Sunday, January 20, 2013

SSS Online Contributions


Want an update on your SSS contribution? Don’t waste time lining up on SSS offices. Because you can now view your SSS contributions online. All you need is a secure internet connection, your SSS number, a few click and [viola] your SSS contributions at your finger tips.

First you need to register at SSS online and wait until your registration has been validated by SSS. You may need to wait for at least 24 hours for validation process to complete.

Note: Please select type of user first and click Submit. If you are employed you need to enter the SSS number of your employer to proceed.

When registration has been completed and validated, login to SSS via this link.

Congratulations, you can now view your contributions by clicking “Online Inquiry” link on the left pane.

The page should look like this when you view your monthly premium.


I hope this helps.


Till then.

Monday, January 7, 2013

How to pay Meralco Bill Online.


I like to make my life easier so I do pay our utility bills online and on time. I’m still amazed by people who do not know how to do this with all the internet connections today.

I am a fan of BPIexpressonline so you will see me do it via this bank.

How to enroll MERALCO bill for online payment:

1. Login to BPIexpressonline
2. Go to Payments then click Bills Payment and click Enroll All Other Bills.


3. Fill in the required fields. Make sure that you provide the correct Bill Information.


4. Click Submit.

After the confirmation, you are now ready to pay your MERALCO bill.

Just go to Payments then click Bills Payment and click Pay Bills Today. Enter all the necessary details (double check and triple check) then click Submit. 

Congratulations! You have now paid your Meralco Bill.

Notes: 
1. Make sure that you pay the exact amount stated in your bill.
2. You can also pay your water bill online.
3. School tuition fee, Insurances and other merchants also accept online payments.

For more info about meralco bills, kindly click here.

See? With just a few clicks you make your life easier. Just avoid disconnection notices so that you are not obliged to go to the branch/office.


~Till then.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Top 12 Things to do this 2013


As a matter of fact I was not supposed to publish my top 12 things to do this 2013 since I already have 30 things to do before I hit 30. But then my top 12 things to do are different from my personal 30 things.

So here it goes.

January - Grow a vegetable garden
I am in the process of growing my own vegetable garden. I am going to plant some tomatoes and eggplants first followed by sweet potatoes. I can’t wait to see my plant boxes become green. As of writing, I already have small “dill”. I will try to grow it bigger and have other herbs like basil and tarragon. I also have lots of small pandan which I plan to transfer after a few weeks to give way to other plants.

Update1: Good news or bad news first? Ok let's start it with the bad news. The thing is my little dill died a few weeks ago due to unknown cause. I might have watered it too much. My bad. :( 

The good news is we now have a sweet potato garden courtesy of my dear grandmother! Yay! I so love the idea of having fresh sweet potato tops for our "Sinigang". Yum yum.

Update2: Last Sunday (February 24, 2013) we got an American Red Rose plant which is I think one of the best plants I got so far. We are planning to add more plants and I am setting a reasonable budget for this. 

So there you go. Happy and satisfied.

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February - Detoxify
With all those things I ate lately, I need to detoxify and get back to the habit of eating fish and vegetables. We’ve been eating a lot of chicken meat lately and I need to divert our meal plan to include fish and locally produced vegetables.

Update: 02282013 We were eating fruits, vegetables and lots of fish lately. Our Vday meal was composed of pasta with shrimp and mushroom served with garden salad and tuna based dressing. Our fridge was mainly for milk fish, tilapia, shrimp, cream dory and other sea foods. We also have lots of vegetables and of course our mini-garden is contributing to our "green" movement. I think we are maintaining this diet since it is healthier. 

That's it for February! 

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March - Participate in an outreach
I think friends will schedule an outreach program during this time so I better get ready.

Update: 05222013 My friends and I were not able to facilitate an outreach last March however we were able to plan a small outreach for the kids of little lights!^_^

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April - Buy additional cooking utensils
We have a small rice cooker, a big pan and 2 pots. I think it’s about time we buy additional cooking utensils like a smaller pan, a grill and a pressure cooker. Wait, how much is a pressure cooker? :D

Update: 05222013 No more additional cooking utensils for us since Paul already purchased 2 sets last January.

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May - Breakfast in Baguio
I want to go to Baguio [yet again] just to relax and feel the cool air in Camp John Hay. Although I’m not recommending Baguio [anymore] to other people, I can’t resist my second home. It still feels like a home away from home. [I found a diary underneath a tree ~singing]

Update: 05222013 Had breakfast in Baguio with family and friends. Finally!^_^

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June - Take a break from expenses
I will take a break in preparation for a major buy on July.

July - Buy a mountain bike/road bike
Paul wants a folding bike while I want a mountain bike/road bike. Crossing fingers on this.

August - Invest a significant amount of money for my car and go to Caramoan
After the major expense last year, another major expense follows. Now it’s my turn to do the math. We haven’t agreed yet what car to purchase but I hope my preparations are good and can cover everything. So help me God! Aja on this!

Caramoan is the place to be this 2013. All set? GO!

September - Run another 21km
I miss running. I miss the feeling of fulfillment every time I cross the finish line. I ran my first 21km last year and I am getting ready to run again. Whew!

