I consider myself one of the luckiest people on earth, because I was fortunate enough to enjoy not only a mother’s love but also her financial acumen.
Every mother has a knack for budgeting, but my Mama, subjectively speaking, is a financial wizard.
Not only did she teach me to stay strong in the face of adversity, she also taught me the basics of how money works and learn to speak the language of money.
Allow me to introduce to you my mother Emilia Dela Serna Rosales Villamor.
She is my grandma’s only offspring to a man surnamed Maño.
A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce at the University of San Jose Recoletos, she worked as one of the accountants and, later, one of the auditors of the Aboitiz Group of Companies right after she graduated until she died. That was how loyal she was to one company.
However, she also had a sideline — bookkeeping jobs every weekend for small stores across the Carbon market.
Through the years, she left behind nuggets of financial / investment wisdom.
1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COMPOUND INTEREST
Compound interest is when the interest you earn on a balance in a savings or investing account is reinvested, earning you more interest. Compound interest accelerates the growth of your savings and investments over time — Wikipedia
I first heard Mama talk to me about this when I was around 9 years old. We were at the bank because she wanted to open for me a savings and time deposit account. She told me that “compound interest” will work very well for me because I was young.
She said I can simply forget about it once the investment has been made and it will earn the longer it stays in the account.
Compound interest is such complex and unappetizing words for a 9 year old. I kept nodding without understanding what she was trying to put across, my mind wandering to the snacks we will be having later in the day.
I honestly forgot about that account. Most probably that was merged with another account I had later when I got older.
I remember this advice because she kept repeating this to my siblings and to every young person she met.
2. NEVER INVEST A LOT OF MONEY ON ANYTHING THAT DEPRECIATES WITH TIME
Mama never invested a lot of money on apparel, shoes, bags, make-up or jewelry. She’s okay with wearing the same clothes week after week or giving me hand- me-downs (clothes, shoes, bags) from my sister.
Our car was always second hand. Furniture at the house came from a thrift shop. All appliances in the house were those that were deemed necessary.
But she invested on real estate such as residential lots (including where I live), and company stocks (Aboitiz). Anything that would increase in value over time.
Although she was disciplined with money, she also had her quirks. I had the feeling she was a frustrated artist (She used to be a radio drama talent when she was still in college. She also sang solo in a church choir). She probably wanted the creative side of her to reflect on me. She was willing to spend money to get me trained in the creative arts.
When I was around 4 years old, she enrolled me in a ballet class. She told me I needed the discipline and the exercise.
I was then an overactive, adventurous kid who had the penchant for climbing trees, clambering over fences, wiggling my way through house windows to open locked doors. Mama knew she had to implement her plan when she saw me sitting precariously in one tree branch while reaching out to get a fruit.
Ballet class to her was the female equivalent of a military school. So, instead of Patintero, Tago-tago, Tumbapreso and Tubig-tubig; I learned Jete, Plie, Pirouette, Arabesque and Croise for a few years.
Was it worth the investment? Looking back, yes. I learned at a very early age what discipline looked like. Even if they had to sometimes dress me up in leotards, tights and ballet shoes while I was asleep; or physically carry me to the studio. I had to be there at the appointed time to do the ballet exercises and poses. I had to learn the tedious lessons with no room for excuses. Mama made sure of that.
Years later, the ballet training served me well during school stage plays and musicals where body language is necessary.
3. RESEARCH ON INVESTMENT VEHICLES
Research on your investment vehicles. Let me say that a different way, do your research like your life depends on it before you invest.
You have to be familiar with what you are investing. Take into consideration various possible scenarios that might happen when you invest. Would it still be worth your money?
Being an accountant and auditor of the Aboitiz Group of Companies for several years, she invested only in stocks owned by the Aboitiz. This was so because she knew which company would do well in the future. Her favorite stocks, if I remember right, were AboitizPower, Aboitizland, Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Metaphil.
Investing for her was never about getting rich quick. It was always because she believed in the companies she invested in to weather major storms in the foreseeable future.
She also invested in time deposit at her favorite bank City Savings where the Aboitiz is a major shareholder. Although the Aboitiz is also a major shareholder of Union Bank, the thrift bank City Savings has higher interest rate for time deposit, according to Mama. There were no digital banks during her time.
According to her, intensive research should also be made on prospective business partners, associates, clients, company, school, house help, whoever and whatever you invest your time and money long term.
Again research and verify information.
This is critical because whoever you invest in for the long haul could affect your financial status.
You also become the people with whom you often surround yourself. Will this become a problem in the future?
Take a pause and ponder on these questions.
Who are your friends ? Who are your business partners? Who do you spend your leisure time? Who do you seek advice ? Who do you often talk to ? Do you prefer the company of people you aspire to become ? Because, eventually, you adopt the moral values and financial habits of these people.
Think about that for a few minutes.
4. BE CONSISTENT IN SAVING AND INVESTING
Saving and investing shouldn’t be painful for those who have made it a habit.
