The Filipino Wealth Project

22/09/2026

MAGKANO ANG KAILANGAN PARA MAGSIMULA NG NEGOSYO?

Minsan mali ang tanong.

Because starting capital is only one part of the money you may need.

Let’s say kaya mong gumawa ng product for ₱50,000.

Great.

Pero pagkatapos?

Packaging.
Permits.
Certification.
Inventory.
Delivery.
Marketing.
Equipment.
Additional production kapag dumami ang orders.
And eventually, maybe even expansion.

This week, Al-Amanah Bank announced plans to provide financing to MSMEs entering the Philippine halal industry. One important point from the announcement: financing shouldn’t stop at production—it may also need to cover certification, logistics, scaling and eventually exporting.

That lesson applies far beyond halal businesses.

A common mistake in starting a business is calculating:
“Magkano para makapagsimula?”

when you should also calculate:
“Magkano para magpatuloy?”

You don't want to spend ₱100,000 creating inventory…
then discover you have nothing left for packaging, permits, marketing or the next production run.

So before putting money into a business, separate your capital into at least three jobs:

PRODUCTION — making the product or delivering the service
COMPLIANCE — permits, registration, certification and other requirements
GROWTH — inventory, marketing, logistics and expansion

Starting the business is Day One.
Your capital has to survive Day Two.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

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21/09/2026

PILIPINAS MAY $104.8 BILLION NA RESERVES. SO… OKAY NA BA TAYO?

Think of it—very loosely—as the country’s emergency fund.

The BSP holds dollars, gold and other foreign assets that can help the Philippines:

pay for imports,
service foreign debt,
and handle external shocks when things get rough.

And in August, that reserve climbed from $103.3 billion to $104.8 billion. That’s a healthy buffer.

Pero eto yung interesting part:

In the same month, the Philippines still recorded a $596 million balance-of-payments deficit.

In simple terms:

Malaki ang ipon. Pero may pressure pa rin sa cash flow.

Sounds familiar?

You can have ₱100,000 in savings and still have a problem if every month:

₱50,000 ang pumapasok
pero ₱60,000 ang lumalabas.

Your savings give you time.
But eventually, the monthly equation still has to work.

Countries are obviously much more complicated than households, but the basic lesson is useful:

Having a buffer protects you.
Healthy cash flow keeps you moving.

That applies whether you're managing billions of dollars…

or your next paycheck.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

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18/09/2026

“₱10 LANG NAMAN YUNG TRANSFER FEE.”

True.

Pero kapag paulit-ulit?

₱10 dito.
₱15 doon.

Another transfer.
Another wallet.
Another bank.

Hindi siya malaking gastos per transaction.

But small fees can still change how people behave.

A new study with the BSP and RCBC found that when InstaPay fees were reduced or removed, people actually transferred money more often. Some customers who barely used InstaPay before also started using it.

That tells us something simple:

Convenience has a price. And even small prices matter.

Especially when you’re transferring:
- allowance
- pambayad sa bills
- money to family
- funds between your own accounts
- business payments

₱10 may not feel like much.

But if you do 20 transfers in a month?

That’s ₱200.

And ₱200 is still ₱200.

This doesn’t mean you should obsess over every peso.

It means you should know your options.

Some banks and wallets already offer free or lower-cost InstaPay or PESONet transfers, depending on the account and channel. The BSP also publishes a fee comparison for participating institutions.

So before you hit Send, ask:

“May free way ba to do this?”

Financial literacy isn’t always about investing millions.

Sometimes it’s just knowing where the little leaks are.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

17/09/2026

BAGO KA MAG-INVEST, ALAM MO BA KUNG SAAN NAPUPUNTA ANG PERA MO?

Maraming tao ang gustong magsimula agad sa stocks, crypto, funds, trading.

Okay ‘yan.

Pero kung every month hindi mo alam kung:
magkano talaga ang pumapasok,
magkano ang lumalabas,
at magkano ang natitira…

then investing is probably not yet the first problem to solve.

Start with cash flow.

INCOME — what comes in
EXPENSES — what goes out
SURPLUS — what you actually get to keep

That surplus is where the choices begin.

You can:
save some,
pay debt faster,
invest some,
spend some on things you genuinely enjoy.

And yes — spend it.

Money isn’t meant to sit untouched forever.

The goal is to know that after you’ve paid for today, you’ve still protected tomorrow.

A budget shouldn’t feel like punishment.

It should tell you:
“Ito ang kaya kong gastusin nang hindi ako kinakabahan pagkatapos.”

Get the cash flow right first.

Then investing becomes much easier — because now you actually have money you can afford to leave invested.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

16/09/2026

$3.24 BILLION ANG PADALA NG OFWs NOONG JULY. PERO SA BAHAY, SAAN DAPAT MAPUNTA ANG PERA?

OFW cash remittances hit $3.24 billion in July.

Malaking number.

Pero sa bawat household, ang mas importanteng tanong ay mas simple:
Ano ang trabaho ng bawat perang pumapasok?

Kasi madaling mangyari ito:
Padala arrives.
Bills.
Groceries.
Tuition.
Utang.
Konting wants.

Then suddenly…
ubos na naman.

And to be clear: hindi ko rin believe na lahat ng pera kailangan itago.

Money is meant to be used.

Spend some on good food.
Treat your parents.
Take the kids somewhere.
Buy something you’ve genuinely wanted.
Enjoy the money people worked hard to earn.

Pero ideally, hindi puro today ang nakikinabang.

