What Better Time Than Now



(HE)

I have been working since I was 17 years old.

This was what occurred to me as I was at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati for Sun Life’s kickoff for their Financial Independence Month through a workshop with fellow bloggers on financial independence. Incidentally, it was at this very hotel where I started working - as a banquet waiter.

I remember strolling through its corridors and preparing banquet halls for scheduled functions, much like this one. I would work at night, starting with the waiter-ing, then on to the set ups. I would go home at 7:00 in the morning.  The goal then was simpler—to earn enough money to move out of my parent’s house.

I would go on a series of other jobs, always with the self-awareness that I’m bound for something better. I was able to move up that ladder, so to speak. I have been able to get myself to a position where I am able to earn decent amount of money. But always, like most Filipinos, I would struggle to save. It seems as though I’d be living off paycheck to paycheck.

And, as serendipity would have it, here I am being talked to about this very struggle, right here, where I started on a journey to becoming financially independent from my parents.

We were treated to some wisdom from Peso and Sense’s Aya Laraya. It was a concise talk which I’m sure will resonate with many Filipinos who are struggling financially. From how we were raised with the belief that all rich people must have done something illegal to gain their wealth to our archetype of local superheroes being poor (i.e. Captain Barbell, Darna, Panday), Pinoys were conditioned to shun even the idea of becoming wealthy. I certainly don’t have such aversion to wealth. I’m not opposed to the idea of living the rest of my life well beyond my means. The thing is, with careful budget management and knowledge of the market, it is doable. And this is what Sun Life is setting out to do.

According to Sun Life’s executives, they will be doing a series of events through the coming months in the hopes of reaching out to Filipinos in becoming more financially literate. I wholeheartedly support such endeavor. Whether that would entail you acquiring insurance policies or investing your money through mutual funds, it doesn’t matter. The point is you should be saving up and investing for your future.

At some point I was awash in nostalgia, and wishing I was able to tell myself these very words years ago.  But I welcome the wisdom that comes with my age. And that wisdom prompted me to remind myself that whether I was 17 years young or 40 years old, the question is: “What better time than now?”

Visit Sun Life's Facebook page for details about their initiatives for Financial Independence Month, including Money for Life, a comprehensive, customizable financial planning program that will ensure that a client will have sufficient funds for every stage of his life; and the Bus to the Future, which offers a 360-degree visual reality (VR) experience where you can get a glimpse of the brighter future in store for you if you start planning for your future now.