My First Financial Planning Seminar

Last July 31, I was given the chance to be a resource speaker for the very first financial planning seminar that I conducted. I was at first nervous as this was my very first speaking stint but that nervousness was slowly swallowed as I discussed my topics.

It was a success! It was attended by around 50 attendees from our company. I was first introduced as a BS Mathematics graduate from Ateneo de Manila University, mentioned my two former employment background and my feature in Good House Keeping magazine as financial expert.

A lot of thanks for that introduction. I’ve never been given such recognition in my entire life. After that, I started discussing my financial planning powerpoint presentation.

For the readers of this blog, I would present here the details of my handout given to those who attended so that at least even though you were not able to attend, it’s as if you attended my first financial planning seminar. Basically, it’s just a summary of some of the contents of this blog.

Goals:
Goals empower us. It gives us direction. Life is full of paths. We can either go in the right direction or in the wrong direction. Goals provide us the right direction. It sets our priorities. It gives us the motivation.
When you list down your goals, you are giving direction to your life. In listing your goals, list them “smartly”. S-Specific, M-Manageable, A-Achievable, R-Realistic, T-Time Bound

S-Specific. Our goals should be specified to give us direction. To set a specific goal, it must answer any one of the following “W” questions:
o Who: Who is involved?
o What: What do I want to accomplish?
o Where: Identify a location
o When: Establish a time frame
o Which: Identify requirement and constraints
o Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Sample: I want to become a millionaire! But a specific goal would say, “Get a job for 10 years, establish your own food business and use your network of friends and acquaintances”

M – Measurable. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as “How much?” “How many?” “How will I know when it is accomplished?” Sample: I want to become a millionaire by age of 26!

A – Achievable. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways on how to achieve them. In the process, you develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, talents and capacity to achieve them. When you list your goals, you see yourself as worthy of these goals.

R – Realistic. To be realistic, a goal must have an objective that you are both “willing” and “able” to work. If you truly “believe” that you can achieve your goal, then it is realistic.

T – Time Bound. Goal should be grounded by time frame because if there’s no time frame, then there’s no sense of urgency. If you just say, “someday” then it won’t work. By setting a time frame, you are setting your mind to begin working in achieving that goal.

ABC to achieve goals:
ASPIRE: You start with what you want to achieve. Be specific; follow the “S-M-A-R-T” goal system. You say to yourself: “I WILL ACHIEVE THIS!”
BELIEVE: After you’ve listed down the goals that you aspire, believe in yourself that you can achieve it! I already saw a lot of people achieved it, if they can do it, then why won’t I? You say to yourself: “I CAN DO IT!”
COMMIT: The next step is to commit. This is the hardest part because your patience, attitude and determination will be tested to its fullest. It’s a test for survival. You say to yourself: “I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!”

Law of Attraction: Positive Thinking + Action = Goals
- Napoleon Hill (author of Think and Grow Rich): We become what we think about
- Newton’s Universal Gravitation: Every object in the universe was attracted by every other object -> e=mc2
- WILL POWER: What your mind conceives, your body can achieve.

Examples of Will Power:

Marathon Race: At the start of the game, the runner conditions his mind. His will power says: “I CAN DO IT!” This will power pushes his body to try harder and run faster to overcome opponents. It was the soul driving the body. The power was not in the muscles but in his will! You will notice that at the end of the race, the will let up and the body will collapse.

Rags to Riches Story: They never consider their economic status to be a hindrance to become successful in life.

Roselle Ambubuyog: A BS Mathematics student in Ateneo who graduated Summa Cum Laude and got the title valedictorian of the Year! - BUT both eyes are blind.

Motivational Quotes:
- “I will do today what other people won’t so that I can have tomorrow what other people can’t”
- “When you want something, all the universe will conspire in helping you to achieve it”
- “Show me a person backed with passion, conviction and resolve and I’ll show you a winner”
- “When a team of dedicated individuals makes a commitment to act as one, the sky is the limit”

Frugality: Ways to Manage Funds in Work Life
- Pay yourself first:
       Income – Savings = Expense
       Pareto’s Principle of 80/20:
           - In business, put most of your efforts on the 20% of things that bring 80% of income to your business.
           - In saving, put at least 20% to savings.

