Interview: How to Save 50% or More of Your Salary
- By Adji Hendrawan
- April 15, 2016
Only 4.6% of Filipino households surveyed spent less than their income, according to the 2012 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Consumer Finance Survey. This means that saving is definitely possible, and others are able to do it. Saving a portion of your monthly income may prove to be challenging at first, so the best advice to get into the habit is to start small. Start by saving 5% of your monthly income, and as you get the hang of it, you can increase your monthly savings rate, from 5% to 10% or whatever percentage is realistic for you. To inspire you to save 50% or more of your salary, MoneyMax.ph interviewed 3 Filipinos who do just that. Fenina Vito is 23 years old and works as an office manager for a business development company and is in the process of starting her own business. Raymond Gabriel is a Pharmacist and Team Leader at 24 years old at an IT-BPM company. JR Rosales-Caparas is 34 years old and works as an admin assistant in Qatar. If you read their interviews, you will learn that their personal finance habits didn’t happen overnight. It took months and years before they started saving most of their income. Hopefully, this will drive you to start saving a larger percentage of your salary. Was there a specific moment in your life when you realized you needed to start saving? Fenina: My mom taught us to save for emergencies. My siblings and I were part of the Metrobank Fun Savers Club when we were younger. Raymond: My family had financial problems due to excessive credit card debt. That happened when I was 20 years old and was…
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Picking Investments and Diversifying Your Portfolio
- By Adji Hendrawan
- April 8, 2016
“Have you ever imagined that the Filipino will be a tourist in Japan?” said Rex Ma. A. Mendoza in an interview with MoneyMax.ph when asked about the economic outlook of the Philippines for investors? Rex Ma. A. Mendoza is Chairman and President of Rampver Strategic Advisors, a player in the financial services industry that offers asset management advisory, mutual fund distribution, and financial planning, training, and consulting. Rampur offers mutual funds from some of the country’s biggest mutual funds companies and provides its clients with an unbiased perspective on where best to invest depending on the specific individual. In an interview with MoneyMax.ph, Rex Ma. A. Mendoza shares his personal experiences and tips for Filipino investors. “Majority of the country’s population is productive, financially capable, and will push resilient consumer spending,” Mendoza said in relation to Filipinos being able to travel to neighboring Asian countries, as he refers to the country’s population being in a demographic sweet spot. Affordable traveling means Filipinos now have the purchasing and spending power to drive the economy, and they can do this by becoming both investors and consumers. Investments don’t only pertain to stocks. There are real estate and foreign exchange, and mutual funds which Rampver offers. Where should I invest? The answer to that is first, where your goals lie, and second, your understanding of each investment. Investing in relation to your goals In relation to goals, are you investing for retirement? If you are, opt for long-term investments. Are you investing for your short-term goals (e.g. traveling, car-buying, etc.)? Your investments should be short-term as well and less risky. “Nag-iinvest ka dahil may pinag-lalaanan ka, and then you match it. Pag nag-invest ka para sa tuition…
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Money Lessons from Tech Millionaires
- By Moneymax
- April 1, 2016
The most successful people in the world don’t always start out that way. Many of the world’s richest and most influential people have learned lessons about money and life that are worth imparting. Every view of money is different, even when you stand at the top. We asked a few of the leading names in revolutionizing the tech industry – and here’s what they had to share their experiences with handling big businesses, a few money lessons, and how it’s impacted their lives. Peter Parker (CEO, Parker Industries) Parker Industries is one of the newest tech companies taking the world by storm. Its Webware smartwatch is a revolutionary little gadget, on par – if not better – than the Starkphones. CEO Peter Parker shared a few words with us when we swung by. “My Uncle Ben used to say: ‘With great power comes great responsibility’. I like to think that it also meant the same with having great financial power. When Uncle Ben died, Aunt May and I struggled with having enough money. It was tough, but I caught a break thanks to Spider-Man and the Daily Bugle.” He relates going from part-time photographer and student to his employment and eventual dismissal from Horizon Labs as important experiences that shaped the way he thinks about money. He relates that living paycheck to paycheck wasn’t any way to live at all. “I was a kid from Queens who didn’t have much, but I put the work in and paid my dues. These days I pay it forward by helping to bolster New York’s superhuman confinement…
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Maximize Your Summer Allowance in 4 Ways
- By Moneymax
- March 31, 2016
