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SavingsPinay May Quick Recap

Monday, May 30, 2016

I can't believe that we are now half past 2016. I still have a lot to achieve on my goals but I'm very happy that most of the big rocks for this year have been already been done. The blog also had a lot going on for May and I love to give a quick recap on things here and there. Let's begin.





We reached 130,000++ Pageviews
On last month's quick recap I mentioned that the goal for May is to reach 130,000 pageviews. And thanks to you, we reached our goal. For June, let's try to surpass 140,000 pageviews together.
Launch of SavingsPinay Facebook Group
After putting this action for quiet a long time, the SavingsPinay Group is now launched. The soft opening happened in the week of May 23. Still low in the engagement side for I guess members are quiet shy to talk but for sure as time goes by the group will be busy. If you want to know more about the SavingsPinay Facebook Group CLICK HERE.
SavingsPinay Money Makeover is Back 
If your part of the SavingsPinay Mailing List I hope you have already read, downloaded and printed the February, March, April and May SavingsPinay Money Makeover gifts. I also want to mention that I put registration widgets at the top, bottom and side of the blog for the mailing list. All you have to do is submit your email address.
SavingsPinay Weekly Notes
Another thing we launched in May is the Weekly Notes wherein I give you a collection of personal finance posts, news and tips I found from other bloggers as well. I am done with the first and second installment already and it appears every Saturday. 

POSTS PUBLISHED IN SAVINGSPINAY:

Weekly Notes #02 | The Best of Personal Finance Tips and Must-Reads

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Hi and welcome to new SavingsPinay Weekly Notes. I wasn't able to publish last week's installment because I attended Blogapalooza 2016 and I had so much fun. You can click THIS LINK to read my experience. Anyhow without further ado I'd like to share to you the best posts I have searched and read and will surely be helpful in everyone's personal finance life.Weekly Notes #02 | The Best of Personal Finance Tips and Must-Reads  




But first...

If you are part of the SavingsPinay Mailing List then you know that I've already sent the February, March, April and May Money Makeover articles in PDF. My sincerest apologies that it took me long before I sent  them out. It's all my fault. 

I hope you'll download, read and/or print out each PDF SavingsPinay Money Makeover article for I created each with utmost love. The June Money Makeover will be sent out on June 1, Wednesday.

If you are curious about the SavingsPinay Mailing List you can click THIS LINK.

Sign Up Here: http://eepurl.com/bbab3L

Are you already part of the SavingsPinay Community in Facebook?

It is a community where you can share your ideas,  inquire your money issues. and/or network with other financial bloggers. 
The Facebook Group is staying as active as possible with engaging posts, shoutouts, freebies and more. 


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Check Out Below Awesome Posts from Fellow Filipino Personal Finance Bloggers:








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Join Me in SavingsPinay's Facebook Community!

Monday, May 23, 2016
Finally I am launching and activating an exclusive Facebook Group to all SavingsPinay Readers!!!

This Facebook Group/Community aims to gather people from all sorts of age, gender and location that's interested in the world of Personal Finance. We will become friends and buddies as we deal in the day to day struggle of making, saving and investing money. 


Best Savings Account for Your Kids in the Philippines

Friday, May 20, 2016


If you are thinking about the best financial move you can do as a parent for your child then opening a savings account will be the best answer. You'll surely give a head start to your kid's financial success plus teach the importance of personal finance as early as today. The money you set aside in your kids savings account can help during tough college years. You can also keep the savings account as a gift once they turn 18 (legal age). 

In today's SavingsPinay post we will be focusing on the best savings account to open for your kids. I will also ponder upon the deciding factors as parents on which savings account to choose and whole lot more information. 

Let's start.


Why Open a Savings Account for Your Kids

Not all parents will think of opening a savings account for their kids especially in the Philippine culture. Plans and Insurance are a big no-no and scary financial terms that we are not yet ready to process. 

However, opening a savings account for your kids will actually become a great advantage to you and your family. A small savings account can help your child/children think better of his future. He will become instantly inspired to go to college or start a business. The savings account will give your child a savings mentality and adopt the best personal finance habit that will make him rich.

Savings Accounts in the Philippines For Your Kids

Now that you have idea on how important  savings account can be for your kids, we can now move on the different savings account in the Philippines you can opt to open. Note that there may be banks that offer savings account for kids which are not part of the list.