Frugality: Ways to Manage Funds in Home Life

Save Money on Electric Bills
       - Drop the temp. Lower the temperature on your water heater’s thermostat
       - Change bulbs. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) use a quarter of the electricity of regular incandescent light bulbs.
       - Check filters. Remember to replace aircon filters and heat-pump filters to keep these systems running efficiently.
       - Pull the plug. Remember to pull the plug for any electrical appliances that are not in use.

Save Money on Water Bills
o Get a gadget. Get yourself a low-flow faucet aerator. It uses less water while increasing water pressure.
o Fix leaks. Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, especially in the toilet.
o Recycle water. Collect rain water to water the plants. Just be sure not to stock it very long to avoid developing a breeding ground for dengue.
o Add a hose nose. Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle when you water the plants so that there will be no wasted water if the hose is not in use.
o Wash full loads. Cleaning less than a full load of clothes or dishes wastes both water and energy.

Frugality: Ways to Manage Funds in Family Life

Save Money in Dining and Entertainment
o Know before you go. Scan over your local newspaper, check radio stations and company websites for coupons, promos, and special discounts.
o Master menu magic. Drink water instead of ice teas, alcoholic beverages, and juices. Bypass that meaty main dish. Order a meatless meal or if it’s not enough, try two appetizers or several side orders.
o Get discount coupons. Take advantage of discount coupons and treats given by sales persons in different malls.
o Win your treat. Join contest that have prices for gift certificates, free movie passes, and free vacation packages. Some of these contests are held in radio stations.
o Ask to pay less. Use discount treats that come along with your credit card. Or if you are a senior citizen or a student, ask if they have special promos for you.
o Keep your fun cheap. Attend free cultural events and other low-priced entertainment. Or just watch a DVD movie at home with your friends.

Investments: Making Your Money Work For You

Emergency Bank
o Set up a minimum of 6 months up to one year of your monthly income for your emergency fund to cover up for emergency expenses such as job layoffs, hospitalization, and other emergency expenses
Evaluate Your Investments: Risk, Liquidity, Return
o Risk is the possibility of losing the amount you invested
 Risk-Averse
 Moderate Risk
 Risky
o Liquidity is how an investment can easily turn back to cash
 How urgent do you need your money now?
o Return is the interest income of the investment or ROI
 The higher the return that we want, the riskier the investment

Investment Lessons You Need To Know
o Your Enemy: Inflation. Inflation is the rise of prices of commodity. It depreciates the purchasing power of our currency. Therefore, we must find a good investment that has returns higher than the annual inflation rate.
o Your Ally: Time. Time is of essence to investment because it takes time for you to reap the returns of your investment. In a simple savings account, time is beneficial as portrayed by compound interest.
o Know your investments. Be sure to know what the sources of the returns are and how those returns were made. Understand and learn in the process.
o Diversify. Diversify all your investments not only in one type of investment but also to others so that if it fails, you don’t lose everything.
o Minimize unnecessary expenses and taxes. Look for investments that have low taxes and other unnecessary expenses because it depletes the possible return for your money.
o Match your investment with your risk appetite: Evaluate each investment with risk, return and liquidity
o Start early. The early bird catches the worm. Time is essential in investment.

Investments: Where to Invest Extra Cash?

