Pinoys urged to make savings a top priority

In today’s crisis-laden economy, common people face the difficult uncertainty of their future and fear starts to settle in.

However, through saving and financial education, an international marketing firm advocates simple but long term solution to survive any crisis and to build up a more promising future.

“Saving has to have a long term perspective. The important step in financial education is through mind setting, with a proper mind set, people can increase their financial knowledge and will have the right information to plan for their future,” said International Marketing Group (IMG) president and CEO Jose Enrique R. de Las Peñas.

He said that the main reason that most of the Filipino population remains poor is the lack of financial education that will trigger them to really save up for their future.

“In a millionaire’s mind, the thought that always runs is how to grow and manage the money at hand. Saving is not something you put big amounts of money immediately. It has to start small and it has to get bigger, you just have to be consistent and be disciplined,” he said.

De Las Peñas said that to achieve a sound financial status; everyone should know what they want and know how to get what they want.

“You will need financial check-ups and evaluation so that you will know your assets, debts and savings and so you can adjust your goals and improve your long term finances,” he said.

He said that savings must really be a top priority but this also requires an environment that will urge one to really go on his or her way and build up savings for the long term.

“Most people want to save but they just don’t know how to do it. To do so, you must not think that it will be big suddenly. The lack of education also gives out a misconception that only the rich can save, which is really wrong because if you really want to save you can,” urged De Las Peñas.

He also said that one reason why most overseas Filipino workers (OFW) end up getting broke even after years of working abroad is the lack of financial education and a strong concept of saving.

“OFWs usually come home with debts and not savings. Even their families left here spend tremendously without thinking of the future. If you don’t have plans for your money, eventually it starts to diminish,” he said.

He said that currently IMG has already started tapping OFWs based in Hong Kong, Singapore and Macau and now 50 percent of those who have become their members are now working as part-time financial advisers.

Right now, they have 3, 000 members in Hong Kong, 1, 000 affiliates in Macau and they are also starting to penetrate Dubai and Milan and the Middle East who has a huge OFW population.

“We train them to be financial advisers and so they can continue to earn even if they are no longer working overseas or employed by their employers. We must educate them, so that they will not be left out,” he said.

De Las Peñas said that in their trainings, they usually educate a person first and then help them build or create their own financial strategy.