By the end of 2011, it will mark a full 3 years since I left my corporate job to go full time on what I love to do, that is to teach  financial literacy to those yearning to learn. Amidst the uncertainties of becoming truly independent, bereft of a stable flow of income and benefits, I took the path of the less travelled unfazed by the risks that are inherent with the new endeavor. Many well-meaning friends and family were concerned at my new direction and for a good reason—I got 4 hungry mouths to feed, 1 of whom was entering the university. I held on to my belief that the Lord wanted me on this path, one that is unclear. Faith and obedience has not been my strongest traits in the past but when I let Christ rule my life, it has been the driving force of my life ever since. Well, all these are now in retrospect.

2009 saw a year of many struggles, ambivalence and yet I had a glimpse of what was to come. It was a year of faith and trusting completely on my creator. As my eldest child enters the University in 2009, my wife and I truly experienced the faithfulness of the Lord and the generosity of many friends and family. 2009 reaffirmed that I was on a path that was the right one for me.

By 2010, many changes transpired; the most eventful was a decision for my wife to home school our 2 young boys which also means that she must stop working – something not easy for her after being used to earning a living for 20 years. With my wife not working due to home school, the burden of providing for the financial needs of my family now solely belongs to me. Since the time we got married, my wife has been a tremendous help in keeping the family finances afloat but it was a decision we had to make. More opportunities opened up for me — more talks, more seminars, and more travels which equated to reaching out to more people. My career was in full swing, my family life was stable and my walk with Jesus was getting better. 2010 was truly a satisfying year and while there were a lot more things to improve on, I felt contented with what was going on. By the year’s end, I had a taste of my first quasi-endorsement as one being featured in UCC’s Beacon of Change 2011 Planner. This was also the year that we started to move in generosity because we knew that such acts pleased the Lord.

But the Lord is a God of plenty and a God of amazement. While I was contented He had bigger plans for me, beyond what I could have imagined. 2011 was truly an eventful year for me and my family. While it was not one without any challenges, the year brought in many pleasant surprises. My career was even productive and many more doors of opportunities are being opened. I found myself speaking all over the country, Hong Kong, Singapore and even in Macao. I’ve collaborated with many great friends whom I share a passion to teach… Cito Beltran, Francis Kong, Chinkee Tan, Paulo Tibig, Jayson Lo, Miriam Quiambao and more. I also found myself writing the stories of Richard Poon, Christian Bautista and others. It was also this year that I had the opportunity to reach out to more youth by being invited to speak in campuses and through our youth finance program, Blue Chip. My former staff and now business partner Jen and his ever supportive husband Luis and I established White Board, a formal entity for all our endeavors. My TV appearances were also on a high, as well as radio. My blogs have been read much more than before and I find myself being asked to write left and right.

2011 was turning out to be an unbelievable year but the Lord was not about to stop the surprises. After all, His gloriousness allows Him to bless those who are undeserving, of which I was one of the worse. After writing a column for the Business Mirror (an awesome newspaper) for about 3 and half years, my good friend and RFP big boss Henry Ong called me to ask me if I would be willing to start a column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer – it took me about half a second to say yes.  Money Matters is a weekly column which I alternate with my good friend Efren Cruz and has taken quite an interesting format, a Q&A one. My new column got me even more attention and opened even more doors. A short while after, I was surprised to see my name listed as one of the top 12 Most Influential People in Personal Finance by Moneysense Magazine. To be included amongst a roster of people I look up to is so surreal and overwhelming. Just when all the buzz of being part of the 12 people was about to die down, I got a call from a former professor of mine (Rose Dinio) and she seems so happy to let me know that I am included as one of the Most Outstanding Alumni of my school, the University of Santo Tomas.

2011 also so the actualization of a dream of mine, to run a full day seminar that will teach people on the process of financial security… not a 1 hour talk, not even a half day training but rather a full day program that will bring those attending into the a process that will answer many of their questions in achieving the much coveted goal of financial freedom. Since my program is a step by step instructional one, we decided to call it Steps to Financial Peace. It’s launching was a successful one and I am so privileged that many corporate sponsors lead by BDO and Cole Haan supported it. The same program was also brought to Davao through the industriousness of a dear friend, Joseph Doce and the generosity of our presenters, Sun Life and AirPhil Express.

