By: Rica Paralejo –
Bonifacio
Dear everyone,
I got my first paycheck at the age of 12, and I remember my mom
already planting seeds of financial wisdom when she bought me a gold ring with
a portion of it. She got the ring for P300, which is now worth around P7000, if
not more. If there is any money-related habit that has remained with me through
the years, it is to seek financial advice from those who are wise when it comes
to managing their money. The peak of my working days came around in my 20s, and
it was mom who taught me not to keep everything as cash, but invest in real
state and properties as well as authentic jewelry like gold and diamond. As did
my P300 ring, these have already increased in value; if I had kept them liquid,
I probably would have lost much to inflation.
While it is great to have parents whose strength lie in economics,
seeking advice outside the family proves to be refreshing, too. We all have
different beliefs and attitudes when it comes to handling money and it
sometimes takes talking to other people to realize what works for you.
Nevertheless, time and tested tenets of “invest and diversify” are always on
the lips of wealth giants. Now that my husband and I are seriously considering to
buy a house, we are grateful to have stored away our money in different forms,
so now we can readily dispose of the ones that will sell best in today’s economy.
Something I realized later
in life is to practice godly tithing and generosity. Tithe, which was an Old
English term for the word tenth, is really just 10% of my earnings, which I
regularly give to my church. Generosity on the other hand is a mix of things –
helping someone in need, treating a bunch of people to yummy lunch of
supporting a missionary. These two practices are great in curbing human
tendency to turn money into a god and to always bring us back to the Real
Source of all blessings.
I made it a point to share about investment, tithing, and generosity
before budgeting, for a purpose. When I was younger, I would first set aside
money for electricity, water, food, phone bills, and all other monthly
expenses, and always ended up with nothing to spare for tithing, investing, and
giving. Yet when I turned things around, meaning I would budget only after
what’s left of those three, my life seemed to work better! Not only did I
experience financial breakthroughs, but there was also an improvement in my
money habits and character. I learned to spend only on what is truly of great
worth – which included meal budgets for fostering healthy relationships,
education and self-improvement, and excluded excessive shopping and expensive
coffee. When we deal with money in this order, we begin to see that there many
things we can actually do without, and focus on what is truly important.
The best part about this structure is that it saves you the best
value for times when you truly need them. I am now 34 years old and realized I
can enjoy being a stay-at-home mom largely because I work hard in my 20s and
was able to save up for it. Whether you marry early or late, purchase a house
now or later, putting your hard-earned money away in the right places for your rainy
days will never fail to bless your life. Saving really saves you from worries
and replaces it with security.
You are intelligent and godly and I am so excited for you! The
opportunities for making and growing wealth are aplenty, and I hope you go about
it wisely and faithfully. Prosperity may only be experienced with a good amount
of discipline and faith in the Ultimate Provider. So go and make the most out
of your season of productivity together with the unparalleled wisdom and grace
of God!
Love,
Rica.
