perks of being single |

by: Art Ladaga

Twenty-seven years ago, the Filipino people triumphed in overthrowing two decades of oppressive dictatorship. Democracy was restored not through guns, tanks, or any military arsenal, but through flowers, rosaries, and one unified desire. People Power I was proof that when people band together- known as the Power of One– they can create miracles and liberate a country from tyranny.

Twenty-seven years after People Power I, many of our countrymen remain within the shackles of financial tyrants. This is the new battle being waged: the battle for financial freedom! According to Francisco Colayco, financial freedom is when you can maintain your desired lifestyle without the need to work. Only in eradicating these three tyrants will financial freedom be realized.

POVERTY: Poverty is a lack of basic necessities, but it is also more than that. According to Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen, poverty is also capability deprivation (i.e. not being able to do anything and be productive). One reason why there’s capability deprivation is due to lack of education. Education enables us to recognize opportunities for active and passive income. Sadly, our present educational system grooms us to be hardworking employees. There will come a time that you can no longer work. You might be earning six or seven digit salaries now, but when you retire, you will not be able to maintain your lifestyle without passive income. Thus many people remain poor because they do not know how to utilize earning income actively AND passively!

FINANCIAL IGNORANCE: Having a lot of money does not guarantee financial freedom. Knowing how you use and grow it makes a significant difference in your financial life. In a recent study, Citibank reported that the country’s financial score was 53 out of 100. This means that more Filipinos are now becoming savvy in handling their finances. This is definitely good news, but we cannot be complacent.

The massive financial scam in Pagadian City (2012) was a major eye-opener to the dangers of financial ignorance. In the website of Philippine Daily Inquirer, I read about a man in Pagadian City who committed suicide three months ago. He invested all of his retirement money in an opportunity he did not fully understand. When the culprits had gotten away with his money, he experienced depression to the point he decided to end his life! If spending on seminars about money and investing is expensive, financial ignorance is 1000 times more!

GREED: If your only goal in life is having lots of money, you have a major problem! Seeking money for itself poses a real internal dilemma. The Buddha once remarked, “Greed is any imperfection that defiles the mind.” Indeed, how many lives and relationships were ruined because of financial greed? Greed entraps you in a vicious cycle of acquiring. You cannot stop gorging on money because it’s never enough. That is the delusion of it! Eventually you will reach a point that you will internally “blow up,” wrecking your life and the lives of others in the process. In the effort to obtain everything, you lose everything!

The battle for financial freedom is an ongoing-battle. Financial freedom for our countrymen will only be attained through eradicating the three tyrants. Defeating all three is not easy, but it’s not a hopeless cause. Learning from People Power I, only through the Power of One will these three tyrants fall. And it will be possible if all Filipinos will fight as one, under the banner of FINANCIAL LITERACY!

Financial literacy opens the doors to various earning opportunities, thus helping eradicate poverty. You also become more competent and knowledgeable in handling money, thus helping eradicate financial ignorance. And you become goal-oriented in earning money, thus helping eradicate greed. Only through learning proper financial management grounded on proper values can we expect the rise of a ONE WEALTHY NATION!

Thus, THE BATTLE WAGES ON!

Sources:

Alipala, J., & Umel, R. (2012). Teacher kills self after losing all his money in scam. Inquirer Global Nation. Retrieved from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/56146/teacher-kills-self-after-losing-all-his-money- in-scam?ModPagespeed=noscript

Dumlao, D. C. (2013). Filipinos more savvy about finances, study shows. Inquirer Business. Retrievedfrom http://business.inquirer.net/105779/filipinos-financial-quotient-at- record-high-online-poll-shows

*Continue the legacy of EDSA! Achieve financial freedom NOW. Colayco Foundation for Education Inc. is offering two financial seminars this March 23: INVESTability: Stock Market and INVESTability: Mutual Funds. Just click the links for more details about the two seminars.

