My father is Superman to me. He is strong, generous, and witty. Then one night, he just slipped. Like gravity finally sucked him in. It was the first time I saw him in a hospital bed. The years finally caught up with Superman.

As kids, we know the flight plan of our future: get a job, move out, maybe start a family. But we turn a blind eye to the imminent stopovers. And more often than not, it includes taking care of Superman whose suit is fading.

What to do, you ask? Before reality bites you, kid, educate yourself about your family’s financial stature. Be in the know. Meddle. Better yet, turn everything into joint accounts – because it pays to be armed and prepared when super heroes hit the ground.

Pa, where is your money?

Come on, we are no longer money-starved college kids who pad our tuition fees every semester. Sit down with your parents, put on a serious face, and share with each other your money chests. Passbook accounts, ATMs, nuclear-powered piggy banks – divulge everything.

Ma, how is your insurance?

Woe is you if your parents are not even PhilHealth members. Let’s face it: treatment is so expensive it may well be a luxury. So get an insurance policy if you still don’t have one. And beef up your health coverage. The many years your parents waited for you to come home late at night led to brittle bones and tired heart. It’s payback time.

Dad, what are our properties?

Is this house we are living in already ours, or will tito and tita ask for their share? Are you in debt? Is that earring really worth something, or will the pawnshop laugh at my face? Are you starting to get annoyed? Good. Less drama when the real emergency comes screeching in.

Funeral plans, anyone?

It’s morbid, not to mention a thankless job. Still, someone’s got to do it. Blame it on the cycle of life. Delay it for a few days. But arrange these things beforehand. Because the hardest part of being an adult is to control the things you can, while letting go of the things you can’t.

When will I finally have the time and energy to do that?

That was one of my statements during a coffee break with a girlfriend — a rare event in my life that constitutes of a hurried gulp, snippets of chika and recounts of what I have to do for the day.

Let me tell you about myself. I work in one of the multinational firms at the heart (heat is more like it) of Makati. I wake up at 5 AM, prepare my kids’ meals, check if they’ve gotten their assignments done correctly, send them off to school, kiss the hubby off to work and attend to my responsibilities as head of the Retail Department of the company I work for. The rest of my day is a blur of boardroom drama, cracking the invisible whip and a plethora of mind-boggling decision-making, process meetings, brainstorming sessions and surprise! More meetings.

At roughly 6 PM, my battle with the maze we know as EDSA begins and ends at around 8 PM., during which I call Yaya Nimfa to tell her what to cook for dinner. As I arrive home, I kick my heels off and plop myself into the sofa for about five minutes until the kids start making lambing mommy for playtime. After tucking them all in to sleep, fatigue of course becomes history at the sight of them—-until hubby calls me and turns on the charm for a back rub and a massage. I attend to my nightly skin care rituals and drift off to a six-hour sleep if I’m lucky — two if I am not,

Yes, this is my life. AND the vicious cycle starts again.

You see, it’s sort of an understatement to say being a woman — a working mother, in these times. While our husbands toil during the day (God bless them) and dive into sleep after, we toil during the same hours, make sure the kids are taken cared of, the household menus planned, and the financial decisions made and the husband happy. It was about the same time I realized that when the hubby did surprise me one night with the sweetest gift ever. He gave me what seemed like the best gift ever next to my diamond solitaire Cartier ring: a life insurance plan.

The whole idea seemed a little morbid at first, I admit. After all, this was my death we are going to cover! But of course, hubby reasons it’s more than that. But when hubby relayed to me what his advisor friend told him, I finally realized I’ve been denying myself the care I could have gotten from this Sun Maiden plan.

Truth be told, it’s been a while since I’ve declared a real Me, Me, Me Day. I miss not being able to have my pedicure in peace. For a while now, I haven’t had a pedicure session because my fingers are in perpetual relationship with my Blackberry. Some days, I catch myself daydreaming of a weekend locked up in a spa, relaxed and pampered beyond imagination. I dream of not having to do (rather manage, sorry Yaya) household chores and my husband taking charge of the kids’ needs so I can take the break of a lifetime.

While pondering over this, I got to thinking more about the Sun Maiden policy my hubby bought for me. According to Ace, hubby’s advisor friend, this Sun Maiden plan gives me free diagnostic/preventive procedures for the first 10 years, such as pap smears, mammography, ovarian cancer tumor marker and other female-only procedures — on top of the life insurance coverage and financial assistance for female critical illnesses that it has. Oh and there’s a benefit, too, for up to 3 childbirths – and that is more than enough for me!

At least now, I feel secure that I can remain healthy by getting all those procedures done and the financial assistance I have if I get struck by a deadly disease (God forbid!) off my worries (and off my expenses!) . And really, I feel like I’m being rewarded for being a woman-in-charge!

I’m so glad hubby got this plan for me. It just seems logical after all. I take care of my family and work and this Sun Maiden takes care of me.

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Sun Maiden debuts in the June issue of Working Mom with Pia Magalona as its endorser:

Single moms are definitely of different breed. The strength and resilience in being both a father and mother to their children is something that has continued to amaze others, myself included. Faced with motivations that are larger than their life, they find themselves digging to where others have never dug before.

Single moms provide more than just inspirational stories. As a matter of fact, they have the most well-thought and executed financial plan that I have ever witness prompting me to believe that all of us can learn more than just a thing or two from them.