I continue to help the Registered Financial Planner Philippines in its aim to professionalize the country’s financial planners. Go Negosyo was also an organization that I am proud to be a part of and we aim to teach as many Pinoys as we can. The Blas F. Ople Policy Center was also one of the groups that I co-labor with, reaching to our heroes – the OFWs. And of course, I am steadfast in my commitment to my church, Victory Green Hills – my spiritual family where we fellowship in honoring God and making disciples.

Many other events escaped me right now, trying to recall made me feel overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed because by my own, none of these would have even been remotely possible; and yet such blessings are bestowed upon me and my family. Why do I get such unmerited favors? Is it because of my faith, my obedience? Not really. We get all these blessings for one reason only, God is a faithful God, glorious and magnificent in all His splendor. The reason why all these are happening is because of Him. When I surrendered my life to Jesus 4 years ago, I did not only become a better me, I became a new me. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV

What does 2012 hold for me? I don’t know but I am steadfast because I know Jesus is the captain of my life. I need only to be faithful in my purpose in life, that is to worship Him.

Happy New Year to all and God bless all of you!

Prior to Christmas, we have taught our kids that Christmas is not about receiving or even giving presents, its about a testament of God’s love by sending Jesus into our lives. Christmas is really about Christ and as parents we felt we needed to constantly remind them.

Jesus is the Lord of generosity too and I believe that whenever we are generous, it is an act of worship. We can teach kids to start being truly generous at an early age and after Christmas is a great way to do it. Usually, we teach our kids to give away old toys, stuff they don’t like to play with and after sometime of doing it, our kids find joy in giving away their old toys. Sometime ago, we slowly tried to teach them about sacrificial giving… generosity is not just about giving away things you don’t want anymore. We encouraged them start giving even new and unopened toys to bless others.

This morning, I got an sms from my mentor and dear friend Cito Beltran who is currently in Cagayan de Oro helping with relief operations. Cito asked me to create awareness in the viral world on sending toys and crafts to help relieve the affected children from a lot of stress. With a few text messages, posts in Facebook and Twitter, it was a joy to see people already responding. A short text message to my good buddy Paulo Tibig of V Cargo resulted to them agreeing to pick up and bring the toys and crafts to Cagayan de Oro and Iligan for Free!

Here’s what me and my kids got busy with earlier. We sorted out their new toys, mostly unopened still and I asked them the pray and seek what the Lord is telling them — if they want to give new toys and which of their new toys. My wife and I was overwhelmed when they wanted to give more than half of their new gifts. We also asked them to check their toys and start deciding which to give away. Again, we were delighted that our kids decided to give even toys they like to play with. At ages 9 and 6, it is such a blessing for parents like us to see how Jesus has touched their hearts and move in the spirit of generosity.

My boys story was picked up by Gerald Dela Pena of TV 5 and you can catch their short feature tomorrow (tuesday) at TV 5, 11:30am.

If you would like to move in generosity along with your children, please do so and send toys and crafts to the children of CDO and Iligan. Again, may we reiterate to send toys that are in good condition, not those that demean the dignity of our brothers and sisters. We suggest that you consolidate toys and crafts from your friends and family and V Cargo will pick them up for delivery to CDO and Iligan, free of charge. To arrange for pick up, please call or sms Nerz of V Cargo at 0927-7008059.

God bless you.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” - Matthew 19:14, NIV

– Isaiah 9:6, King James Version

May the Lord continue to bless you and give you an abundant and productive life ahead. Let us not forget the reason for this season, Jesus Christ. May we always let Christ reign in our lives.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Today’s perception on what a real man is so obscure because of culture and media. When you talk about a real man, one would think of a typical half naked and unbelievably buffed model you see in EDSA billboards (are they really men to start with, me thinks). To others, the picture of a real man is one who is fierce, stoic, can take in a lot of alcohol and ready to jump into a brawl. Whether the image of a real man is one who has sculpted abs or a beer belly, our society has a twisted image of what a man should be and for us men, we seem to be clueless on how we should act, think and behave.

