It's Time!

By Reyna Tabbada

He attended his first seminars on investing when he was barely of legal age. He plans to be financially independent after college to let his mother build a retirement fund. And still, he gets to go on gimmicks like any normal college student.

Meet AB Management Economics student Jethro Vasquez from Ateneo de Manila University. The bespectacled officer of the Management Economics Organization knows a thing or two about saving and investing – after all, he started way earlier than young people his age.

“I want to take responsibility for my needs in the future so that I can learn how to manage my earnings at a very early age. I think that action would help me be more financially responsible and wise in the future”

Vasquez shared. His Economics and Finance classes gave him his first taste of wealth management, and he got hooked. In fact, he would have started as a college freshman, but age constraint prevented him from signing any legal documents.

However, Jethro is the first to admit the hardships that this particular financial path entails. The bottom line is that his choices required a lifestyle change, where value for one’s money and independence are highlighted. An example would be of him putting up a set amount for gimmicks, where he and his friends learned to be “creative” with their activities.

“Why not start now so that 10 years down the road you can be a person who is wiser than his peers in terms of handling his/her finances? It can be really tough right now primarily because of the opportunity costs that you are incurring while waiting for future incentives. However, I really do believe that the rewards are greater in the end, it’s just a matter of discipline and patience,” said Vasquez.

Heed the words of the wise, no matter what age he may be.

CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH JETHRO HERE!