Commitment: Take care of family.... and money.

I admire parents who raised their kids educating them about finances. I know some friends who have always been more than responsible in handling money. There are some of them who started early - savings, mutual funds, time deposits, small businesses, insurance, real estate, etc.

I was one of those who lived from paycheck to paycheck. I only began looking into it seriously when I got pregnant with Gab. I started to really look into the details of budgeting and tried to find ways on how I can catch up with the lost years when I should have been "building".

I read from financial websites and heard from videos of experts that it is never too early to start. I'm telling myself, it is never too late. When I was having lots of troubles about money, I thought I'd never get out of it. But I was certain that my family deserves MORE. So, we had to START and had to little by little DO IT.

The first step was to make a list. Monitoring the INs and OUTs really works! Then, I literally cut the plastic cards and cancelled them from the banks as soon as I finished paying up the debts. And in the process, we actually lived below our means. We had to do that to zero out all the nightmares.

We now got ourselves insurance protection and (partially ready) emergency fund. And so we are presently thinking of investing in mutual funds and/or stock market. In my effort to try and understand how it works, I came across a very useful website PESOS AND SENSE and I am so glad I saw the videos of Aya Laraya in YouTube (actually it's more like how come I am only watching this now?). I still got a lot of episodes to see but so far I learned a lot already.

"If you are going to take care of your money, it's really a commitment." - Aya Laraya

I cannot agree more. There are still a lot of things that I need to learn. And for sure the way will be, let's say long and (I want to think) happy. But for sure, we will get there. Maybe not as far as my other friends can reach, but will sure get somewhere.

Better be sure about something

I know a lot of people who feel very uncomfortable when the word insurance is mentioned. I worked as an insurance agent for a few months and all throughout that period; I've seen how I myself reacted to the word insurance when I was younger. Before I got married, I did not like being approached about insurance. When I started working, my sister was connected to an insurance company and she told me that I should get one for myself. I never bothered looking at the paper that she handed me. When I got married, there was a time when my husband and I talked about it and we thought that it's just right to get one for ourselves.

There are a lot of different kinds of insurance. Life insurance, car insurance, Motor Trade Insurance, property insurance, etc. We got life insurance for ourselves and before Gab turned two, we also got a policy for him.

If you are a person who does not like talking about it with an agent because you think they will not stop until you sign that form, I suggest that you do your own reading. Search online for different insurance companies. Know their profile and study their products. You sure will find one that will fit your need and budget.

Once I did not think I should waste my time in it. But when I realized that I'm not sure what will happen to me or to my loved ones, I thought that it's better to be sure about something... and that is the insurance that we got.

on Real Property Management

Almost every family dream of owning their house; I dream of owning a multi-unit apartment property so that money will flow in my pocket. Having read on real estate investing and how it can be used as a tool in building wealth, I learned that there are companies who specialize in the management of single family homes, multi-unit apartment buildings, and homeowner’s associations. One of them is Real Property Management. It is important that when you choose a company, they should meet certain qualifications. Real Property Management received "Franchise of the Year Honorable Mention" award and they manage over 20,000 units nationwide. They should also have membership in reputable associations like National Association of Residential Property Managers to ensure that standards will be met and maintained. I really dream of owning a multi-unit apartment property. When that dream comes true, I’ll have a Real Property Management company handle it. When you have properties, I think it’s wise to be safe by entrusting it some place where they can provide the expertise.