finance

The First Metro Index on MSCI Philippines IMI Launch

October 31, 2017 by Ray L. 1 Comment

Tagalog Version (Click Here)

*This article contains affiliate links.

On October 24, 2017, the First Metro Investment Corporation and MSCI, Inc. officially launched a brand new customized stock index called the First Metro Index on MSCI Philippines IMI.

First Metro Investment Corporation is a part of the Metrobank group and it’s one of the biggest investment banks in the Philippines. It has received several awards such as the Best Investment Bank of 2016 by Global Finance magazine and by Euromoney, multiple Best Bond House awards by FinanceAsia, and many more. Through their subsidiary, the First Metro Asset Management, Inc. (FAMI), First Metro partnered with MSCI, Inc. which is a world-renowned index provider that has over $11 Trillion worth of assets benchmarked to their indexes as of 2016.

Now why is that important? How can you use that new index to improve your investing strategy and investment portfolio? Well first off, let’s learn a bit more about indexes, mutual funds, and passive investing.

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Ano ang Mutual Funds? (Isang Maikling Guide para sa mga Baguhan)

October 23, 2017 by Ray L. 2 Comments

English Version (Click Here)

Para sa lesson natin this week, babalik tayo sa basics! Ngayon, pag-uusapan natin ang investment vehicle na tinatawag na mutual funds. Ano nga ba ito? Isipin mo ito. Sampu kayong magkakaibigan na gustong mag-invest, pero karamihan sa inyo ay hindi marunong pumili ng mga stocks at bonds ng mabubuting kumpanya. Ang isa nyong kaibigan ay isang expert na nagaral ng business sa kolehiyo at nagtrabaho at nagiinvest sila sa stock exchange ng higit dalawampung taon. Dahil magaling siyang pumili ng investment, tinipon tipon niyo ang inyong pera at hinayaan nyong siya ang maginvest para sa inyo (binibigyan nyo sya ng kaunting service charge). Kumikita kayo depende sa kung gaano kagaling ang investment ng kaibigan ninyo at kung gaano karaming pera ang pinahiram mo sa grupo. Ganoon gumana ang mutual fund.

Ang mutual fund ay isang investment kung saan maraming tao ang nagtitipon-tipon ng pera para mag-invest sa assets tulad ng stocks, bonds, money market, at iba pa. Ang mga fund na ito ay pinangangalagaan ng mga propesyonal na money managers at ang layunin nila ay iinvest ang resources ng fund upang kumita ng pera para sa mga shareholders. Ikaw ay magiging shareholder kapag nag-invest ka sa isang mutual fund gamit ang pagbili ng kanilang shares.

Ngayon, bakit mo dapat pag-isipang mag-invest dito?

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What are Mutual Funds? (A Short Guide for Beginners)

October 23, 2017 by Ray L. 2 Comments

Tagalog Version (Click Here)

For this week’s lesson, let’s start with the basics! Today we’ll cover the investment vehicle called mutual funds. So what are they? Imagine this scenario. 10 of your friends want to start investing, but most of you don’t know how to choose good companies’ stocks and bonds. One of your friends, however, is an investing expert who studied business in college and they’ve worked and invested at the stock exchange for more than 20 years. Because he’s good at choosing investments, you all decided to pool your money together and have him handle it for you (you also give him a small commission). You all earn some profit depending on how well your friend’s investments work and how much money you’ve invested with the group. That is basically how a mutual fund works.

A mutual fund is an investment where lots of people pool their money together to invest in assets like stocks, bonds, money market, or other assets. These funds are operated by professional money managers and their goal is to invest the fund’s resources to earn money for the shareholders. That’s you when you invest in a mutual fund by buying their shares.

Now why should you consider investing in them?

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20 Quotes Tungkol sa Utang na Kailangan Mong Basahin NGAYON

September 26, 2017 by Ray L. 1 Comment

English Version (Click Here)

Ilang buwan na ang nakalipas mula noong panahong naghahanap ako ng bagong cellphone at naisip kong bumili ng top-class phones at bayaran ito ng hulugan. Dahil may stable akong income mula sa streaming, naisip ko kakayanin ko naman itong bayaran.

Sa panahong iyon, nagdalawang isip ako at bumili na lang ako ng phone na kayang gawin ang kailangan ko at binayaran ko ito ng buo gamit cash.

Habang nagbabalik-tanaw ako, mabuting desisyon nga iyon. Ang streamer contract namin ng ilang mga kakilala ko ay biglaang naterminate at kasabay nitong nawala ang income ko mula doon. Kung nangutang ako para bilhin ang gadget na sobrang mahal kumpara sa pangangailangan ko, baka naging malaking problema iyon. Salamat naman at ang mga natutunan ko tungkol sa pag-iwas sa bad debts o utang ay nakatulong sa desisyon ko noon.

Ang ilang aral ay nangangailangan ng isang buong libro habang ang iba naman ay nangangailangan lang ng ilang salita. Ang halaga ng isang idea ay hindi natatagpuan sa dami ng salitang ginamit dito kundi sa kung gaano ito kahusay sa pagtuturo sa atin ng kailangan nating matutunan. Dahil doon, madalas akong magshare ng quotes o kasabihan sa aking mga articles. Kapag nagamit ang mga iyon ng mabuti (at sana nagamit ko rin sila ng mabuti), pwede nilang idiin sa iyong isipan ang mga aral na naituro. Hayaan mo akong magshare ng sampung quotes o kasabihan tungkol sa bad debt o utang at sana mainspire ka nitong mag isip ng mabuti kapag ikaw ay mangungutang para bilhin ang mga bagay na hindi naman pasok sa iyong budget.

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20 Quotes About Bad Debt That You Have to Read NOW

September 26, 2017 by Ray L. 2 Comments

Tagalog Version (Click Here)

A few months ago I was looking for a new phone and I thought about buying one of the top-class phones available through credit. Since I had a stable income through streaming, I imagined that I could probably afford it.

At that time, however, I decided against it and I simply bought a phone that can do what I need and I paid for it in cash.

In hindsight, that was a good call. The streamer contact I and many others had have been terminated abruptly and the income disappeared along with it. If I had taken on that debt to buy something that’s far too expensive for my needs, it would have become quite a problem. Thankfully, the lessons I learned about avoiding bad debts helped me make a good choice then.

Some lessons need an entire book while others need only a few words. The value of an idea isn’t measured by how many words it used but in how well they teach us the things we have to learn. It’s for that reason why I frequently share quotes in most of my articles. When used well (and I hope I used them well), they can make enough of an impact to hammer the lesson home. Let me share with you these 10 quotes about bad debt which I hope will inspire you to think twice about using debt to buy things you can’t afford.

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