The Provident Mom

 Happy New Year! I know. It's been almost 2 years since my last post . Things got so hectic for the last 2 years. There were a lot of adjustments when it comes to work since everything has shifted to the new normal. Curse the pandemic!  Almost 2 years ago, I created a blogpost on Why and How to Start Investing in PAG-IBIG MP2 Savings Program   but honestly, I wasn't able to start saving through the MP2 because I really thought that I still need to submit the application form to the PAG-IBIG office to start paying the contributions. However, I recently came across a Facebook post that there is no need to submit the application form. For as long as PAG-IBIG MP2 Account Number is generated, we can even start saving right away. So, how do you start saving in MP2? 1. Make sure that you submit an application online. Details here . Once you're done with the application, a soft copy of your enrollment form will be generated. You can download or print this form.  If you choos...

It's been a while since I wanted to invest in PAG-IBIG MP2 , a voluntary savings program with a 5-year term for all PAG-IBIG Fund members which earns dividends. You can get your dividends either annually or after the term (5-year). The higher you save, the more dividend you will get.   From the year 2016 to 2018 the average  MP2 dividend  rate in the past three years (2016-2018) is at 7.65%. It's not that bad compared to a regular savings program in banks. I finally got the chance to "enroll" myself. It is easier nowadays because you can start your application online. If you are interested, follow the instructions below on how you can also start investing PAG-IBIG's MP2. 1.  Go to pagibigfundservices.com and you will be asked to provide your PAG-IBIG MID No, Last name, First name, and Date of Birth. 2   2.  You will be directed to a new page where you can view your PAG-IBIG profile. On the right side of the screen, the firs...

As a mother and homemaker, my top priority is always my daughter. That is the reason why I am very much into investments and insurances. I want to protect her, her home, and her future. There are so many what-ifs in life and these double once we get married and have children. Just like any other aspect of our lives, our family life is not always high. Sometimes we experience challenges and problems and most often than not, we are not prepared for it.  But there are certain things that we can actually prepare for. One of which is something to do with our health. These days, the food that we eat and the environment that we are in can give us sickness. And when it comes to health problems, it can drain our finances and we can even go into debts just to pay for the cost of medicines, check-ups, and (knock on wood) hospitalizations. Getting an HMO these days is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity, especially for average-income generating families like ours who could not afford the...

I was supposed to write about this last month but I waited for the cards to arrive and I also got busy with work. Finally have the time to write about this! Last month, our local Red Cross went to our work place and offered us membership to their program/organization. I immediately applied for it since I like the benefits that goes along with it. I was also able to apply for my daughter so she gets the same benefit as mine.  There are many types of membership. I applied for the Classic membership for my daughter who is 5 years old (Classic is for students only) for an annual fee of P60.00 only and Premier Bronze   for myself for an annual fee of P150.00. Yes, that's how cheap it is! Our membership has accidental, disablement, and dismemberment benefits, burial benefit, and hospital daily allowance as you can see on the photo below. Some of you might say, it's just waste of money. I see it differently. It's actually preparing for something you are not p...

On my previous blogpost , I talked about being financially free .   In that post, I talked about why we should start making our way to financial freedom. One of the reasons is to avoid going into debts and selling our properties when we get sick. We all know that healthcare is very expensive, especially for critical illness like cancer, etc.  With our environment and the kind of food that we have nowadays, plus our exposure to radiation, it is inevitable to get sick someday, somehow. So, what we really need to do it is to prepare for it.  How do we prepare when that time comes? There are two choices but these two are equally important. One is getting a basic  health insurance and other is getting a Critical Illness Plan.  I'll be focusing more on the latter.  Last year, an insurance/investment agent who happens to be a friend of my husband invited is in their office so he can propose an investment plan for us. So, we went there and we were assessed...

I was not a believer of insurance. I was not into investing. I did not know about mutual funds or VULs.  My mindset changed when a co-teacher of mine a couple of years back was diagnosed with cancer and we all knew that it was a difficult time for her, physically and more importantly, financially. Hearing her experiences with the costs of hospitalization and medicines made me rethink on how I could prepare for the future. You know, when a family member gets sick, we don't have choice but to spend lots of money to pay for healthcare bills. There are even those who would sell their properties just to pay for it. Some would go into debts. They get stressed and they get sick. It's a cycle.  So, I did my research and I learned about this so-called "Financial Freedom"  and it does not only take a simple savings account so you can say you are financially free. According to Cash Cow Couple   (one of the blogs I read when it comes to topics like this),  " Being f...