Summary Of my Last Year On The Computer

I must send my thanks to all those who have sent me their emails, because my life has definitely changed, after I forwarded it to a total of 2,170,687 people, costing me more than P300,000 in internet café expenses alone.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.
I no longer go to church or pray because God is attached to the files you sent me, and all I have to do is send it to 25 other people, and that earns me prayer points with God.


Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.
Thanks to you, I have stopped paying all my insurance premiums (ya right) because from now on, no accident will ever happen to me, after all, I’ve already forwarded your last email to 15 of my friends.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.
I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up the P500.00 I found dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
I no longer eat at KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

Oh, and don't forget this one either: I no longer take my kids to jollibee because you told me that their burgers are made of worms imported from china.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.

This is a forwarded chain email to answer and END all forwarded chain emails ...honestly speaking, do you really believe all that crap?

ARE YOU A SCAM-BUG?

Scam /’skam/- a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation (Merriam-Webster online)

Bug-an insect or other crawling or creeping invertebrate, some of which are known to love flying around lights(sometimes endangering themselves) or crawl over waste (that’s sh*t to you)

Ponzi scheme -fraudulent investment operation that involves promising or paying abnormally high returns to investors out of the money paid in by subsequent investors, rather than from revenues generated by a real business. Named after the person who started a pyramid scam, Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant to the United States who became one of the greatest swindlers in American history. (Wikipedia.org)

Multitel, francswiss, PIP, Royal Manchester, and most recently the Legacy Group of Companies. Which one did you invest in? all or none of the above? Much has been written about “how to tell a scam”, but none is about how to tell if you’re one who is easily duped by one. Based on the reactions of most of the people who were duped in any of the above, I have come up with crude and simple way to tell if you’re one, take a look below and see if it applies to you, it won’t take long.

1.) Insurance agents annoy you, you distrust bankers, and financial planners, however, you are instantly impressed when some hotshot rep of a company you haven’t heard of, or maybe was referred by someone you know, offers you an “INNOVATIVE” way to double your money in 3 to 5 years time “GUARANTEED”!(and this include testimony’s of satisfied clients-persons you know)

2.) You find the intricacies of financial planning such as savings, insurance, bonds, mutual funds, equities, and cost averaging, confusing, dull or boring, and not worth your time, which is why you prefer the”hotshot” who won’t bother you with the details (to explain how the whole thing works,) but goes directly to the bottomline-“ double your money in 3 to 5 years time “GUARANTEED”! Hmm makes sense doesn’t it?

3.) You think savings and investments are only for people who have disposable incomes and claim you can’t afford to have one, even if its only a few thousand for an insurance premium, or initial investment, from well established companies. however when some unknown company dazzles you with its vague” double your money” scheme, you have no trouble coming up with a hundred thousand , and eventually ,when that very same company is shown to be operating a scam, and either folds up or runs away with your money, your fist reaction is denial (that you invested) then, you play down your hundred thousand investment lost as in “at least I only lost that much compared to ...who lost a million or, as in the case of Legacy, you are actually grateful that you still receive a fraction of your total investments as interest payments, despite your principal being lost.

4.) You easily get worried when you hear that the reputable bank in which you have a deposit is exposed to the US sub-prime despite public assurances issued by Gov.regulatory agencies such as SEC, BSP, and even DTI, while on the other hand, you have no problems making an investment with some company who promised to double your money despite warnings by those very same government regulatory agencies about scams and the unsafe and unsound practices of some rural banks.

5.) You think setting aside at least 10% of your net income for savings is too much, while your total expenditures on the lottery (lotto-where you have a one in 80m chances of winning a million,) or maybe swertres (3 digit nos. game-where you have one in 700 chances of winning a few thousand) is at least equal to or more than that.

A LEGACY OF SCAM-BUGS

Pt. Barnum once said, “THERE’S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE”. First there was Multitel, then Manchester Royal, then Francswiss, then there was Performance Investments (PIP) and now, it’s The Legacy Group of Companies, and if we are to believe Pt Barnum, there will be more (investment scams and their usual victims) in the future, when will we ever learn? We also have that impression, that only the less umm sophisticated (financially) fall for this kind of scam, look closely, victims of PIP, Francswiss also includes people from Dasma and Forbes, and lest we forget, the US Sub-prime also includes Wall Street as its willing victims. That quote by PT. Barnum should be expanded “THERES A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE-EVERYWHERE”.
Going back to Legacy (yes it was “The Group” that I alluded to in my last blog-“Rural Banks and Double your Money Schemes”, also an article by Dr. Raval) this is one instance that we’ve been issuing warnings and dissuading friends from investing, as early as December of 2005, because some officers of the Legacy group were overheard blaming it (again) at the US Sub-prime. when actually, the problem with legacy goes back 2-3 years ago.,( the current sub-prime crisis only blew up 4 months ago). Even during that time, it already looked like a pyramiding scam. Some of my friends listened, but most didn’t, and to think that it was during those times when Francswiss and the PIP scam were hugging the headlines. I even showed them how to tell a scam. Actually I wasn’t even aware of the full extent until last march, when my Partner informed me that the Regional Director of DTI (CARAGA) was already alarmed because the total investments at Legacy in CARAGA alone had already reached more than P500M, mostly from retirees, and probably their separation or pension. In short-all the money they have in the world.
I heard they had a meeting at one of the hotels here, they were expecting officers of the company to arrive all the way from Manila to clear things or maybe assure them, but none showed up. Now they are contemplating a class suit, in the hopes that once all the assets of Legacy will be liquidated, they will be paid, and some are starting to believe a story going around that there’s an interested buyer, and once Legacy is bought, they will be paid. I wish them good luck. since we’re all intelligent to know a scam when we see one, and we didn’t fall for this one, because were not bugs (and we know the meaning of scam) still its worth remembering: ”If it’s too good to be true..it probably is”.



P.S. If you had purchased $1,000 of Delta Air Lines stocks one year ago, you would have $49 left. With Fannie Mae, you would have $2.50 left of the original $1,000. With AIG, you would have less than $15 left.
But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drunk all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminium recycling REFUND, you would have $214 cash.
Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

RURAL BANKS AND DOUBLE YOUR MONEY SCHEMES

I TOLD YOU SO! unless you live in a cave I'm sure you already heard the news about several Rural Banks belonging to a particular group (of companies), closing (or declaring a bank holiday) or being taken over by the PDIC. and if you happen to be a depositor or an investor well.....
actually this was foreseen coming as early as 2005, when this company started soliciting investments in our place, in fact it was even surprising it took this long before it blew all over.maybe it was because the size; the total assets of all the Rural Banks belonging to this "Group" comprised about 11% of the total assets of all the Rural Banks in the Country.

I was exposed to it first hand because it was also the same time I became involved in the financial markets as a financial consultant. I was also invited to be an investor, and to attend their seminar, it worked like this: They were offering a double-your-money-in five-years type of investment, and the icing on the cake was: the interest would be paid to you in advance (the moment you make your investment) in the form of post dated checks. Honestly, you don't have to be a financial expert or an accountant to see (from the business point of view)that the numbers just don't add up, it smelled like a pyramiding scam (and the news on TV confirms this). Some of my businessmen friends were asking me if it was safe or possible, to which my answer has always been in the form of a another question: "Where can you find a business that actually pays in advance the profit, before the business has even started to operate'? (because thats how it looked like) unfortunately some did invest, which just goes to show that when it comes to greed, even level headed people are not immune. (remember the current US sub-prime crisis?) and now, reps from "The Group" have the audacity to put the blame on the current US sub-prime crisis. below is an article that I emailed to my clients way back at the time when people started investing with "The Group", before the US sub-prime even exploded. Take note of the date of the article, and take heed-because this also concerns other Rural Banks, Financial Establishments or investment instruments as well.