Summer break is the perfect opportunity to learn about managing your finances. Your parents might cut back on giving you a daily or weekly allowance because there’s no school. On one hand, if you plan on staying home for the entirety of your break, that’s not going to be a problem. Summer’s also the time you can build memories and experience new things. How do you do that if your allowance isn’t the same? If you’re wondering how to stretch your summer allowance, here are a few tips. Don’t spend it all in one place It’s never too early or too late to figure out how to prioritize the things you want to spend on. As you’re running on a limited amount of cash, you’ll want to put away some of the money you receive as spare cash. No school means a reduced daily or weekly allowance, or being able to ask for funds only when you plan on going out. When you get the money from your parents, you might be tempted to blow it all on food and a movie – don’t. Remember to leave a little something as backup funds. Do a little budgeting While your parents are around to give you money, remember the saying: “money doesn’t grow on trees”. The reason they may deny requests for cash over the summer break is to impart a lesson in valuing money. Track your allowance when you get it. Figure out where you plan on spending most of it, and set aside the money. Keeping track of where all your money goes…
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Saving Through Online Pawn Shops
- By Moneymax
- March 10, 2016
Finances will always feature prominently in the minds of Filipinos—especially those of us knee-deep in the 9-to-5 grind. There’s always something that we need to spend for, after all. It’s tough enough that we have rent, bills, groceries, cellphone load, clothes, or a host of other things to attend to. Often, though, there are myriad emergencies that stretch what we money we have to the breaking point. Copyright: americanspirit / 123RF Stock Photo Traditional Solutions to an Old Problem In first world countries, people readily turn to banks when emergencies hit and they need a little extra cash. In the Philippines, the inaugural National Baseline Survey on Financial Inclusion[1] of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) found that banks are very low on the list of institutions that people turn to for their financial needs. Topping this list are informal lenders, cooperatives, and—of course—pawn shops. Pawnshops are very popular among Filipinos because of the easier threshold of entry. All you really have to do is own something valuable and, for most pawnshops, you’re guaranteed a loan. It has long been the go-to source for emergency funding. And why not? It’s also a risk-free source: you can’t pay, you lose your item—but nothing else. Unlike other types of loans, you can never drown in debt with a pawnshop loan. A Newer Way of Seeing Things Filipinos now have an alternative and more affordable choice when it comes to pawning since online pawning has been introduced in the country. PawnHero, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia and came with a…
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Money Lessons from Movies
- By Moneymax
- March 9, 2016
Money lessons from financial movies? You’ve got a lot going on in that area. Most movies that involve money are heist flicks, thrillers, or straight-up political features on greed and the eventual downfall of the “big bad”. Here are a few movies about money that impart some pretty important money lessons for everyone. Wall Street (1987) The film is about Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), an ambitious young stock broker who eventually becomes involved with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). Gekko is a legendary figure among Wall Street brokers, and as such is Fox’s hero. He aspires to be a trader just like the older man, whose wealth and success turns out to be the result of insider trading. The lesson: Use lessons from other people’s success stories in your own life. Not everybody is deceitful or corrupt like Gekko, but then no two paths in life are the same. Rogue Trader (1999) Ewan MacGregor plays Nick Leeson and his role in the 1995 collapse of Barings Bank in Singapore. The film follows his rise to become one of the bank’s top traders. He also has an unfortunate gambling habit and uses up much of the bank’s funds to fuel it. He attempts to flee from his £800 million debt but is eventually imprisoned. The lesson: Debt isn’t something you should run away from. This lesson applies no matter how much your debt is and as much as you can, pay your debts off quickly. The Ocean’s Trilogy (2001, 2004, 2007) In this heist flick trilogy, the A-List star cast is caught…
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OFW Success Stories in Business
- By Adji Hendrawan
- March 1, 2016
Article by: OFW Guru Working abroad is often the hard road taken by Filipinos who seek a brighter life for their families. Being based abroad entails distance from one’s family and friends, having to adapt to a new culture and the difficulty of making a new life for themselves. There are a lot of stories of OFWs who have come home from working abroad in debt or even in a worse situation than before they left to work abroad. Read More: How to Get an OFW e-Card: Guide to OFW ID Card Application At the same time, working abroad can bring a host of opportunities and teach someone skills they could not have learned working in the Philippines. There is a slew of OFWs who came out of their experience with a new business and on the road to achieving their dreams. Meet Eden Zaniega de Castro-Villa and Mike Casas, two OFWs who reinvigorated a dream after working as an OFW. Eden Zaniega de Castro-Villa worked as a household service worker in Hong Kong before she realized that she wanted to go back home to La Union and live her dream of owning a business. Living in Hong Kong and observing the different products sold in the street markets inspired her to create something that could be sold in these street markets and be truly Filipino as well. “I decided to go home and open a small school and office supplies store with craft items,” said Eden. Her company, David’s Well Crafts and More, started out as a small environment-conscious business,…
