Team Pangilinan: Triathletes all

The vibe is warm and there is a great deal of excitement going on here in Cebu as the 70.3 Ironkids and Ironman competitions will be staged over the weekend.  Yes, after our month long trip to Europe, we arrived in Manila only to stay a few days and flew to Cebu for our yearly mecca to race in our beloved team sport.

Triathlon is a sport that has become a part of our family for the past five years and yes all of our family members have been part of it as well.  We are called Team Pangilinan and we TRI together.  It has been a great blessing to have been introduced to the sport by our dear friends, Fernando Zobel and Fred Uytengsu. 

The investment of time for training and traveling to races to compete together plus the acquisition of the proper set of racing gear has paid off for us that it has paved way to many trips to the podium to receive medals and most importantly, more injure free, fun competitions totaling more than a hundred races if you combine all that we have joined.  Triathlon has truly solidified our family and kept us sane and fit for many years and more to come.

It is amazing to see each one of us improve and get better as we discover new things during each training or race session.  The more you do the sport, the better you get and the deeper your appreciation for it.

I see this true for any endeavor in life. We have to find what we enjoy doing, those that makes us come alive because there is a purpose we see behind that activity that draws us to it and makes us want to be involved in it and every time we do it, there is a certain “high” only we can understand and we are hooked for good! We must however remain wise as well in all our dealings especially in the risks involved in the areas we allow ourselves to be involved in. Triathlon is not a sport for the faint hearted or the recreational athlete for it takes dedication and focus to master it.  It also takes a great degree of courage to withstand all the obstacles in each event that includes swimming (in the ocean most of the time), biking (in various terrains) and running (under the extreme heat of the sun).  There are definitely advantages that outweigh the disadvantages but neglecting to factor in those possible disadvantages or obstacles may lead to serious injuries or even death.

Early on, we have introduced our children to various types of involvements.  Those that help them develop physically, mentally, and spiritually.  We always stress however that as they become better at something, hopefully they will aspire to make use of it to help improve the lives of others they may be privileged to come in contact with.

Before each of my (Maricel) children was born, I have been exposed to a variety of options to invest financially for their future.  This I have done diligently thru long and short-term investments that include high yielding and safe yielding tools.  As they learn to appreciate monetary gifts from people during special occasions and saving their allowances, Anthony and I have slowly introduced them to simple ways to make their money grow.

We keep a savings account for our children, which is tied to their ATMs so they may easily access and budget their allowances. I believe this gives them the ability to decide how to choose to spend their money and to enjoy it as well.  Aside from that, we have also set aside some funds for their future, which is something that grows over time and not something that is easily accessed and this is thru investment funds.  You would be amazed at how a little goes a long way. These days, as technology becomes more advanced and kids become more tech savvy, there are available mobile apps (like BPI’s) wherein you can invest anytime, anywhere and this is another option we are looking at for more future yield.

The first thing we taught them was to give away a portion of their money away to help others.  The rest is to be budgeted in such a way that includes setting aside for the future, which would yield higher than just keeping it in their safety boxes at home and then leave some to spend and enjoy.

Those were just our simple and practical guidelines and we have invited our children to see how their investments have grown over time and where it has gone.

Anthony and I believe in empowering our children by allowing them the chance to get a hold of their money especially those they have earned so that they may have the confidence to handle it.  It also gives them the ability to make the right choices based on the consequences of their wrong choices especially when they try to trace back as to why the funds have depleted.  Then again this enables them to creatively think of ways on how to make it grow again and that is when the exciting part happens.  We find offers for errands, chores and massages or pampering for a fee.

We enjoy my daughter, Hannah’s baked goodies and Ella’s organized filing in the office as well as Benjamin’s cooking.  Yes, most of the time they earn from those expertise but the fulfillment they get from seeing people enjoy their cooking or in the case of Ella seeing me have a more organized life, outweighs whatever monetary return it can give.

As I write this, we celebrate my son, Benjamin’s 12th birthday.  We rejoice at every year we can have the chance to reminisce how much of a blessing he is in our lives.  He has survived a heart surgery at 4 and has become a champion triathlete after that.  I remember when we were about to leave for the States for his surgery. His brother, Donny purposed to give a three dollar gift as his contribution to the surgery expenses but decided not to at the last minute.  When I found out about his change of plans, I encouraged him to go ahead and give it and I assured him that his investment would come back to him tenfold.  This is a principle of tithing we have learned from the Bible.

He hesitated as he was to follow in the States and he realized he would also need the money but he went ahead and gave it anyway.  When loving Titas heard about it, they gave Donny a total of thirty dollars before his departure!  He could not contain his joy and started giving part of the thirty dollars to treat his other siblings.  He caught the joy in giving!

Today, Donny is known as the businessman in the family who finds ways to grow his money by investing in various businesses and lending his money with interest plus he also enjoys sharing it.

Of course, his brother Benjamin will forever remember how his investment of three dollars to help in his surgery has gone a long way.  I always go back to those times to remind me that there is nothing too small that cannot make a difference especially in helping others. 

There is nothing too small we can set aside that will make a big difference in our future as well.  As one of our dear friends would remind us, even a peso a day would amount to millions in the future when put aside.  The key is to start now.  As the old saying goes, “A journey to a thousand miles is a small step”.  That goes the same for the many millions of lives touched and money earned!

* * *

BPI recently launched their Express Mobile App where it allows you to invest 24/7 right at your fingertips. For more information, please visit www.bpiassetmanagement.com or send an email to bpi_asset_management@bpi.com.ph. We also welcome your feedback and questions! Reach us at wealthness@philstar.com.ph