ASK Dr. NOET
By Dr. Johnny Noet Ravalo
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:59pm (Mla time) 05/10/2007

What can you say about the 20% interest per annum paid by some rural banks? Interest is paid monthly, covered by the PDIC, tax exempt, with five years maturity. In five years, a time deposit of P1 million will double to P2 million plus? -- Geno Real
A rural bank in my place offers an interest rate of six percent for a regular deposit and as much as 10% for a time deposit. Is the risk worth taking? I will only deposit the amount covered by the PDIC, Where can I check the strength of a rural bank to evaluate the risk I may be taking? Chester Barcenas

Geno, Chester, your respective inquiries are quite similar so let me just take them together.What is probably being offered to you Geno is a double-your-money type of deposit. This takes advantage of a provision in the law that exempts 5-year deposits from the final withholding tax. With this tax break, you would only need an interest rate of 14.8 percent to double your money in five years.
What are the risks to these? The same law that exempts you from the withholding tax says that if you withdraw before the five years are up, you have to pay the tax. The risk here is whether you have enough resources elsewhere to keep you from withdrawing the money you put in the potentially 5-year deposit. If liquidity is an issue, the chances of doubling-your-money in five years are quite remote.

Oh, just to be safe Geno, please make sure that the bank is indeed offering you a deposit instrument that is duly covered by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.In both of your questions, the deposit rate being offered is something you should think about. For banks to continue operating, its lending and investment operations have to earn a premium over the deposit rates it pays out.
Under present reserve requirements (that’s the portion of funds banks are required to keep as reserves), this premium would be roughly 27 percent. That means a 10 percent deposit rate translates to a 12.7 percent loan rate to fund itself. This is before taxes, before administrative costs, before regulatory fees and before any premium for taking the additional risks.

(To put it plainly, if the bank promises you a 20% interest rate, then they have to loan out that same money at least 35% just for them to pay that 20%interest rate with the additional 15% as “spread” -the percentage they charge for operational expenses of the bank, we’re not even considering the profit the bank also has to make for that same transaction. For such a small place, like Surigao-how many do you think can afford to pay such loan rates, and the bank has to loan out that money if they are to pay back the 20% interest rate that they promised- Nards)

Make a judgment if the deposit rates these rural banks are offering seem reasonable to you given its environment and business because, no matter how you spin the calculations, these are the hurdle rates the bank must face to continue doing what it is doing.
The insurance provided by PDIC is a safety net. It should not be counted on as a first way out. The insurance should not give you a false sense of security. The point here is a commonly cited tenet in risk management: 100 year wars do not happen often but they do happen. And when they happen, the chances of you outlasting the war aren't too bright either.
When all have been said and done, the ultimate issue goes back to something Chester asked. It would still be part of your due diligence to judge the stability of your potential bank. It is your money so take the pain to make an informed choice of which bank you can trust with your money.

It all boils down to "trust". Thankfully, this does not have to be a leap of faith since there are clear tangible issues that you can consider and evaluate. But it is also not an exact science. Ask around the place what people think of the bank. Some will like it, others will have their own gripes here and there.
Rafael B. Buenaventura, the former Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and an internationally seasoned banker was often heard saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Take heed. That is very wise counsel from a man who I consider to have very, very few equals.

*Noet Ravalo is the first Filipino to earn a PhD in Economics from Boston University and is a macro-financial economist by practice and profession. He was chief economist of the Bankers Association of the Philippines until 2002 and has since been doing consulting work for multilateral and foreign agencies. His current engagements are with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the PDS Group. Over the past 12 years, he has been asked to provide technical inputs to both the Senate and the House of Representatives on various economic and financial legislation, some of which will have big impact on Filipinos’ personal finances.

The Power of Compounding

One of the things you need to know about building wealth is the power of making regular periodic investments and reinvesting rather than spending the profits.
The results you will with this discipline are surprising. Let’s say you start with nothing, and decide putting PhP 5000 of your income into an investment account every month, and you commit not to touch your money in investment. That means you can’t take withdraw any funds until you’ve reached your long-term goal.
The overall market, at least as measured by the S&P 500 index, returned 11.8%, on average, annually over the past 10 years. If you achieve that same return, you’d have PhP 1,140,000 after 10 years. But it gets better. You’ll have PhP 4,860,000 if you stick with the plan for 20 years and a cool PhP 17 million in 30 years.
The process described here is a combination of two powerful investing strategies:

Compounding and peso-cost averaging.

Compounding is simply reinvesting rather than spending your profits. By doing that; you capture the future returns on your reinvested profits as well as on your original investments.

Peso-cost averaging means that your fixed monthly investment buys more shares of a mutual fund or stock when prices are low, and fewer shares when prices are high. For instance, if you were investing PhP 5000, you’d get 500 shares if a stock were trading at PhP 10, but roughly 555 shares if it dropped to PhP 9.

Discipline Required. The hardest part of implementing these strategies is making the regular monthly investments. It’s easy to procrastinate adding to your account if the market is down or if you could use the cash for something else.
The best way to make sure that the regular investments happen is to automatically deduct a fixed amount from your monthly salary and directly invest it in a mutual fund account every month.



The Rule of 72

Do you want to know how long it takes for your money to double if you know the interest? All you need to do is apply the Rule of 72. Divide 72 by the given interest rate.
Example: Someone asks you to invest your hard-earned money at 8% interest per annum.

You can easily compute in your mind, 72 divided by 8 is 9. It will take 9 years before your money doubles. Then decide if this is in accordance to your personal financial objectives or not.

Do you want to know at what interest would your money double if you know the length of time your money will be invested? All you need to do is apply the Rule of 72. Divide 72 by the period.

Example: Someone asks you to invest your hard-earned money for 10 years.
Divide 72 by 10 and the results would give you 7.2. The investment should yield 7.2% per annum for your money to double in 10 years.


Links:
www.business.inquirer.net/money/personalfinance

www.pinoysmartsaver.com
www.colaycofoundation.com
http://www.apersonalfinanceguide.com/

INVESTMENT AND THE EIGHT DUH’s: IT’S NOT THE ECONOMY STUPID!

