Life and Money of an Ex-OFW
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Ask Me Anything!
Got a burning questions for me?
As a way of saying thank you for supporting this humble blog, I created this space so you guys can ask me questions. Since I don't have a Twitter or a Facebook, this is the only way I can interact with you guys. I surely will answer your questions. I'll do my best to give you my honest opinion on whatever you want to ask.
Just "Post a Comment" to ask questions and I would get back to you as soon as possible.
So..... ask away.. :)
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I am from Pagadian and currently in Middle East
ReplyDeleteI am curious about you and I want to know your real name. Care to share? Taga saan ka sa Pagadian?
Hey fellow Pagadianon. I grew up in Kawit when my Papa was still alive then transferred to Cebu. When my grandmother died, I transfered back to Pagadian with my other grandmother. I used to live somewhere in the heart of the city coz my lola has this business and I used to help out in exchange for putting me to school.
DeleteHi PinasForGood. I like you the way you share your knowledge and experience about money matter and super overflowing you mga infos mo sis. Can you explain in your own way yung Mutual Fund? I am intereseted about it.
ReplyDeleteSana meron kang Search button sa blog mo para anyone can easily find topics that we like to read.
- Anne
Hey Anne,
DeleteThanks so much for the kind words! I am glad you found my blog "overflowing with information". Salamat! About the "search button", I'd install it soon, once I have an access to my laptop. Using my iPod as of the moment. Thanks for pointing that out. I appreciate it.
About Mutual Fund in my own words: it is like putting your money in a pool of fund (aka a pool of money from different people) and you let the "fund manager" invest it for you. You are paying him a percentage from your fund and/or earnings.
MFs are good for people who are starting out. I, myself, started with MFs before investing in individual stocks. MFs are also good for people who doesn't want to be bothered with monitoring the stock market. You let the "guy" ( fund manager) invest it for you ( or pull it out for you when the market gets bad). Of course, you'll pay him for his expertise.
Personally, maliit lang MF ko kasi the fee is too much. I just "mimic" their investing style, they'll mention it in their website where they invest kasi.
I hope I explained it well. Let me know if you still got questions.
Hey Anne, finally added the "Search" button! Thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteIt's Anne again! Love it sis. Naappreciate ko yan! Followed you po sa GFC
DeleteHey sis, thanks a lot! I appreciate it! :)
DeleteHi Sis!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this space, appreciate it a lot hehe kasi its easier to track your replies here rather than commenting sa individual post tapos diko na matadaan kung saan ako ng comment hehe :")
Hello PinasforGood! I'm Ching from Surigao del Sur in Mindanao, same age as yours, speaks bisaya like you. I appreciate your blog. I read it from the very start. I am contemplating to explore the stock market for 2 years now, it's only after I encountered your blog middle of September this year when I put action to it by giving myself time to read, study, and listen to podcasts (just like what u did). As of now, I learned and realized that my financial status and behavior is now capable of facing risks. But, my knowledge on how things work in the stock market is still limited. Nevertheless, I can't wait to open bank accounts. I'm just looking for a vacant time to go to the banks who are players in the stock market because my current location requires 5 hours travel to reach them.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will also do a blog entry about, "Things I Wish I Knew Before Investing/Trading in the Stock Market" just like your "Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying a House".
Keep inspiring!
Ching
ching086@gmail.com
Hey Ching,
DeleteI'm really glad that my blog kind of pushes you to act on your want to invest in the stock market. I am so excited to learn that you are really planning to start investing very soon! You see, messages/comments like this really put a smile in my face.
And when you finally open a stock broker account, you can learn along the way naman. I did that too and it works. For now,since you have no vacant time yet, why don't you go to COL website and do some "virtual tycoon" game? It's a game wherein if you sign up, you will have an account good for seven days, then you have play money in there,too. Then you get to do some buying and trading, as in, base on what's going with the market jd siya, except that it's just playing! You get to feel what it feels like to be in the market for seven days. You can buy and sell whenever you like without having to risk your own money. It's pretty cool, by the way.
I use COL as my online stock broker by the way and then link to my BPI account ( not paid to endorsed them ha? Just personally using them)
About your post suggestion, I would gladly work on it and I'll post it soon. A great suggestion,by the way.