* Art Ladaga is the current Programs Officer of the Colayco Foundation for Education, Inc.

ni: Art Ladaga

Pebrero na naman. Para sa mga may in a relationship status sa Facebook, panahon ito ng paggunita ng pag-ibig. Tataas na naman ang presyo ng mga chocolates, flowers, at anu-ano pang binibigay kapag Valentines day. Hindi rin nawawala ang mga radio requests ng mga cheesy love songs moderno man o hindi. At bumabalik muli sa uso ang paggamit ng mga gasgas na pick-up lines!

Ang itsura ng aking mga *pin buttons*, ayon sa ‘king pagka-alala

Sa kasamaang palad, hindi ito ang realidad sa karamihan ng mga single. Ibang holiday pa nga ang ipinagdiriwang nila kapag February 14. Ito ang S.A.D. o Single Awareness Day! Marami silang iniisip kung paano gunitain ito: may naglalasing, bumibili ng mga bulaklak para lang ibigay sa sarili, at nagsusuot ng anumang bagay as an expression of singlehood. Noong nag-aaral pa ako, may suot nga akong dalawang pin buttons na nagpapahayag ng pagiging miyembro ko sa Samahan ng mga Atenistang Walang Iniibig (S.A.W.I.) at sa Samahan ng mga Atenistang Palaging Umaasa Lamang (S.A.P.U.L)!

Mahirap ang buhay single. Madalas, gusto mong magwala kapag napapadaan ka sa dalawang magkasintahang nagpi-PDA o Public Display of Affection. Nagseselos ka rin kapag nakikita mong naka-post sa Facebook ang pictures ng iyong kabarkada kasama ang kanyang minamahal. At siyempre, masakit din ang hindi gumastos ng pera dahil wala kang ka-date sa February 14!

Mahirap talagang maging single, pero talaga bang kasuklam-suklam ito? Kung iisipin mong mabuti, may benefits din kapag wala kang minamahal!

Una, hindi mo kailangang gumastos kapag February 14. Wala kang dahilan para magluwas ng pera. Sa totoo lang, puwede namang gunitain ang Valentines Day nang hindi gumagastos. Nakasanayan lang na dapat gumastos ang dalawang magkasintahan para maging “special” ang holiday. Tingnan mo nalang ito kung anu-ano ang ginagastos nila para sa isang date:

Kung single ka, hindi ka na mag-aabala sa mga gastusing iyan!

Mas madali ring mag-ipon. Mas maraming pera sa bulsa mo dahil wala kang pinaggagastusan. Mas marami ka pa ngang options kung paano gamitin ang pera mo. Halimbawa, puwede mong gawin ang emergency fund mo para may pagkukuhanan ka kung sakaling may masamang mangyari sa iyo.

At ang huli, mas madaling lalago ang pera mo. Hindi ka mahihirapang mag-invest dahil wala kang pinagkaka-abalahan. Puwede kang mag-invest sa mutual funds kung nakapag-ipon ka na ng P5,000! Maganda ang naging performance ng mutual funds kahit hindi garantisado ang kita. Umaabot ang kita mula 10%-30% kada taon! Kung nag-iinvest ka ng P1,000 kada buwan sa loob ng 40 taon, puwedeng lumago ang pera mo ng P97,000,000!

Kita mo na? May perks sa pagiging single. Makakamit mo ang yamang nais mo kung alam mo paano palaguin ang pera mo. Sabi nga ni Francisco Colayco, “Huwag magpapahuli,” dahil maganda ang takbo ng ekonomiya ngayon. Sa halip na magmukmok ka sa tabi, sumakay ka na sa tren ng paglago! At mangyayari lang iyan kung alam mo paano palalaguin ang perang hindi mo ginastos!

*Huwag nang magpahuli sa tren ng paglago! Sumali na sa Pisobilities at INVESTability: Mutual Funds seminar sa Pebrero 16, 2013! I-click lang ang mga links para sa karagdagang mga detalye. Tumawag na sa 637-3731, 637-3741, o 09178088857 para mareserba ang inyong slot o para sa mga karagdagang katanungan!

*Si Art Ladaga ang kasalukuyang Programs Officer ng Colayco Foundation for Education, Inc.

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Ang Perks ng Pagiging Single