“It’s only when the tide goes out that you will know who’s been swimming naked.” Warren Buffet


It’s hard being an insurance salesman nowadays, its hard enough making new clients, you also have to pacify the old ones’ as well, more so when the company I’m connected with is right in the midst of it.(AIG-Philamlife) and since I’m into investments, like mutual Funds, the common question is always, “Is it safe?” to which my answer has always been, no, but it’s wise, which obviously puts me in a dilemma. No in a sense that, there is no safe investment (see duh no.5) crisis or no crisis, both answer still applies. Actually now would be a good time to invest (in Mutual Funds) since the value per share is low (as they say in Trading 101:”Buy when everyone else is selling, and Sell when everyone else is buying”) but I’m cautious about recommending this last one, with all these big firms folding up (Lehman Bros.) and some local banks exposure to sub-prime, everyone just wants to get out while their money is still intact. Some are willing to accept loses, while others won’t. ironically what the present crisis has taught us is-there are no new lessons, the same old rule still applies, in the end, the basic fundamental reason and consideration for investing hasn’t change, and once we deviate from its “raison de etre”, that’s when the problem starts, unfortunately, that’s what Wall Street did, (including AIG) or maybe, they’ve never learned at all, and now we’re in this mess. Below are my personal reflections, If there is really a lesson to be learned from all these, it can only be described in one word: “duh”

Meet the eight duh’s:

Duh no. 1) Never invest with a goal of “Getting Rich”.
A common mistake a lot of investors make, or you could simply call it greed (duh) that’s how Wall street got us into this mess in the first place, (and to think most of these guys are Ivy Leaguers). Here in the Philippines it’s the same thing, with some agents, fund managers, analysts and even some financial columnist, saying the same thing. Not surprising, when you consider that, two years ago, the equities market were doing annual rates as high as 72%. And a lot of agents were only too willing to overlook (instead of correct) that impression and happily oblige clients and investors, deviating from the basics: Investments and Savings (for that matter) form a part of financial planning in order to achieve specific financial goals, i.e future education for the kids, health management, retirement, etc. and while you might actually end up getting rich in the process, be specific and realistic about your goals. When you finally decide to make an investment-keep repeating to yourself…”There is only one Warren Buffet”.

2.)Yield is not all that matters.
Going back to no.1, it is always a common reaction, that every time a new investment opportunity comes along, the main question is always the rate of return, maybe it has something to do with coming from a place where it used to be that the only financial options we had were savings accounts and time deposits. Unfortunately in my experience, most of the people who invests solely on the basis of high returns, are the people most likely to fall for double your money schemes and investment scams. Another point to consider is the liquidity, hidden cost, fees and penalties for such instruments. Of what good is the promised high rate of return, when it can easily be offset by the high fees and deductions in the event of an early redemption or if they could even be redeemed at all (lock-in-periods)? And of course, there is the age old adage: “the higher the return, the higher the risk”.

3.)Never invest with the sole purpose to avoid or evade paying taxes.
Fortunately, these do not apply to us: the Hoi Polloi’s, but to High networth individuals (that’s rich to you) There are offshore investments, and there are tax havens. In the Philippines, earnings of Mutual Funds are exempted from withholding Tax, take note however that the purpose of diversifying your portfolio is to spread the risk. And a part of Wealth Management and Asset protection, should be about, helping you pay your taxes, thru savings, insurance and Estate Planning, and not avoid them. (On a personal level): its only proper to pay back what is due to the state, who has guaranteed, and protected our rights and privileges, so you can be where you are right now. (On the financial side) I have yet to hear Warren Buffet (one of the most meticulous financial analysts around) tout the virtues of investing in the Cayman Islands.

4.)Never predict nor foretell the future, with your, (or other people’s) money.
It’s called Financial Planning, not predicting, nor foretelling (hello) and leave the forecasting to fashion, the weatherman, and Actuarians. Last time I checked, they still don’t include “Witchcraft, or Crystal Ball Reading 101” in Financial Planning, Economics, Fundamental or technical Analysis, Management and Accounting. So don’t ever believe when experts tell you (those same experts that got us here) how long this recession will last, because NOBODY KNOWS, and THE END IS NOT YET IN SIGHT!

5.)No Investment, or Savings (for that matter ) is ever risk- free or Bulletproof.
You still hide your cash under the mattress? Then make sure its fireproof,
burglar Proof, ...etc. the list goes on. From the high yielding, (and higher-risk) Hedge Funds and Derivatives, to the more common savings accounts (your local bank’s exposure to Lehman Bros.) there is always a risk involve. Diversifying your portfolio is about spreading and minimizing your risk. If you are risk averse, then be conservative, and include savings plans and Insurances such as
endowments, and participating plans, in your portfolio, if you have considerable
assets, hire a professional financial planner. When it comes to investments,
the truth hurts, and the truth is: “never invest more than you can afford to lose”.

6.)That’s why it’s called “Financial Planning”.
Because, you first must have a specific financial goal in mind, And since there is no such thing as the best all-in-one investment instrument. (more so now). Each instrument should fit a specific goal,-an educational plan for your child’s future education, A pension plan for your retirement, and so on. In the end, it all depends on how much you’ll need, how much you can afford to pay, and how much time you are willing to allot.

7.)It still takes time.
Some things in life are simply that way, usually, the lasting and productive ones-the blooming of flowers, the bearing of fruits, wines and spirits, evolution,
change and most of all, GROWTH, that’s why it’s called MATURITY.

8.)Speculation is the mother of Recession.
With regards to the sub-prime fiasco, the verdict on Wall Street is out, GUILTY. The crime: GREED. Hard to believe, the CEO’s, Investment Bankers, and Fund managers of these companies, were students of economics once. Maybe they thought they were just too smart for the rules. By mobilizing these funds, securities and investments are supposed to help develop the capital markets, to finance the expansion of Industries that produce goods and services, provide employment, promote savings, and an equitable distribution of wealth, and help stabilize the stock market. By deviating from these basic, (tried and tested) fundamentals, they have violated the trust of millions of investors, who have entrusted them with their hard earned money, and of course, created the mess were in right now. It’s not the economy stupid-it’s elementary my dear Watson.

P.S. I normally don’t recommend books, but those of you who love to read good old-fashion novels might want to check out an old bestseller (circa 1977) that I have just read and enjoyed, while it’s a 70’s book, you’d be surprised at the uncanny resemblance to today’s headlines. Entitled: “The Crash of 79” by Paul Erdman. It’s a thriller and international intrigue, in the tradition of Forsyth and Le Carre’. Whose hero is a (lol) Banker.


Investment advice (By Boo Chanco)
If you had purchased $1,000 of Delta Air Lines stocks one year ago, you would have $49 left. With Fannie Mae, you would have $2.50 left of the original $1,000. With AIG, you would have less than $15 left.
But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drunk all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminium recycling REFUND, you would have $214 cash.
Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

MEET RICO SANTOS * THE WORLD’S RICHEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL PERSON

He makes no money to speak of, and at the moment, is unemployed, and yet, his net worth is trifling, he is 25 year old Rico Santos. Like most everyone who comes from a comfortable middle class family, he went to exclusive elementary and high schools. The son of a Doctor, (and coming from a family of Doctors,) Rico has no interest in medicine, he recently graduated with a degree in Computer Science from a well known University.

For now, Rico has not yet decided what to do with his life, whether to work in a call centre, or an IT company, here and abroad, or maybe if he changes his mind, take up nursing as a second course(like most people he knows). But still...it’s up to him. Either way, Rico Santos has the enviable freedom to choose his path, and for the moment he has chosen to postpone his quest for the bankable variety of wealth, to pursue his passion: Surfing, A sport he took up, a few years back as a student, while on vacation in Siargao Island with his friends one summer.

Before he plans to pursue his career, he and a group of friends, plan to surf the waves of the remote islands of Batanes, and the Spratleys. Santos figures he probably will be needing around, P30, 000.00 for those trips, and he doesn’t know how to raise the money, but he has the earning potential, and with the oceans before him and wind offshore, Santos is very well fixed already.