Take care and let me know when you finally have taken the leap. :)
Hi PinasforGood! Thanks for the response. Cool! I didn't know that such game exists. I'll try them soon. You're awesome. Thanks for enlightening me. :)
DeleteI will try to follow your strategies, and hopefully gain financial freedom in the future too. I'll be looking forward sa, "Things I Wish I Knew Before Investing/Trading in the Stock Market"...
I will definitely let you know when I finally lodge my application sa banks. Yeah, for now, I'll try to explore and learn about stock market through the game you suggested.
Take care PinasforGood and welcome home soon. I'm happy to know that you are on the final stage of achieving your "pinas for good" goal. God bless you more.
Keep inspiring!
Ching
ching086@gmail.com
Sure thing! Keep me updated! I'll work on the post your requested. :)
DeleteI think we are kindred spirits. Lol. I also live in Cebu, read a lot (i have a kindle) of science fiction, am a frugalista minimalist, run a lot, and a big LotR fan. I blog anonymously too and track my net worth. Too many things in common, it weirded me out. Haha
ReplyDeleteHigh five! hahaha!!! Too many things in common jd! :)
Deleteapir! haha. i also saw we use the same running app, same preference in food (five guys when i was in the US), and the same music genre (although guy ako ha so naay STP and Nirvana). On a side note, i really enjoy your blog. you've shown a lot of emotional strength by focusing on your goals and resisting temptation. it took me a few years to get to the same realizations as you so really inspiring. please continue to share and hope you meet your longterm goals soon.
DeleteHey, you might be a little older than me, right? Same age as my Kuyas perhaps? Coz you like Nirvana and my Kuyas love Nirvana and whatever those band who got popular in the late 80s early 90's. I grew up listening to those kind of songs but yung mga band that bit my heart na ( because I got older na kaya- elementary, 5th grade) were Green Day and RHCP.
DeleteI have this weird thing in gauging the age of an individual, but what song or what band they like. Kind of accurate, I must say.
Yes tama ka. About 8 yrs older i think. Ang galing mag age gauge from the music. I use free spotify lang or convert youtube videos to mp3 and load them onto my ipod for my runs. Like you, i can buy the music and spend pero i choose not to. Tipid tipid din.
DeleteHello Pinas For Good,
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog for quite some time now. My mom is also an OFW for almost 20 years now. And she was diagnosed with breast cancer last January 2015. But still she don't want to settle here in the Philippines. And I wanted to help her financially especially sa stocks. Sa totoo lang gusto ko na sya magstay dito sa Pilipinas pero ayaw nya kasi wala pa daw syang enough ipon. I already have a family of my own. I have twins and it is very difficult to save but I am trying little by little. I already have an Insurance with Sunlife. I also have a savings account with PS Bank every payday I put 500 which is not much kasi I am building my emergency fund before ako mag invest sana. Nagkamali kasi ako na kumuha agad ng insurance ng wala pa ko EF. I also open a BDO Savers for my twins. 100 every payday naman ang iniipon ko. Alam ko hindi sya ganun kalaki pero sabi mu nga diba its not how much you earn but how much you keep or save. Now this my next step. I am planning to get a portion from my mom's saving's account to put to investment. Meron syang savings account sa Planters Bank na hindi naman nag eearn. Hindi din nakatime deposit. And because I have a BDO and BPI account I want to open an UITF account first kasi hindi pa ako marunong sa stocks. Ok ba yun? Dun muna sana kame sa moderate risk pero for long term sana. Then saka sana kame magdiversify kapag kaya na namin. Gusto ko din itry yung COL pero nagbabasa basa pa ko kasi I am still not confident kaya nga lage ko binabasa tong blog mu to find infos. Sorry medyo mahaba. I hope you can give me insights. Thanks!
I hope you will be updating your blog always. :)
nhengswonderland.blogspot.com
Hey Nheng,
DeleteWow, I am so impressed on how dedicated you are when it comes to saving money. Talagang naka budget ha? Good for you! 500 plus 100 every payday isn't small amount ha? In time mag accumulate yan plus interest pa. Kahit maliit basta you are getting into the habit of setting aside something every payday, that's the important part and I salute you for that.
I'm sorry to hear about your mom and the breast cancer diagnosis. Ang hirap talaga when she is far away tapos she is afraid to come home coz she thinks that her ipon isn't enough pa. That was my fear when I was abroad, that I get super old there tapos I get sick tapos afrain ng umuwi because of the fear na baka hindi enough ang ipon ko. So sorry to hear about it and I feel for your mom coz I know how it feels like to be an OFW.
