Is it just me or were the recent holidays too overrated?

I spent the last four weekends of December holed up in the cave that is my room. With a ration of three five meals a day, lovingly served by Manang, a bathroom I can drag myself into in five seconds, comforters, stacks of DVDs acquired from a recent Astrovision sale and wifi, I came to ignore the world, or Manila, for that matter, while the city spins itself into a web of frenzy over Christmas shopping and parties.

During these weekends, I was well aware that it couldn’t be any worse if I postpone my mandatory gift shopping, lest I endure my godkids’ disgruntled pouts and disown-ment, if that was possible.

And so, in between a (mandatory) night out and Christmas party presentation practice, I sneaked my way out into Greenbelt and willed myself to get everything I needed to give. I listed every single gift I had to buy, made a flowchart of the stores where I can buy these so I can save time and effort (I was in 4 inches platform heels, too) and set out on the great Christmas shopping journey.

Oh how I loved the fact that I got all my gifts (mostly books and stationery) in one easy trip to Powerbooks. I handed the SA my list and off he went to get it. I tinkered with the shelf that had little thingamajigs and bought XX of them for random people I was gifting them to. After 10 minutes, the cashier was punching my purchases and I was counting down to ten until I could dash of and head to my next destinations.

You could guess that my holiday shopping went well, and really, it did. I was able to buy all the things I needed to get and I did not go over budget, too.

The thing is, the one that I did not see coming was my trip back to the office parking. On my way, I passed by Converse and immediately, my thoughts of getting new classic Chucks (how oxymoronic is that?) immediately rushed in and the next thing I know was that I was at the counter, giddy over my white slim fit canvass shoes.

From Glorietta, I walked into the sea of people that was Landmark (never a fan of the crowd in there) and yet managed to fall in line and acquire a set of bathroom fixtures and a shirt with a tiger on it. How I did that in a matter of 10 minutes still amazes me to this day.

As if that wasn’t enough, I wandered back into Greenbelt and just when I thought I was done and saw all that there was to see, I saw the familiar pink #FF0066-ish lights of La Senza and a phrase single word that might as well be the death of me: SALE. Like a rat being called by the Pied Piper of Hamelin, I walked into the store and for the third time that night: I was soon at the counter being handed a huge white bag full of things in animal prints.

Rude Awakening: Never starve yourself from the inalienable right of shopping. Yes, this was supposed to be a post related to financial planning and therefore it should sound more noble but the danger in a shopping diet is quite there. I have kept myself away from the clink of the cash registers, from the madness of my kin weekend shoppers, from the thrill of touching and owning something you’ve lost sleep over (the Chucks, in my case). And I paid for it, quite unnecessarily.

One useful trick in preventing going over budget is spreading expenses over periods of time. As I have learned in the process of writing this article, in times of mandatory shopping, ergo, Christmas shopping, it’s notable to carefully plot gifts and their prices to avoid over spending. That said, conscientious budgeting is key in ensuring we do not go bonkers at the sight of a Sale! sign. Through this rather painful exercise, I realized, that even if I’ve dodged the shopping bullet for many a consecutive weekend, it’s also good to not completely deprive oneself of little things, shopping or otherwise. It may be the case of dieting for two months and going on a binge diet at the sight of a humongous cake from Conti’s. As with anything in life, moderation is key.

There wasn’t any compelling reason for me to stay away from Christmas shopping other than fear of crowds, unbearable heaviness of bad traffic and scarcity of parking space. Would you believe I have not stepped into a bazaar last Christmas season? Yet, the repercussions were massive dents on my credit card, payable but totally, utterly unnecessary had I taken my shopping pills religiously. Just like good and bad bacteria, we sometimes need a dose of bad to immune the system. I seem to have forgotten to drink my Yakult. In realistic life city living, I realized I needed to constantly reward myself howevweer small, so that I don’t end up getting ballooned up with material desires and blowing off in tremendous, expensive fits.

As a new year’s resolution, I vow not stay away from shopping. I will immune myself with the bad so that I wouldn’t be inconvenienced with such unnecessary inconveniences.

Starting right this weekend.

Wrong decisions and moments of frailty will haunt us, reverberating from our past towards our future. And in a world where we are beset by daily worries, financial concerns remain as perennial as inflation and taxes.

Rude awakening: Money steers the course of your ship.

Money is honey, attracting both the flies and bees of opportunistic circumstances. From your groceries to your hobbies, the wad of cash in your pocket dictates the choices you will make.