1.) Insuring themselves

Single moms are presented with this nagging question-how can my children continue living even if I don’t? As such, life insurance has never been more important to them. While their relatives may take on the responsibility of taking care of their children as what is typical of Filipinos; it would mean additional expenses to the foster family that may be experiencing their own financial struggles. The proceeds from their life insurance policies can help mitigate these costs. The children become blessings not burden.

How much should a single mom be insured then? There is no straight answer to the question. The need of one single mom may totally be different from another. But one thing is certain: the bigger the insurance coverage of their mom is, the better it is for the children.

2.) Following a strict budget

All single moms agree that having a strict budget is of utmost important with needs and wants distinctly identified. One single mom plans her budget on a monthly basis while another plans it on a daily basis. Budget management depends on their respective circumstances with each single cent being accounted for and with no resources being wasted, with good reasons.

Furthermore, they all agree that they cannot afford to spend more than they earn lest they fall into a vicious trap of debt. One single mom narrates that despite being offered five-six consistently, she still refuses. “What good is the bag I want to buy if I can’t provide food for my children” she explains.

3.) Learning to be prudent

Savings from discounts are a big help to them. It can mean additional money for food. That is why one single mom buys in bulk especially the school materials of her children and other commodities that are needed in the household. Although they try to look for the cheapest, they don’t sacrifice the quality.

Prudence doesn’t mean deprivation though. They still set funds for them to enjoy a little bit of pleasure. Dining out and trips to the spa and parlor are just some luxuries they can afford to spare.

4.) Being entrepreneurial

If the current income is barely sufficient, they look for ways to augment it.  Baking pizza, pastries and cooking up other delicacies to sell is what one single mom does to earn additional income. At this point, a mother’s instinct goes into overdrive focused only on providing for the needs of her children. How does she sell it? One way is through her kids. It may well be the best way for her to teach business to them.

5.) Starting early

One single mom shares that she did regret not saving when she started working several years ago.  Single and with no dependent, it was the perfect t time for her to accumulate substantial savings. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. When she was thrust into motherhood unexpectedly, saving and accumulating became a more arduous task and not even prioritize. After all, excess funds are for the child.

The financial plan they execute can well be applied by any individual. Imagine how much you can accumulate by merely emulating them. Good luck!

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.

Below is a handy model upon which to pattern your own personal list:

SAVINGS

• Is your ATM card, credit card, and bankbook tucked in your wallet or placed somewhere easily accessible?
• Is your account number jotted down or saved in your mobile phone or handheld gadget?
• Are you aware of how much disposable income (cash you can withdraw) you have stashed away?
• More importantly, do your accounts always have available and withdrawable balances? Are you able to keep your credit cards within limits and not always maxed out?
• Do you have the hot line (almost always toll free) number of your bank?

INSURANCE

• Are important insurance papers such as your policy contract properly stored, where it is safe from fire, flood, and earthquake?
• Is your insurance coverage up to date? Are your premiums updated?
• Do you have the contact information of your financial advisor and the company where you purchased your plan?

INVESTMENT

• Are proofs of your investment tucked away in a safe place, like a safety deposit box?
• Can you immediately liquidate your portfolio in case of extreme need? Try to strike a balance between assets that are easy to liquidate and those that take time to convert to cash.
• Are you familiar with your portfolio so that you can minimize, if not avoid losses when you need to redeem?
• Do you have the contact information of your financial advisor and the companies where you bought your shares?

Make sure you have these information at hand. Make your list. Post it in your wall. Keep it in your pocket. Place it on your refrigerator. After all, prevention is crucial, but preparation is essential.

This is a Product Solutions Chart designed by Sun Life Financial to guide you in identifying your financial needs and priorities. It also suggests solutions to address each need and gives you advise on how to turn your plans into action.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE OF THE PRODUCT SOLUTIONS CHART

But what if you’re looking for a customized plan to enhance your personal fortune?  Surely, you don’t want to bet your chances on “one-size-fits-all” solutions downloadable from the web.

The operative word is “personal.”  To find a suitable plan, you must undergo a financial needs analysis where leading questions are asked to arrive at a solution with you in mind.

In the old days, this could only happen if you agree to meet, face-to-face, with a sales agent. Times have changed though.  Prospect may have the money ok but many yuppies prefer to explore their options first and weigh things in their own pace, place and  time. Where else could they do all that but in cyberspace?

Thankfully, you may now ASK LUCY!  A personal and interactive financial planner you can consult anytime, anywhere, any day.

Key Characteristics:

Ask Lucy is like having a financial expert at your beck and call. She asks, you answer, she analyzes and gives you possible options, which are all for your eyes only. Nothing could be more private and personal than that, don’t you think?

The entire “conversation” is completely under your control. Access it in your free time or whenever you’re in the mood. No pressure. No censure. One thing’s for sure: Lucy does not store any information provided. That way, what’s private remain confidential.

Lucy doesn’t force issues. There’s neither wrong replies nor wrong choices, only a solution that’s right for you.

Committing to a financial plan is like entering into a marriage. You’re in it for the long haul.  As such, we get it that you need to think long hard. And with Lucy, that’s ok!  Weigh your options all you want, take all the time you need. And when you’re ready, no one’s going to be a wiser that it took quite a while before you made up your mind.

Even if you stall, Lucy won’t mind. The important thing for LUCY is that she led the way for you to see the bigger picture. She won’t push. She won’t rush. If there are more questions that needed to be asked, it’s okay to start from scratch.

You inquire. She answers. Everything else rests with you.

Go ahead, Ask LUCY now CLICK HERE!