Category: Investing

Music Is Your Talent. Ask For Payment.

I hear fellow musicians and artists say, “Okay lang walang bayad, basta maka-perform, basta may exposure” after performing in some big “benefit” concerts. Sounds cool. But not when you found out that the bouncers and even technical assistants got hefty “talent fees” and the musicians did not.

I’ve been to a lot of music festival and events, big and small. Paid and unpaid. And I saw a lot of homegrown talents from drummers to guitarists to bassists to keyboardists to wind instrumentalists to back-up singers to lead vocalists…to band managers and organizers.

Which makes me want to ask this question: Are talented musicians supposed to be asked to play for free or for a fee? Continue reading Music Is Your Talent. Ask For Payment.

The Hidden Costs of Buying A House or Condo

For most OFW’s (and Filipinos as a whole), owning a land or a house is like winning a championship trophy in a basketball game. In fact, that’s an understatement. For the working Filipino, it is an achievement and a dream-come-true to finally own a tangible “investment”.

But if you are someone who has just started working, being tempted to “invest” in a house or lot somewhere outside the Metro or in a condo unit somewhere at The Fort is rather inevitable.

You can not escape from the binoculars of real estate agents positioned strategically inside malls and commercial establishments. They can identify if you have been dreaming to have a house soon. They know if you’re an OFW or a newbie yuppie from Makati. Continue reading The Hidden Costs of Buying A House or Condo

Most OFW’s Families Are Not Protected

Filipinos working overseas (OFW’s) are always exposed to a lot of physical risks. They travel from their apartments/housing camps to work either by train, shuttle bus services, by cars  on highways, bicycles, or even on foot.

In hazardous workplaces like factories, mills, chemical plants, and even offices, OFW’s face everyday fears of accidents and tragedies while thinking about their loved ones back home.

But the most alarming part in this already worrisome conditions of our OFW’s is that most of them and their families are not protected enough with insurance.

When an OFW passes away due to accident or even by natural cause, his or her family back home is left with almost nothing but the last payment from his/her employer. And maybe a few more from the government’s grant or financial aid. Continue reading Most OFW’s Families Are Not Protected