You might be wondering how a guy like that gets to be the world’s richest and most successful person. Before I proceed to explain why, let me first introduce who Rico Santos really is. If you are between, 21-30 years old, single (no dependents), healthy, with no liabilities (walang utang) and possessing a college degree, then “YOU ARE RICO SANTOS”. that’s because you are rich in assets of another kind. You have youth, health, confidence, and a top notch education-a wealth of what economist call human capital, the kind of person Human Resource Managers look for. In addition, your obligations are nil and your options are virtually limitless, a status in life, money can neither buy nor preserve.

If wealth can be defined as independence, opportunity, and the amount of control someone has over his/her own life-and many would argue that those attributes are essential to a sense of well-being-then you, (the Rico Santos’ of the world) are the richest and most successful person today. The bad news is, you will never be much richer than you are now, your options will inevitably narrow, your responsibilities (both: personal and professional) will mount with time, and with it comes, financial liabilities: bills, loans, mortgages, tuition fees.etc. As you age, you use up human capital the way an old machine loses its productivity. Not to mention, that your single most important asset-your health” will start to deteriorate (unless you do something about it of course) only financial Capital, and more of it, can pay the obligations that grow out of work and family and accumulate as one matures.

Financially speaking, your financial capital value (assets both, solid and liquid) should increase, as your human capital value decreases. While it is “assumed” that your income will increase as you grow older, such won’t be the case when you retire. So one of the best options for you now would be to start your financial planning-on building financial wealth. So as I said earlier, your options are still open, question is-what are you going to do about it?

*The name Rico Santos is purely the product of my imagination, any reference to an actual Rico Santos is purely coincidental and unintentional



References and Links

www.pinoysmartsaver.com
www.colaycofoundation.com
www.business.inquirer.net/money/personalfinance
www.rfp-philippines.com

Investing your hard-earned money

Look beyond regular savings accounts

(Ninth in a series called Take Charge of Your Money)

YOU’RE working hard with a specific goal in mind: provide well for your family’s needs today and in the future. That’s why you’re keen on saving, a key strategy in securing your financial future.
But where should you put your money? Are savings accounts enough? Savings accounts are good in that your money is easily accessible anytime, but the interest they earn can be so small that you’d be missing out on higher potential returns other investment instruments may offer. You may want to consider keeping some money in a savings account and invest the bulk elsewhere.

Here are a few suggestions on where you can invest your hard-earned money:
Time deposits. Your money will be kept by the bank for a fixed period (30 days, 60 days, 90 days or more) in exchange for an interest rate higher than that offered by a savings account. A time deposit is easily accessible, but early withdrawal may cost you a fee.

Some banks, however, have introduced time deposit products that allow partial withdrawals without touching the interest rate. For those who want to save and invest smartly, be more diligent in choosing banks.

Foreign currency. You may choose to invest in US dollar, euro or other foreign currency savings or time deposits. Be on guard though, since a foreign currency may weaken against the peso anytime. In that case, you may choose to ride out the exchange rate fluctuation or switch to another currency.
Stocks. Refers to buying shares of ownership in a publicly listed company“The stock market is very volatile therefore riskier-prices of stocks fluctuate in response to the times .but it can also be more profitable, as your returns can be anywhere from 20-30%. Stock investments should be held over the long term to ride out fluctuations. .

Mutual funds. If directly investing in money market, stocks and bonds seems tedious, time-consuming, and baffling, consider getting into mutual funds. A mutual fund gathers together investment placements from many investors, which the fund manager then invests in money market, stocks, and bonds based on their market study. It has become popular, with more investors in the US shifting from cash deposits to mutual funds in recent years. This is because mutual funds allow investors to diversify rather than just focus on one investment vehicle. Mutual funds also “have the potential for good long-term growth,” points out The Citibank Guide to Building Personal Wealth. Choose a mutual fund according to your preference — money market fund, equities fund, bonds fund, or balanced (mixed) fund.

Equity funds If results show that you are suitable for equity (stock) investments, you may want to consider investing in equity funds instead, rather than directly investing in the stock market. Equity funds are investment funds invested wholly in stocks and are run by full-time professional fund managers who watch over the portfolio and make trading decisions daily. They know which stocks are doing well since they analyze the market daily. Investing in equity funds will allow you to diversify your investments, since the fund invests in not just one stock, but in a mix. You will have access to otherwise hard-to-reach financial markets since the fund will be able to invest in equities not available to the small investor. You will also be spreading your risk, since you won’t be exposed to just one company stock. So even if one stock loses, others may gain and you will have a net gain. You will also be highly liquid since you can turn your investment into cash anytime you want by withdrawing from the fund, in some cases, at a small fee. Seen from a global perspective, equities have historically been the best-performing asset class over the long term.” Equity funds may be in the form of a mutual fund run by a financial company, or a unit investment trust fund you can access through a bank.

Bonds. A bond is a loan that you, the investor, makes -- you lend your money to a government, municipal authority, or company in exchange for a fixed amount of interest paid to you regularly. You don’t get to own a part of the lending entity. At maturity date, your investment is paid back to you at par value — the amount written on the bond certificate. Bonds have long been established in Europe and the US, where this type of investment has done better than cash investments in terms of returns. Bonds suit conservative investors since they can get a regular stream of income over a number of years. The risk lies in payment defaults, so choose bonds carefully.

Treasury Bills you loan your money to the government, to finance public expenses, for a short term, say 30 days a year, And are risk- free, since they carry the government’s full and unconditional guarantee, interest rates can go as high as 4% per annum.

Treasury notes similar to treasury bills, except that they require a longer investment-from 2 to 25 years,-but you can enjoy coupon interest payments, usually handed out in arrears, longer term equals a higher interest rate.

Derivatives. These are financial instruments based on the prices of equities, bonds and commodities. It requires more capital and investment know-how, since you deal in effect with the future prices of these assets. Trading is done in futures exchanges or privately through contracts. Financial institutions can do this for you.

Real estate. This is familiar to many Filipino investors, since a house and lot is often one of the first things we save up for. It is a sound investment, much better than renting a place where the family can stay. But there are some things investors have to consider:
1. It may not earn income if the family lives in it.
2. Maintenance costs will go higher as years go by.
3. It does not sell as quickly as other investments.
4. Its price fluctuates depending on the condition of the real estate market.
An investor is thus advised not to plunk all his hard-earned money on real estate.

Start a business you may also start a business. However, this demands much time and effort. If you don’t have the passion for it, don’t pursue. If you don’t know anything about the business you are looking at, don’t get into it. A business, to be successful, demands much of the entrepreneur.

Saving vs. Investing Money allocated for savings and deposit accounts are normally set aside for future expenses and emergencies, while cash invested in stocks, securities, or bonds provides opportunities for money to grow over time. The major difference here is that investments usually require higher risk-you either lose money or make tons of it through interest rates and changing economy.


Diversity is the name of the game
The adage “Don’t put your eggs in one basket” is a rule investors need to follow. Avoid investing solely in one form of investment. Allocate your assets to spread out your risk. How you should allocate your assets is answered by how conservative or aggressive you are in risk taking, and in how long you can hold the investment.
If you are still young and fairly willing to take on risks, consider investing more in stocks or in an equities mutual fund. You can ride out market corrections and earn a potential higher yield.

If you are conservative, or approaching retirement, experts advise you shift more to bonds or a bond mutual fund. Time deposits or money market placements are investments for the short term, which you need to have to meet any financial need arising out of emergencies. Having a good mix of investments will help you prepare for your future well.
Warning Signs

If you are being offered a proposition that seems too unusual or is promising extraordinarily high returns, stop and ask yourself a few questions.