Consequently, the lifestyle you can afford molds your outlook. If the bank account cannot satisfy the desires, then the feeling of inadequacy intensifies. Here is where the financial engagement happens, which is essentially an art of balancing your assets and liabilities. You are now in a battleground – either you will be swept away by the tension, or you lay down the rules to diffuse such conflict.

Not-so-rude awakening: You can always take the helm of your financial vessel.

It is true that all is fair in love and war, and this includes the treasure chest in which your personal battles are waged. Priorities will always clash with unnecessary purchases, like two titans fighting over the same territory. Is there a way for financial serenity to rule over your land.

1. Lay down your plans.

Write it down. Make a blog entry. Put it in black and white, like a contract. When it comes to financial viability, you are entering a long-term partnership with your own self.

2. Survey the terrain.

Know your location in today’s financial landscape. Are you buried in debt? Are you able to save? Do you need to augment your income? Or do you find yourself burning the bank account until the next paycheck?

3. Unleash the energy.

Growing your money is similar to learning a musical instrument or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It has to grow in you. It is never a one-shot deal.

4. Diversify your tactics.

Put up a savings account. Learn how to invest. Never put your resources in one single battle. After all, you are preparing for war.

When my mother left for the U.S., all she had was a gray carry-on, betraying the fact that she will be staying there for good. It took a lot of negotiations and compromise to fill up the void of her absence. However, the pieces start to fall in its rightful places, together with valuable lessons of a mother separated by 7,000 miles from her daughter.

Hers is a humbling story of courage, choosing to leave her medical practice to explore better opportunities for her family. And though I did not hear a word of complaint, I knew things would have been better if she had someone to watch over her.

Rude Awakening: Our mothers are indefatigable as they are also vulnerable.

The myth of motherhood portrays women as the female archetype of Superman: faster than the alarm clock, more powerful than bullies, and able to multitask using only one hand. Growing up, it was exactly the image I had of Mama, until the years of cooking breakfast and attending to your every need start taking its toll.

Pretty soon, the roles will be reversed. And like a beautiful karmic twist, we find ourselves in the position to be our mother’s keeper. Rightfully so, because the act of looking after our parents provides closure and a fitting farewell to them who molded and nurtured us into this world.

Not-so-Rude Awakening: Our mothers can have the care and protection they deserve.

As my mother and I start to meet in the middle of our lifetime, I realize a fitting tribute that every child should give to a mother: insurance protection from debilitating female-specific illnesses. Given that we are responsible for at least half of their headache and heartache, it is time we pay our respective dues.

All is well and good with my mother, save for a few quirks and misunderstandings in between. Surprisingly, we have grown closer through the years, even if most communication consists of phone calls and e-mail messages.

Indeed, the distance did us good. And I still hold the opinion that mothers should be able to get away from their children once in a while, if only to make them whole again – properly insured, of course.

Rude awakening: Gravity dictates that what comes up must fall down.

Indeed, there is pleasure in earning your own keep, moving out of the house, and paying monthly bills you alone consumed. Also, gratification is not that guilt-laden anymore for a hardworking young professional. Or so you thought.

Limitations are often the last thing in our minds when we break through corporate towers and restricted boardrooms. Especially in financial matters, where we run amok and almost always rob the bank, as if our pockets are as deep as the whole national treasury. If anything, both have the potential to be bankrupt, broke, busted.

Not-so-rude awakening: In every limitation lies an opportunity to soar.

But before diving into an early onset of financial failure, remember that hope springs eternal, and there is a way to defy the natural gravity of your well-deserved paychecks going down the drain. And as the laws of nature dictates, first things first: work hard, snap up an insurance policy, work harder, try investing some extra dough, work even more, and soon you’ll be flying out of the mediocre window and proving your worth as a responsible adult.

Because when it comes to money, tumble and fall are not your only options. Sure, there will be potholes and unexpected risks at every turn. Truth is, there is no escaping the harsh and cruel facts of pursuing your dreams and making ends meet. After all, it is how nature destined things to be. But it does not mean that you cannot defy these ordained gravities.

Image credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjdrill/201597918/

But money and finances remain inside glass ceilings, still sacred cows even in the most liberated circles. Because if financial freedom leads to emancipation, how come we put such a critical detail at the back of our pretty heads?

Rude awakening: Simply put, women and money are not complementary.

It’s like that annoying notion about female drivers, where being fickle seems to extend to the steering wheel. As women blaze the trail and shatter glass ceilings in every imaginable territory, mutual respect on financial management continues to elude the sisterhood.

Truth is, gender issues inevitably extend to financial biases. From household planning to personal portfolios, women’s rights are hardly felt in the financial services. Worse, public opinion only regards a lady’s financial prowess between budgeting a grocery list and maxing out a slew of credit cards.