In a radio show I co-hosted (as a fill-in), we had a guest who had an incredible story. He is your classic rags to riches story and against allodds, even on the brink of death, our guest survived, thrived and became very successful. He seems to be a nice person, kind, generous and willing to share his knowledge and even his wealth to better the lives of those around him. He truly is an admirable fellow and it was really a pleasure conversing with him. No person, no matter what he has achieved is perfect. This nice guest of ours has an incredible story, besides his rise to success. He is a father of 14 children with 14 different women. While many were amazed at his life story, more were impressed upon his virility and people started to call him ‘idol’. While I do not judge our guest, I am saddened that many will find his ‘adventurous romantic episodes’ as something to be admired and worse, emulated. Well, I guess it’s ‘to each his own’, I suppose.

If society has conflicting views and many of us have settled for less than what a man ought to be, the last 3 weeks have made me realize that God expects his men to be more than what society can ever define. Here are 3 critical learning on the role of real men I picked up from our Pastor Dennis Sy:

1) Provider: lead financially. While there is nothing wrong with women working and helping their family financially, the role of the man of the house is to provide for the needs of his loved ones. Man should go out and work for a living and provide a comfortable life for his family as best as he can. Providing doesn’t mean that men should give his family an ostentatious lifestyle that will make him a slave to work and be an absentee father as a result. Having a stable home and providing for such a home will always be the responsibility of the men. It is sad to see many women work hard and their husbands are left at home. Call it the modern family and call me old-fashioned but I believe there should not be reversal of roles in this case. I wrote about my thoughts on this in an earlier blog.

2) Warrior: lead physically and emotionally. In the family, the man is the head of the family and he should act as such. There is a reason that the men were created to be sturdier, stronger and maybe even less emotional as the women. Men should not abdicate his role as the leader and hold the family together. Being a warrior does not mean he canbe insensitive and push his weight around, that’s a sign of weakness. A real man would know when he should acknowledge the wisdom of his wife, accept his limitations and yet stand firm for his decisions. I don’t think women would like their men to be a push-over, indecisive or cannot take his responsibilities seriously.

3) Pastor: lead spiritually. While our faith in the Lord is an individual concern, the real man should act as the spiritual head of the family. As a husband and a father, the Lord has bestowed upon me the spiritual covering for my family. It is imminent for us men to pray for our loved ones regularly and with intensity. Our faith in the Lord is something our children can emulate, not from lengthy sermons but from what they actually see in us. I once had a friend who got concerned that his young children decided not to go to church; I gently reminded him his children only copies what they see from him and since he is infrequent in going to the church, they started to think they shouldn’t as well. The good news is my friend started going back to church regularly and is now walking with Christ. Our children read their bibles not so much because we tell them so, but more so because they see us read, especially me.  Filipina women have traditionally been more pious but let me tell you that when the men exhibit a close relationship with the Lord, it is a totally different ball game. As the spiritual head, we can actually intercede for our loved ones and I am certain the good Lord listens to all our prayers.

Further, and more importantly, the real man submits to the real authority. He submits to the authority of Jesus Christ who is the real master of his life.

Whew, writing this blog has overwhelmed me if I am to be totally honest. The burdens of being a man, and a godly man at that, is not easy task nor for the faint hearted. However, it is also only by the grace of God can we do all these. Apart from Him, I can’t really do much. “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13, NLT

Be a man according to culture or society? Or be a real man in the image and likeness of the Lord? The choice is ours to make.

To learn more on being a real man, check out Act Like a Man

I first met Efren after in 2006 after a class in Registered Financial Planner (RFP). Henry Ong, RFP President invited me to join their lunch Efren and his friend Atty. Caloy Ocampo. My initial impression on Efren was that he was a tad timid and very unassuming. He mentioned that he just wrote a book entitled Pwede Na! The Complete Pinoy Guide to Personal Finance which I ended up buying from him that day. As I read his book, I was enamored at the wisdom of Efren and I can discern his passion to help ordinary Filipinos get financially literate and achieve financial freedom. That fateful lunch was the beginning of my admiration for Efren, in fact I am proud to say that I am one of his earliest fans and I continue to be a fan!