• Am I being told that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Is there pressure to make a decision immediately? - Investment is not about once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. These may occur in business but not in the financial markets. There is no need to make instant decisions.

• Is a very high return being guaranteed? - Some fraudsters hope that the promise of an unusually high return-for example, 10% to 20% a month return-will be so tempting that you will abandon your caution. Investments producing high returns are almost certainly risky, and don’t come with guaranteed returns. If a guarantee is on offer, further investigation will probably reveal it to be worthless.

• Who regulates the investment? - Check to see if the firm is registered and whether it is permitted to market the kind of investment it is offering. For example, a company selling securities must not only be incorporated with the Securities and Exchange Commission but must also have another set of papers from the SEC authorizing it to sell securities.
Some common Investment Terms simplified
Asset allocation refers to the method of deciding how much money to invest
And in which investment vehicle (i.e. stocks, bonds, mutual funds etc.)

Diversification A strategy where an investor puts money in several kinds of businesses
Or securities to protect his investments in case the market suffers a downturn. This could be a mix of shares in the stock market, mutual fund, or government securities like bonds and treasury bills.

Portfolio A person’s investment in stocks, securities, bonds, and treasury notes, consists of his portfolio – a term which refers to the investment collectively.
Fund manager A person who advises or helps manage an investor’s portfolio. Some financial institutions provide professional fund managers to clients as part of their investment package.

Liquidity refers to how fast investments or other assets can be converted to cash. Investments in the stock market and mutual funds are normally considered liquid because they can be easily sold to the stockbroker or issuer, while real state investments and jewelries take a while to dispose of .

Principal is the amount an investor originally uses to buy securities or stock shares. It also refers to the value where simple interest rates are computed, and so is the amount paid for the issuer of treasury notes and bills (usually the government) upon maturity.

Return on Investment refers to how long it takes to recover the amount of money an investor has put into a business or other money-making vehicles – higher returns at lesser time is ideal.

Term refers to the length of time your money has to be tied up to a deposit account or investment vehicle, which could either be for short, medium or long term. Terms could indicate the investment’s yield(interest or earnings – e.g., for bonds longer terms may offer higher interest rates) while pre termination (the withdrawal ,closing, and redemption of the investment before the agreed specified term, time deposits, and mutual funds for example ) may require you to pay a certain amount as fee or penalty.

Inflation refers to the increase in the prices of commodities in relation to the capacity of people to purchase such goods – it is said that money may no longer be able to buy in the future what it can afford today. Higher inflation rate diminishes the ability of the investment to yield higher returns. if the inflation rate is at 6-7% and your investment is earning you less than that, you’re basically losing money.


Fear Factor

By Malaya Laraya, RFP

A common sentiment I hear from people these days is that though they would very much like to invest, they are afraid to do so. They are afraid that if they invest in things like stocks, mutual funds, pre-need plans or UITF’s, they will lose their money. Consequently, they keep the majority of their funds in savings accounts or time deposits since those are the products that they are familiar with. Unfortunately, this type of thinking only ensures that an individual will never be able to accumulate enough cash or assets to ensure a prosperous life. To illustrate, let me use this brief analogy.

Let’s say you live in Fairview and would like to go to Enchanted Kingdom for a day of fun and relaxation. Ideally, the best thing to do would be to wake up early and drive there. That way you get to spend the maximum amount of time at the park before it closes. If you don’t have your own vehicle or don’t want to have to deal with the hassle of driving but still want to spend the most amount of time at the park, the next best thing would be to wake up earlier and commute to the park. I don’t think anyone would consider going to Enchanted Kingdom from Fairview by walking there. Not only would you arrive very, very late but I doubt you would be in much shape to enjoy all the attractions the park has to offer. Actually, there’s a very good chance you will be unable to reach the park at all due to sheer physical exhaustion.

Now, regardless of the method of travel you choose, there is a realistic chance that something will go wrong and you will either arrive at the park late or not at all. Your car’s radiator could overheat or the bus you are riding could get a flat tire. As a worst case scenario, the vehicle you are riding in could actually get hit by another car and mess up the trip completely. All of these events could happen and not a day goes by wherein someone, somewhere, gets a flat tire, an overheated radiator or gets involved in a collision. But would you actually let these things stop you? Would the possibility of being involved in a vehicular accident dissuade you from either riding or driving a motor vehicle forever? Would you let the fear of a possible accident determine where and what places you can go to?

Believe it or not, the process of investing is very much like the situation I just described above. To begin with, we all have our own vision of Enchanted Kingdom – the life we would like to have wherein we are free from the day-to-day cares and worries of life.

Second, the time at which we wake up and begin the trip is the time wherein we begin to invest actively for our personal goals. Simply put, the earlier you start on your journey, the earlier you will get to your destination. Furthermore, starting early gives one the luxury of taking things slowly. We don’t have to rush and can take the time to enjoy the trip. Most importantly though, starting early gives one a buffer zone that can definitely come in handy should a flat tire or some other emergency arise.

Third, the mode of transport we use equates to the investment methods and products we pick – running a business, investing in stocks are like cars (fast and expensive); mutual funds, pooled funds are like public transport (slower but cheaper) and savings accounts / time deposits are akin to walking. Of course, much as there is no intrinsically “best” form of transport, there is also no intrinsically “best” form of investment. Instead, there are “suitable” or “efficient” investments. To be more precise, much like it would be more efficient to walk short distances, so are time deposits and savings accounts more efficient than stocks for short-term needs.

Fourth, the type of transport we select determines how involved we have to be in the investment process. For example, if we regularly travel by car, it would be in our best interest to keep the car well maintained. However, as any car owner will tell you, properly maintaining a car takes time and money. It simply will not take care of itself. Running a business requires the same amount of involvement. Ask any successful entrepreneur- trader and they will tell you that maintaining a business takes quite a bit of time and money. One cannot simply enter the market and expect everything to work as they expected.

Fifth, much like something can always go wrong on a trip, no investment instrument is 100% risk free. There is always a chance that, no matter how carefully you’ve planned things out, something somewhere will go terribly wrong and mess things up. For example, let’s say you decide to drive to your destination. Now, you’ve properly maintained your car and you drive as carefully as you can. Unfortunately, there is very little you can do to prepare for the drunk driver on the other lane who decides to slam his vehicle into yours. The same thing holds for investing. No matter how well you plan your portfolio, events outside of your control can suddenly just step in and wipe out most of your holdings. (Example: Asian Financial Crisis of the 90’s.)

With all of that said, what can we then do to eliminate or minimize whatever fear we have of investing? Well, much like we would learn to drive a car or memorize the different routes jeeps and buses ply, so must we exert the effort to learn more about the business and/or stocks and other investment tools. To put it bluntly, it is only through education that we can master our fears and prevent them from limiting the kinds of lives and the kinds of dreams we can achieve.

