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

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

Personal Updates

5 Things That Will Financially Tide Me Over The Epidemic

PinShare20TweetShare20 SharesNow that the entire world is being ravaged by the novel coronavirus, I feel paralyzed. Although we felt the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic here in South Korea ahead of the rest of the world (with the exception of China), I wasn’t as scared then as I am now. Now that the epidemic have reached almost all parts of the world including the Philippines, I’m like a deer caught in the headlights. I don’t know what to do, I can’t focus on tasks, I’m scared for humanity. I’m scared for my loved ones back home. I’m scared for my

March 28, 2020 No Comments

Pag-IBIG mp2 vs SSS Funds - Which is better?

Investing

Pag-IBIG MP2 versus SSS funds – Which is better?

PinShare75TweetShare75 SharesI received so many messages from people who want to put money away for retirement but are hesitant to invest in the stock market for different reasons. Many simply don’t know how, while others are scared of the stock market’s volatility. Luckily for us Filipinos, the government is implementing programs to help those who want to prepare for retirement. So far, we have the Personal Equity and Retirement Account or PERA, the SSS Flexi Fund for overseas Filipino workers, SSS PESO Fund for all SSS members, and Pag-IBIG MP2. In this article, I will compare two of these government-backed

February 22, 2020 11 Comments

PERA

3 Ways to Top Up Your BPI PERA Account

PinShare23TweetShare23 SharesAfter opening a Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA), our next step is to make sure that we top up our account every year. In this post, I will share three ways to top up your BPI PERA account. Yes, there are only three ways to do it. But before we proceed, in case you’re not familiar with PERA yet, you can read these related posts: What is PERA and Why You Need One Right Now? Ultimate Guide to PERA Investment Instruments 1. Personally visit BPI Buendia Center in Makati If you’re in Metro Manila, the easiest and most

January 27, 2020 2 Comments

PERA

Ultimate Guide to PERA Investment Instruments

Pin4Share37TweetShare41 SharesIt’s been almost 3 years since the implementation of Personal Equity Retirement Account or PERA at the end of 2016. Up to this time, most Filipinos are still in the dark about what PERA means and what it can do for them in their retirement. Many of those who have heard of PERA opt to avoid putting their money in it due to a combination of lack of information regarding PERA investment instruments and confusion on how PERA fits in their financial plans. Earlier this year, I wrote a primer on PERA and why all of us need it asap.

August 17, 2019 25 Comments

Retirement

What Retirement Looks Like for the Regular Filipino Professional

Pin6Share63TweetShare69 SharesIn the Philippines, we have separate retirement schemes for those who are employed in the private sector and those in government. Private sector employees are covered by the Social Security System (SSS), while its counterpart is the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Both are mandatory, which means that employees and employers alike cannot opt-out of paying premiums, even if they think they can get better returns by investing somewhere else. As long as you’re employed, the government requires that your HR department deduct the right amount from your salary every month and remit it to SSS or GSIS. Both

March 22, 2019 9 Comments

PERA

What is PERA and why you need one right now

Pin2Share71TweetShare73 SharesPersonally, I don’t want to grow old poor. I’m sure you don’t want to be poor when you grow old either. And I bet that nobody in the world ever wants to be old and poor. So in order to help Pinoys prepare to be not poor when they’re old, I will discuss PERA in-depth, and why you need one right now. Retirement planning is a crucial yet regretfully neglected part of financial planning in the Philippines. People usually put off saving for retirement in the last 5 to 10 years of their working lives. Unfortunately, the money they

January 11, 2019 80 Comments