Mama was the most consistent person I’ve ever known. Not only did she make saving and investing small amounts of money a habit, her actions were predictable. She follows a routine like clockwork. I would know exactly where she would be and what she would be doing at a particular time and day.
That type of predictability and regularity is very reassuring to a kid who is dependent on a parent. However, it’s a different matter if I am part of her routine.
Everyday, Mama would pray the Angelus at 6pm and would require her children to participate. For a kid who cannot sit still and can only be found playing at the back of the church while the mass is ongoing, kneeling for a few minutes is torture. I usually end up sitting on the floor with my head resting on the seat of a chair sleeping.
I do struggle with being consistent.
However, for those like me who lack the discipline, there is the auto deposit feature of Gcash or the savings feature of digital banks.
I’m new to Tonik Digital Bank, but I like their Solo Stash feature. I’ts very convenient. I’m also giving their Time Deposit a try because of the higher interest rate in comparison to regular physical banks.
5. INVEST IN ESSENTIALS SUCH AS HEALTH INSURANCE AND DEATH CARE SERVICES
These essentials should be among the first things anyone should invest.
When Mama passed away, we never had problems with death care service. We merely called the company and they took care of everything.
When I had an accident three years ago, I didn’t pay a single cent for hospital accommodation, surgery and medicine. I had the Philippine Health Insurance and the owner of the Dormitel to pay for that. DTI’s Human Resource Officer coordinated with PhilHealth and the Dormitel to make sure full payment was made before I checked out of the hospital.
6. MAINTAIN A ZERO DEBT LIFESTYLE
A debt-free lifestyle makes it easier to save. More savings allows you to have enough money to invest.
A debt-free lifestyle can also increase your financial security. This means that you don’t have to worry about debt hanging over you if the unexpected happens.
One critical money lesson I learned from Mama is living below my means. I lost my appetite for shopping because of her. In other words I don’t use shopping as an emotional crutch.
The only parts of the mall I often visit is the supermarket, bills payment center, food court, ATMs.
7. THINK LONG TERM ( LOYALTY )
“A rock that keeps rolling gathers no moss,” Mama always told me.
The word loyalty seems to be incongruent to investing for profit. But how can you harvest the benefits of your investments, if you keep pulling out your money in every crisis?
So as to be sure that you are invested in the right vehicle, make sure to research thoroughly. Know all the risks of what you are investing. Know what you are getting yourself into.
Are you prepared to hold on to your investments for years? Investing in stocks can be a roller coaster ride. Do you have the emotional discipline to weather a crisis?
Actually, the research method can also be applied to people before you make an emotional investment.
But Mama said the heart is harder to tame and can sometimes make illogical decisions. She was such a generous soul that even if she knew her goodness was taken advantage by relatives it didn’t blunt her generosity.
Ironically, she wasn’t like that towards her biological father.
I don’t know grandpa’s first name, but I do know that he is half -Spanish and that he has two daughters who live in Spain.
My mother didn’t tell me which side of the family was legitimate: the one in Spain or the one with Mama in it.
I was in awe and confused when I first heard Mama talking in Spanish to her half sisters about the death of someone in a long distance phone call. It started cordially at first but later she became agitated. I don’t know the Spanish language, so I stared at her when I heard her talking in a language that was completely foreign to me.
I later asked what they were talking about. She told me that her half sister informed her that grandpa died. I also remember asking her what “Sin Verguenza” meant. I knew it wasn’t something good by the tone of her voice. She answered that she wasn’t really conversant in Spanish and that she didn’t know what came out of her mouth.
I used to wonder why she didn’t want me to learn Spanish since its obviously her 3rd language. She wouldn’t help me when I was having difficulty with my high school Spanish subject (Although she was my walking dictionary for the English language). But when I discovered the letters her half-sisters sent her, I understood why. All the letters were written in Spanish. I didn’t understand what it said, but I knew it broke her heart reading it. Even if I queried her about it, she’d just shake her head. In other words, she refused to talk about it. To this day, her side of the family is a big question mark to me.
Loyalty is such a big deal to Mama because it creates a stable foundation and a sense of security for every aspect in life, from personal to financial.
The commitment and dedication to something or to someone help build a lasting foundation for personal and financial relationships that can stand the test of time.
BOTTOM LINE
Learning about money and investing at any stage is going to take time on your part. It won’t always be easy. But if you want to know how to successfully manage and invest money, taking the time to educate yourself is worth it.
The point here is not to become extremely rich but to reach a point in your life where money doesn’t become an issue when you have to make critical decisions.
Mama said financial management isn’t just about where you park your investments, it’s also about choosing the people and activities you allow into your life, restructuring priorities and having the right moral values.
There are popular quotes that some of us may have come across which is relevant to this discussion:
“Who and what we surround ourselves with is who and what we become. In the midst of good people, it is easy to be good. In the midst of bad people, it is easy to be bad.”
“Money doesn’t buy happiness, nor can you purchase peace of mind.”
In other words, there is also a lot of inner work that needs to be done to be financially successful.
With luck, the lessons I have imbibed from Mama will also guide you down a financially solid path. And someday, you like me, may come to appreciate all that Mama adviced.
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