What Losing Weight can Teach you about Financial Management

Have you ever wondered what the connection is between losing weight/being fit and sexy and gaining money??? I know it might sound weird to connect the two but the truth is if you analyze well you can easily acknowledge that these two acts interact with each other.

I am not much of an exercise fanatic but it is one area where in I am planning to be more equipped for this year of 2014. My main wish is to have a flat tummy and toned arms and legs. :) Comment below this post whatever YOUR physical goal is/are.

Anyways, let's move on with the CONNECTION between the two.

Losing Weight as well as Financial Management is all about FOLLOWING STEPS and PROCEDURES

          Taking care of your finances has to be change of mindset, a learning of practical tips and a balance of wise budget. You have to follow baby steps to advance steps to be able to keep and to maintain the flow of money in your system. All your sources of income as well as the expenses you have should be literally written and drawn out for better planning. 

Losing Weight as well as Financial Management is all about BABY STEPS

          Just like how becoming fit follows a slowly but surely ritual, a person cannot be rich is an instant. The more fast or instant it is the more harmful it will be. Look at the others who won in lotto jackpot, they tend to spend their prizes to waste because they had it in an instant and they do not know how to value the said huge amount. Whereas those who work hard for their money maintain a positive attitude because they know what they have done to accumulate that wealth.

Losing Weight as well as Financial Management is all about BEING COMFORTABLE WITH WHO YOU ARE

         People who start to exercise and loose weight saw in themselves that there should be a change. That they want to feel more comfortable within themselves. This is also what a person who turns into financial management is. You want to be more comfortable with how your money runs. You want to be happier with your lifestyle but not sacrificing your leisure. Being financially able is not about having more money but it is actually about managing what money or resources you have to attain a certain kind of balance in your life.

BPI DIRECT SAVE-UP plus INSURANCE FIRST IMPRESSION

As you may have read in my blog I received my BPI Direct Save-Up plus Insurance Info card this week. I have been waiting for my info card for almost a month and a half already and I am glad that I was able to get it this week.

Honestly, I was hesitant at first to try applying for the Save-Up plus Insurance but the constant reading and researching from other women finance blogs made me realize that there's no harm in trying. Plus, I am really praying to set up my Emergency Fund as early as now so that everything will be in place for my future.

Now here are the helpful notes I fell in love with about this product from BPI.

Easy enrollment- You can only open the account if you already have an existing BPI Express Teller online account. This will enable you to thoroughly know how much you already have in your account. i love this feature because the enrollment is very easy. you just have to add the BPI Direct Save-up plus Insurance in your existing online account and wait for the arrival of your information card. No need to go to the nearest BPI branch and present other IDs.

Automatic Deposit- Another great feature of this Savings account is the fact that an amount of your choice (not below 250pesos) will be automatically deducted from your Express Teller account and transfered to this Direct Save-Up Account on the date that you have chosen. 

Example: I chose to be deducted 500pesos every 6th and 21st of the month. So even without me checking, I know for sure that there is an amount being fed to my Emergency Fund.

Info Card and not ATM- One unique thing about this product is that instead of an ATM you will be given an INFO CARD sort of ID as a proof that you have your insurance. This will also be the very ID that you will use once you decided to use the insurance. This will lessen the possiblity of you withdrawing an amount in the card because you can't just easily withdraw any amount on any locations. Only online transfer is accepted for the Direct Save-Up plus Insurance.

Earn Interest- If you deposit amount from 1000 - 399,999 pesos it will earn 1.000% interest per annum. 400,000 and above will earn 2.000% per annum. Meanwhile, if you deposited less than 1000 then ther will be no annual interest that your money will gain.

FREE LIFE INSURANCE- Now this part caught my attention so much that's why I enrolled for one. This is like the most fantastic way to build your emergency fund. The Insurance makes your Savings account more than just the usual savings account.

Without any medical check up pr anything, you use these Ayala insurance:

• Basic Life : 5X the account’s average Month-to-Date Average Daily Balance (MTD-ADB) of the past three calendar months with a maximum amount of P2,000,000 regardless of the number of accounts opened by the insured individual.

