And so, after 490-or-so articles over the course of roughly two years, I am saying goodbye to MoneySmarts.
It’s a bittersweet spot to be in. I feel like I am letting go of a child that I have nourished and nurtured for quite a while. Although I feel comforted that she will be in good hands and that we will continue to stay in touch, I will sorely miss the great conversations here (especially those hateful comments haha!).
Many are asking why. There’s a time to let go, you know? Moving on has a personal finance as well as an emotional cost. Yet even when the cost can be high, there is reason to raise our glasses and be grateful because much of the growing up that we do over the course of our lives has to do with how well we handle transitions.
In MoneySmarts, I’ve gained friends, earned trust and learned humility, advanced professionally, learned oodles of money tricks, discovered the high finance of parenting, and a lot more. More importantly, I had so much fun.
Yes, frugality and delaying gratification can sound like wet summer when you’re raring to get tanned, but you get to like doing them when you develop the proper frame of mind.
I also learned that it’s not all about the math. It’s more about the attitude, the ability to laugh when you make a financial mistake and to pick yourself up again and again. More valuable are the lessons on forgiving a loved one who has turned a money problem into disaster, or the need for creativity and in-the-moment involvement in teaching finance to a child or a teenager.
Solutions to the side stories are not found in the scores of articles and scholarly books on investing and money management that I have read and written, but are more valuable in the end. The math you can learn. The emotional maze tied to personal finance can take a lifetime to conquer.
How did I get here? Coming from a poor Bicolano family, a single-parent household, and eventually finding myself in UP Diliman to study Journalism on a budget that felt like a bungee jumper’s rope cut extremely short provided me with a rude awakening to the rough transitions that life sometimes brings. I praise God now for that rude awakening, though I questioned Him about it when I was younger.
Then I found myself working in a business newspaper and learned the trade of writing and reporting about business. In the late 90s, OFWs and their role in the economy were more or less ignored by the government and the media. I thought that pretty soon, they would be a force to reckon with, and they needed to learn about how to manage their money. I was no stranger to the financial problems their families got into despite the increased flow of cash; I was related to many OFWs and a witness to the sad stories. Unfortunately, financial services companies then wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole.
That’s how it all began—my writing about personal finance. It’s a service and an advocacy, and not really a job.
All these—my personal journey and the world out there--made me realize early on that life is hard. It’s not fair. But if you try to make the most of it, learning to laugh when you sometimes fail, you’ll be alright. What’s true with life is also true with personal finance.
So, goodbye. But I’m pretty sure we’ll “see” each other again. I’ll watch out for you, in the Internet, somewhere out there. Feel free to drop me a line anytime at lightdream (at) gmail (dot) com.
Here’s the best of personal finance articles in MoneySmarts that I hope you’ll find timeless and useful (some are guest posts):
Frugality
- Peso-pinching tips
- 10 tipid tips to make the most of your vacation
- Frugal shopping money-smart destinations
- How are you dealing with the crisis?
- The high cost of staying connected
- Bargains in surprising places
- Sneaky gas-saving tips
- Recycle
- Get an HMO
- Fix broken stuff
- Manage your magazine subscriptions
- Wet market vs grocery
- Misers and money
- Wants vs needs
- Aching for a plasma TV
- Do you trust the bar code?
- The psychology of spending
- Bad packaging meets irate shopper
- The SM Advantage rip-off
- Decoding your grocery receipts
- Don’t go shopping when…
- Money mood swings
- Lessons learned from an unscheduled, expensive vacation
- Lifestyle and money
- Grocery shopping errors you think you’re too smart to make
- How to shop without feeling guilty
- Paying for the debt of the dead
- When mom and dad are in debt trouble
- Don’t borrow and forget
- The thing with GSIS member loans
- Good story on bad credit
- 5 stupid ATM and credit card mistakes
- Desperate email from a reader: my creditors are after me!
- Why you need to pay your credit card balance in full
- Credit card fraud: who foots the bill?
- Demystifying finance charge computations on your credit card
- No one can afford not to save
- Selected Philippine time deposit rates
- What to do with P50M
- 11 common mistakes in investing
- How did you make your first million?
- Are you a millionaire in the making?
