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:

A lesson for Juan Dela Cruz

Today's headline in The Philippine Daily Inquirer says: "Don't dumb down viewers, TV urged". Read the news here.

In Tagalog: Huwag gawing bobo ang mga Pinoy sa mga ipinalalabas sa TV shows.

This is one of my advocacies. This is one of the things i'd like to shout out to every Pinoy. That we're better than what these TV stations (and radio) think. That we can change if want to.

Imagine the whole day the Pinoy gets to watch silly TV shows? And continue on at night before going to bed?
This has been going on for decades now. Kaya hindi tayo umaasenso, is because we tolerate this.

Value your time, people. I'm not saying you stop entertaining yourself totally. I'm preaching PRODUCTIVITY here. Get busy; Be always on the go.
Find work during your spare time.(Read about it here.) Look for anything productive. Sayang ang oras.

This is one of the Filipino's sicknesses - we do not value time. Lagi na lang tayong pa-petik-petik. This has got to change. Really, it's time (read my article about time here) . If not now, our kids will redo this in their lifetime as well.

Again, the lesson for today: Re-think; Start valuing your time. Time is gold. Every minute spent without any production is a wasted minute forever. Hindi na natin ito maibabalik pa.

What i'm saying is that the Pinoy's version of creating wealth isn't just creating wealth. It's deeper. It starts from changing the society we live in.

Money saving tip

I'm going straight to the point - saving is a skill. It takes 3 things: discipline, discipline and discipline.

But let me ask you first. Why do you save? Why not just spend? Which is harder to do, saving or spending?

The rich have a different mindset on wealth creation - It's not how much money you make, but how much is left after paying all the bills. Think about it. No matter how big your salary is, what matters more is how much are you able to save before it runs out. And, what are you going to do with the excess, if any.

Let me share with you my story:

Believe it or not, but if i choose to, i can go to my  (daytime) work, and back home without spending a single penny. Of course proximity is a huge consideration, but that's besides the point i'm trying to focus on. You see, i believe i have already mustered the art of discipline. It's all about planning and execution and willpower. I consciously practice this "zero" expense ritual every now and then. And everytime i succeed, i pat myself on the back. For not only do i save in the process, but i also prove to myself that i can choose to NOT be a slave of money. I can survive the day without being tied up to my expenses or budget.

Oh, my secret? The ever-reliable lunch box. 

Simple living is the name of the game. What i save, i can invest anew. So, don't i have a sweet, sweet life? Then, from my work-at-home job at night, i make money some more and therefore save some more.

We Ilocanos are something, huh?

Earn extra cash. Be a VA

Once again readers, information is key.

Why not be a VA in your spare time? What is a VA? It is short for Virtual Assistant. It is the next big thing. And it is now in the Philippines.  DO NOT BE THE LAST TO KNOW.

Google search box below. Type in the words “ Virtual assistant”

Custom Search

Or click www.odesk.com

Or www.elance.com

Or www.rentacoder.com

If you know your way around the internet, and have extra time, you can be a VA.The playing field has just been leveled. Especially for us in the Philippines, age, nationality, sex, appearance, etc have just been erased as factors for employment.

Yes, the world has changed. A new age has begun. You may even quit your present job and work full time as a VA. Think about it: no more traffic, no more office politics.

Hesitant still?

Here’s another essential news: There is a seminar to be conducted in Taguig this coming Apr 5.Using the search box above, google” Jomar Hilario VA seminar”. Get ready to be surprised.

Be in the know, people. Filipinos in the Philippines are actually doing it. Even I am doing it.  So what are you waiting for? 

Earn money while sleeping

This is what I love about investing: You get to earn cash while you sleep. There is no greater feeling than knowing that your money is working for you than you working for money.

Investing is my life. It has been so since i made the U-turn a couple of years ago.


As you now know, among other stuff, i preach about the stock market. A good way to invest really, is in the stock market. If you were following my posts, yesterday i wrote about Philippine-based companies who did well lately. Now i dare you readers to

Making the U-turn - a true story

,

When we got married 7 years ago, my wife and I were making what I used to call “just right” income. We both have good jobs. We both drive our separate cars (which in the Philippines is uncommon) . Life was so good I was never complaining. We were content with our salaries taking care of the food and rent (yes, we were renting).

2 years into married life, I began questioning