don’t have a systematic credit history reporting, many people are left guessing in the cold, wondering why the bank doesn’t want their business. Did the bank think you can’t pay their dues? Why, you have a high income and can comfortably pay off your balance each month. Maybe the bank uncovered your unpaid credit card bills? But that was from years and years ago when

July 23, 2020 2 Comments

Investing

Understanding FMETF

Pin2Share64TweetShare66 SharesIn my post The Ultimate Guide to Philippine Index Funds, I concluded that among the available index funds in the Philippines, the best option when all things considered is the First Metro Exchange Traded Funded or FMETF. Based on your enthusiastic responses, beautiful readers, you need more information in order to understand FMETF in detail. I heard you. In this post, I will answer your questions (and even the questions you didn’t think to ask) about FMETF. Before we proceed, I would like to clarify that this post is not sponsored by First Metro Asset Management Inc. to

July 18, 2020 10 Comments