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!)

Breaking Barriers: SmarTrade Empowers Women in Trading

     SmarTrade, a leading financial education provider in the Philippines, shines a spotlight on the increasing number of women taking charge of their financial future through trading and financial literacy as the world celebrates Women’s Month. Whether as traders, household financial managers, or professionals in the fintech industry, women are breaking barriers and proving that financial success knows no gender.

     More women today are actively participating in online trading as a means to grow their wealth and secure financial stability. Recent reports highlight a rising trend of female investors in global markets. According to BrokerNotes.co, a survey of 26,000 traders revealed that 41.8% of the female respondents self-identified as experienced traders. Beyond the markets, financial literacy also plays a crucial role in empowering women to make informed decisions in managing household budgets and investments.

Breaking Barriers: SmarTrade Empowers Women in Trading

Women employees of SmarTrade play a key role in educating and guiding aspiring traders, among them a growing number of women taking charge of their financial future

M Lhuillier Insurance Sigurado

With the uncertainty that the pandemic has brought us, more Filipinos are now becoming conscious of their health and finances. The aftermath of the pandemic made us realize that health is truly wealth. We suddenly became fitness enthusiasts, health and wellness gurus, and financial advisors to our family and friends. One of the important lessons that the pandemic has taught us is to take financial security seriously. That is why aside from our savings, emergency fund, and earnings from business, most of us are now open-minded about insurance.

     Thanks to financial institutions that are offering different types of insurance that will provide financial security not only for us but also for our loved ones. While looking for insurance providers online, I stumbled upon ML Insurance. I presume you are familiar with M Lhuillier as one of the leading financial services providers here in our country for their ML Kwarta Padala remittance service. While browsing their website, I saw that they also offer different services such as eLoad, bill payment, quick cash loans, and insurance to name a few. The latter got my attention and to my surprise, they offer not one but five insurance plans for the Filipino family. Sharing more about M Lhuillier Insurance Sigurado after the jump!

Feature: M Lhuillier Insurance Sigurado

Play Money Games Online for Free

     Playing online games is one of the things I enjoy in my free time. When I was a child, I used to play games that involves mini-play money, cash registers, and shopping baskets. I have three sisters and we always play cashier or supermarket kind of gameplay. Fast forward to today, I'm happy to share that we are still playing this kind of game but online.

     I was looking for a free online game months ago and I stumbled on mortgage calculator website and saw that they are offering different money games. I got intrigued when I spotted that they offer free money games for kids. The ten-year-old in me got excited and decided to check out the games. My eyes got glued on two of my favorite games way back: Cashier Simulator and Supermarket Numbers. I played these games during my free time and I absolutely like both, it's like the old times but in virtual reality. 

Play Money Games Online for Free

4 Important Life Lessons I Learned in 2022

     As we welcome the new year, another chapter in life is waiting for us. Some are excited about what's in store this 2023 while others are not yet ready because of uncertainty. The past two years brought us fear, panic, and anxiety. The pandemic has changed the world instantly.

     Whether we like it or not, it changed the way we live. It taught us many things and made us realize that life is too short so we should make the most of it. As we live and adapt to the new normal setting, I learned that these aspects of life are important and must not be taken for granted. Sharing the important life lessons that I learned last year below.

4 Important Life Lessons I Learned in 2022
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4 Easy Tips on How to Manage Your Family's Finances

     As the years pass by, I've come to realize that the phrase "adulting is real" is hitting close to home. Now, I truly understand what my parents would always tell me back in my younger years about the importance of budgeting and saving money especially when you have your own family. 

     We have a bakeshop and rental business way back that's why I easily get what I want without begging my parents to buy it for me. They're the ones who manage our finances and all I do is ask them to buy it even if it's not necessary. There were times when they will not give what I wanted because they are saving up in order to sustain our business. My father is strict when it comes to managing finances and he would always tell me to know the difference between needs and wants. Are you struggling with your finances and want to learn how to easily manage them? Read more about these easy tips after the jump.

4 Easy Tips on How to Manage Your Family's Finances
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Providing Equal Opportunities for Women in the World of Financial Education

     SmarTrade has been successful in providing free learning sessions and personalized one-on-one financial coaching to the public in the past five years. At the core of the company is its vision to help each Filipino become financially adept and to train them on how they can make better investments for themselves and for their families. Over the years, SmarTrade has trained more than 20,000 Filipinos in financial literacy and the number continues to increase year on year.

     This milestone would not have been possible without the women and men working in the background to make this vision come to life. The company ensured that its working environment is open to anyone who is qualified to join its workforce, regardless of gender.

Providing Equal Opportunities for Women in the World of Financial Education

AXA Health Care Access

     I always believe in the saying that "Prevention is better than cure" that's why now more than ever, securing our family's health must be our number one priority. According to a report on health spending released by the Philippine Statistics Authority in late 2020, paying for one’s medical needs grew in the country by 11% in recent years. 

     On this spending, a staggering 48% of the expenses came from “household out-of-pocket”—meaning Filipinos have resorted to digging into their hard-earned savings or worse, turning to loans from well-meaning family, to be able to pay for the cost of hospitalization or other medical expenses that they did not have the capacity to cover. In a separate report from the National Economic Development Authority, it was cited that 96% of Filipinos are concerned about their own and their family’s health, but only 16% are prepared to pay for medical costs. But it does not have to be this way. Here's something worth getting these days because of the pandemic and other unavoidable situations that may arise in the future.

AXA Health Care Access

5 Ways To Build A Better Future For Your Family

     If there is one thing the past year has shown us, it’s that uncertainty is always just around the corner. For many of us, experiencing a pandemic was a lesson in preparedness, teaching us that the best way we can be ready for anything is by protecting ourselves, our family, and our hard-earned savings, so we can continue to enjoy life and fulfill our dreams no matter what.

     AIA Philam Life remains committed to helping Filipino families prepare for the future, through products that protect loved ones from sickness and death, and those that address their long-term savings needs through viable investments. Without a doubt, the country’s premier life insurance company is living its Purpose by creating products that help Filipino families live healthier, longer, better lives.

5 Ways To Build A Better Future For Your Family
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Some of the Best Ways to Save Cash This Year

     You might be able to earn a good income from a stable business or job. However, you may get some financial issues when you cannot control your expenditure. If you are unable to save some of your money, you will have a lot of problems in the future. Statistics show that most of us will spend some unexpected costs that are related to vehicles and medical cars. Our team also complete the guide about dragonpay and all his pithols.

     A great example is the COVID-19 that was declared a pandemic last year. Many people lost their jobs, while some other people had to close their business. If this situation occurs in your life, you may have some difficulties, especially if you don’t have enough cash in your account. Here are some useful tips that you can follow, to save some of your money easily.

Some of the Best Ways to Save Cash This Year

4 Online Scams You Need to Know in 2020

     Even in these strange times, cybercriminals remain steadfast in their attempts to lure new victims. One way to ensure that you won’t fall for these illegal activities is to take a closer look at how they are conducted. Here are some of the most common online scams that cybercriminals are still using this 2020

4 Online Scams You Need to Know in 2020
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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