Meaning if your account balance is 100,000 for the past three calendar months you will get 500,000 basic life insurance.

• Accidental Death: Additional 5X the account’s average Month-to-Date Average Daily Balance (MTD-ADB) of the past three calendar months up to P2,000,000 regardless of the number of accounts opened by the insured individual.

Meaning if your basic life insurance costs 500,000pesos then it will gain additional 5x the accounts MTD-ADB making you have almost 1million worth of insurance for accidental death.

• Accidental Dismemberment : 5X the account’s average Month-to-Date Average Daily Balance (MTD-ADB) of the past three calendar months with a maximum amount of P2,000,000 independent of the number of accounts opened by the insured individual.

Meaning if your account balance is 100,000 for the past three calendar months you will get 500,000 basic life insurance.

Not counted for the Life Insurance benefit are deaths due to pre-existing and critical illnesses, due to suicide which happens on the first year, self- inflicted injuries bodily, mental infirmity, disease poisoning,  atomic fission infection and radioactive gas. 

You can withdraw your Savings- Yes you can as long as you will have a minimum of 1000pesos deposited in your account. But i do not recommend this because the amount you have in your savongs will determine the insurance that you will get. Imagine if you only have 1000pesos in your Emergency Fund and you had an accident, you will only be given up to 5000pesos worth of basic life insurance. Also, I highly recommended opening this type of account only as an EMERGENCY FUND so you won't be tempted to withdraw any money. 

Over-all my first impression of the BPI Direct Save-Up plus Insurance account is amazing. It is one of the must-have savings account for every Filipino. The initial investment needed is really low and you only need to maintain 1000 for it to be active. I love the free insurance so I am not just saving but also earning a whole lot of benefits. 

The only downside I can see is the fact that I still haven't read any blogs that used their cardfor the   benefits so it is a bit of risky if the promised life insurance is really true. Also, the info card arrives really late than expected. 

Other that these two points, the BPI Direct Save-Up plus Insurance has been great addition on my financial journey.

NOTES:

You need to still activate your card within 45days upon receiving the info card and change the pass code.

You need to tranfer online before you can withdraw your money.

Thank you for reading my blog and hope you got some info in my post. Goodluck!

How I Got my NBI Clearance in just TWO HOURS

Hi everyone!!! I am her in The Coffee Bean Robinson's Manila sipping some Double Chocolate Ice Blended and maximizing the free wi-fi with my Swirl Rewards Card. It's Tuesday and i am done processing my NBI. Guess how many hours i spent for the application and releasing???

Only TWO HOURS!!!!!

Yes, yes, yes. I am so happy that i got my NBI faster than the usual and in this blog post i will share to you how i did it.

STEP 1. Have an Online Application. You can easily go with NBI's main website and clicked the application option and answer the online form. Make sure to print this form too.

STEP 2. Go to Robinson's Otis Pinoy Lingkod Center. Of all the official places where you can get your NBI clearance i mainly believe that the Pinoy Lingkod Center in Robinson's Otis is the fastest and easiest way. I went at 9:30am with my printed form from online and ID and there is a separate line for Online and Manual.

The thing that I like about Otis is that it is very organized. The transaction went super fast too though of course there is a line. The line for Manual is 10 times more than the online so i highly suggest to have your application online. Also, you are one step advance when you applied online because there is no reason for you to be encoded, you just have to pay the required amount.

STEP 3. Patiently comply with the process. The seats on Online and Manual is separated. Online applicants went faster than the Manual since we are fewer. Step 1 is to pay the amount of 115pesos for local employment. For the complete list of payments please referr to the website of NBI.

After paying, you will be given a receipt. This as well as your online form will be presented to the Step 2 which is the biometrics and photo capturing. Pray that you won't have a hit because you will be invited to come after 2weeks to process the inconvenience. 

After you had your picture taken and finger prints you are now in the waiting area for releasing. Wait for your name to be called and pay additional 5pesos as you get your NBI clearance.