Efren has an impressive pedigree in his area of expertise. He holds an MBA from the University of the Philippines and has been in the financial services industry for over 25 years, 18 years of which is in fund management. Efren is no stranger to managing wealth, working for institutions like Far East Bank, Grepalife Asset Management, Standard Chartered Bank and others. He is also one of the driving forces behind the mutual fund industry, serving at the Investment Company Association of the Philippines (ICAP) twice as President and once as Chairman. He also co-founded the Fund Managers Association of the Philippines. Efren has definitely earned the respect of his peers because of his hard work and dedication.

Efren is a favorite of many publications; as a contributor or columnists for Business Mirror, Moneysense and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He is also a frequent resource person for many Radio and TV shows, too many to enumerate. He is one of the directors of the Registered Financial Planner Institute and a regular moderator of the program where he teaches on personal finance and investments.

One of Efren’s main advocacies is financial education for the workforce. Efren and his company, the Personal Finance Advisers Philippines Corp. has been in the forefront of providing financial literacy to many employees. He makes employers understand that it is in their best interest that employees are financially literate to ensure competitiveness and minimize work conflicts that will have a severe impact on bottom line. Efren Cruz has been actively seeking corporations to allow him and his company to teach their employees despite the great odds they face.

Another area where I admire Efren the most is that despite handling and teaching money all these years, he remains to be God fearing and always remind his listeners, participants and readers about the real purpose of wealth and money – to honor God, first and foremost.

I am so proud to say that Efren is one my esteemed mentors, an ally, a colleague and a most cherished friend. Efren, is on the top of my list as Personal Finance Champion. My prayer is that the country will have more Efren Cruz. Mabuhay ka Kuya Efren!

Check out his company website.

Although I am a personal finance person and the resounding theme of what I write and speak about is money, its proper use and its growth; but I am also a dude and what does most dudes like a lot is fashion, not! While many of us, specially the married men, do not ogle at other women anymore (I only stare at my wife), we do so with cars. Cars remain to be one of those things we like to look at, drive and own.

I’m on my 3^rd car which I was blessed to review and this time, I was able to use and enjoy the mighty Honda Jazz. The Honda Jazz is one of those ‘iconic’ vehicles that a lot of people simply go ‘ga-ga’ over. Personally, I was not a big fan since I’m not into small cars, owing to my body frame. When my friend called me and asked if I would want to test the 2011 Honda Jazz, I agreed but was not really too ecstatic, it’s just a small car after all.

All my pre-conceived notions about the Jazz were instantly thrown out of the window the moment I sat in the driver’s cockpit. Firstly, the Jazz is not as small as I thought it was. I’m not sure if it’s just optical illusion but I was really delighted that the Jazz was really roomy – even for a big guy like me. The biggest come-on of the Jazz is its roominess relative to its size. I love the leg room, head room and its over-all spaciousness. The riders at the rear will likewise enjoy the space. It is amazing how the Honda Jazz can have so much space considering it is a sub-compact car. I particularly enjoyed the folding seats so you can load bigger cargo. The ease of folding the rear seats is also a big plus and so convenient.

So the car is roomy, a big benefit — but space is not the only criteria for value right? I like looking at the interiors of the car, particularly the dashboard since a driver spends a lot of time inside a car and a functional and ergonomic panel that is pleasing to the eye helps us stay sane amidst the stressful Manila traffic. A great sounding stereo where I can plug my iPod plus an air conditioning system that keeps the whole car cool despite the scorching Philippine heat is definitely a win-win combination for me.