Not-so-rude awakening: Surprisingly, money knows no gender.

The great male-female divide may be a throwback to the days before suffrage and women-wearing-pants acceptance. And though studies reveal that women CEOs are way behind their male counterparts when it comes to compensation, these green-colored glass ceilings are well on its way of being shattered.

For if we can do a thousand different styles to our hair, we can surely be as creative in stretching the family budget and balancing the must-have and the need-to-have. After all, money is blind, except to the hard work one puts in.

So watch out for falling debris. The glass ceilings are breaking, and this is no time to run for cover.

Photo Credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshmcculloch/2105186740/

No, it’s not the flu, dummy. And I’m not talking about romance. It’s a different kind of love – calculated, insightful, and even practical – all in preparation for your golden years.

Rude Awakening: Only 2% of Filipinos will be free of financial concerns by retirement time

It is a sad off shoot of our very generous culture, where family members shelter one another, thus encouraging dependency and ignorance of proper retirement planning. Statistics reveal that 45% of us are guilty.

Then again, there is always charity, which extends beyond blood relations. Truth is, as much as 30% do rely on the goodness of strangers. And those who need it but are too proud to succumb to handouts, they opt to continue working, which accounts for up to 22%. Either way, these are not ideal scenarios of a dream-come-true retirement.

Not so Rude Awakening: A well-planned retirement is as easy as 143

As in finding one’s better half, there are non-negotiable aspects of starting a money nest for the golden years. Rule of thumb: save and invest, save and invest.

Sounds simple? Sure, especially with the determination and foresight to accept the bitter truths that life has to offer. There will come a time when you will be old, brittle, and unable to work. Combine these with the wear and tear of years, and you’ll be a fool to not freak out. And that’s only about you, what about the family you will leave behind?

Oh, and by the way, Happy Valentine’s Day! Give a little love, and it will all come back to you. Just like in every well-laid retirement plan.

photo credit to: kristine may

Well, a dunce I won’t be anymore. So, to the tune of imaginary drum rolls, I herald the start of my Great Financial Adventure 2010 edition. I’ll ward off the temptations luring me to imminent bankruptcy, or abject poverty, whichever comes first.

Rude Awakening: The reason cash is described as cold and hard is exactly that – it could be such a cold and hard endeavor.

Believe me. I’ve experienced the pitfalls that led to being a financial nincompoop, and it helps to mark them as early as you can:

1. High expectations. “Oh yes, I’ll earn my first million this year, but I don’t know how to augment my current income.”

2. Vagueness. “Hmm, a retirement fund sounds nice. Poof, end of story.”

3. Complacency. “Nah, I’ll just double the money I’ll set aside on the next payday, so as to accommodate my shopping splurge this week.”

4. Frustration. “Well, there’s always next year.”

Not-so-Rude-Awakening: Outlive, outsmart, and outplay – money need not be as cold and hard as frozen assets.

Seeing that there are no hard-and-fast rules for financial freedom, I’m assuming that it is but an adventure, like everything else in our life. Thus, I commit to:

1. Outlive my income beyond the next payday.
This simply means that I’ll not burn my payroll to the ground, waiting for the 15th and 30th to replenish my supplies. Outlive the normal cashflow!

2. Outsmart myself when urged to spend.
Any purchase must pass a litmus test, which begins with ‘Free’ and ends with ‘Borrow’. If the object of your desire falls in this conundrum, then there is no sense in parting with the hard-earned cash. Outsmart the biggest hindrance to prosperity, which is actually your self alone.

3. Outplay past failures.
Isn’t it about time to start winning the Battle of Finances? Save. Invest. And know the difference.

Oh, there’s no denying that Christmas is here. Aside from your calendar only having one page left, the cool morning air serves as a daily reminder. Count in the endless parties and reunions, as well as the inevitable exercise of gift giving.

The tradition of holiday presents takes on different meanings as we grow older. However, our expectations remain constant, as pricier gifts become the standard. This leaves us in a bind, especially with today’s dwindling resources and higher prices. We choose practical goods over luxurious purchases. Even in its sugar-coated form, value for money is very important.

Rude Awakening: So what’s the perfect gift that keeps on giving?

Usually, the escalated feeling of receiving a present quickly diminishes from the moment you ripped the wrapper to its big revelation at the end. After the warming of emotions and first few hours of tinkering, what’s next?

For instance, I always want my gifts to be different. Since becoming older and wiser, being unique will not do anymore. I now want the perfect gift, whose benefits far exceed the satisfaction of a new toy or gadget.

