During the third quarter of last year, I was supposed to be part of a collections campaign for one of the larger energy providers in Australia, till some things happened in the office. Anyway, I had the chance to actually go through the product specifics training Read more…

Thinking about my next move. To say that I’m clueless is an understatement. Okay, here are the options.

First, stick to what I am currently doing, which is the sales job. The cons on this one is the funds required for going out all the time and meeting clients. Read more…

image credits: dogsdiary.org

I live in a third world country, and despite being born in a family that is part of the middle class, Read more…

It is a given fact that almost 70% of the general population do not know how to save. Ask them about sinking fund and they will give you a blank stare. In the call center industry alone, more than 50% of the people live just from pay check to pay check Read more…

Last Sunday, I was running out of cash and had to go to Robinson’s Galleria. And so before I hailed a cab, I had to look for the nearest ATM machine from outside our village. Read more…

image credits: goldbars-silvercoins.com

Back in the ancient times, we all know that people used to barter goods in the absence of a currency that will enable them to purchase what they need. But since gold bars are very heavy, what people did was to leave it in churches as they say, and was then issued a piece of paper giving an account of how much gold was stored by that person. Sounds like banking, eh?  Read more…

A carpenter/ slum-dweller was the sole winner of the recently drawn 6/49 lottery with a hefty P356 Million prize money. Read more…

image credits: animotivation.blogspot.com

The Philippine Social Security System is currently allowing employers to pay off delinquent loans of their employees until June 30, 2011. What it does is it allows employees to pay off just the principal without the add on rate for the penalties. If you previously applied for a loan and are not sure if it has been completely paid off especially if you transferred to another company, it would be best to check. It is crucial that payment is made otherwise, you might encounter problems later on when it comes to claiming your social security benefits. You can either check it online or proceed to the nearest SSS office in your place of residence or work and check. You can also check if your employer is remitting your contributions in a timely manner.

Again, if you have loans with SSS in the past, check if it has been completely paid out, you might be surprised to find out how much it ballooned to had your employer or previous employer failed to zero out the balance when they were all the while taking off the amount in your monthly pay check.

Our house is a bungalow 2 bedroom house with 2 toilet and bath, a typical choice for starting families. We’re actually renting the place from a relative. Yesterday, I saw a friend’s house through her Facebook albums and it was just really inspiring how she transformed their house into a really cozy abode from a simple bungalow house. Then, I thought of suddenly embarking on a house makeover project. I guess not this year, but perhaps next year. We have to finish up paying all our liabilities for now and start building our savings. There are a lot of things that I wanted to design, like a contemporary sofa, a book shelf, side tables, kitchen cabinet and so the list goes on. That is why it would be wise to put it off for now, and better break it down to smaller, achievable plans. Dang, I’m still talking about SMART goals even if I’m talking about things to do at home. Anyway, for now, I’ll just have to do with reading through back issues of Real Living magazines.

image taken from topazhorizon.com

image taken from reallynatural.com

There’s really no stopping the evolution of technology. With the coming of the internet, things like mobile banking, online shopping and social networking has likewise came into the picture and our lives were never the same. In the past it was absolutely hard to communicate with relatives living on some other parts of the globe but now, we can correspond via email and chat with the use of a web cam. About a decade ago, when you need to buy something from the department store, like a pair of shoes or a dress, you have no choice but to go to the mall, but now, you can go online and charge it on your credit/debit card, or even use PayPal. Who would have thought we’d have PayPal?

Another good thing that the internet gave us is the power of having information at split seconds. People are more capable of having informed choices because we can thoroughly read through product components, reviews and other information that may be relevant to the item in question. A few days ago while researching about insurance policies, I found out that you can actually compare premiums and insurance plans and coverage in some websites in the US, specifically at www.cometobarter.com. Hopefully we could have the same here, since it’s pretty convenient.