The car is nifty, the car is spacious and the car is functional… but does it drive as good as it looks? While many reviewers like to test cars by taking them outside Mega Manila, the real test for me is how the car handles in our city streets – after all, I spend more time driving in the city than I do outside. My best gauge of driving pleasure is that if at the end of the day I am not exhausted from driving, the car gets two thumbs up from me. After traversing through the crazy streets of Metro Manila, going to places for meetings from one after the other, and the occasional request from my wife for unscheduled errands, the Jazz was such a dependable partner. Was I tired after ‘playing’ with the Jazz for a whole day? Not at all! I was actually looking forward to my wife asking me to do errands because it is an excuse to use the definitive Honda for another spin.  With only a 1.3 L displacement, the response of the Jazz was impressive – it is zippy and handles the streets like it was hugging the road. The suspension was also smooth even if it is on a small platform.

Like I said before, the acid test of any car for me is how my family enjoys it. I got twoyoung boys who love to tag along with me and they were raving about the Jazz, from how it looks from the outside and in the inside. My Teenage girls also liked the car a lot, even asking me to buy one each for them – well, I told them that after they graduate and earn their own income, they can get themselves their own Jazz with their own money – but with my blessings! Since my wife drives a lot too, I asked my wife to drive the Jazz as well and did she approve of the popular car? She said just said that she wouldn’t mind having one for herself to replace our older cars – that’s one of the best endorsement any car can get.

I never really got why the Honda Jazz was a very popular car and why its owners rave about their cars with cult-like behavior. A few days with this diminutive yet grand automobile, I have become a huge fan of the Honda Jazz.

My only issue with the Jazz is its cost — the model I tested, 1.3 L A/T, has an SRP of Php 792,000. But I suppose one needs to pay the price for the quality and value the Honda Jazz brings. After all, you get what you pay for.  Oh, before I forget, the best feature of the Jazz for a personal finance guy like me is its fuel consumption! Is it efficient? You bet! I estimate about 14 kms. to a liter and that city driving with insane traffic at times!

The Honda with all its Jazz, got themselves a keeper.

Most people assumed that I was an exemplary student, but I am far from it and I want to share something that’s really personal to me for this post.

I had a very colorful history during my University years. When I entered college, I was a mediocre and too care-free. During my freshmen year, I never paid attention to my classes nor do I even listened to my professors. As expected, I started to fail my classes and since my school had standards to uplift, I was being debarred from re-enrolling. I can vividly recall the fateful day in the summer of 1985 when my parents got the advise from the University letting them know of my debarment. My father was furious and it really broke my mother’s heart. You see, my mom and I had a special relationship. She was my very first fan and at a young age, she told me that I will do great things in life. In a palanca letter in high school, my mom told me that among her 7 kids, I was the most different and that I will do great things in life. My first ‘real-life’ lesson happened in the summer of ’85 and I was determined to remedy my situation.

My solution? I turned to the Lord. At 19, I prayed and prayed to the Lord that He save me from my situation. A distant relative appealed my situation to the college regent, a Dominican priest who agreed to hear my appeal. The priest talked to me and felt pity on me, so much so that he said he will give me a second chance but I need to be in academic probation. He only asked that I do well this time and that at the end of the semester, I should go back to him to show my class cards.

Did I learn my lesson and take my studies seriously? You bet! On the first semester of my academic probation, my grades were all up and I narrowly missed being in the Dean’s List. It was probably the first time in my life that I became diligent; I opted to sit in the first row, intently listening to my professors and actually taking time to study my lessons. As promised, I came back to the college regent and happily showed my class cards. Upon seeing my grades, the priest looked at me with a smile and told me “I knew you can do it… keep it up”. Since then, I never failed a class, never failed a test, never missed an assignment.

The rest of my stay in college became great and by my senior year, I became a student leader and even becoming the president of an umbrella organization composed of about 10 to 12 universities. About 2 years after graduation, I found myself in the same college, this time teaching a few classes on Business Administration. I bumped into the priest who gave me a second chance and this is what he said…  ”a few years ago, you were pleading with me to stay in the university — now, I am talking with you here at the faculty room.”

I have graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Commerce majoring in Economics in 1988. Since then, I taught there for a semester and been back a couple of times to speak to students and teachers.

