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

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

OFW

Analysis of Common Investment Options for OFWs

Pin6Share29TweetShare35 SharesA great way for OFWs to maximize their earnings abroad is through investing. Instead of just putting their money away in a regular bank savings account, OFWs can instead make that money earn more money by investing. But not all investments are created equal. Depending on several factors, one option may be great for you while it is not so for another. In this post, I will share my analyses of common investment options for OFWs. I mentioned in the post How to Build a Strong Financial Foundation As An OFW that you need to be prepared, mentally and financially, even

October 16, 2019 6 Comments

Investing

3 Pag-IBIG MP2 Hacks For Advanced Investors

Pin14Share3.8KTweetShare3.8K SharesI think most of us would agree that Pag-IBIG MP2 is a great investment. It is one of the most popular investment instruments for both OFWs and workers based in the Philippines. Its popularity is due to the fact that Pag-IBIG MP2 is guaranteed by the Philippine government and has a higher dividend rate compared to other safe investments like time deposits, retail treasury bonds, and money market funds The MP2 is a boon to Filipinos who want their money to grow but are afraid to put their money in other, riskier investments. If you’re one of these people,

September 27, 2019 71 Comments

OFW

How to Build a Strong Financial Foundation as an OFW

Pin10Share103TweetShare113 Shares*Updated on June 10, 2021Congratulations! You just got confirmation that your contract has been finalized and you will now get to work overseas! After months, even years of job search and interviewing, not to mention researching and planning, you finally got an offer lucrative enough to entice you to leave the Philippines for greener pastures. Your mind is now filled with visions of a better life. The future looks so much brighter. Somehow, the sun is so much sunnier. You are full of optimism and magnanimity, saying yes to a parent’s request for new home appliances and agreeing to finance

September 2, 2019 4 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

OFW

6 Ways to Maximize Government Benefits as a Pinoy Expat

Pin10Share46TweetShare56 SharesMany Pinoy expats, including myself, often fail to maximize government benefits when we start working abroad. We often discount programs in the Philippines thinking that: Since we’re no longer in the Philippines, the benefits will not help us in our new country The benefits are too small compared to our new increased income The benefits are not worth the bother Nothing can be further from the truth. [bctt tweet=”The way I see it, many Philippine government benefits designed for OFWs, when taken all together and with proper planning, can help us achieve our financial goals faster. ” username=”MeKatieScarlett”] Yes, not

July 15, 2018 5 Comments