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

Education

How to Find Scholarship Programs

PinShare23TweetShare23 SharesI have always been a believer of the saying “If there’s a will, there’s a way.” This was my mantra more than a decade ago when I was trying look for ways to finance my college education. As I’ve shared in this blog before, education was my way out of poverty. Despite the fact that I’m not exceptionally intelligent nor especially talented, I was able to find a way to finish my undergraduate years in one of the Philippines’ top university as a full scholar. Because of this opportunity, I was able to slowly but surely build myself up,

July 10, 2020 No Comments

Personal Finance

Crucial Financial Lessons from COVID-19

Pin2Share20TweetShare22 SharesIt’s been a few months since COVID-19 started ravaging the world and unfortunately, the end is not yet in sight. We don’t know when everything will go back to normal. We’re not sure IF things will go back to normal. Financially speaking, a lot of people are struggling due to loss of income and I think it’s just going to be worse from here on out. Many of us are getting by because we’re prepared for emergencies; more are not as fortunate. During the past few months I’ve been observing, talking to real people, and participating in

June 30, 2020 4 Comments

Women and Money

Women, Relationships, and Money

Pin6Share46TweetShare52 SharesI was so glad when I found out that my reading audience is divided almost evenly between men and women. I find this encouraging because to me, this signals that more Filipinas are increasingly taking control of their financial futures. I also want to mention that the most engaging and informative finance blogs in the Philippines are written by women, some of which are included in my list of the best financial blogs in the Philippines for 2020, posted here. Still, the fact remains that the most popular personal finance advice both online and offline overlook the specific needs

June 21, 2020 4 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

Travel

The Ultimate Guide to Gyeongju, South Korea

PinShare6TweetShare6 SharesWhen you ask Koreans which place you should visit if you’re interested in their country’s history, they would unanimously tell you to go to Gyeongju, located in North Gyeongsang Province. Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Dynasty which ruled the Korean Peninsula more than 2,000 years ago. Then called Seorabeol, it was the center of political and cultural life in the peninsula and home of beautiful Korean Buddhist art originating from Korea’s earliest history. Because of this, the ancient history, art, and artifacts of Gyeongju are distinct from the Joseon heritage that we usually see and experience

February 8, 2020 2 Comments

Personal Finance

Best Financial Blogs in the Philippines

Pin4Share210TweetShare214 SharesI enjoy reading financial blogs and learning from the experiences and opinions of people who have the same interests as I do. Because I had nobody to teach me how to achieve my financial and investing goals in real-life, I feel a certain connection with people who share their journey to financial independence with the public (and me) through their blogs. I’ve been reading blogs for years and I’ve seen financial blogs come and go. Some showed great promise in the beginning then fizzled out. Some became so popular that their writers moved on to greater and better things

February 3, 2020 13 Comments