The other day, a mailman was in my house and handed me a letter. When I opened it, I was delighted to read this…

Reading this brought back a lot of memories and on the importance of 2nd chances. Fr. Terry Campillo, O.P. — thank you for believing in me when no one else did. To my mom (she passed away before I graduated), thank you for never losing your faith in me and for planting the seed that I can do great things in my life. To my teachers who patiently taught me and also guided me, my appreciation. To my dear wife who stands by me regardless of our situation, my undying thanks.

And to my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ — my eternal gratitude. You loved me despite my sins; you were faithful even I was not; you stood by me despite my rebellion. You orchestrated everything in my life because you are after my welfare, even if I wasn’t. All of these is because of your grace and all of these is for your Glory. Thank you.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8, NIV

It felt surreal to be part of such an illustrious list but I am nonetheless honored. Clearly, the hand of the Lord is at work for this accolade.

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The list includes:

1.   The Lawmaker: EDGARDO J. ANGARA (Philippine Senator)

2.   The Regulator: AMANDO TETANGCO (Central Bank Governor)

3.   The Treasurer: ROBERTO B. TAN (Treasurer of the Philippines)

4.   The Adviser: EFREN LL. CRUZ (Pwede Na! Author & Investments Guru)

5.   The Coach: RANDELL TIONGSON

6.   The Director: HENRY ONG (Head of the Registered Financial Planner & others)

7.   The Moderator: JAMES RYAN JONAS (Pinoy Money Talk)

8.   The Blogger: FITZ VILLAFUERTE (Ready to be Rich Blog)

9.   The Banker: AURELIO R. MONTINOLA (BPI)

10. The Enabler: JESUS P. TAMBUNTING (Planters Development Bank)

11. The Stock Broker: CONRADO F. BATE (Citiseconline)

12. The Insurer: RIZALINA G. MANTARING (Sun Life Financial)

Grab a copy of the July-August issue of Moneysense to read about why they think the 12 deserves to be part of the list.

Dennis’ story continues to inspire me– his dedication to work, his family and most especially to his creator. He has no shame in sharing his story, a wonderful story of love and redemption.

So proud of my brother in Christ — Big Daddy Jake. Watch his video:

Come build with us http://www.victorygreenhills.org/buildwithus/

When a dear friend invited me to a product presentation for some bloggers, I was not too keen attending it since the product to be discussed are ear phones. What will I do in an a product review for something young people would love but something I might sneer upon. I have seen how many foolishly splurged in uber expensive ear phones. I am aghast to hear some people spend more than P10,000 for some silly earphones.

* Photo courtesy of Jane Uymatiao

Since the invite came from a friend who I can’t say no to, I grudgingly agreed out of friendship, nothing more. When I arrived at the Digital Walker in Eastwood, I was handed a bag with a set of earphones for me to test. Politely, I listened to the product presentation and I must say that the product being introduced was impressive in design and I was sure it sounded good; otherwise the distributors would not spend a dime promoting it. The presenter said something that caught my attention, he said that the product is of good value and is relatively inexpensive compared to other branded earphones. I immediately inspected the box and was pleasantly surprised to see the sticker price of the earphones.

The brand is called Urbanears. When we were asked to try it out, I was excited to plugit onto my  iPhone and hear for myself of the quality. I searched through my playlist and decided to play a jazz track from George Benson – the best way to test good sound is through good music, not some moronic song from a ‘gangsta rapper’ or Lady GaGa. I was testing Urbanears’ entry level earphones, the Bagis and I was impressed with the quality. I was further impressed that all Urbanears come with microphones already which is so nifty for iPhones (and other units).

The price? P1,200 only for the Urbanears Bagis. For the fashion conscious, they’ll like the fact that Urbanears items come in with so many colors… too many if you ask me. Since I’m a boring person, I was happy with my blue earphones (though I’d rather be green) – well, it’s still more exciting than white or black. Why buy an expensive earphone when you can get the same quality at a much cheaper price? For a personal finance guy like me, this is a product I like! Cost + value = win.

When I got home and told my teenagers that I came from the Urbanears’ event and I had a sample, they swooned and asked me for my ear phones. My reply: sorry kids, I’m keeping this one.

Urbanears are available at Digital Walker stores.