Banco De Oro Junior Savers

  • Initial Deposit is 100pesos
  • Minimum Balance to Earn Interest is 2,000pesos
  • Interest Rate Per Annum is 0.25%
  • Get a Junior Savers ID for free upon opening. Kids age 7-12 years old can choose an ATM Debit card which also serves as their Junior Savers ID Card.
  • Flash the Junior Savers Card and enjoy discounts and freebies at participating merchants CLICK HERE.
READ MY BPI INVESTMENT FUND FIRST IMPRESSION

BPI Jumpstart Savings Account

  • Designed for the youth ages 10 to 17 years old.
  • Required Initial Deposit is 100pesos
  • Required Balance to Earn Interest 1,000pesos
  • Interest Rate per Annum is 0.25%
  • Guaranteed savings that protects a portion of your child's funds from unplanned withdrawals
  • Allow you to enjoy perks and/or privileges from partner merchants CLICK HERE


Metrobank Fun Savers 


  • Initial Deposit is 500pess
  • Required Balance to Earn Interest 4,000pesos
  • Interest Rate Per Annum is 0.25%
  • Receive a welcome gift upon opening, Fun Savers Club Gift Check.
  • Free education trust benefit worth 50,000pesos (with minimum ADB requirement)
  • Free personal accident insurance worth twice the ADB, not to exceed 1 million pesos (with minimum ADB requirement)
  • Exclusive discounts and privileges from partner establishments CLICK HERE.


EastWest Bank Cool Savers Kiddie Account


  • Minimum Initial Deposit is 2,000pesos
  • Maintaining Balance to Earn Interest is 2,00pesos
  • Interest Rate per Annum is .25%
  • Access the account over-the-counter, via internet banking or mobile access.
  • With Passbook for easy transaction record
READ MY SECURITY BANK UITF FIRST IMPRESSION


Security Bank Young Savers Savings Account


  • Opening Balance is 100pesos
  • Minimum Balance to Earn interest is 4,000pesos
  • Interest Rate is 0.50%
  • Receive a Passbook and/or Everyday Debit and Mastercard in one for fast transaction online, ATMs or over the counter


RCBC W.I.S.E. Savings Account

  • Open to children ages 7-14 years old
  • Will be opened as In-Trust-For (ITF) account for children below 7 years of age
  • Initial Deposit sould be 500pesos
  • Maintaining Balance is 1,000pesos
  • Balance to earn interest is 5,000pesos
  • Interest Rate per Annum is 0.50% 
  • Get Free Personal Accident Insurance for a minimum initial deposit of 1,000pesos
  • Free perks and privileges to partner outlets CLICK HERE


UCPB Kiddie Max Account


  • Minimum Initial Deposit is 500pesos
  • Minimum ADB to earn interest is 10,000pesos
  • Annual Interest Rate is 0.25%


How to Open a Savings Account For Your Kids

Most if not all banks that offer a special savings account for kids will need the following requirements ready for opening:

  1. Birth Certificate
  2. Parent/Guardian's Valid ID
  3. Kid's Two Valid ID's with your recent picture, name and signature available (if available)
  4. Two 1x1 photos
  5. Billing Statement for verification of home address
  6. Initial Amount to Deposit
You can call or visit online your bank of choice to know more about their specific requirements.

Once you have prepared the above requirements all you have to do is visit the nearest branch of the bank and inquire. You will be asked to fill up application form and turn over your documents to the teller. You may ask the bank representative to explain to you briefly the advantage and disadvantage of the savings account you are purchasing. Then receive your welcome gift and/or ID and/or ATM after.

Things to Consider Before Opening a Savings Account for Your Kids

  1. Fees and Requirements



Know whether the account has monthly maintenance fees or minimum balance to avoid future problems. Make sure that your child qualify to the requirements set by the bank. Also it is better to think whether the initial deposit needed for the kids savings account is within your budget as well as the additional investment you'll make weekly or monthly. From the above gathered list EastWest Bank Cool Savers Kiddie Account has the highest initial deposit to open.


  1. Interest Rates



Of course you are opening a savings account for the benefit of your child's future. Thus, thinking about the interest rate should be part of your priority. Saving money for kids is a long time process and you might need an account that offers the best interest rate for long-term saving for the power of compounding to apply. From the above gathered list Security Bank Young Savers Savings Account and RCBC W.I.S.E. Savings Account have the highest interest rate earned per annum. 




  1. Benefits to Your Child/Children


It is also important to take not of the services the ban offer to your child/children. The perks and privileges can give a huge different on your investment. From the list above Metrobank Fun Savers have a lot of benefits including education trust benefit, accident insurance and discounts from participating merchants. 

Now is always the best time to think about your kid's future. So what are you waiting for, allocate an amount to your child/children's future fund.  