UITF is a fine starter paper investment. It is kind of like a mutual fund but less fees. My very first paper investment was Mutual Fund kasi I haven't heard of UITF before. If I've heard of it, baka nag invest din ako diyan kasi it's so similar sa mutual fund. Tapos, after I get the hang of it (investing) I proceed to picking individual stocks na through COL.
So for me, UITF is a nice choice, after that hinay hinay lang! Who knows by next year or few months from now, may COL account kana! Huwag mo muna madaliin ang pag invest. I know it's kind of frustrating na ang daming investment choices tapos limited lang ang fund natin but slow down lang, you will eventually get there tapos you look young pa naman. Madami pang years na dadating plus sweldong dadating for investment.
Goodluck! So happy for you!
Yay thank u for answering my comment! Kinilig ako sa totoo lang kasi one by one ko binabasa post mu nasa You Know You're a Newbie in Stock Investing/Trading When: Sept 22. 2014 pa lang ako hahaha. Sorry sounds creepy. Initially talaga EF muna this year ang iniipon ko so aside from PSBANK and BDO nakapag apply na ko sa BPI Automatic Save Up + Insurance which will automatically debited from my payroll naman sa BPI worth P250 lang. So hangga't wala pa sa 3 months worth salary EF namin hindi muna ko mag open ng investment so that will give me ample time to read and attend seminars ng COL. Thank u for inspiring me!
ReplyDeleteNOTE:
My mom is currently on vacation here in the Philippines for 2 months lang. She is done with her radiotherapy but we can't say yet if she is cancer free. Continuous monitor and medication pa but we are praying that she can surpass this. :)
--
nhengswonderland.blogspot.com
Well that's good to know that you are really saving for EF coz that's really important! I was talking to our neighbor the other day and we were sharing expenses report. I told them about EF and all that finance-nerdy stuffs. My neighbor exclaimed: I can't save up for emergency fund coz our monthly expenses is 14-15k and 3 months, that's 45k! Well, I answered, if you cant save that much, just total in the basic expenses, bare necessities lang talaga.. keeping a "simple" food on the table, shelter, you can cut off PLDT or turn off lights when not in use, stuff like that to survive if every emergency do come up. It feels good to have money in the bank just in case and for sure, if emergency comes knocking on your door, you are force to tighten your belt and I am sure na you wont be spending 15k if nahihirapan na kasin super tipid kana niyan. They all agreed.
DeleteThe good thing about your mom and her situation is you can afford for treatments and such, madami diyan na hindi talaga maka afford and for that, you are still blessed no matter what.
M.
Miss Maria, I miss your post. How are you na? :) Hope you are doing well and good.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Filipino american, and I work in telecoms and was wondering how i can expand our service into the Filipino market. I was wondering when you were overseas what services did you use to call your family in the Philippines? =)
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to know what are the other ways of investing that you are considering in the Philippines other than stocks, MF, ETF, and UITF?
ReplyDeleteTime deposit po for my five-year emergency fund po and sumali din ako sa coop. That's it po. Nothing complicated po.
DeleteAt what age did you start working abroad and how were you able to work in the U.S.? Was it your dream to work abroad? I hope you can make a short blog post about it.
ReplyDeleteano work mo? online na may kinalaman ba sa Japanese?
ReplyDeleteThank you
Hi Ms Maria,.. maaari bang malaman ung website ng online job mu,..salamat., :)
ReplyDeleteDone binge-reading! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Maria. I'm an avid reader of your blog. It's both educational and entertaining for me.
ReplyDeleteI frequent your site so I don't miss any new entry. Well lately there's none since the last one. With all the crisis going on in the world, I'm posting to say that I hope you're okay. I would love to know if you are. That's all. Stay safe. God bless.
Hi Maria. I've been your reader since I got pregnant (2014) because I was searching on how to be frugal and save money since may plus 1 na kami ni hubby. Grabe mag 7 years old na anak ko and I keep coming back here sa blog mo. You're my favorite blogger regarding sa finances. Hope you're okay and nakakamiss ang mga blog posts mo. Been a silent reader and it's my first time to comment.
ReplyDelete