Today is the last day of the month of April and this day April 30 is a very special day. Why? Because it is simply my BIRTHDAY! I just turned 26! Quite old enough huh? Anyway, since this is also the end of the month, I would like to follow up the developments with my financial goals as this blog is about to witness all my success in the career and financial side. I thank God for all the blessings He’s been giving me. Thank You Lord for another year of my life.   Careerwise, I was

Read the rest of this entry >>

I was glad because I was recently contacted by someone from Good HouseKeeping Magazine of Summit Media to offer advise and tips for their Money Makeover piece. It was a piece requiring tips on the situations provided by their readers. Let me share to you two of the four questions I have answered. I cannot wait because they said that the issue where I will be featured will come out this coming month of July. So to all my readers, thank you for the continuous support. Let’s also watch

Read the rest of this entry >>

Are you planning for your retirement? The earlier you plan, the more successful your plan will be. Retirement planning involves a lot of sacrifices, discipline and hard work. You want to live a good life in your golden years. What if you are about to retire in the next 10 years? But you haven’t save enough? Where do you start? Early retirement is the goal of many. Here are some of the simple advices to successfully enjoy the retirement of your dreams.   Estimate expenses. Take charge. Do a

Read the rest of this entry >>

Quizzes are now becoming a lot more popular nowadays. In facebook, there are so many quiz applications from a quiz on your personality, moods, hairstyle, songs, movies, etc. Upon browsing Salve’s Money Smarts, I recently took up the Money Personality Test that I found. And the results are quite accurate as for me with regards to my personality on money. The results said that I am a “Micromanager”. What does it mean? Read the description below: Micromanagers love planning,

Read the rest of this entry >>

Are you drowned in debt? Taking out a second mortgage once meant you were in financial trouble. Today, people take out home equity loans, which is another name for a second mortgage, to pay for everything from home renovations, weddings, and other loans. Although some people consider it as a smart way to borrow money, this type of loan can be hazardous to your finances. Equity is the amount left over after you subtract your home loan from what your house is worth. People think this type of

Read the rest of this entry >>

Buying a home is definitely in everyone’s dreams. It is our biggest investment. If buying a home is in your future, good budgeting includes saving to pay for as much of it as possible. When you’ve set aside a significant amount, your next step may be to get a home loan to cover the rest. A lot of banks and financing companies offer home loans. It’s important to do some homework so you’ll get the right loan from the right lender. There are basic rules and ways to follow when you’re

Read the rest of this entry >>

I recently read an article published by ING Asia on Philippines’ Investor Sentiment. According to the published report, the investor confidence level during Q1 of 2009 further dropped 6% from the 4Q of 2008 values. Majority of the Filipino respondents in the survey view that the current situation was just an economic slowdown rather than a recession or depression as what other neighboring countries have been experiencing. However, majority of Filipino investors remain concerned about

Read the rest of this entry >>

Are you a frequent shopper in grocery and supermarkets? Do you want to save money while shopping in supermarkets buying the goods that you need from foods to other grocery items? With the current global financial crisis, we really need to do a lot of saving. We need to save our paychecks. We need to budget our money. And the latest money saving tips I will give is on how to save your money while doing your regular shopping in a supermarket.   These are some of the thrifty tips that could

Read the rest of this entry >>

Condominium communities are becoming popular nowadays especially in places where there is a surge of development like business districts. You can see a lot of high-rise condos. The trend now is going vertically and not so much horizontally in land development because land is becoming scarce in developed places. Condominiums are once the realm of singles but many retirees and empty nesters have struck gold in their golden years by settling in condominium communities. If you were to choose,

Read the rest of this entry >>

The key to financial success is your investment plan. What is an investment plan? That’s the part of your overall financial plan that helps you figure out exactly how to build wealth you need for retirement, college education of your children, or a new house or car. In an investment plan, you decide how much you want to put into certain kinds of investments to reach your overall goals. It is a structured plan that provides discipline and helps you stay on track. So how do you prepare an

Read the rest of this entry >>

I guess you’ve been hearing salmonella, melamine, and lead-contaminated products lately. In a business, there’s a saying that consumers are always right. It’s because consumers are the lifeblood of a business. They provide profits. They keep the business alive. It’s always the right of every company to produce quality products for their consumers. One defective product can lead to tremendous losses of the company. But how do we deal if we, as consumers, get a terrible service or an

Read the rest of this entry >>

So you’ve purchased your very first rental property in a good location. I salute you especially if you got it at a huge discount than its market value! You already did some renovations and repairs and now ready to rent it out to possible tenants for a continuous passive income. But how do you attract good tenants? Tenants can make or break your landlord experience. When you get good tenants, leasing is a breeze. But one bad apple could make you regret buying that rental property. Your

Read the rest of this entry >>

In one of my earlier posts, I explained in brief detail about bond investments thru a mutual fund. Now, I would like to go deeper and discuss in great detail about investing in bonds. Bonds are an important mix in a good investment portfolio and a smart way to offset the ups and downs of the stock market. You will notice that somehow these are the safe haven of investors when the stock market is down. Bonds are considered safer than stocks, although historically their return is lower. But

Read the rest of this entry >>

Are you a frequent shopper of Ebay or Amazon? Online auctions have been the trend nowadays because of its convenience. But some people also take advantage of it and use it as a tool to find their scam victims. I myself have been using online auctions before when I had my buy and sell business of mobile phones. If you’re not ready to give up online auctions but you don’t want to be a scam victim either, I do suggest to take these safety tips to protect yourself and leave scammers wallowing

Read the rest of this entry >>