What you need to know about funeral processions and creating wealth

On an ordinary traffic-jammed day, this is a common remark you'd hear inside buses or jeepneys in the Philippines: "Bakit traffic? Ay sus! may libing!"

I'm betting i am the only person in the Philippines from whom you would hear this plea:

"Can somebody tell the authorities that we hate being stuck in traffic jams because of slow-moving funeral processions? It's the 21st century already, for goodness sake! Why do we still walk from the house to the cemetery? Why the procession? Why the horse-drawn carriages? Why the slow-moving jeepneys behind the marching people? SERIOUSLY. WHY?"  




I'm also betting that there's drama involved here. Filipinos love drama. And what better way to showcase drama than a slow march to the grave?

I mean no disrespect, really. In fact i believe that the dead should be treated with utmost respect. I hate it when everybody stuck in traffic gets to "disrespect" the dead by "complaining" about it (the march which causes heavy traffic) silently.

2 lessons here:

One, the times have changed. It's time we face it. A funeral march causes traffic to slow down. We do not have wide highways and streets in the Philippines.

Two, start VALUING time. Other people behind you - those caught in the traffic jam - have places to go, stuff to do, businesses to deal with. Give them a favor by NOT wasting their time.

If we start valuing each other's time, then we can all create wealth.

Stop the drama, please. It's time.

Unless you're a VIP, like the late Cory and Ninoy. Only then do you deseve the hype and drama.

Oh well, this is just my opinion.

PS
Please don't hate me. I'm just saying out loud what other people won't - or can't.
Or maybe i'm just up for it. So go ahead, hate me. I may very much deserve it too.


  

Loans

I'm thinking of creating a directory of Financing Institutions available for the Filipinos.

Why? Because i personally believe that loans are not bad. We Filipinos must learn to disassociate loans from the normal lines of thoughts such as "utang na loob" or "pabigat".

Let me tell you a story I keep on telling to people afraid of taking out loans:

You see, I work for a financing company. And for over a decade now, i have seen people actually make good with their loans from us. Almost all our clients, actually. Of course we also have delinquents.

This is why  I do not discourage people from taking out loans.

You know what's bad? If he uses that loan to buy something which WILL NOT earn - like a cellphone, or a watch, or a TV set. Then he's in trouble.

On credit cards:
Image via Wikipedia
One of my staff is very enterprising. Do you know what she uses her credit cards with high credit limits for?  Strictly for BUSINESS only. How? Here:

With high, i mean up to P200k per card. She has friends who do not have credit cards but are so bent on  buying high end items such as new refrigerators, tvs. aircon, etc. So she offers that she uses her card to buy them the items, but she'll collect monthly from them. for principal, interest AND, check this out, a little patong (profit). Isn't that clever? That's making money out of plastic.

I haven't followed her footsteps, by the way. First, because i do not have credit limits that high (i get awed at how high credit limits credit card companies can actually afford to give middle-income earners nowadays). And i'm not much into usury.

But i must say, this is a smart way of making extra money. (By the way, have you been checking out my page about "earning extra"?. Click here)

So you see, as long as you use loans to make money, nothing is wrong with it. Investing is the name of the game. Saving money is not enough (read my post about what to do with money saved here). One needs to find ways to create money and build wealth.

Let's start looking at loans the positive way. The old way is not applicable anymore. The world has changed.

Information is key, people!

PS
You might want to read:

Readers' question: How do i save money?

A reader emailed me, asking "how do i save money?".Another one asks my opinion on Francisco Colayco's suggestion (in his book, Pera mo, Palaguin mo) of using envelopes.

With this post, I hope to answer these questions in the simplest, and most effective way i can. In fact, i will only use 3 words: Just do it!

I'm sorry if you were expecting a magic formula. But folks, really, ask yourself, how else do you expect yourself to save? In my opinion, there is no formula. Just willpower.

By all means you can, save every excess centavo. These add up. It's developing the habit that's more important. Once you've developed the habit, and have made this automatic and lasting, I promise you, you will very soon be taking the next big leap which is "growing your money" thru investments.


I can relate to you, ordinary Juan Dela Cruzes. I've been there. I am living proof that this is possible. Discipline, willpower and a bias for action. These are key.

Hesitant still? Also read (click links) relevant topics about:

a) Why create wealth?
b) Why save?
c) Money-saving tips
d) Investing 101
e) What to do with money saved

Basketball and building wealth in the Philippines

Before anything else, let me make it clear: I love basketball. I play the game 3x a week. It is one of my greatest passions in life. However, i feel time is beginning to catch up on me. One day soon, i'll be saying goodbye to the sport. But not before i give the Filipino youngsters out there a piece of my mind. 

"one of my personal joys"

The Pinoy male reader will definitely relate to this post. The female ones, my apologies if you cannot. 

Something’s really wrong with the below scenario:

Almost everyday at around 3pm, a group of  basketball playing guys travel to an unfamiliar barangay to look for worthy opponents. This is called “dayo”, in street language. Normally, the hosts (the ones dinayo) would agree to play but with a bet, to which the visitors (the dayo) accept as this is their intention in the first place – to try to win games so as to bring home cash.

So the exciting game begins.