And that's it. You now have your NBI clearance that you can use for requirements. I was done with the steps in 11:30am and i was really delighted by how fast everything went.

TIPS:

My main tip is to really apply online and have your form printed. If you go manual and not come in the NBI center of your choice then no doubt that you will spend the whole day waiting in line.

Come early. I believe i just got lucky that i went with a few in line on the online side. Come before 9am so you will be first in line.

Go to Robinson's Otis. It is top of my choice because it is truly a fast transaction there.

While waiting for the release of your NBI Clearance you can also process your SSS or Philhealth needs because these are the other two government express centers in the Robinson's Pinoy Lingkod Center. 

Be patient and respect the process.

HOW TO GO TO ROBINSON's OTIS?

Go to LRT Line 1 near you and get off at UN Avenue station. Find the tricycle/pedical terminal bound to  Robinson's Otis. Landmark for the terminal is the side where Mcdonald's is located. Fare is 10pesos. You know that you are near Robinson's Otis once you pass by Unilever. 

Thank you for reading my blog. Goodluck. :)

My Swirl Rewards Card from The Coffee Bean

I love reward cards!!! As always i feel like there is an added value to the product i buy when i have a membership card to present. Are you like me? wink, wink.

Anyways, just recently i was able to try another ice blended from The Coffee Bean. I asked the barista if they have WI-FI in the facility. She genuinely answered that the Wi-fi is for those who have Swirl Rewards card only. From then she introduced me to the Swirl Rewards Card of The Coffee Bean. It is their official rewards point system membership card.

I love the presentation of the card. Classic. 

So the card is for 195 pesos only. Every 100pesos that you spend in ordering a product from The Coffee Bean will entitle you 5 points. Once you buy a drink for example that is 220pesos you will be given 10 worth of points for your purchase. 

Every 1 point is equal to 1 pesos so give the example above you now have 10pesos that you can collect so that in the next visit you can just pay using your Swirl Rewards Card. 

Another great feature of this card is that you have the privileged to use the Wi-Fi of The Coffee Bean branch. This means that if you just want to order a drink and spend the rest of the moment on your own, updating our Facebook etc. then you can save so much money using this Swirl Rewards Card.

PROS: 

• Very affordable membership card.
• No expiration date.
• Great privileged for the FREE internet use.
• Great packaging and presentation of the card.
• 100pesos= 5 points!!! That's really a big amount since 1 point equals 1 peso.

CONS:

• Not enough The Coffee Bean branch. :(

NOTES:

• The  card is not a loading system. An example of this rewards cash card type is like my Robinson's Rewards card. 
• The card should be activated online. Just visit http://swirlrewards.com.ph/
• The card can be used in all The Coffee Bean branches.
• The internet password changes every day per branch so always bring your Swirl Card with you.

My BPI Direct Save-Up Automatic Savings + Insurance has arrived

Finally after 10 decades the info card of my Direct Save-Up account has arrived. Wow, I still can't believe that i have to wait almost a month and a half just for the info card since I enrolled first week of January 2014.

If you have no idea what this Direct Save Up account I am talking about then behold, this is actually one of the best and unique product of BPI. Another reason why I am thankful i became a BPI member. Yay!

BPI Direct Save-Up Automatic Savings + Insurance let's you automatically save an amount of your salary deposited in your ATM or Express Teller Account and let it earn a life insurancef ofor you! The insurance is through the partnership with BPI-PHILAM where in the life insurance coverage is 10x as much as the savings collected in your account!!!! 

The info card that artived yesterday is the proof of my account as well as the proof of coverage for my insurance. It is so easy to apply for BPI Direct Save-Up and I will blog a long and detailed post very verry soon. For now you can visit the BPI website and see for yourself this great great offer.

Tips on Joining MLM (Multi Level Marketing) or Networking

Back when i was still in college i used to be invited in networking seminars by friends and colleagues who are part of them. From UNO, Filtrepreneur and also other numerous networking business that has been around.