Risk-Averse:
o Savings Account
 Lend money to bank and bank will invest it. In return, bank will give you low interest but you can withdraw our money anytime.
o Time Deposits
 Lend money to bank and bank will invest it. In return, bank will give you higher interest but your investment is subject to a withholding period and you cannot withraw your money anytime you want.
o Special Deposit Account (SDAs)
 You lend your money to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas like a bond and they will give you higher interest but it requires a huge capital ranging from 100K to 1M.
Moderate Risk:
 Bonds – Investment Outlet Units (IOUs). You lend your money to corporation and they will pay you interest (corporate bonds)
Risky:
o Stock Market
o Real Estate

Robert Kiyosaki: Increase your financial intelligence
 Rat Race – a term coined by Kiyosaki to mimic our general income-spend attitude (i.e., when you receive your pay, you expense it out right away to pay bills, buy clothes, etc.)
 Cash flow quadrant:
o Employee – These are people who work for a boss and who love security. No work, no pay.
o Self-Employed – They work for themselves and don’t have a boss. They can decide for themselves. These are people who love to be independent (i.e. doctors, lawyers, etc.) No work, no pay.
o Big Business Owner – They love delegating tasks. They concentrate more on activities which produces most profits. They hire people who are more intelligent than them to make them rich.
o Investor – People who already built assets. These assets are working hard for them to make them rich. They don’t work for money but their money is working hard for them.

Robert Kiyosaki: Secrets of the Rich
Secret 1: What is Financial Intelligence?
o Income statement and balance sheet – two important simple concepts you need to know to increase financial intelligence
o Asset vs. Liability – Assets provide cash to our pocket. Liabilities deplete cash from our pocket. Asset will FEED us. Liabilities will EAT us.
o Is house and asset or liability?
Secret 2: Cash Flow Patterns of Poor, Middle Class and Rich Persons
o Poor: Every income from job goes out to expenses right away
o Middle Class: Every income from job goes to liabilities that they thought are assets, and then eventually goes out as expenses
o Rich: Every income from job, they use to buy assets that will provide them passive income in the future.
Secret 3: Increase Passive Income

Robert Kiyosaki: Good Debt vs. Bad Debt
 Good debt helps us manage our finances
 Bad debt is a burden because it drains our finances
 Debt leveraging: Using debt to your advantage
o Take advantage of credit cards
 Cashless Transaction – credit cards allow cashless transactions that are less prone to hold ups and snatchers
 Emergency Cash – credit cards have cash advance facility that you can use in case of emergency
 Float Advantage – buy now pay later.
 Huge Discounts – credit cards companies have tie ups with several merchants for discounts
 Reward Points – accumulate points in exchange of freebies
 Raffle Points – aside fro m reward points, credit card companies conduct raffle promos from time to time.

Robert Kiyosaki: Game of Money
 1st Quarter (25-35 years old)
o Savings should be your top priority
o Learn investment options
o Get insurance
 2nd Quarter (35-45 years old)
o Plan for your children’s future
o Make sure you have enough for your emergency bank
o Have a business
HALF TIME – Mid-Life Crisis
 3rd Quarter (45-55 years old)
o Allocate much of your income to investment capital – review your investment portfolio and ask if you need to transfer funds to other nvestments
 4th Quarter (55-65 years old)
o Protect your capital – try to preserve your capital so that you can live with on its interest, And make sure to make your last will in order.
OVER TIME
GAME OVER

Robert Kiyosaki: Cash Flow Game – From Rat Race to Fast Track
Doodads. Doodads are simply the expensive wants that we can’t resist.
Opportunity. Opportunites serve as deals for you to grab. It is broken down into two: small deal and big deal. Small deals are deals that involves small money while big deals involve large sums of money. Deals can either be stocks, mutual fund, business, or real estate opportunities.
Market. Markets serve as opportunities for holders of assets. When you land in this option, you are offered by a buyer.
Baby. Baby depicts the real happening of raising a family. In the game, when you land in this option, there will be an additional cost that will be added to your expenses. And there will be a maximum of 3 babies in the entire game.
Paycheck. Paycheck depicts the real world of employment.
Downsizing. Downsizing also depicts the real happening of being fired or unemployed. In this case, you will lose 2 turns and lose a portion of your cash to fund your needs.
Charity. Lastly, charity relies on the concept of the law of reciprocation.

THANK YOU!
I hope you enjoyed my very first financial planning seminar!
Unfortunately, the company does not want me to post pictures or posters of the seminar so I cannot post it. But thanks to the certificate given to me and little present from the team.