Have you considered opening a savings account for your kids? Do you have any savings account recommendation? Don't forget to use the comment section below.

MORE POSTS TO READ:

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  2. A Special Guide on the New FAMI Investor's Portal
  3. All About Banking in the Philippines Part 1
  4. All About Banking in the Philippines Part 2
  5. How to Achieve Financial Stability in Your 20’s
  6. How to Actually be Good in Money
  7. How to Correctly Spend Your Money
  8. How to Handle Bill Payments like a Boss
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How to Make Money with a Blog in the Philippines

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Today's post is another Installment of our How to Make Money Online series. If you miss the last two posts you can click HERE and HERE. The purpose of these type of articles is to show you how that there's money online. As mentioned over the past money lessons we have, one source of income is not enough. We all need to hustle and make extra pesos to fund our needs and wants.  You may have read My Year-End Income Report last December and I am a testament that making extra money online is possible. 

Blogging in the Philippines is a sure way that a person can build a brand. It is easy to set-up and only needs commitment to maintain. From a simple hobby, blogging can turn into an actual raket and will make you earn extra income too.

Starting a Blog

Setting up a blog is way easier that one can imagine. All it takes in 20-30 minutes of your time and your blog is good to go. Once you have set up your blog the next big action step you need to do is produce quality content which will be discussed in future posts.


Step 1. Choose your niche/topic

Blogs come in different niche depending on a blogger's interest. I started a Fashion and Beauty Blog, IzzaGlino because that's where my interest was. Then came my love for financial education that led to the arrival of SavingsPinay.

There are plenty of topics available if you want to start blogging in the Philippines. Below are the complete list of blog categories/ topic/ niche you can choose from.
  • Arts & Craft
  • Books & Literature
  • Business & Finance
  • Community & Groups
  • Corporate & Official
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Health & Medicine
  • Home & Living
  • Humor
  • Legal
  • Marketing & SEO
  • Music
  • News & Journalism
  • Personal
  • Photoblogs
  • Pictures & Models
  • Politics & Government
  • Productivity & Career
  • Real Estate
  • Religion
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Technology & Computers
  • Travel & Leisure
  • Video Games
  • Web Development & Design
Step 2. Choose Your Blog Name

After you've decided on the central theme of your blog, your task now is to come up with the perfect name that your audience can easily remember. It is also ideal to name your blog out of your real name to create branding and to not limit you in what you could post in your blog. You can also be very specific and base your name on the blog theme you chose. What matters is that you strategically choose the name of your blog. 

Step 3. Choose Your Blog Platform

Blog platforms are available as an easy way to build a blog. All you have to do is sign-up, enter your specific details of your blog and choose your blog template. The most common blog platforms are Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr. You can also build your own website provided that you pay for hosting and domain name.

Blogger is a perfect platforms for beginners who need a user-friendly blog platform. You can create multiple blogs in one account. Since Blogger  is owned by Google it is also way easier to top the Google ranking. You can easily connect Google Adsense to start monetizing your space and you have a pool of widgets to make your blog look even better.

Wordpress is ideal for those who aim to have their blog more professional. The templates that Wordpress have are more classy-looking rather than Blogger Templates. You have a lot of control over how your blog post will be published on the web. Wordpress also offers functional widgets that go hand in hand in your goal to maximize the potential of your blog.

Tumblr is more for personal blogging. It is very easy to set up and more on a social media type of blog because people can retweet the blog posts and follow your blog. 
The platform also offers a lot of beautiful theme you can choose from. This is also a great platform for photo blogs that involve  fashion and travel.

Step 4. Design Your Blog

Depending on the platform you choose for your blog, you might need to spend time designing how you want your blog to be seen by the public. Designing a Blogger, Wordpress and Tumblr will soon be up on my blog. There are Free Themes and Premium (Paid) Themes to choose from. 

Step 5. Start Blogging

Once you are happy with how your blog looks you can now start with the actual blogging. You undergo a series of blog writing, producing image for the blog and editing. As a beginner you may or may not  opt for an editorial calendar and just use an old notebook to plan your content. The beginning phase of the blog is the most crucial part of a blogger's journey but if you will just strive hard everything will be seamless in the end.
What's Next?

Once your blog is set up you can now generate blog posts. You can start with a Welcome Post saying who you are and what your blog is about. You can also create pages for your Home, About Me and Contact Me. A great tip that I learned over years of blogging is doing 10-15 quality contents first before launching. Make sure that you have selected the right social media to promote your posts. READ: How to Write Your First Blog Post

In my personal beauty and lifestyle blog, IzzaGlino I create posts about BLOGGING. For the sake of convenience below are the links to helpful posts on How You Can Start a Blog for Free


How Do Blogs Generate Income

There are two questions often asked to me when that I say I am blogger. 1. "Do you earn from blogging" or 2. "How much do you earn from blogging?"