October - Travel to Visayas/Mindanao
My only real travel (aside from going home to Baguio and the churvalu Caramoan) this year. Let’s see if I can book a cheap flight for us. Everybody is invited!^_^

November - Learn how to make pastries
I found a pastry shop near my workplace that is promoting their baking class. I am going to enroll and get the basics on baking. But I need a microwave for this so that I can practice my [will be new] skill. I’ll just include it in my wish list.

December - Complete my #project360
I launched my #project360 in my Instagram. I just find it amazing how people record their everyday lives using one photo each day. I’m going to give it a try.

Bonus: Yep! I have a “pahabol”. I want to attend a festival this year. I always avoid festivals because from my 5-year Panagbenga experience in Baguio, the placed is always cramped with people. As in so many people!@_@ For a change I will try to attend one this year. ^_^

Thursday, January 3, 2013

It’s all worth the sacrifices


I’ve got to tell you about something I realized recently. I was contemplating for a few days whether to write about this or not but I gave it a go so that readers like you and me will be inspired. Since it is the beginning of 2013, let’s get everything right especially on our finances.

I will tell you about a story of two friends (not related to the writer) who had very different stories when it comes to handling challenges in investing in mutual funds.

Mutual Funds for me are the simplest type of investments one can get without the hassle of studying everything about ‘everything’ regarding the up and down trends in the stock market. One can simply listen to a Mutual Fund educator/financial adviser, assess risk appetite and get a mutual fund that matches your profile. I don’t know why so many [Filipino] people are not yet into this type of investment and if they are, most of the times they just “wanted to try”, “test the waters”, “invest a little then forget about it”.

I am not saying that “wanting to try” and “testing the waters” are bad. They are actually good because they urge you to do it. They push you to try it. But the question is how long a trial is? If it gives you good profit, will you put everything and pray for it to grow further? If it gives you bad profit, will you be afraid and take away everything and leave? How long can you sustain?

The goose that lays the golden eggs
Everybody knows about the story of the goose that lays golden eggs. It has been taught since elementary days but (kindly excuse me) teachers cannot relate it to real life because teachers themselves don’t know how to manage their goose.

If you have a goose that lays golden eggs, will you sell the eggs all at once? Or will you wait for them to hatch to lay golden eggs too? Or will you sell the goose and make big profit from it?

Now let’s get back to the story of two friends Howard and Edgar. Howard and Edgar have common financial goal and that is to be financially free by the time they reach 50. So they meet with friends who have the same goals and discuss things that can fast track them to achieving their goals.

One friend suggested riding on a mutual fund because mutual funds pose lesser risks than indulging in direct stock market. Another friend suggested they will be better off with direct stock markets and will be more involved with their wealth accumulation hence giving them a sense of pride to what they are doing. With all aspects in mind, Howard and Edgar decided to try both. 

After a few months, Howard became more comfortable with investing in mutual funds because he wouldn't like his job to be affected by studying loads of charts and jargon in the stock market arena. He diligently invests a constant portion of his salary each month and whenever he gets a raise would place it in his fund on top of his monthly placement.

On the other hand, Edgar placed a minimal amount in his mutual fund and decided to go on with direct stock market trade. One reason he cited was the difficulty of investing in his mutual fund. He has to meet his broker every time he wants to invest and he doesn't like that. He is a type of person who wants to get himself involved so he favored direct stock market more than mutual fund. He was involved in it for the first 2 years but grew tired until such time he was not able to follow the trends and lost money.

A few years went by Howard and Edgar met again. They discussed their adventures, work, and life and came across the topic on investments. [Please note that two individuals who discuss matters on investments are not bragging. They are just educated.^_^] Edgar told Howard that he grew tired of direct stock market and focused on his work. He also shared that he was not able to put more on his mutual fund even after getting tired (of the stock market trade) but instead forgot about them. Today he is happy that even if he forgot about his investments, they still keep growing each year but since he did not put more, his investments are growing on an average speed.

Howard also shared his side. He told Edgar he was able to make additional investments on his mutual fund and made a good amount of money. He was also diligent in his investment strategies and add up more investments like real state, bonds, t-bills and other mutual funds. Howard knows that it is not the amount of money he has that matters but more importantly the mind that manages how he thinks towards money.

Spell Success [HABITS]
In order for a person to become successful, he has to have good habits that help him achieve his dreams. 

If you want to be more spiritual, spend time with friends who can teach you the way to spirituality. If you want to become more physically fit, spend some time working-out. If you want to become a good public speaker, spend time with the toast masters. If you want to accumulate wealth, make it a habit to save and invest.

Education is what sets us apart
I am not saying that undergrad people cannot make it. Actually if you take a closer look at the multi-millionaires, most of them are drop outs. We have there Steve Jobs of Apple Inc., Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Henry Sy of SM and Lucio Tan of PAL to name a few.

I am talking about financial education, not the college degree.

Edgar stopped his mutual fund placements because he doesn't want to meet his broker every time he wants to place money. He could have used the internet instead. He could have set up a checking account and transfer the placements online. He could have solved his problem if only he searched for answers. The problem was he did not. When he got tired of his trades he could have gotten back to the laid-back slow-paced mutual fund investments.

In conclusion, we have different strategies of accumulating wealth. But be advised that the simplest and surest way to accumulating great wealth is to do it the slow-paced way. This has been told many years ago by Aesop himself when the slow turtle defeated the rabbit on the race.