But i never joined. I am not brave enough to join those types of businesses. I am an open minded person but its just that giving my money out and getting products that i have no idea about and inviting others to joing my network is not my game. I love talking but yeah, when money is involved it is not my forte anymore.

Multi Level Marketing or Networking is considered as the newest and fastest way to get rich. It involves investing a certain amount of money and selling products manufactured by the MLM firms along with doing recruitments for new members or investors of the business.

And as any investment goes, there is actually no certain time or amount that your money will grow. It is saddening to know for a fact that there are also companies that are only for scams. They will get your money and promise you big returns only to find out that they don't even exists. The Amman Futures scam has been a big issue for Visayan and mindana region last year.

After some mighty research i found out some great tips on joing Network Marketing Companies. If you are planning to invest in Networking Companies i am hoping that you will read first these handy tips so that your money will be protected.

STUDY THE PRODUCT

             All Multi Level Marketing has a product or products they are selling. This what makes them a company in the first place. Study the products that the network is offering. Make sure you are convinced first with the product so it will be easier for you to sell.

KNOW THE COMPANY

            Be informed and research about the company well. Take your time in asking whether the company has enough papers to function. Check the registration and know how long the company has been in the business, Compare the prices as well as compensation plans of the different networks you are involved with.

LEARN FROM OTHERS

           Interview people that has been in the business about their experience and stories. Learn how they do the networking and if they have no regrets at all in the investment they made. Don't just interview those who succeeded but also those who quit the business. Evaluate and assess for you to have a better decision.

These three tips are ideal for you to succeed in the Networking business. Take note that not every netowrking is a scam as not every networking is legit. The best attitude of a good investor is the keen mind and time to research. Good luck!

HOW TO BE SINGLE AND HAPPY THIS MONTH OF FEBRUARY

Well we can easily sum up the month of February by one major occasion-------- Valentine's Day.

Many may be looking forward for this month especially those who are new in their relationships or those who are long enough and wanted to spice up their love for each other. There are also those who happen to be part of the single community (wink* wink*) and would wish February 14 will just not come which is of course impossible.

Being single should not turn you into a frown this Heart's Day. There are tons of things you can actually do to celebrate your single hood. Forget the broken heart playlist and try the following things i do recommend for we are one in the community! (Cheers!!!)

Ice Cream + Popcorn + Movie Marathon

• Why not spend the February 14 by watching great movies that you always wanted to watch but find it hard to set time? You can as always have some ice cream and pop corn on the side and feel the cinema vibe though you are only in your bedroom. Chick flicks as well as love stories will always be a good items for movie marathons. Invite your other single girlfriend for a possible overnight and just relax your mind and your heart and feel the Valentine's Day with laughter together with your best buddies.

Finish a Book

• I know it sounds a bit of a hard task but you can always opt for a book that suits your interest. Whether it is romantic or sci-fi or whatever theme  just READ IT! Promise yourself that you will finish it on February 14. You can make either an essay or book review out of it and publish it as a note in Facebook or on your blog. You will be surprised by people's comments and views. 

Buy that item that will make you happy

• What better way to remember Feb 14 by purchasing that item you have always wanted. This will reverse the way you look on Valentines day and will help boost positive energy in your life. It is not as always a fancy item but just a product that you really love. Buy that pair of shoes you've been wanting for so long or that makeup you promised to have. 

Have Pampering Service

• A quick drop by on a spa or salon for manicure or pedicure will surely give a smile on a woman's face. Have a full body massage or go with a new haircut or hair color so you can just outshine the day with your optimistic aura.

Start an Investment

• Now this is where my financial-minded self comes in. Why not celebrate the love month by opening a mutual fund or stock market account??? I mean, if you have your single-hood savings with you then you can easily invest it and wait till it grows bigger that you expected. I believe that now is the best time to save especially for single professionals because it is as always better to have your own money when the time that you will plan to have a family. Invest now because time will be your best friend. And invest on the Valentine's Day to make it truly memorable. :)

Thank you for reading this post and i hope you have a great day. Being single is not about loneliness. Happiness is a choice and you can as always choose to be happy.