- The first million is the hardest
- Stock market investing for beginners
- How safe are Philippine banks
- Bank fees you don’t have to pay
- How to trick yourself into saving
- Minimum placements in Philippine financial instruments
- Investing during tough times
- What to do with losing investments
- How much to invest for the long-term
- Investing urban legend
- Hidden cost of VULs
- Understanding VULs (Sunlife’s reply to Chris)
- Yield and return: are they the same?
- Retail corporate bonds, anyone?
- Pre-need companies with seal of good housekeeping from SEC
- Guide through the maze of pre-need plan failures
- Guide for depositors of closed banks
- Is SSS financially viable?
- The PERA Bill at its core
- Decoding the PERA Bill rules (Part 1)
- Who can open a PERA and how? (Part 2)
- Where to invest your PERA (Part 3)
- Tax breaks under PERA rules (Part 4)
- Painless way to increase your savings
- Why do Filipinos bet on lotto?
- Special deposit accounts as alternative to time deposits
- How to choose an online stock broker
- Where to put your Christmas bonus
- Looking for a mutual fund you can count on
- How to read the mutual fund table
- 51, and not yet ready for retirement
- Middle-class, working Filipinos worried about bleak retirement
- Do you really want to retire early?
- The anatomy of a perfect scam
- Tales of woe from Legacy scam victim
- The scam that rattled high society
- Confessions of a scam magnet
- BSP warns against online investment scams and HYIPs
- New scams, same old tune
Salve, I'm really sad Money Smarts has to go. It's one of the two blogs I never miss to read including all the comments. Peo ganun ata talaga, at some point you need to move on. Thank you so much for your very nice and informative articles in the past two years. I really enjoyed them and they were helpful. I am really sad but I wish you well in your next journey. I hope you'll start your own blog though :) hehehehehehheh
shocks! i missed your articles for two weeks due to workload. and it's very saddening, i will miss it from this day on. =(
oh no! say it ain't so. maybe you should start your own personal blog :P
adios!
I wish you would have all your articles compiled and published as a book, like your MoneySmarts book. I will be your first buyer!
hi salve, whoah goodbye post? you must be kidding. i didn't expect it to be this soon when things are just warming up (sigh). anyhoots, thanks for all your insights in personal finance. it has been a personal journey for you as much as ours. you'll be sorely missed. ;)
salve, why?!
but this blog remains right?
i will miss you (even though we never met).
Vaya con Dios!
I will surely miss MoneySmarts! Huhu.. =( Thanks for the articles Ms. Salve! Like you said, we'll "see" each other pa rin naman --- in MoneySense mag and Income-Tacts.com. I wish you all the best!
God bless!
waaah! This is sad news!
Will someone else take over managing the site or will this be the last post?
Take care Salve and Thank you for the insightful posts.
Best wishes!
Thank you Salve. Good Luck on your new journey. God Bless!
goodluck on your new journey salve!
salve, thanks for all the help, really - guiding us thru our financial woes and little triumphs. it was nice to have come across your money smarts blog.
do keep in touch so we won't miss you!
and may you have success in all your endeavors!
God bless you Salve!
Thanks and god bless you for helping others.
How to keep in touch with you?
Drop me a message.
Buenas swerte, salve. I'm an avid reader of your blog here in miami.
Hello Ma'am Salve thank you for the columns it helped me a lot. I love it. Goodbye!
thanks for the articles. i believe God made you a blessing to many like me. and i believe also that He has a grander plan for you to help people especially those who have less in life not only materially but also on financial literacy as well.
we do not know each other but i will surely miss your articles. good luck on your next journey and hope to hear from you again.
Hi Salve, is everything alright? Why say goodbye? Kaya pala walang bagong article mashado in the past few weeks.
sabi ko na nga ba, eh. ang tagal mo mag-update ng blog. i knew something was up.
good luck in your future endeavors.
Ms. Salve, crisis din ba dyan? hehehe...
May utang ka pa sa amin.. yung IRR ng PERA.. Hahaha..
i will surely miss your blog. it's always the first thing i check every time i open inquirer.net
I have really learned a lot of personal finance ideas from you. they were all practical and usefull in my decisions.
May God continue to bless you in your future endeavors.
