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?

Way past fresh grad phase, one would think that I have made my way into finding out about studying finances, poring over Excel sheets and maintaining books. But I’m nowhere near anything that requires computations.

As if on cue, my mom called from across the other side of the world to conduct a “catch up” on me, my life and gasp, my finances. Que horror!

No matter how good I thought I was at skirting the issue, my mom dug the cat out of the bag soon. Aside from bajillion clothes, accessories I never knew I had, spa receipts and mementos from vacations, I’ve got absolutely nothing. Nil. Nada. Zero.She tells me, “Hija, you’re a walking liability than an asset. For the three years you’ve been working, that is all you’ve got to show me. And, don’t tell me that gadgets and bags are investments.”

In an attempt to impart a lesson or two, my mom decided to freeze all my accounts, all supplementary credit cards, leaving me a blank check only to be filled out by her sister, my tita, of a company’s name. The check, she instructs, is mine for the taking not now, but for the future. “Find something you can put it into that will give you something back in years’ time. If you learn how to put your money somewhere profitable, for a lack of a better term, you will get all your accounts back. And more.”

And so with a heavy heart and even more clueless-ness, I began my research into the pit of darkness also known as moolah-generating instruments.

So far, these are my options:

1.Garage Sale. I have too many bags and shoes and clothes and gadgets and oh. Forget it. I’m not letting go of my bags/shoes/clothes.

2.Start a cupcake shop. The problem though is I don’t know how to bake.

3.Casino. Thing is, I suck at poker or any card game for that matter.

4.Donate to the charity. Maybe my mom was referring to karma? At least I’ll be rich in good karma. Ha!

5.Try that savings instrument SmartStarter8 thing my friend Carla was blabbing about. While I was not so keen on the thought, I was sold on the idea of getting money [returns as she puts it] every three years for the rest of my life. Not only would this mean new designer bags every 3 years, the product, as she says, translates to an insurance policy — something that I don’t have yet. What a ca

And this, folks, is the story of how I started my affair with math and saving — without having to give up my shoes. Or my shopping habits.

Everyone has an Ondoy or Pepeng story to tell, including me, but I choose to be forward-looking. As we slowly recover from the trauma, physical exhaustion and material loss, lessons and realizations are now being uncovered.

Rude awakening: How prepared are we in the face of calamities and similar emergencies?

Sure, natural disasters and crises contain a potent factor that leaves many of us dumbfounded. More than the soaked gadgets and shoes buried in melted Cadbury-like mud and murk, most of the damage is emotional.

Whether you are in the middle of things or from the outside looking in, helplessness is enough to dampen the spirit.

Not-so-rude-awakening: The three P’s – Primed, Prepared, and Protected — are not impossibilities.

Let’s face it: nothing can prevent nor pre-empt the negative effects of shock. But once we regain our bearings, what I like to call the three P’s can immediately help us spring back into action.

1. PRIMED means to be informed and knowledgeable of the situation. Someone from PAG-ASA summed it perfectly: Instead of watching telenovelas, watch the news. Indeed, knowledge is power. Being in the know alleviates and somehow relieves the tension that we feel when caught off guard. Also, the right information can help guide us on what to do next.

2. PREPARED pertains to all the measures you could have done beforehand. Included are emergency kits (clothes, transistor radio, ready-to-eat food, water, fully-charged and loaded mobile phones, jacket, blanket, medicines and cash), list of important addresses and contact numbers, as well as a drawn-up plan for responding to emergencies.

3. PROTECTION gives you the ability to recuperate and return to your life before its unfortunate disruption. These are the intangibles: insurance (life, non-life, pre-need), savings, and investments that you can easily convert to hard cash and fuel your new beginning.

However, the most pressing issue transcends our personal recovery. While many of us pick up the pieces after the storm, some don’t have pieces to pick up at all, literally. Thus, donations, in the form of relief goods or one’s own time spent volunteering, are urgently needed. The Philippine National Red Cross (www.redcross.org.ph), Citizens’ Disaster Response Center (http://www.cdrc-phil.org/program.HTM) and World Vision (www.worldvision.org.ph) are just several examples of groups that give assistance to victims and opportunities to those who want to lend a helping hand.

Yes, it’s important to be primed, prepared, and protected. But to be able to contribute to rebuilding efforts can also make the greatest difference in the face of such destruction.