Links:
www.business.inquirer.net/money/personalfinance

www.pinoysmartsaver.com
www.colaycofoundation.com
http://www.apersonalfinanceguide.com/
www.accounting4u.com

THE LAWS ON BUILDING PERSONAL WEALTH

It’s better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and despair


When my grand-father, the late Go Ling Guan (Leon Go-my namesake)
migrated from china in the mid-1920’s, he was like most Chinese migrants-penniless. However unlike most of his countrymen, he was western educated, he had a high school education from a school run by Spanish monks (not Jesuits-in China)so he could speak fluent English, Spanish, and a little French, besides Chinese(Mandarin and Fukienese) of course. My Grandfather worked odd jobs, to survive, until he was able to save enough to help his younger brother, Go Sio Hong (Dionisio Go) follow him. Unlike most Chinese, my Grandfather was not much of an entrepreneur, but because of his High School Education (which was a big deal at that time) it was easy for my Grandfather to find employment, eventually he was hired by a fellow Chinese (and distant relative)-the late Carlos A. Gothong (of Gothong Lines) who was then building a ferry company.

On the other hand, his younger brother who was not western educated could only speak Chinese, so getting employed was out of the question, as most of the big business at that time was not yet owned by the Chinese, so he ended putting up his own business, (with the help of my Grandfather) a fishing supply store. And as a familiar twist to a story goes, my grandfather (supposedly the western educated one) ended up being an employee all his life-he rose to become Jefe de Viaje (the equivalent of a branch manager today) of Gothong Lines, before he retired, while his younger brother’s fishing supply store, has grown up today to become a multi-million business, with interests in Marine Engines/supplies, fishing supplies, hardware and construction, gasoline retail and shipping.

My point here is that, while my Grandfather was never an entrepreneur nor a businessman, he had a trait common among the Chinese-he had the discipline to save. Such that, he was able to provide for his family a comfortable life, until it was rudely interrupted by the Japanese occupation, but whose life wasn’t? and even then-after the war he was able to send my father (the eldest of 9 siblings) to Med-School (UP and Southwestern Univ.) and his sister (the 2nd child) to business school, (USC) where she became a CPA, true to tradition , both of them then pitched-in to help the rest of their siblings, finish school. It was savings that helped them succeed. I can never over-emphasize the value of savings, when it comes to building financial wealth-it is the most important, and yet underrated thing. Read any rags to riches success stories, especially those concerning tai-pans, they will always tell you the usuall, hard work and perseverance (sipag at tiyaga) what they always omit to say is that the most common trait among successfully wealthy people is their discipline (some say-iron will) to save, and sacrifice. This is not to belittle the virtues of hard work, but look around you, there lots and lots of people who have been working their asses off, but they still can’t seem to make ends meet. It’s savings... below are some of my compilations of different articles of strategies that work.

1.) Start early (Start right now!) It’s not how much you save, but how
early you start saving. Or investing

2.) Plan at least 5 to 10 years ahead,(see above) When she turned 21, Sharon Cuneta took financial control of money earned since her first record, “Mr. DJ,” was released several years earlier. By all accounts, the singer/actress has since managed her money well- spending less than what she earned, investing wisely her surplus funds, and planning a more than comfortable future for herself and for her daughter, KC Concepcion, that included regular trips abroad and schooling in the best possible schools. At any given point, she knows how much she is worth.
Today, Cuneta has two other daughters, both of pre-school age, which she has now included in her financial plans and (KC) Concepcion studied in Paris.

3.) Get College covered (refer to no.2) and please remember that tuition fee is only 30% of total college cost; the other 70% is for misc. fees.
If you’re still single and don’t have children refer to nos. 1 & 2

4.) Hedge against long-term disability. Get an accident and health insurance. Your money amassed should be enjoyed, and not used to pay for hospital bills.

5.) Get a life insurance policy. Your loved ones shouldn’t be financially
displaced in the event of your untimely death. Or you, in the event of a
disability

6.) Keep it simple something you can easily grasp and understand

7.) Keep your asset allocations current (i.e.: keep your accounting/auditing updated and make savings automatic)

8.) Live below your means (earn more-spend less)

9.) Never buy on credit yes it’s true, you don’t get interest when you use your plastic, but that’s what’s going to tempt you to buy more than you need in the first place.

10.) Don’t rely on your instincts; they’re probably wrong.
P.S. If they were right. We would have had lots of winners in that popular TV game show “Deal or No Deal”. - Nards

PS: Actually we can go much farther than savings, and that is investment. Too bad my grandfather never had that option. Come to think of it: Warren Buffet, one of the world’s richest man, and the greatest investor of all time, started investing when he was 14, in 1965 and he wished he started much younger.

References and Links

www.pinoysmartsaver.com
www.colaycofoundation.com
www.bestlifeonline.com
www.business.inquirer.net/money/personalfinance
http://www.accountingtips4you.com/
http://www.apersonalfinanceguide.com/

A TALE OF TWO GIANTS: JESSIE LIVERMORE AND WARREN BUFFET

By Salve
10/30/08
Posted under Investing

Yesterday’s “Pesos and Sense” seminar at the Makati Sports Club was, in my opinion, very successful and extremely interesting. Speakers Chinkee Tan, Randell Tiongson and Francis Kong drew up a crowd and not only talked about dealing with debt, investing and saving, but also kept money issues in perspective. One of the seminar participants even flew in from Cebu, fly-in-fly-out style.

Randell Tiongson, president and chief operating officer of Personal Finance Advisers Phils. Corp., made a very interesting comparison between two giants in the world of finance: Jesse Livermore and Warren Buffett.

Jesse Livermore was a master of the art of speculation. He was first and foremost a trader and a technician who preached never to “fight the tape.” One of his rules was to cut your losses when your losses reach 10%.

He was famous for shorting the market during two crises and earning tons of money. First during 1907 when he bagged $3 million (guess how much that’s worth today!), and the second time in the 1929 crash when he made $100 million. He lost both fortunes after the market crashes.

Livermore lived in luxury—houses around the world, yachts, limousines and he could also be called “Lovermore” with five marriages. He died at 62 when he walked into a New York hotel room and shot himself.

Warren Buffett can be described as an investor, and not a trader. He doesn’t like Wall Street and says that openly. He doesn’t buy stocks; he buys businesses and holds on to them for the long-term. He doesn’t care about the economy. He likes businesses that survive despite economic downturns. Now at 72, he is the world’s richest man and gave away bulk of his money to charity a few years ago.

Buffett has a grandfatherly air, drives his own car and picks up his own guests at the airport. He owns five houses but still lives in his first home in Omaha and his car tag says “Thrifty.” I am currently reading the only book about him that he authorized: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and The Business Of Life and so far, it has been an intensely interesting read.

There is no question which one most people would like to be. And yet, why do most people who love Warren sometimes end up doing a Livermore?