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7 Tips for a Successful Real Estate Flipping Business
- By Moneymax
- February 11, 2016
Article by: Lamudi Real estate flipping or house flipping does not involve literally flipping houses as one would do with a pancake or an omelet, nor does it involve a pan. This flipping involves the purchase of a property for the purpose of selling it for profit. Well, for all intents and purposes, it’s easier said than done. That being said, here are a few tips just for you to help you flip your way into the business. Research, research, and research Simply enough, research. Better yet, refine how you research. Today, knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more powerful you are. The same goes for the home-flipping business. To illustrate, knowing where to find below-market-value properties in Metro Manila is hard enough to discover on your own, and I doubt that luck alone would get you far; in contrast, picking out cheap houses off of brochures while silently praying that the area it is in would be attractive enough for it to be sold at a significantly higher price is just outright irresponsible. Adding in the research factor, however, will give you the best chance of bagging that undervalued house without the unnecessary risks. Brandon Turner of BiggerPockets.com gives us a few guide questions[1] on what to look for, and how to go about in our research: How much are average houses selling for? How much are bank-owned properties going for? How fast are properties selling? What areas seem to be selling the fastest? What property types, sizes, or layouts are selling the fastest? Don’t just…
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Valentine’s Day Date Ideas for the Homebody
- By Moneymax
- February 10, 2016
Before you even think Netflix and Chill, stop and think about the person you’re taking on a date. Going out for dinner and a movie is easy and is in everyone’s wheelhouse, but it’s ultimately typical and easily forgotten. The flipside is that you overthink your plans and end up making a mess of your “well-planned” date. Plus, let’s be real: everyone and their mothers are probably out on the town because it’s Valentine’s Day. But if neither you nor your SO feel like getting dressed to go out, here are a few Valentine’s Day Date Ideas for the homebody. Cooking Together This might largely depend on how long you and your SO have been together. This activity means that your SO will be in your home, your sanctum sanctorum, if you will. It’s a great way for you to get to know each other’s likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Pull up a recipe from your favorite cooking site a few days before the date – or even the Tasty videos that always make the rounds on Facebook. Pick a main dish, dessert, and get the ingredients together. The fun is all in seeing each other work in the kitchen, then sitting down to eat the meal you both made. Take Out Roulette If cooking isn’t something either of you think might go particularly well, take out could be your go to for the night. Everyone has their preferred take out places, and there’s never any shortage of good food that can be delivered to your doorstep….
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Money Lessons from the ADMU Eaglewatch
- By Adji Hendrawan
- February 4, 2016
Data about economic growth of the Philippines and facts about the Philippine Presidentiables? How is that related to my personal life? There is more connection than what you may think. Last February 2, the School of Social Sciences of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), hosted the Eaglewatch 2016 Elections Briefing. With the looming elections, the briefing tackled the performance of the Philippine economy in recent years and predictions for 2016 and how this relates to the decision-making process in choosing the next President. The briefing consisted of two sessions. The first was led by Dr. Alvin P. Ang, an Eagle Watch Senior Fellow at the Ateneo. During his session, he covered topics encompassing the global supply chain and the importance of the Philippines’ participation, the BPO sector and how it is expected to grow, the tapering off of OFW remittances, and the ASEAN integration among others. For the second session, which was led by Rose Fres Fausto, a PhilStar.com columnist and Founder of the financial literacy blog FQMom.com, guidelines on choosing the next President were presented. Ultimately, the Eaglewatch briefing was loaded with insightful learnings. The “fears of a real estate bubble is unlikely because growth of the real estate market is unbalanced and segmented,” according to Dr. Ang. When Filipinos look at the real estate market, it’s common for many to only look at mid- and high-end condominium developments, which decreased by 13.10% from August of 2014 to August of 2015. However, the real estate market consists of a variety of other segments, such as socialized housing, mid-income…
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Mobile Data Conservation Tips
- By Moneymax
- January 29, 2016
