More Than Just Recycling: Sustainability, Simplified (Thanks, BDO!)

     You hear the word everywhere: on climate reports, corporate mission statements, even beside the vegan options at your favorite café. And if you’ve always thought “sustainability” simply meant sorting your trash or skipping plastic straws, you’re not alone. For the longest time, my mind also jumped straight to recycling bins, scary news headlines, or complicated UN documents.

     But here’s what changed everything: Sustainability isn’t just a huge global issue happening somewhere far away. It’s a core value woven into how we live today and how we protect the future. After attending BDO’s “Sustainability in Focus” Virtual Learning Workshop, my mom-brain finally landed on the simplest, clearest definition: Sustainability is the commitment to being a good ancestor. It’s asking ourselves one life-shaping question: “How can we thrive right now without taking away the resources that belong to our children and grandchildren?” Find out the answers after the jump!

More Than Just Recycling: Sustainability, Simplified (Thanks, BDO!)

BDO Life Transforms What Ifs from Challenges to Opportunities

     Life is full of “what if” moments—crossroads and decisions that help us fulfill our dreams and realize what we set out to achieve. Each “what if” moment presents us with two possibilities, that which is desirable or that which is undesirable. Our subsequent decisions and actions direct the course of our lives moving forward. Therefore, whenever we face a “what if” moment, are we ready and prepared to make the right moves? One expert who advocates the necessity of financial protection for “what if” moments is Mr. Renato A. Vergel de Dios, President and CEO of BDO Life Assurance Company, Inc. He explains how we can make “what if” moments work to our advantage with the correct mindset.

     “When we are faced with a ‘what if’ moment, we are also confronted with potential benefits and risks. The most reasonable course of action is to make a decision that maximizes the potential benefits and minimizes the potential risks,” he says. Vergel de Dios points out that the entire country experienced a crucial “what if” moment when the pandemic struck. “On top of dealing with our own survival, we also have to help others. Taking an ‘every-man-for-himself’ attitude is unacceptable. We are all in this together. As they say, ‘we must heal as one,’” he says.

BDO Life Transforms What Ifs from Challenges to Opportunities
Mr. Renato A. Vergel de Dios, President, and CEO of BDO Life Assurance Company, Inc.

5 Ways to Teach Kids the Value of Money

     Growing up in a family with a bakeshop business has taught me a lot especially in handling money at an early age. We used to have a bakery in my parent's house and business starts as early as 4 in the morning. Since I'm the eldest, it's my responsibility to help run our 'panaderya' after school and on weekends.

     I'm the cashier that's why I learned the value of money and the difference of twenty pesos and a hundred bucks in terms of buying and selling bread products. From what I saw from my parents, you have to earn it the hard way in order for you to think more than twice before spending it. They instilled in me the difference between needs and wants and why it is important to save money at an early age. Now that I'm a mom to an adolescent, it's time to teach my son the simple tips that I've learned from my parents on the value of savings. 

5 Ways to Teach Kids the Value of Money