On Marriage, Being a Wife and Having a Child

More than a year ago I married my beloved man, my best friend my confidant and my everything. It was such a wonderful day attended by the most important people in our lives.

Together as one we started a life. We moved to a house far away from the city. Every day we commute to work.  As much as possible we don’t want to waste money on gas. Our commute from house to work is much more bearable than the ones taking MRT every day at the same time traffic is not very good for the health of the driver.

As much as possible I would want us to have packed foods not only because it is cheaper but they are healthier. During the weekdays I would wake up few hours earlier than my husband to prepare for the day’s food. In return my husband would prepare sumptuous meals during the weekends. Mind you my husband is way much better than me when it comes to cooking. So I guess I am lucky! J

Every day he had to endure the grueling hours I spend on work. Oh my work! But he never forced or imposed anything on me. He wants me to go on with my career and explore more in the corporate world. On the other hand I never objected on the decisions he made on his career either. We just supported each other.

My husband is a very simple man. We never splurged much on date nights or movie nights. Most of the times, movie night means watching TV together in our humble abode. We would go out to buy some snacks before turning the TV on and switching the lights off. We would go on a road trip from time to time to just get out of our usual routine.

We would always touch base with our friends. We know how important it is to have our own circle but we are no strangers to each other’s friends. Recently we’ve been spending much more time with his former officemates because the activities they want are simpler. Well I cannot hike with my condition right now so I am contenting myself with afternoon walks with our trusted “Tsa-tsa.”

And now we are blessed with our own child. We are so excited with the news at the same time scared. Questions like “Are we ready to become parents?”, “Can we really raise this child?”, “What does future hold?” and many more are turning in our heads. But what the heck! We’ve been praying for our child - our very own child. So I guess no matter what the future holds we can make it through especially because we have very supportive families and friends.

Now we are excited to arrange the house to become baby friendly! So help us God. J

A New Fund to Try - Soldivo

I’ve received a text message from my Mutual Fund broker about the opening of Soldivo Funds on October 8, 2014. At first I was just thinking “Okay another fund to try.” But then it gets serious when one of my friends is willing to try it also. So we decided to place a small amount of money for the initial investment. I also plan to put additional investments monthly to take advantage of the peso cost averaging.

Anyway the fund we are going to open an account with is the SOLDIVO Strategic Growth Fund. Before deciding to put our money in it, I talked to my broker and asked questions below:

Minimum Initial Amount = P5000.00

Minimum additional = P1000.00

How much is the Entry Fee? Not more than 3.36%

How much is the Exit Fee? 1.12%

How long is the holding period? 6 Months

Partner bank for deposits or bills payment? BPI

They don’t have the online payment facility yet but I am hoping and praying and I am positive about it that they will make this improvement since it is easier for investors to just transfer funds online.

For now I am going to issue post-dated checks for my succeeding deposits. It’s much easier that way and of course this method forces me to set aside money.

For more information you can download the Prospectus of SOLDIVO Strategic Growth Fund here.

Happy Investing! J

The Everyday Struggle

It is really a struggle to keep up with my personal budget especially because I’ve been craving for a lot of food lately. So I’ve been spending over the top of my personal budget. Even though we’ve been married for over a year now, we want to keep a personal budget. It’s what we call personal allowance.

Now, keeping a personal budget is similar to keeping a family budget. But family budgets are more tedious to do. They require more diligence and effort. I’ve been practicing family budget since January of this year and I must admit that there were months where I was not able to religiously list down everything. They were the months of January, April and May.

I simplified our family budget to only contain 7 items namely Electric Bill, Water Bill, Internet and Cable, Food and Groceries, Leisure, Car related expenses and Savings/Investments. I also set limits on everything except for the savings/investment part. Well I talked to my husband about the limits. Every end of month I send an email to him detailing about our month’s finances. I also include there if we’ve gone over budget, under budget or just break even.

I think this system works for us because I’ve been able to track down our family expenses (religiously I mean) since June. So we will keep on doing this until it is applicable. I hope it will not be an everyday struggle moving forward. J

How much is quality education in the Philippines?

My cute niece is turning 4 this year and she’s getting ready to go to school. Her mom and dad found a good pre-school near their place and they are gearing up towards sending my niece to a brighter future through good education. Of course everything goes with a price tag.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to talk to a colleague who is sending his daughter to a primary school. He told me that his daughter’s tuition fee was 30 thousand pesos plus uniform and books. On top of that he also gives his daughter a daily allowance.

I was dumbfounded when my sister told me that my niece’s tuition fee is at 50 thousand pesos. This amount does not include uniforms and other miscellaneous expenses. At the back of my mind I was thinking, “So how much would it cost us if we are going to send our child to school?”

Raising a child is no easy task. I’ve seen my sister’s struggles (and also my brother in law) to provide better life for my niece. I also commend our parents for raising us well.

Well, according to the law it is the parent’s obligation to provide education to their children. In order to do so, proper financial planning is a must. Parents need to know how to project how much college education will be. They must plan and create a strategy in order to give what they are obliged to provide (according to the law.) The 50 thousand I was referring to is still for pre-school. How much more for college education?

To clarify a point, our views and perspectives about quality education are different. For some parents, it may mean sending their children to expensive and reputable schools. Other may prefer not so expensive ones. For me, as long as my child to be is equipped with proper knowledge in order for him/her to succeed in life then I will be satisfied. J

Click here for more tips on saving up for your kid's education.

Health Insurance is Love

No I am not sickly and I don’t like going to the clinic or hospital. But of course there will be times when we need to see a doctor or health specialist for our health concerns.

Two weeks ago Paul and I went to the hospital to seek medical help. I was 2 weeks delayed. However I told him not to get too excited because I was not feeling anything of the early signs of pregnancy. No morning sickness, no sensitive nose, nothing at all. I took a home pregnancy test and it came out negative. I read lots of articles in google about ‘’negative HPT; late period” but they only add to my anxiety. I also consulted my good friend who is in the medical field and told me to consult my OB.

Paul and I went to a hospital for the consultation. The OB told me to undergo TVS. It is a kind of ultrasound by the way. After securing approval from the medical provider, we immediately went to the ultrasound room and had me checked.

The initial diagnosis was polyps however the OB who conducted the ultrasound was not sure. So she told me to go back and undergo the same procedure again.

After my second test, the result came out normal. Thank God!

On the financial side: If I don’t have a medical card, I would have paid the consultation fee which is I think from 500Php – 1500Php per consultation. On top of that I should have paid roughly 2500Php for the ultrasound procedure per session. In a span of 1 week I should have paid roughly 8000Php for the consultation and lab tests. What more if I was really ill? How much would I need in order to get well?

Medical coverage is really an important aspect of financial foundation. Without it, our money that is saved or invested can be drained in just a few days.

Also, take note that the best time to get medical coverage/medical insurance is while you are healthy. No medical insurance will cover you when you are already sick as to no insurance company will cover you when you are already dying.

My tip: While employed, take advantage of the medical coverage provided by your employer. But take note that the policy is not yours to keep. Upon leaving the company you are automatically deleted from the list of members with medical coverage.

To secure a good future, make sure to talk to your insurance provider/agent and discuss the possibilities of owning a medical coverage even after you reach the retirement age.