In the Ericsson Mobility Report last 2015, it was reported that there is a 40% penetration rate of smartphones in the Philippines. Afrizal Abdul Rahim, Ericsson Head of ConsumerLab for Region South East Asia and Oceania, said in a statement to BusinessWorld: “The increasing availability of affordable smartphones, Internet access and mobility is enabling more consumers to access the benefits of the Networked Society. In fact, in the Philippines, smartphones are the primary way of getting online.” Additional insights from this report are that in the Southeast Asia and Oceania regions, social networking, instant messaging and video streaming are among the top five app categories actively used by smartphone users in the region. In the Philippines, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Viber, YouTube, and Instagram are the top five apps actively used by smartphone users. But gone are the days that consumers can stream endlessly with their mobile data, both through prepaid and postpaid promos, since all mobile telecommunications companies have set their Fair Use Policy (FUP) to even out the bandwidth usage of consumers last 2014. The data consumption for a day’s worth of mobile data ranges from 800MB to 1GB. What Can You Do With 1GB Worth of Mobile Data In today’s connected age, it’s hard when you hit your mobile data limit. Hitting it at the most inopportune times may prevent you from sending that e-mail that you really needed for work, or cause your video conference to lag, or cut your download speeds for documents and other files to extremely low rates, especially if you do not have a…
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8 Additional Income Options for OFWs
- By Moneymax
- January 27, 2016
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) Pinoys work abroad in order to earn more and return to the Philippines. Oftentimes, returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have a chance to start fresh and start a business because of the experiences they learned from working overseas and from earning in a foreign currency. This brought rise to the livelihood development programs created for OFWs to succeed in business and come back to the Philippines for good. OFW Guru, an online portal for job seekers and recruitment agencies, rounds up 8 tried and tested businesses and additional income options for OFWs: Sari Sari Store or Mini-grocery Business Projected Starting Capital: Php 50,000.00 (space for selling is already available) or Php 100,000.00 (including construction costs) The sari-sari store or mini-grocery can be seen on almost every street and sidewalk. It’s been a great vehicle for starting Filipino businessmen in the past and is still a great investment today. When starting a sari-sari store, ensure it is located in a prime spot with a lot of foot traffic or office buildings since like any other business, location and accessibility are crucial if the business will turn a profit. As for the potential income, buying in bulk brings down expenses by 20–30% which you can mark-up in alignment to the product’s suggested retail price (SRP). What’s great about a sari-sari store is that it requires minimal investment with low overhead costs. Family members can easily take turns manning the booth and even the youngest of them can learn about business at an early age. Franchising Projected Starting Capital: Php 25,000.00–Php 50,000.00…
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Owning a Home in Your 20s: How 4 People Did It
- By Adji Hendrawan
- January 20, 2016
70% of Filipinos own their own homes. This is according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas 2012 Consumer Finance Survey. Filipinos dream of owning their own property, which is considered both an emotional and financial investment. It is an emotional investment because your home is where you will raise your family and retire. It is tangible proof that all your hard work has paid off. Of course, it is also a financial investment because real estate appreciates through the years. It is somewhat considered a forced savings account. Buy a home, live in it, and once you sell it decades down the road, you have a lump sum of money. Take a look at OLX, a Philippine-based buy-and-sell website, and you can see that homes in Metro Manila cost upwards of a million pesos. Owning a home is part of the Filipino dream, but for others, it may be a far-fetched or unrealistic one. Putting a down payment requires hundreds and thousands of pesos and keeping up with the monthly amortization can prove to be challenging. However, through hard work, discipline, and determination, it is a realistic dream. Moneymax interviewed 4 Filipinos who have bought a home before they turned 30 years old. Roy used to work as a plant operator for a petroleum company. The property he bought is located in Batangas, and he bought it to “provide a good shelter for my family since we have been financially struggling in the past. I used these experiences to fuel my drive to aim for a better living condition.” Ben is a sales executive in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry. His house is located in Pasig City, and he…
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Buying Your Own Car Before Hitting 30 Years Old
- By Moneymax
- January 15, 2016