Not-so-Rude-Awakening: Put financial instruments under the Tree

Imagine the night before Christmas, where everyone is sitting around the Tree after a hearty Noche Buena. There may not be chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but firecrackers and strange artilleries are popping up the night air.

Then it’s time to hand out the gifts. No boxes in fancy paper wrappings. No red envelopes filled with crisp, neatly folded money. Instead, enveloped pieces of paper were given. Quizzical looks and a tinge of disappointment at first, until they were informed of the high investment value that their shares can reap.

Harping on the long-term commitment that investment requires, their enlightened minds now wander farther than the latest fashion or netbook model. They can see their own business starting. At last, they can start a fund to make their wildest dreams come true. Finally, here comes a gift that you can keep for a lifetime.

Isn’t that a truly merry Christmas?

Made you smile, didn’t I? But notwithstanding the ‘treat others’ and ‘reward myself’ mindset of extra cash, wouldn’t it be great to give a gift this season that literally keeps on giving? I don’t want to sound like Scrooge, but really, there’s a better way to handle your Christmas bonus.

Rude Awakening: Bonus boom and bust cycle

Where has your bonus gone, you ask. Oh, it’s all in your closet, in your brand new phone, and maybe in that swanky 40-inch LCD that you got for a bargain. Let’s face it: we are all conditioned, teased, and eventually convinced to spend recklessly in this so-called season of goodwill and hope. The Christmas spirit has transitioned well into a definition comprised by weekly mall-wide sales, midnight madness, and party packages.

No, this will not be a sermon, but who are we kidding? When we’ve finished spending our bonus on non-essentials, we’re back to the reality of soaring prices of basic necessities. So in today’s cash-strapped reality, there’s no such thing as extra cash.

Not-So-Rude Awakening: Your bonus can come a long, long way – if you want to

See, we need to change our behavior towards our bonus, if we want it to stay in our hands long enough to be transformed into something more profitable. But how?

1. Let it be. Stop obsessing over how to spend your bonus. Instead, go out of your way to make sure that it stays put.

2. Invest. There’s a reason it’s called a bonus – it’s essentially more than your usual provision. If you haven’t thought of where to spend your money just yet, don’t let it sit still and do nothing! Mutual funds cater to different types of people with different financial objectives and investment horizons. So know your options and make your money work hard by investing it.

3. Start a business. If you can’t beat them, join them, is what they say. I’m referring to the innovative entrepreneurs who see opportunities on how to make their money work harder for them. It could be as easy as starting out with selling food, clothing or other basic necessities at work, with very minimal capital needed.

4. Donate. Well, there will be no immediate karmic pay-out in charity, but hey, you feel good, right? And holiday or not, the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve been a big help is priceless.

Now, can you think of other ways so your bonus will not melt like the butter over a bibingka?

So as a young woman’s homage to living and dying, I want to dedicate this entry as a remembrance, though not in the conventional sense of passing away. This will be a commemoration for us who are yet to reach the end of the tunnel, so to speak. After all, the legacy of dying ultimately impacts on those left behind.

Rude Awakening: What is the best remembrance one can leave behind?

A hundred things can cover this list: inheritance money, properties, jewelries, and even businesses. However, there is a flipside, for one can also be bequeathed with debts, legal cases, and other excess baggage of the deceased.

Ideally, bad assets should be unloaded as soon as you get the next paycheck. Still, we don’t always know a good thing when we see one. How we will be remembered lies as much in our values as in our financial virtues. Why max out credit cards we know we cannot pay in time? Why indulge in temporary luxuries whose worth decrease overnight? Why lead a life complicated by dispensable desires that ruin the focus to vital priorities?

Not-So-Rude-Awakening: Insurance and investment are lasting legacies best earned while young

When I started working, my mother would always remind me to save for retirement. Of course, at first I scoffed at the idea! Here I am, wet behind the ears, fresh from college, excited for the corporate lifestyle, and all of a sudden we are talking about events a half century from now?

Then came the financial responsibilities, beginning with monthly bills and allowances for younger siblings. Pretty soon, auto loans and credit card applications will come into the picture. With such an upgraded and fast-paced lifestyle, financial opportunities fade from the scene.

One of the less appreciated facts of youth is how immediate physical vigor and passion can be reignited. It’s a time when money flows almost abundantly, with options available left and right. So making the right choice is critical, especially with financial matters.

I am quite fortunate to learn early on that insurance and investment are one of the most fitting legacies that I can leave my loved ones, when the inevitable crunch time comes around. With the array of products in the market today, there is no excuse to let my youth go to waste.

How about you, what will be your legacy?