Source/Link:http://blogs.inquirer.net/moneysmarts

THE TROUBLE WITH PHILAMLIFE

And BDO, and Metrobank and UCPB and. … and the economy as a whole. as a financial adviser (Mutual Funds, Insurance) connected with Philamlife, I’ve been bombarded with questions from apprehensive, panicky and quite a few, angry, clients/investors and policy holders with regards to their money invested in Philamlife, and most of my time these past two months have been spent reassuring them, notwithstanding the statement released by the company assuring investors and policy holders of the company’s ability to meet all its present and future obligations. So I’m posting a column here of Dr. Ravalo, an economist. While this column was posted last year (Aug.2007) it is very timely now, in lieu of the events unfolding caused by the US sub-prime crisis-Lehman Bros. Merrill-Lynch, and of course AIG(our mother company) and since he is not connected with any company, financial or otherwise, that should make his views objective. Dr. Ravalo here explains clearly, what’s really going on with the economy and how it affects Philamlife and other financial institutions in particular and all of us in general. Note: letters in blue are my own opinion, additions and comments for further clarification, and is not part of the original column.-Nards



After stock market routs, can shares become worthless?
By Dr. Johnny Noet Ravalo*
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 08:48am (Mla time) 08/22/2007
Questions:

I am new to investing in the Philippine stock market. I am wondering how the other markets affect the position of our economy especially when China's market went down last February and currently the US market is declining. -- Mr. WannaKnow
I am an OFW, a “greenie” in stock market and have just bought some IPO shares recently. (Knock on wood). At what point will my shares be considered of no value. Say if bought at P5/share and value goes down, at what price level will my share be considered lost and gone? If for instance after some time the price rebounded, will I still be considered as a shareholder of these stocks? -- Jim Francisco

And of course that other lingering question that I’ve been ask-which I’ll answer at the end of the column: If Philamlife is as strong (its no.1 in case you’re not aware) and profitable as it claims, how come it’s for sale?-Nards
I wanted to talk about these issues when this column started almost six months ago but like most voluntary to-do lists, it somehow got lost in the shuffle. Now, I don’t have any good excuse to postpone it since the issue is central to what is currently happening in the market.

Stock markets are unique in the sense that shares of stocks are not debts created by the company. The issuing company is not borrowing the investors’ funds but is taking in the investors as owners of the company and the shares are just the proof of ownership.

The “unit of analysis” for stocks is the company itself. Whatever affects the fortunes of the firm is supposed to be reflected in the share price. The share price is the future revenue stream of the company translated into today’s prices (i.e., it is discounted). If something boosts or impairs that income stream, then share prices are supposed to rise or fall respectively.

We are talking about the “future” fortunes of the firm. Expectations are critical and someone has to set that bar. Analysts typically do that based on what the company projects as its future income stream, together with the analyst’s own views. If the bar is set too high, the company will always underperform and share prices fall. Yes, there are “models” out there for such valuation but stock analysis involves a fair amount of crystal-ball reading.

To answer Jim’s question, remember that there are many shares of stock that have been issued by the firm. The value of each share then reflects both the expected fortunes of the firm and the number of shares that have been issued.
I like to think of it as a pie. Some pies just don’t taste good so no one buys them even at low prices. The better pies are of higher value but if there are 1,000 slices, each slice may just be worth 50 centavos. If the firm shuts down, obviously there isn’t any future to speak of so that the theoretical price is zero. But I have seen shares whose value in centavos is so small that you need a lot of shares to be meaningful.

All these go back to the intrinsic value of the pie. That part is the most absolute concept you will get: YOU deem it either good to buy, passable to hold (just in case) or bad enough to dispose. But if you intend to trade stocks (rather than be an owner) then the views of analysts, commentators and the media count only because these views move markets. The views aren’t always fair but they are the market’s handles of reality unless new views prove otherwise.

The fortune of the firm is not totally dependent on the firm’s projections or its management’s decisions. If the whole economy goes into a rut, that will show at the level of all firms (of course, some worse than others). If the industry to which the firm belongs has a breakthrough, that will lift the industry as a whole. And since discounting future income is involved, one would generally see falling share prices as interest rates rise, all things equal.

How then would the misfortunes of country XYZ (or for want of a better example let us change those letters to U S A) be a boom to shares in the Philippines?
Theoretically, that is possible if firms in country USA are producing goods that are substitutes for the output of firms in the Philippines. If for some reason drinking tea falls out of fashion (as far as I know the Philippines does not produce tea), that may be good for coffee manufacturers or distributors here if tea-patrons (and there are millions-were talking about the U.S. market here, as an example) shift their consumption (and their wallet use) into drinking coffee instead.

For similar reasons, investors in developed countries like the US are known to invest in the financial markets of Asia. This is just the old adage of not putting your eggs in the same basket. So if the US financial market goes into a downturn, there is the rising fortune of Asian financial markets to offset the losses (and vice versa). Finance has a fancy term for this and it is called “diversification”. Every student of macro-financial economics is taught of the virtues and financial gains from diversifying one’s portfolio.

So if the US dollar was weakening, wouldn’t you expect the peso part in the peso-dollar rate to strengthen ... always? With the US market reeling from the credit woes of its subprime market, shouldn’t that be a boom to our markets? As you can see, it doesn’t always work that way.

So, how come their loss is our loss and our loss is ... well, still just our loss?
Fortunately, this is not one of those “only in the Philippines” things. When the US market closes, Asia is just waking up to go to work (actually, we’re waking up so that we can beat the 6:15 EDSA traffic). Instead of feeling perky about the possibility of funds shifting into Asia, market players in Asia go into defensive mode and reinforce the US shock with another Asian shock.
Why do we do this? Good question.
In principle the credit woes in the US subprime market is a US issue. But it affects the rest of the world for several reasons. First, the US Fed can and has altered its interest rate benchmark and that will directly affect exchange rates and economies with money board arrangements. Second, US institutional investors may pull out of their Asia investments, taking profits to offset losses in their subprime bond holdings.

The first two reasons are out of our hands, the third reason is one that is squarely our own doing: the tendency to go with the herd.
Some people have described this as a room full of panicky traders. Perhaps, but I still think that the root cause of that panic is that “market awareness” is often an oxymoron for almost all individual investors and unfortunately, as it turns out, even for some market practitioners.

I am not saying that investments are a fool’s gamble. To the contrary, investments have a very clear role in improving the economy. But nothing is guaranteed and since it’s our savings, diligence on our part is an absolute must.
I think the Chinese summarize it best. Their character for risk contains two components, the first literally representing “danger” while the other represents “opportunity”. What makes investing work is maintaining that balance.
And yes, I still think “market awareness” is an oxymoron. At least for now.

And may I add another reason, just like its US counter-parts, some of our banks also diversify and invest in the financial markets of the US for the same reasons, which explains BDO’s, Metrobank, UCPB, and others’ exposure to Lehman Bros. a big Investment/Financial company. Still that decision is with the banks and beyond our control. Luckily for depositors, their exposure was not that big (1% as they claim) to pose a risk. And presents another good argument for diversification-not putting their eggs in one basket.

In answer to the third question: There is a law that prohibits a mother company from taking out the profits and assets of its local subsidiary-to raise capital, nor pay off its debts. it can only do so by selling parts or the whole of its subsidiary, which is what AIG is doing right now: selling Philamlife-to pay off its (now) more than $100b loan to the federal government)AIG has decided to divest itself of its prized, and profitable foreign holdings (of which Philamlife is one) because it’s only logical, to dispose companies that are desirable,(with its assets and value intact) so it can attract lots of potential buyers, can command a much higher prize, and more important, it can dictate the terms of the sale (you can read the no. of interested buyers in Philam from newspapers)
And going back, to that Chinese character for risk containing two components, danger and opportunity, isn’t NOW the best time to actually invest in the financial markets, when its share value is low? Just asking. Nards

*((Noet Ravalo is the first Filipino to earn a PhD in Economics from Boston University and is a macro-financial economist by practice and profession. He was chief economist of the Bankers Association of the Philippines until 2002 and has since been doing consulting work for multilateral and foreign agencies. His current engagements are with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the PDS Group. Over the past 12 years, he has been asked to provide technical inputs to both the Senate and the House of Representatives on various economic and financial legislation, some of which will have big impact on Filipinos’ personal finances.)

