The bigger risk is not taking any risk at all. In investments and in life.
“Strategic thinkers all agree to develop audacious (or outrageous, extraordinary) objectives that define desired results in measurable terms.”
STRATEGIC THINKING
Begins with identifying your purpose. But what is your purpose or objective in your personal or corporate life? Find out the answers through Strategic Thinking seminar with Mr. Cito Beltran.
What do I do?
Where am I now?
Where am I going?
How do I get there?
When will I get there?
What will it cost me?
Ø What is the cost of changing personal or organizational direction?
Ø Do I need to change direction?
Ø Is the change acceptable? How do I sustain the attitude?
.. con’t.
Here are some hard to swallow facts as well: the level of savings of Pinoys are well below many of our neighbors, consumer debt is rising in an alarming rate, we are not preparing for retirement, number of people with financial investments or insurance remains to be one of the lowest in Asia – in short, the average Pinoy is not prepared for the future. The growing number of seminars and books on personal finance is encouraging because it really does make a lot of sense. However, it is also discomforting at the same time because we need to tell people what they should already know for themselves already. Sometimes I find it silly that people need to be ‘tricked’ by many mindset alteration and motivational gimmickry just for them to be responsible enough to handle their finances. People are being duped that there is a secret to achieving wealth and financial freedom through the internet, seminars, speakers, books and all that. Just like Inception, many of today’s folks need to escape into fantasy land for them to achieve some peace. They spend like there’s no tomorrow and when they realize that they are headed south, they frantically grasp on illusions like new age hogwash or believe some individual who claims to unlock the ‘secrets’.
We need to wake up to our reality that we are responsible for the actions we take in personal finance and in life in general — and that’s the reality! There is no secret to achieving financial freedom and there is no short-cut – it is a process and we build it little by little by the actions we take. There’s no substitute to industriousness, prudence and discipline, to believe otherwise is full of folly.
In life, we can take the road of dreams but the fact remains that we need to wake up at some point. Take a hold of reality and be deliberate in the path we take. Work hard, be disciplined and put your faith in the source of real happiness, Jesus Christ – that’s a reality that will always be better than any dream.
I’ve attended many conference in my professional life, too many to count. Some conference were great, some were a waste of time.
I’m attending a 3 day world conference now and I would say this is the most life-changing event I’ve ever been to. Not only is it an incredibly organized one, it is an event that goes beyond uplifting one’s self.
Picture this — 18,000 people from over 20 countries gathered in SMX. 2 levels of conference that runs simultaneously, truly a technological extravaganza. Speakers from many nations that can put many professional speakers to shame. Heard speakers from Africa, India, China, our very own Efren Penafloroda and even Darlene Zsech of Hillsong. A conference that is for all ages, even kids! Darlene Zsech leading all 18000 delegates singing Amazing Grace in 50 languages sung simulteaneously — a new world record.
The conference is not yet over but the experience so far is overwhelming. Beyond the magnificence of the event is the reason for the event — to proclaim that God is glorious and Christ is our savior in every tribe, every nation in this generation!
EN 2010… I am blessed to be part of this movement! To God be all the glory.
Photo by Val Baquios.
My wife and I had a date a few nights ago and it was spent watching the movie Inception. I was not too keen on watching that movie because I have always remembered Leonardo Di Caprio in his epic role in the movie Titanic — let’s just say I’m not a fan. However, my good friend and soon to be financial engineer Louis Chingcuanco was raving about this movie so my wife and I decided that watching it will be our date.
Movie was good and visually exhilarating although it made me a tad dizzy. The plot was well written and I would say that we thoroughly enjoyed the movie. My friend Louis was correct to say that it was really a ‘must-see’ flick. I like watching movies with my wife because I like to date her as often as I can afford and since movies are not too expensive, we can do this more often. Being a financial planner made me a cheapskate too, haha! We often advise couples that they should always have dates because it helps the relationship a lot but we also caution others about unnecessary and unplanned spending – watching movies is a good compromise! My wife is happy with a simple fast-food dinner and a movie for a date, I am truly blessed.
While I like the movie, watching it left me pondering about many things. The movie really imitates life today and how many people are so indulged with escapism. The movie was about the power and complexity of dreams and the difficulty of discerning what reality is all about. In the area of personal finance, many are also trapped in the world of escapism and succumb to living a life of fantasy they can hardly afford. It is a common fact the country’s biggest problem is poverty and yet we see facts like these: the average Pinoy changes his cell phone every 8 to 12 months, expensive coffee shops are mushrooming all over the metropolis, malls are sardine packed with people, etc. The facts belie our true state and I concur that the reason for it is because many of us are living in a state of dream and hardly in touch with reality.
… to be continued
By Celine Salazar
I have been an avid follower of Randell Tiongson’s blog on finance-related matters for a long time now. I love the way he writes as he makes financial concepts that may cause nosebleed for some seem very easy to understand. I also like the way he puts a biblical perspective in sharing ideas to his readers. I once chanced upon his blog entry regarding the third run of The No Nonsense Seminar on Finance: How to Invest in the Future, marked it in my calendar and totally forgot about it. A few days before the event, I got a message from a friend who asked me if I wanted to attend a seminar. This meant that I would spend half a day less with my kids, but when I found out that it was THIS seminar, I just had to say – I was going to meet Randell Tiongson himself!
