Friday, April 27, 2012

If They Can, Why Can’t You?


This post is inspired by Bro Bo Sanchez’s book My Maid Invests in the Stock Market. 
I read the book many times already and it always struck me why a simple kasambahay (house maid) can invest in a sophisticated manner while other employees who earn more has nothing to put aside?
This one is a true story. I know a kasambahay who is very young but knows how to handle her money. Her monthly income is below the minimum wage bracket. She takes care of the laundry of the family as well as maintaining the cleanliness of the house. She lives simply, spends simply, eats simply and maintains a very simple life style. A part of her salary goes to the family in the province and is used for their business. The other part she saves for her future studies. 
Although this kasambahay is not yet investing in the stock market, she knows and defines what part of her salary stays and what part goes to the business. She can compute how much her money has grown over a period of time given that the circumstances favor her. Likewise, she knows how much she will lose if fortune is not on her side.
The maid in the book and the maid in my story are alike in many ways. 
  1. They both send money to their families.
  2. They have the discipline to save a constant amount each month.
  3. They are both business minded.
  4. They have a vision in life.
How many of us send money to our families? Almost all I guess.
But how many of us are saving a constant amount each month?
How many of us are business minded?
And how many of us have a vision in life?
Our only difference from the two maids are our mindset. They want to get out of the lower class that’s why they strive hard to earn and invest (in their own simple ways.)
I hope we all do what the two maids are doing. And I hope we can all have a vision in life, before it’s too late.
~Till then.