There are times when everything seems to be working in our favor. We suddenly find ourselves in a different world where unicorns roam and play and party. However, that moment we're almost convinced that finally we're on a roll (remember you're now a unicorn), some kind of disaster shows up sabotaging the party.
The reality is that life can never be a full linear or full exponential wave moving in one direction. There will be ups and of course down cycles in our journey, and if it isn’t like that then there’s a high probability that one may have unconsciously ascended into some kind of an illusion.
This doesn't mean that bad times are something to avoid. They are not. Bad things happen for a reason. Who knows it could be one of your greatest gifts. It could be painful but try to look at the silver lining. This might lead you to a limitless freeway. You could be charging very efficiently in a wrong direction, and an interruption of this pattern is required. You're moving into a corrective phase preparing you for real personal growth.
It is important to realize that in our journey, risks abound. And he who's better prepared might as well attract greater opportunities. You could loose something now but when you built up something to cover your self during the trying times, you will be in great state, ready and excited for the next best thing. Otherwise, we are often times forced to settle with far less than what is really possible for us.
Learning about threats and preparing for them before they actually happen seems common sense but mere knowing may not be enough. It must be measured in specific dollar/ peso value how these actually create pain somewhere in the future especially when it involves other people depending on you.
Without a doubt, this is the highest form of thoughtfulness and generosity one can do for one's future self and his chosen ones. This creates a sense of well-being and peace-of-mind knowing everything is taken-cared of.
When there is life, there are risks. So what are they? Here's a list of common life events and how they might create massive pain in case you’re caught off guard:
1. Downsizing
Job security has become obsolete in this day and age of global economies and global recessions. Some industries along with jobs are shifting from one region to another. Industries disappear or sprout somewhere with direct effect on employment opportunities.
When recessions hit or when cheap labor is available somewhere, unemployment goes up. Sad to say such events are becoming normal these days.
Some jobs and industries are designed to be in high demand over the short-term. Being in the construction industry my self, I am very much aware that employment is driven by developments. No project or end-of-project means 100% loss of income, and again this is normal.
Solution: Don’t be complacent. You don’t own that job! A strong habit of saving money may insulate you from such fluctuations in income especially if it’s a single income source.
An emergency fund worth 6 months to a year's worth of non-discretionary expenses kept in cash or some kind of liquid investment instrument will do.
2. Mortgage Payments
Owning a house is one of life's greatest joys but comes with a ton of responsibility. People who don't own property or never owned a house don't have an idea that this is not at all pure comfort. How could they?
Mortgages are usually for the long-term from 25 to 30 years to pay. It means you have to have a job or some kind of steady income source within that timeframe for debt service apart from required down payment, maintenance, taxes, utilities, furniture, appliances, association fees and improvements.
Otherwise, there's an obvious risk of foreclosure. Sleeping on the streets is not a thought you would want to keep in your head in the long-term.
Contrary to popular belief, I firmly agree with Robert Kiyosaki's philosophy which says: a house is not an asset. Practically speaking it is a huge liability and the only way to tell the truth about owning a house with a mortgage is when you lose your job.
Solution: Emergency fund, and a stable income source.
3. Illness
Getting sick may interfere with savings and investing, and you'd be very lucky if it doesn't lead you to consume all of your life's savings and investments in just one unfortunate incident. No one can tell what happens in the future but a 100% certainty that this kind of event may and will show up anytime.
Solution: A suitable HMO or medical insurance either employer-sponsored or personal will do and may also cover family members. Consult with a competent financial planner to find out which health plan is best for your situation.
4. Property Damage
In addition to housing loan payments and related expenses for your house, there are risks related to fire, acts of God, etc. Damage to property may not be cheap and may easily flush your savings and other investments out by this terribly unnecessary expense.
Philippines is a country on both typhoon and earthquake routes. Your personal residence might also be in a flood zone or in close proximity to airports or military air base.
Solution: Scout for a reputable company for a property insurance plan.
5. College
The pain usually comes from lack of foresight decades into the future when children start college. Sending children to school is not a joke and short-term focus will not help. Ask my mom for confirmation.
Many couples usually fall into the trap of overly planning for the wedding day and honeymoon but fail to plan the rest of their lives. Subsequently, and with very little thought, they find themselves rushing to the bank for a dream home and car to mortgage. They are now deeply in debt.
How could they afford college for the cute little ones? Easy. Why not get into deeper debt? Okay, no problem. That’s life.
Solution: Consult your financial planner to help you calculate how much would you need to regularly set aside for this project to accumulate funds come high school graduation.
6. Untimely Death
In the accumulation stage: earning, saving, and growing retirement fund, there is this risk no one wants to think about. This reminds me of Steve Jobs' speech in a Stanford graduation saying: everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die to get there.
While this is true, not everyone is schooled to be sufficiently informed of what this means to the living in case of premature death of either bread-winner in both two-income as well as single-income households.
These days, even dying costs a fortune. Responsible leaders in the home MUST be looking at the family's protection for the following expenses just in case, or again Bahala na si Batman:
1. Income replacement for living expense,
2. Loan payments,
3. Transfer taxes for estate/ legacy (pamana),
4. College expenses for school children,
5. Funeral and burial expenses, etc.
Surprisingly, this list tells us that death after all is not about the dead but the ones still living. For me it is an opportunity to show love to those whom you would leave behind by making sure your final exit would mean gift-giving and not a legacy of suffering and poverty.
Be a great blessing on the main event. Die in style! How cool can that be?
Solution: Insurance believes in a person's income-generating potential throughout his lifetime. Consult a competent financial planner to draft an insurance plan covering replacement income, estate/ transfer taxes, college fund, etc.
7. Not Planning Retirement
It is said that there are 2 stages in life, stage1: man at work, and stage 2: money at work (stolen from Rex Mendoza).
The main reason people invest is to secure stage 2 by growing a fund where its interest can be used to replace regular income from a job for the golden years of retirement. The principal may be donated to charity or as gift to children upon death.
Retirement is harvest time! Whatever that means to you: spending the time with the most important people in your life, traveling, doing what you always wanted to do, serving charities, etc. After years and years on the job you finally give yourself the time to really enjoy the life on your own terms. This is not the only way around achieving freedom from a job but it is the easiest for the mind of an employee.
Like all other events to include death, retirement is the most expensive of them all above housing and college expenses. This is the reason why saving and investing early is a definite headstart in order to take advantage of time required for growth investments via compound interest.
So what happens if you haven't saved for retirement? Who do you think are willing to take care of these?
1. Living expenses for preferred lifestyle
2. Medical expenses, etc.
When retirement is unfunded or insufficiently funded, there’s an easy answer. Ta-naaan!: your children. No surprise but have you even tried asking them if they are willing to take the risk? Do you think you’re entitled? Of course not. Your children will have the same set of responsibilities listed here.
This is not a popular theme for Filipinos. Entitlement mentality common to colonial cultures are deeply embedded into social norms, promoting enabling behavior and irresponsibility. It is an issue that has to be thoroughly understood and upgraded to enable future generations of Filipinos to finally learn to assume total responsibility for their lives.
Not preparing for retirement means you are expecting to be taken cared of even if it means you are going to be competing resources with your grand children. Not quite thoughtful behavior, is it? You lose your sense of self-respect and freedom because now it's all up to them, and hopefully they are going to be far more capable, willing, and far more financially educated than you. How risky can that be?
Solution for this is financial literacy. Financial literacy and fitness is a very important life skill not taught in schools. Stop wondering why so many of those highly educated professionals are facing surprise upsets later in life and got nothing to show for due to cultural influences and financial incompetence. Don't let this happen to you.