Now I have to warn you that it takes time to earn a reasonable amount that can match your monthly salary through blogging. It is not and will never be instant money for everyone. Some are blogging for almost 10 years already but still fail to earn enough to exchange it for their actual jobs. Others are just months from launching their blog yet they already have great following from the online community. 

Different Income Streams From Blogging

  1. Pay Per Click Ads

Pay Per Click Ads are the ads you primarily see in a blog's sidebar, header or footer. Once a reader clicks on the ads displayed you will earn money. The clicks earn between .15-.50 cents per click. 

Example of Sites that offer Pay Per Click Advertising: Google AdsenseChitika and Infolinks.

How Does PPC Ads work? Based on the nature of your blog and the type of banner you chose from your registered account, relevant ads will display. With great location and relevance to your post you'll surely earn from PPC Ads.


  1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is the most common income streams for bloggers specially those who have established their authority online. You partner with a brand/company and either display an image or link with your unique code to your site or your post. You'll receive commissions for every successful sale through your unique link. There are also plenty of benefits being an affiliate offer like discount to their products and services or discount codes your readers can use. 

Example of Sites that offer Affiliate Marketing: Lazada Affiliate, Zalora Affiliate, Amazon's Affiliate, and VOffice

How Affiliate Marketing Works? Again based on the nature of your blog you can either apply or be invited as an affiliate. You have access to a number of banners/ads you can choose to display anywhere in your website. You'll also have a quick link that you can write as a hyperlink every time you mention the brand. 
  1. Sponsored Ads

This is most common income generating tool for those who have a beauty and lifestyle blog. Businesses want to widen their reach especially to the online community so bloggers may be asked to try out a product and blog about it. Sometime not just a product but the whole business itself.  

Getting Sponsorship Opportunity though is hard or rare if you are a new bloggers. Thus, Network Sites such as Nuffnang and Blogapalooza are established. They help connect bloggers to businesses and brands easily. Complete honesty will be needed though so you won't lose your readers trust. Also this will work if you really use a certain service or product.

  1. Own Product

Bloggers can also start selling their own product through their blog. These products come in two types, Digital and Physical. Digital Products include eBook, Online Course, Printable workbooks and other materials which can be accessed and used digitally. Other bloggers sell their own physical product like an online shop linked to their blog. 

  1. Own Service

Another great way bloggers earn money is by offering their service to the public. You can do a Coaching/Mentoring service or do Paid Webinar Series or live workshop where your audience will have to pay. You will be paid based on your time and worth. 

  1. Become a Speaker

You can create a "Invite Me As Speaker" page in your blog for people to contact you in case they need a speaker for their event. Others invite speakers too for seminar or company activities. 

Creating a Blog and Making Money

Again as mentioned earlier it takes time to make a profitable blog. Mostly a combination of hardwork and right timing is needed. Blog traffic will turn to more clicks and more blogging authority for you to succeed on different income streams available as a blogger. 

SavingsPinay Traffic. See encircled part.


If you see the chart above SavingsPinay didn't earn enough traffic in its first year. I didn't know anything about blogging much and what it takes to generate enough traffic. It took me three years to have a  stronger blog. Today I get 7,000-8,000 pageviews a month or about 200-300 a day. And I am really happy. I started receiving sponsorship post requests, ads from brands and more.

Below are some ways you can start building traffic to your blog:
  • If you want to make money go for a niche blog. Readers will click advertisements or buy products if you have a blog with focused interest. 
  • Make your content good. Let it be valuable to your readers, long enough to become SEO-friendly and original
  • Your blog post title should be eye-catching and summarize what the blog post is about. 
  • It is also important to optimize your content so people will find it easier.
  • Be consistent at all cost. Create a blog post schedule that works for you. Do not over commit to your readers instead blog within your convenience so you won't be stressed easily. 


Did This Article Help You?

I encourage everyone to start a blog even just as a hobby. Once you get the hang of it you'll realize that its more than just for fun anymore. A blog is a powerful tool and its something almost anyone from any age or gender can do. If you enjoyed reading this post and the article helped you, I hope you can share the article with the link to the blog to your social media sites. You can also use the comment section to leave a link to your blog as well so others can find you as well.

Thank you so much for visiting SavingsPinay. Join SavingsPinay Exclusive Facebook Group

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