The seminar was held last July 10 at 1:30 pm, at the Victory Center Greenhills. I made sure that I wouldn’t be late, so I was there before 1:00pm. It ….
Read the review at http://thepoc.net/thepoc-features/mukhang-pera/mukhang-pera-opinions/8842-a-review-of-the-no-nonsense-seminar-on-finance.html
This is a timely program for all parents whose kids are using the internet. This program is Free but only limited slots are available. Details are at the poster.
As a trainer, writer, speaker, consultant… and whatever it is that I do, I need a lot of input. 
If i would be a good communicator, I must also get a lot of information and data all the time. There is a need for me to read, and to read a lot.
While I still enjoy reading, I have a huge waiting line in my reading list and I have been trying to find more and more time to read. Since I take a lot of long trips, the travel time would have been a great time to catch on my reading right? However, I am unable to do so because I have some motion sickness… Fail!
The next best thing? Podcasts. I’ve been subscribing to some podcasts and they are very convenient for an information junkie like me. So what’s in my podcast subscription list right now?
1) Ravi Zacharias: Ravi and his team are my favorite Christian Apologetics and they have 2 programs over at iTunes — Just Thinking and Let My People Think. Listening to Ravi and his team’s podcasts is an absolute must for me… this is nourishment for my spirit and my brain as well. If you doubt your faith and if you doubt God, listen to Ravi Zacharias!
2) The Dave Ramsey Show: I try to catch Dave’s radio podcasts and his podcasts are always updated over at iTunes. I get a lot of practical personal finance knowledge from Dave Ramsey, I just love his no nonsense approach to money. I must admit though that I haven’t been listening to Dave’s show as much of late. Looks like I need to do so again.
I’ve also recently subscribed to the podcasts of Seth Godin and the The Economist. Seth Godin was introduced to me by my good friend Carlo Ople and my pastor Dennis Sy. The Economist was a magazine/journal I used to read a lot before, good thing they now have podcasts.
While reading books/journals are still best, podcasts may be the next best thing.
However, there’s still one book that I must read everyday and no technology can be a good substitute for me, the Bible.
ps – I still like to read books by the way, I just need to find time to do so. Will share my reading list soon.
Recently, we were reminded that we need to instill stricter discipline in the area of savings for our children. In a recent business trip in Hong Kong, my wife chanced upon some nice piggy banks and she bought 2 to be brought back home. I was under the impression that my wife bought it for our young children but I was surprised when she told me that it was for us, not for the boys. She reminded me that our children must see us being faithful in filling up the piggy banks so that they too will follow suit. I thought that I was doing a good job in reminding my small children to save but apparently I was wrong. When my boys saw that their mom were faithfully adding coins and bills in or piggy bank, they became more conscious in adding to theirs. I saw my young boys more passionate in filling up their piggy banks now, more than ever. To my surprise, I also saw my 2 teen-aged daughters start their own piggy banks a few days ago. While we always remind them to start their storehouses earlier, we sometimes feel that it falls on deaf ears. My daughters’ participation to the Blue Chip, a financial literacy program for the youth also encouraged them – a program we suggested they attend. If we see that our children learn how to save, we can be confident that they will have a bright future ahead of them.
Why are so many of us finding ourselves wanting? Why is it that we find ourselves trapped in life’s maze? Why are so many of us lost? This is true not just in the psychological aspect; it is also true for our financial situation, as well. Why are we always lacking? Why are we buried in debt? Why are we unsure of the future? These are common questions we often wonder about, me included.
Here’s a thought: If we were guided and taught properly as children, would we become better adults? What if someone instructed us patiently in the area of money management in our youth, would our financial standing be better today? What if we were raised as a disciple of Christ in our formative years, would we have avoided a lot of the mistakes we foolishly found ourselves into? I don’t know about the others, but I can definitely answer YES!
We need to be deliberate in teaching the next generation—help mold values that will be critical for their future. How? Teach them, remind them and let them experience the learning by assimilating how we live our lives.
“Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.”— Joel 1:3, NIV.
During Sunday service at our church in Victory Green Hills, there was something that caught my attention and left me in awe. At the back of my seat was a very cute 1 year + old baby name Gabby Lo. She was really a charmer, always smiling and cheeks that you want to pinch – such a beautiful baby. During praise and worship, I saw this beautiful child raising both of her arms in a worshipping gesture and I am certain that she is so into worship.
There’s something that reminded me about Gabby’s antics; that a child really learns by examples and by mimicry. Any parent will agree that we can’t just teach our children by telling them, we need to show them. In the arena of personal finance, many of our habits are derived from the way we were raised, both good and bad. Yes, external environment also dictates our behavior but the way we were raised leaves a lasting imprint in us, especially our money habits. Young children mimic their parents and their elders all the time. I often see my young boys trying to mimic my antics which is why I must always be careful with my behavior when I am with them.
I have 4 children of varying ages and I have seen how their behaviors change over the years. I have also seen how they behave when it comes to money. I have learned that as parents, we must always remind them about proper money management and they must always see that we are responsible in handling our finances all the time. We always remind our children that we need to prioritize our money and allocate accordingly – this helps us make our children realize that they are not being deprived of the things they yearn for because we try to make them understand priorities. As parents, it is easy to go overboard and I am just as guilty as many other parents… I find pleasure in buying things my children like and if I don’t keep that in check, I will teach them the wrong values.
… to be continued.
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