May portion din para sa:
NGAYON — bills and needs
BUKAS — savings, debt, goals
SAYA — family, experiences, things you love

Hindi kailangang equal.
Hindi kailangang perfect.

The goal is simply:
may naeenjoy ka ngayon nang hindi mo kinakabahan sa susunod na buwan.

That’s a healthier definition of financial progress.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

15/09/2026

MAHAL ANG GAS. PUWEDE BANG BUMABA DAHIL SA TAX?

The Department of Energy has now certified that Dubai crude averaged about $99.41 per barrel over the required 30-day period — well above the $80 threshold that allows the government to consider suspending or reducing fuel excise taxes.

In plain English:
The legal trigger has been met.

That does not automatically mean fuel taxes disappear tomorrow.

But it means the government now has the option to give motorists some relief.

And yes, fuel prices need relief.

Starting today:
- Gasoline: +₱5.68/L
- Diesel: +₱4.31/L
- Kerosene: +₱4.62/L

For someone filling up 40 liters, a ₱5.68 increase means roughly ₱227 more per full tank.

That’s not “economics.”
That’s groceries.
That’s lunch money.
That’s part of a utility bill.

And even if you don’t drive, fuel still matters because it moves people and goods.

So the question now is simple:

Will the government use the tax-relief option — and if it does, how much of that relief actually reaches consumers?

That’s what I’d watch next.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

Send a message to learn more

14/09/2026

DAGDAG SAHOD. PERO DAPAT BA DAGDAG GASTOS DIN?

Starting Sept. 26, minimum-wage earners in Metro Manila are set to receive an additional ₱60 per day.

For non-agricultural workers, that means the daily minimum goes from ₱695 to ₱755.

Good news.

But here's the part personal finance rarely talks about:

What happens after the raise arrives?

Because minsan ganito:
Salary goes up.
Then suddenly:
mas madalas ang delivery,
may bagong subscription,
“kaya na siguro hulugan,”
konting upgrade dito, konting upgrade doon.

And after a few months…

parang wala ring nangyari.

That's lifestyle inflation.

A raise gives you an opportunity to create a bigger gap between what you earn and what you spend.

You can use part of that extra money to:
- build an emergency fund
- pay debt faster
- start investing
- learn a skill
- or simply stop living so close to zero every payday

You don't have to save all of a raise.

Enjoy some of it.

But give the increase a job before your lifestyle gives it one for you.

Dagdag sahod should ideally mean dagdag options—not just dagdag gastos.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

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11/09/2026

BUMABA ANG FOREIGN INVESTMENT SA PILIPINAS. BAKIT DAPAT TAYONG MAY PAKIALAM?

Foreign direct investment—or FDI—into the Philippines totaled about $3.4 billion from January to June, down 17.8% from the same period last year. June itself actually improved, but the first-half total is still lower.

Sounds like something only economists and businessmen should care about, right?

Not really.

FDI is basically money foreign companies commit to businesses here for the longer term.

Think:
A company opens a facility here.
A foreign firm expands an existing Philippine operation.
A multinational puts more capital into its local business.

That money can eventually mean business expansion, suppliers getting orders, and jobs being created.

So when foreign investment slows, hindi ibig sabihin may mawawalan agad ng trabaho bukas.

But it can tell us something important:

Are businesses confident enough to put more money into the Philippines?

And that matters because we can't build a stronger economy by consumption alone.

We also need businesses willing to:
invest,
expand,
hire,
produce,
and build here.

For ordinary Filipinos, economic growth becomes much more meaningful when it eventually creates better jobs and better income opportunities.

That's the part worth watching.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

Send a message to learn more

10/09/2026

MAY TRABAHO KA. PERO OKAY KA BA TALAGA FINANCIALLY?

The latest labor data says the Philippines had around 49.21 million employed people in July.

Sounds good.

But unemployment also rose to 6.0%, or around 3.14 million Filipinos without work.

And this is where I think the usual conversation gets too shallow.

We often talk about:
“May trabaho ka ba?”
But not enough about:
“Sapat ba yung trabaho mo para mabuhay nang maayos?”

Because being employed doesn't automatically mean:
- enough income
- no debt
- savings
- emergency fund
- room to invest
- less financial stress

A person can be employed and still be one emergency away from trouble.

That’s why financial progress can’t just be about getting a job.

It’s also about:

earning more, keeping more, and building something beyond your salary.

A job gives you income.

What you do with that income determines whether it eventually gives you options.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

Send a message to learn more

09/09/2026

OIL IS NEAR $100. THE PESO JUST HIT ANOTHER RECORD LOW.

Those two numbers may look like separate pieces of financial news.
They're not.

The peso closed at ₱62.625 to $1, another record low. At the same time, Brent crude is again hovering around $100 per barrel.

Why should an ordinary Filipino care?

Because the Philippines imports much of its energy.

Oil is priced internationally in dollars.

So when:

oil becomes more expensive
AND
each dollar costs more pesos

we can get hit from both directions.

That doesn't mean the price of everything automatically jumps tomorrow.

But higher energy costs can work their way through the economy:
Fuel → transport → logistics → business costs → consumer prices
And we're already seeing the pressure at the pump. Some Metro Manila gasoline and diesel prices breached ₱100 per liter this week after the latest fuel-price increase.

This is also why inflation, exchange rates and BSP policy aren't just “economics news.”

They eventually affect:

your commute,
your groceries,
your deliveries,
your business costs,
and how much your salary can actually buy.

Economics isn't abstract when it reaches your wallet.

The Filipino Wealth Project
Because the paycheck ends, but expenses do not.

Send a message to learn more