(Putting personal finances in the public eye does not scare Filipinos anymore. Photo from AFP)
Used to be that Filipinos would rather reveal their most embarrassing bloopers to friends rather than talk about how much they are making or how much debt they have.
Not anymore.
Pinoys are talking about their deep, dark money secrets in blogs, their investment portfolio and strategies, revealing their net worth and their biggest financial dreams, the lessons they learn along the way as they journey on to financial independence – and sometimes even their mistakes (laudable, really. After all, who doesn’t make mistakes?)
I usually go looking for these blogs once a week and take a peek at what people are feeling and saying. Aside from real life interviews that I do on a regular basis, these blogs give me a chance to get the Filipino pulse.
The bloggers I like don’t pretend to know everything. But they are very opinionated. I do not agree with everything they write, but hey, diversity makes life interesting. I read them because they tell their stories well.
Here are some examples:
The Money Tree…my ABCs of Personal Finance. Carefully chosen topics, good narrative, nice tables. The latest entry, however, was a month ago. Pinoy Piso, wake up!
Tales of the absolute trader is written by Tarantrader who is wild about technical analysis. He’s very opinionated. Warning, his blog is technical, but you’ll find some interesting posts like the one on choosing a stock broker.
I just discovered “The Girl With The Pearl Ngipin” lately. She’s a newbie in financial planning living in New Zealand. It’s interesting to me how she will handle the wild ride to her first P50 million 
. Let’s cheer her on!
Most of you know Digerati Life. She’s a Filipina living in Silicon Valley. Her blog posts will be helpful to Filipinos in the US, and even those who are making their own way here.
Moolah Matters is an example of how the young urban professional in Manila thinks, acts and decides. She’s the only one in the group that I know personally and I only met her recently.
Maybe it’s the anonymity in blogging that allows them to talk about what used to be a taboo subject. Maybe it’s the drive to do better with finances, maybe it’s the chance to talk to like-minded people. Whatever the reason, this shows there’s a shift in the Filipino psyche when it comes to money.
November 23rd, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Hi Salve, Thanks for visiting my blog. I regularly read your post. Personal finance blogging is more of a reinforcement avenue for me. I appreciate the “theories” more when I write and relate it to my own personal experiences. I’ll try to put in more stuff there — knowing that the “guru” (which is you — wink wink) get to check that site. Thanks again and keep this good site going — will yah?
November 23rd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Sheng, your friend sounds inspiring! Keep up the good work. There’s a reason why parlors in the olden days are very therapeutic for women
. Did you know that there is scientific evidence that chatting reduces stress and lengthens lives? Sharing nice thoughts, though, not chismis hehe. Oh by the way, your comment reminded me of women’s money clubs in the US that were born out of research that says women succeed more when they work together. Interesting, huh?
November 23rd, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Hi Digerati! Nice blogs you mentioned. I kept a couple of them in my favorites.
November 23rd, 2007 at 11:16 am
Maybe it’s the anonymity in blogging that allows them to talk about what used to be a taboo subject. Maybe it’s the drive to do better with finances, maybe it’s the chance to talk to like-minded people. Whatever the reason, this shows there’s a shift in the Filipino psyche when it comes to money.
Hi Salve! So, totally true! And also women today are really very empowered already. We are no longer relagated to a certain stereotype or double standard.
Among my girlfriends, we discuss finances and personal wealth all the time. We share our experiences and best practices in meeting our goals.
One of my friends has just made this year her first million by saving and a few investments here and there.
Also, what is truly inspiring is the fact that she’s spending what she earned on her first year on the job. All her salary increases, sales performance bonuses, and other extras are put in our provident fund and/or savings.
What’s amazing is inspite of her frugality, she still manages to pursue her hobby (diving) and even travel abroad.
I guess, paying yourself first is the first step towards financial freedom. Robert Kiyosaki is really right.
November 22nd, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Wow, so great to be included in your post, and what great points you make! I will admit that I remain anonymous in order to be more comfortable about discussing my personal experiences. The bloggers I know (myself included) work for companies that have strict rules about blogging so I’d rather not take chances.
I’d also like to let you know a few more finance/business blogs run by pinoys:
Binary Dollar - Henry used to blog religiously but has since gone on hiatus, but when he was actively writing, he was one of the most popular pf bloggers around.
FilAm Personal Finance - this is an active blog and fairly new to the pf scene, but I’ve been a fan from day one.
Pinoy Tech - more of a business/internet blog but he writes about finance on occasion. I’m a regular reader of this site as well!
I hope you give them a visit. Cool guys all!