NPA's ATTACK SURFING CAPITAL!

Something I thought unthinkable, but it wasn’t। after all Siargao is an Island more than 2 hours from the mainland, other than surfing and tourism, which is seasonal and is mainly concentrated in General Luna, nothing much goes on in there, not even an insurgency problem. so the events on june 28 came as a shock (to say the least) I’d like to share with you a letter that I emailed to 3 of my closest friends (through yahoo) in South Africa, Hawaii, and California, regarding what happened last Saturday June 28. (Although it’s still sketchy)

Hi Guys,

Hope everything’s’ fine with you, I’m writing, (or rather emailing) because of what happened last Sat. June 28. You see the NPA’s (as in New People’s Army) staged a daring commando type raid in Siargao Island, specifically, the Municipality of Dapa (the Capital) and General Luna, the famed surfing capital (as proclaimed by some tourism guys) yup, and right in Catangnan, where Cloud-9, Quicksilver, and Jacking Horse, and of course, where most of the Surf camps are. The sketchy reports are still coming in as of this writing, (or typing), but from what I could discern, based on interviews with the soldiers, and captured rebels, by the media, what happened was nothing short of “sensational”, worthy of a Hollywood script.

About 10pm Sat. June 28, more than a hundred rebels of the “Pulang Diwata” front, on board 15 motorized bancas simultaneously launched a well coordinated attack on the Town of Dapa, and General Luna, Codename: Oplan “Bantay Laya” (freedom watch)They overran the town, without resistance-from the not more than a dozen Policemen assigned there, they were actually able to gather the people in Dapa, where they distributed leaflets, and had a forum, denouncing the Congressman and the Town Mayor (you know who) for alleged “land grabbing” and other abuses, they also smashed the computers belonging to the LGU’s (Local Gov. Units) took the local policemen’s guns and uniforms. Pulled down the Philippine Flag and raised their own colours. While in General Luna (GL), the raiding team split into 2 groups, one landed in front of the public school, went right into town and torched the police station, also taking with them firearms (agaw armas) and more uniforms. The other group landed in catangnan, that inland bay there, yup, how they manage to navigate in the darkness without being smashed by the surf (at Quicksilver and Jacking horse), is the subject of an “inside job” speculation. Anyway, this group then proceeded to go inland and blew up the towers of both, smart and globe. A force of CAFGU’s assigned there tried to put up a fight, but there were only about 9 of them, and up against more than 60 rebs…you do the math.

I don’t know why it took them that long but it was already almost daylight when they withdrew, giving enough time for the police at the mainland to set up a blocking force of RMG’s (Reg. Mobile Group) in Claver and Km 90, since they rightly assumed that they would try to make it to Surigao Sur. (the police units in GL and Dapa were able to communicate to provincial HQ of what happened by VHF radios, in the absence of a cell signal). On the way back, the rebels tried to split up, so as not to draw attention, however 2 of the rebels pump boats developed engine trouble, so they had to paddle the boat to the nearest Island, which happens to be Lapinigan, that small island in front of our surf spot 3 eggs. As they were nearing the island, a Huey helicopter appeared in the horizon, panicking, the rebs jumped from their boats, and that’s when all hell broke loose, as the rebs swam towards the island, the chopper with it’s M60’s blazing, came in for the kill and blasted the rebs as they swam helplessly towards the shore, luckily for them, it was only a short distance to shore, so most made (those that were not hit) before the chopper could make another strafing run, most of the rebs that made it, mixed up with the villagers, using them as human shields, frustrating the gunners.

Meanwhile the other boats that separated finally made it to the mainland, in the town of Claver. As they were split up in a wide array, some landed in Panaitan and some in Wanke, where they established a beach head. Of course, with Gov. troops already alerted and waiting, it didn’t take long for the two sides to make contact, and A heavy firefight ensued, with regular army units, and with 2 more Helicopter gunships joining the fray, and this time without the element of surprise, and numerical advantage, the rebels had to withdraw to the mountains, with the army in hot pursuit, which resulted in a running battle that soon spread to 5 villages, prompting a mass evacuation among villagers trying to escape being caught in the crossfire.(some of the rockets actually landed behind the church.),up to now operations are still going on. While Lapinigan Island is being blockaded to flush out the rebs still trapped in there, since the army cant move in, for fear that a lot of locals might be caught in the crossfire. I don’t know when this will be over, but the recriminations have already begun, like how the rebels where able to navigate the treacherous catangnan bay at 10 pm unless there was a local guiding them, it is even rumoured that some of the rebels where already there 3 days before, swimming and even using the restrooms(CR) at Sagana resort, although its still rumours maybe I have to ask Jerry D first.

They’re now worried about the effects on tourism, but as usual, it takes something like this to jolt some local officials from their comfort zones, considering there was already a precedent, Sipadan and Dos Palmas in Palawan, they should have prepared for things like this to happen, at least there was no kidnapping involved. But we cant take any comfort in that, and still.. anyways I don’t think it will stop the surfers from coming, after all, surfers are a harder stuff, I mean you guys have been used to travelling to other hot spots, in search of the proverbial “perfect wave” so I’m not sure if it will even thin out the line up. But it’s not the surfers that drive the economy there, heck they’re all stingy as in kuripot. It’s that local tourist from Cebu, Manila or any big City, that puts money in the local economy. And heres the causalty report: 2 killed and 3 wounded on the Government side, and 14 rebels captured and still an undetermined number of casualties on the rebel side, of course they’re all unconfirmed and not final. Anyways that’s all for now, exciting times were living in. cheers bru, mahalo brah, and regards bro.

Nards

From South Africa-Gary Replies..

Yoh Nards,

Radical news-they should've waited till nearer the contest date for max effect. Just when u thought it was safe to go back down to the wild-wild south the righteous bru's get righteous again. I don’t reckon it was on their agenda to thin the line up but I hope it has a bit-maybe the cloud will return to the 9. Weather buffs saying that a record number of typhoons forecast for western pacific, especially in early season-so hope the guys n gals on the island are getting lotsa surf therapy to ease the trauma of da NPA's dropping in like that.
All da best to u all-cheers

Gary n fandamily

Howzit Nards,

You're harder to reach than G.W. Bush. Howzit going? How's the family? How's the sideline? (LOL)
How's the waves brah? I've called your so many times no mas nards. Thank's for the NPA info, Jeff and Madel told me about it too. Just hire the NPA to do the waterpatrol during the contest, that'll spark up their image.

Any life has been great. God's is Awesome, excellent wife, cranking business (driving school, photography and a bit of Amsoil) and better than normal summer waves. Nothing huge just some fun size wave's alot of 2-4ft days and 5-6footer on a few days, with clean conditions. So when the waves are up I'm out there having fun.

I have some good surfing friends of mine that are going to C-9 in September. 'James Kiyohara' and friends. Will you have the time to show them around? If yes let me know as soon as possible, they'll take care of your travel cost, I just want them to have fun with as little drama as possible. I'll be there next year as soon as my wife get's her U.S. Passport we'll start traveling. I'm still planning on looking for a place to make a surf camp, you're the 1st on my list to be in Executive Command of the cooks, dishwashers and yard service.(LOL)

Nard's, I miss all the laughs we've had, good or bad surf , we're always having fun and laughing.

'Shaka Brah'

Daniel & Marianne Kaimi

'Sky Racer'