Wrote an article for our personal finance section today. You might want to check it out:

Did you know that a good art collector could beat returns in the stock market in both good and bad times?

Investment in well-chosen Philippine art pieces at a minimum of P100,000 to P150,000 could give a 10 percent to 30 percent in a year or two. For those who have a taste for the works of National Artists, the 1972 Bencab acrylic on paper, estimated at $19,000 to $26,000 eventually sold for $54,000, writes Giselle Kasilag in Kulay-Diwa website.
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No matter what we may all think about crazy Filipino drivers and crooked public officials, a lot of Filipinos who have lived most of their productive lives abroad still believe “there’s no place like home.”

The ultimate dream still seems to be coming home to the land of smiles. But how to prepare for it? That’s a common question we receive here at INQUIRER.net.

Should you invest here in the Philippines or in the country where you live? Which will give you better returns in the end? Should you convert your money into pesos now and invest here in the country or keep them in dollars/euros/yen etc. and convert when you are about to retire?

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This photo made me sigh. Calling Hachiko…how do those cherry blossoms look?

And this made me smile. Walking barefoot on grassy fields is a favorite pastime since I was a kid in Bicol. I used to let my heavy bags slide down after a long day at school and spend the good part of an hour quietly observing birds, trees and clouds and smelling the earth. I nurtured my inner introvert that way ☺

Work and life balance is a big deal in personal finance. When it comes to a point where work sucks in all our energy, we are no good both at work, at home, at church or in the community. Imbalance kills the inner joy in us; it is an enemy of money-smart peeps like you.

But since vacations are expensive especially in a country with more than 7,000 beautiful islands, it is best to plan and prepare for them carefully. Our personal finance article today on “Travel now, pay later” gives some tips:

1. Book early. It’s mid-summer, and most people would like to head out of town, if they haven’t done so already. Pick a vacation spot you and your family will enjoy then book flights and hotel rooms as soon as possible. This will make sure you’ll still have a summer getaway in comfort. Find out too, if the airline and hotel you’re looking at will give added points for your credit card company’s rewards program. Extra points will mean extra rewards later on. Plus, paying with a credit card may entitle you to free travel insurance.

2. Compare costs. Not only should you compare hotel room rates and air fares; compare costs between destinations as well. For instance, there may not be much difference between traveling to Hong Kong or Macau and traveling to Palawan and Davao. The weak US dollar has made reasonable travel packages abroad possible.

3. Budget the monthly installments. The Travel Now, Pay Later scheme is an installment plan which you should treat in the same way you would treat an appliance purchase. Find out how much the monthly installments for your vacation would be, then calendar it in your budget and planner. This scheme is easy on the pocket, enabling you to enjoy a big-ticket item (your vacation) without taxing your bank account.

4. Don’t forget transfer arrangements. Transfers between airport to hotel and vice versa may be arranged beforehand; so do city guided tours. Take advantage of these offers as these will enhance your travel experience.

5. Charge only what you can afford to pay. Just because you can use your credit card for the Travel Now, Pay Later scheme doesn’t mean you should get the most expensive travel package offered. Take only what you can afford to pay in the next three or six months (depending on the terms of the scheme). Don’t be saddled with debt with the vacation of your dreams. That will come in later in life, when you can afford to do so.

There are credit card companies who offer travel packages that will allow you to “travel now, but pay later.” Perhaps you have already availed of them or are planning to. Do you think these are good deals?

Yes or No?

*Photos from Agence France Presse.