According to a joint report of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed sales in the first six months of 2015 zoomed 21 percent to 131,465 units from 108,957 units during the same period of 2014. This may be because of a number of reasons: increased exposure of crowd sourced public transport systems like Uber and Grabcar, increased purchasing power of professionals, or lower pay-out amounts required by banks to get a car loan. We talked to three professionals who have bought their cars before they hit 30, and how they managed to make the purchase: Ian de Vera is an IT and Enterprise Innovator at the University of the Philippines- Institute of Small Scale Industries who bought his car at 28 years old. Kassy Pajarillo is a Marketing Officer-In-Charge at Waterfront Pavilion Hotel who bought her first car at 25 years old. Lei-oh Atienza is a Marketing Officer at SM Storyland who bought his car at 25 years old. We asked them about when they bought their car and what motivated them to get one at the time, and here’s what they had to say: On needing to buy a car Ian: It was convenient, and an easy way for me to get around. Yes, there’s traffic, but having a car of my own was a sure means of transportation. Kassy: My motivation was when I adopted a dog. I wanted to transport him to his groomer, drive out to do errands, and perhaps go to places without the hassle. But…
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How Financial Education Can Raise Financial Literacy in the Philippines
- By Moneymax
- January 13, 2016
When you start investing, you’re way more dependent on research and what the people who manage your finances know. When you start, you’ll have a lot of questions, and these people will help guide you towards making the right investments and controlling your finances to the best of your ability. Part of the fear most people have when it comes to investing is that they don’t know how qualified these financial professionals they are working with are. You will ask exactly how these people are qualified to make decisions regarding your hard-earned money. We sat down with Kevin Moore (Global Business Development Director) and Ken McGowan (Regional Director for APAC) of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (CISI) to get their insights on financial education and how it affects the way your money moves. Growing the Philippines’ investors’ landscape The odds that a first-time investor gets bad financial advice are unfortunately high given that there are some financial industry scams prevalent in the country such as financial seminars leaned towards forced sales of real estate, groups that require low minimum investments for 40% interest in 3 months, or it may be as simple as self-declared financial gurus who have decided to give financial advice to clients without in-depth knowledge in this industry. Consumer protection, as making sure that people in financial services do have set qualifications, should be applied through making sure that who gives us advise are qualified and competent in their field. The country’s financial landscape is largely emerging but in essence, only less than 1 percent…
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Where to Put Your Accumulated Christmas Money
- By Moneymax
- January 8, 2016
Scenario: You’ve received extra money from the previous year due to the year-end bonus, some extra hustle, or remittance from your loved ones abroad. Wherever the money came from, it’s extra cash that’s waiting to be utilized and maximized. But what are some options that you can choose in order to maximize the gains that you can get from this? Here are 3 things you can do with your remaining Christmas money. Paying your debt Let’s face it; paying debt is not an exception when it comes to New Year’s resolutions since you want to start the New Year with a clean slate. Starting your investment portfolio won’t be a wise move unless you have an emergency fund in place. Whether you borrowed from a close friend or accumulated debt from your credit card purchases, the trick is to make a list of everything you owe. You can try to use the debt snowball technique where you pay off the debt with the highest interest rate. You can also apply debt consolidation into one credit card so that the overall debt interest will go down. Repeat until you find yourself debt-free. Investing in appreciating assets Aside from the usual investments like stocks, mutual funds, UITFs, car insurance, and the like. Buying certain material things nowadays can become an investment and can help you earn twice as much in the future. Many people think that buying clothes depreciates the value of your money in the long run, but contrary to popular belief, there are clothing items that appreciate value as time goes…
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Why You Shouldn’t Be Scared of the Stock Market
- By Adji Hendrawan
- January 7, 2016
According to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), there are 640,645 investor accounts as of 2014. With a 1:1 ratio, this means there are 640,645 Filipinos investing in the stock market. However, in reality, some have more than one account, so the number is lower – less than 1% of the country’s population. There are many reasons why people shy away from the stock market. Some believe they do not have enough funds (you can invest for Php 5,000) while others have heard nightmares of a friend or a relative losing lots of money, and thus, don’t want to touch stocks. However, there’s no need to be scared. Coming directly from Attorney Roel Refran, the Chief Operating Officer of the Philippine Stock Exchange, here are 5 reasons why the stock market isn’t scary. Why You Should Not Be Scared With Stock Market 1. You diversify your investment portfolio Investing in stocks isn’t an end-all, be-all option, and investors usually have a diverse investment portfolio. Not because one person is an advocate of stocks, he has 100% of his assets in stocks. An investor can have multiple assets in his portfolio, be it index funds, stocks, bonds, and real estate among others. Diversification is having multiple assets to minimize risk. If you practice diversification, there is no need to be afraid of the stock market. With a diversified portfolio, investments that are less risky can provide cushion for potential losses for higher risk investments. 2. You do your homework Investing in stocks is not gambling. “In gambling, everything is by chance. When…
