To contribute to the growth and development of the teaching profession in the country as well as to publicly express appreciation to mentors, both active and retired, Teachers’ Month Campaign (TMC) was conceived on July 2008 by the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI), De La Salle Philippines (DLSP), Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), and Campaigns Social Response (CSR), with the special participation of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the support of key business institutions.

The TMC was launched once again in 2009 during the Metrobank’s 47^th anniversary celebrations last September 4, 2009, highlighted by the awarding of this year’s Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Teachers. It will culminate on October 5 which is World Teachers’ Day.  The theme is “My Teacher, My Hero!

To help commemorate the event, First Metro Asset Management, Inc. (FAMI) is waiving the sales load for all mutual fund investments of teachers from October 1 to 31 2009.  The special promo enhances the Save and Learn Monthly Investment Program that is currently helping teachers to save small regular amounts in the FAMI-managed mutual funds.

Our goal in FAMI is to make investments for the small investors, especially the teachers, as painless and yet as profitable as possible.  FAMI is a subsidiary of First Metro Investment Corp., the biggest investment house in the country, and part of the Metrobank Group of Companies.

But, listen, time waits for no one.  Sooner or later, you will find yourself with a closet full of out of fashion clothes, outdated gadgets, and toys that you have outgrown.  Worse still, you may still have credit card bills to pay for these things, and zero cash saved up for even your next vacation to Boracay.  This time will come, if you’re not careful.  And believe me, that time could just be around the corner.

If you’re smart, you should begin to plan for your retirement as soon as you receive your first pay check!  Here are ten reasons why you should prepare now:

1.  If you are employed, and your company is setting aside money for your SSS or GSIS or company retirement, guess what?  What your company is setting aside is not going to be enough. 

2. Time is in your favor.  Who has more time to save for retirement at age 60?  You, or your uncle who is 30 years older than you?

3.  Because of # 1, you don’t have to sacrifice a lot in order to save a lot.  If you and your uncle wanted to accumulate P1 Million by the time you’re both 60, you would have to save a smaller amount regularly, because you have more time to save.  Right?

4.  You can make more aggressive investments now but get rewarded with higher returns.  Usually, these higher risk investments  have a way of recovering very well over a longer period of time. 

5. Inflation is not in your favor.  You know it.  Don’t be in denial.  It will cost you more to retire than earlier generations ahead of you.  So, don’t think that it will be affordable enough for you by that time. 

6. You can start small and grow. Even setting aside a small portion of your paycheck each month will pay off in big pesos later.

7. It’s easier to develop the habit of saving while you are young and you have no major obligations.

8. As you accumulate savings over time, your money will starting working for you, rather than you working for money. 

9. No matter how much you love your parents, do you like the idea of supporting your parents because they failed to save for their retirement?  Well, don’t impose your failure to save on your children.  They deserve a life of their own.

10. It’s great to enjoy your savings!  Imagine the nice and easy life you can enjoy when you have saved enough.  If you want to keep working even when you’re old, you will go to work because you like to, not because you have to.  And – when you have saved enough to take care of a comfortable lifestyle – you can occupy yourself with work which probably won’t pay much, but which will be fun and self-fulfilling.

Whatever it is that you desire to save money for, if it’s “financial security” that you are looking for, then you need to look beyond affording that wedding, or that second-hand car.  You should also be looking at what kind of lifestyle you want to live by the time you are retired. 

It’s not that saving for a car, a house, a wedding, or education for your children are not important.  By all means, they are VERY important.  But so is saving for your retirement.  If you don’t appreciate what I mean, I dare you to find out exactly what it is that your company has set aside for your retirement (assuming you’re employed), or to find out exactly what your business is worth today and what it might be worth by the time you retire. 

Don’t be surprised that you’re probably like the great majority of employed and self-employed individuals.  After planning for your wedding, for your children’s education, for your car installment payments, and for your apartment rentals or home mortgages, you’ll find that you may not be ready for your retirement.  Oh, and did I mention that you might have to provide for your aging parents who, themselves, failed to prepare for their retirement?

It’s beginning to sound depressing that you may not even want to go through this very important step in planning for your future.  But, if you’re really serious, you CAN do something about it.  If, after you have defined your goal, you will discover that you have a problem because you don’t know how to ever achieve it, then be consoled in the old adage that says, a problem defined is a problem half solved.

As I said in an earlier post, there is good news!  You don’t have to be a genius to be financially prepared for your future, and you don’t have to be wealthy to begin with. 

The first step is to face the future squarely and define the challenge: decide what your goal is first and then make a plan.  Your goal will not happen just because you defined it.  But neither will an investment plan work, if you have no goal to begin with.  So, take the time to plan your goals.  Dream a dream, if you want to.  But do it.  Now.

Here is a general road map to your financial security.  Follow this road map, and you’ll be happy you did.  Better yet, subscribe to this website so you can continue getting updated on tips and strategies on the details of this road map.

Step 1 – Decide where you want to go.  What are you saving for?  What are you preparing for?

 Step 2 – Check and prepare your vehicle.  Assess your earnings and expense situation, including your existing obligations and investments if any.

 Step 3 – Load up with fuel, and learn to drive.  Develop and practice the right habits of setting aside funds to reach your goal.

Step 4 – Determine your path and speed of growth.   Know your investment choices, your risk levels, and decide and make your investments. 

 Step 5 – Evaluating your progress and making adjustments.   Monitor your investments and your earnings capability, and make adjustments if necessary.

There is only one road that leads to financial well-being and security.  It’s not an easy road to follow, because it requires making sacrifices today in exchange for security and happiness in the future.  All other roads that look attractive and easy for now will, however, lead to disaster, for yourself, or for your family in the long run.  A point will come in your life when you will certainly need funds, and unless you’ve been staying on the right course, you will fall short. 

The good news is that you don’t have to be a genius to be financially prepared for your future.  And you don’t have to be wealthy to begin with.  You just need to know a few basics, draft a plan, and be ready to stick to it, and to stay on course.  There is no guarantee that you’ll make money from all the investments that you will make. But if you get the facts about saving and investing and follow through with an intelligent plan, you should be able to gain financial security over the years and enjoy the benefits of managing your money.

Aside from being a tough road, not too many people know about this road.  And that’s why we built this blogsite.  Subscribe to this website and study the postings.  Here, you will know where you should begin, what paths you will have to take, what you have to bring with you on the journey, and what landmarks to follow, and what dangers you have to avoid.

Time after time, people of even modest means who begin the journey reach financial security and all that it promises: buying a home, educational opportunities for their children, and a comfortable retirement. If they can do it, so can you.

Go ahead.  Check out the roadmap to your financial security here.