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#FinanciallyLiteratePH: The TGFI x MoneyMax.ph Coffee Sessions
- By Adji Hendrawan
- December 21, 2015
Up close and personal – that’s what happened last Dec 12, 2015 at O2 Space, an industrial design inspired co-working space in Makati City during the The Global Filipino Investors (TGFI) x MoneyMax.ph Coffee Sessions. Around 15 attendees, who included a couple of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), were able to ask and connect personally with experts in the fields of marketing, finance, and business. They were able to ask about the speakers’ experiences and stories, and in return, the speakers were able to give personalized advice. The speakers were able to shed light on the importance of personal finance and provide concrete and practical steps to start living a happy, worry-free, and rich life. Here’s a sneak peek of what happened during the Coffee Session. Here are 10 quotes from the speakers to help you live a happy, worry-free, and rich life: From Ms. Ace Gapuz, Managing Director at Blogapalooza, Inc. and Financial Literacy Advocate: “We need to master how to maximize money and make money work for us because we need it to live.” Whether it’s brushing one’s teeth or getting to work, everyone needs money to do those things. The truth is that money is needed in every single aspect of our lives. This is the importance of financial education. Filipinos must learn how to use and grow money to live worry-free. It’s much easier for a person to do the things he wants if he can afford it. “This is the perfect time to venture into the online sphere and maximize the benefits that we can derive…
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Financial Tips for OFWs During the Holiday Season
- By Adji Hendrawan
- December 17, 2015
With Christmas less than two weeks away, more and more of our kababayans are coming home to spend the holidays with their families. After living and working abroad with little to no family with them, returning home for the holidays is a much-awaited homecoming for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). From balikbayan boxes filled to the brim and nightly reunions, the Christmas holidays is a grand celebrations for OFWs, and an expensive one. OFWs want to make the most out of their short Christmas vacation. This usually means eating out regularly and going on a shopping frenzy. Besides, the costs of items and food in the Philippines are much cheaper than their prices abroad. Going out is no big deal. That is until the vacation is over, and it’s back to working abroad because of the little money that’s left after the holidays. Moneymax.ph talked to Burn Gutierrez, who used to work as an OFW for a couple of years before going back home of the Philippines. He’s the founder of the personal finance website Rock to Riches[1]! Here are his 10 financial tips for OFWs during the holiday season: Differentiate needs from wants “OFWs must learn how to compare and to distinguish the difference between needs and wants so that they will not get overwhelmed in buying things abroad before going home for the Holiday Season,” Burn begins. A home is a need, but a mansion with five bedrooms when you’re living alone is a want. Separating your needs from wants will allow you to enjoy the simple joys of…
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Jonathan Yabut: Lessons on Success and Finances
- By Moneymax
- December 11, 2015
Many know him as winner of the first season of The Apprentice Asia. It’s been two years but Jonathan Yabut is still at the top of his game. Through diskarte, grit, marketing, and leadership, Jonathan was able to overcome numerous challenges both onscreen and offscreen to get to where he is today. It was not an easy road for Jonathan to reach this success. He has strived to be a scholar since elementary up to college so that he can study. He always spends his baon to the last peso because he did not come from a well-off family. He also had simple joys in his life such as shopping at Divisoria, eating at fast food joints for celebrations, and scrimping his way to watch a movie at the theaters during the early years of his life. His experiences have driven him to strive for success and learn about personal finance, so he can leverage on multiple income streams and make his money work for him. What most people do not know is that Jonathan is much more than the winner of The Apprentice Asia Season 1. Right now, he is the chief of staff at Air Asia, a motivational speaker for top international companies, an advocate of entrepreneurship, a contributor to various publications to share his insights on career advancement and goal setting, and a book author of “From Grit to Great” which chronicles his learning from The Apprentice Asia Season 1 which has just been recently distributed here in the Philippines. In this exclusive interview with MoneyMax.ph, Jonathan talks about his…