Madamu gid nga salamat.
Manay,
Dios mabalos tabi sa guinibo mong pagsurat manungod sa sakuyang isinurat sa blog ko. Aram ko, kun dai mo idto guinibo, dai ako mabisto ki todo.
Maogma ako ta nabisto ta ka asin nakaulay ta ka, maski na ngani grabe si pinag-aasikasu mo. Bilib ako 'ne. Uragon ba.
Kun sain ka man mapadpad, maski na ngani tinaram mo sako kadto si mga plano mo (na para sa sako na sana idto), hinahagad ko sa taas na matiwasay asin mauswag so poon kan bago mong padudumanan.
Dai ka tabi makalimot. Magwalat ka ki mensahe sa harong harong ko.
Dios mabalos talaga!
Reynz
Aloha Salve! Just came back from Hawaii. Ey gud lak w/ ur future plans! Career move I believe...
RE: "finding myself in UP Diliman ... on a budget that felt like a bungee jumper’s rope..." we were in UP roughly the same time. I earned the big bucks that time and you sure needed it more eh?
Oh well. That's just one of many reasons why I learned to invest my 300k (it's creeping back to P 1M, yippee!) To prove I could keep it responsibly. And to help others along the way.
Oh the lighter side. Tama hinala ko. After 100+ articles, mayaman ka na nga 'day! hehehe.
Nice two years here with you. Yup it's true. There's the disciplined, calculating side to financial responsibility. But also the funny and witty side to it! And the rewards too!
In my case? Still got my money from my TV days in college. And last night I watched the lovely sunset in the waters of Waikiki beach. So how's that?
Again, best wishes! :)
bye for now, Salve. God Bless. =D
Would that mean Karen Galarpe take your place now ?
If this guess is correct, then MoneySmarts would remain in good hands.
My information says she is equally an excellent and very professional writer like you Salve. Someone has tipped she was a business graduate and was once a UST VARSITARIAN writer during her student days.
I read FINANCIAL EXECUTIVE magazine (also a Philippine Money magazine like MoneySense) and I think she is its editor-in-chief. The magazine is impressive.
As my other information says, Karen is a very kind and humble person.
Don't say goodbye Salve. Before you know it, you are coming back at MoneySense not perhaps as a moderator but in another role. hehe .. Who knows ?
Hmm.. . . I suspect your presence at the web would continue and your fans would continue to support your endeavor.
All the best . . .
INDEXrider
Salve, thank you so much, money smarts has not only helped readers understand and appreciate the importance of investment literacy in the quest for financial independence but have also allow practitioners like myself a venue to share our own personal experiences in the quest of our own
thank you,
good luck ulit :)
hi salve!
im gonna miss you here.
saen ka man sa bicol? can i email u personally?
eniweys, best of luck you.http://tagatiwi.multiply.com/photos/album/
Letty
Missing you already Salve ... like in the news this week, deposit insurance has already been raised from 250,000 to 500,000 but no news has been reported yet on when this will take effect. Also, in the PDI report, it says that the amendment also gives the deposit insurer the authority to determine which deposits to insure or not! I felt it wasn't explained thoroughly, and somehow I felt unease thinking that my insurance could be taken away anytime.
*sigh*
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20090430-202255/Bank-deposit-insurance-raised-to-P500000
FREE Personal Finance Advice
Hello Salve,
Thank you for the talents you've shared with your readers. Surely, I for one will miss you. But, I know God have so much for you in store. Go for it. We'll follow you.
Good luck and keep the faith.
Leo
all the best salve..... i am sure things will come back to you a hundred fold
Thanks for sharing your practical experiences. Best of luck!
Thanks for all the practical and sound advice..God Bless u and ur Family..Lets get out of the rat race(:
Hi Salve!
Thanks for Money Smarts, I have followed it from the very start without miss and have learned a lot from it as well. It's too bad that it has to go! Anyway, I wish you best of luck in your next endeavor!
Salve,
you have been a daily habit. One of the very few favorites saved in my laptop. Too bad you are going.
bump you around.
Mangyan
(Ronald Jabal)
Salve-
"You changed my life in a moment. And I'll never be the same again."
Really, this catchy song phrase is more than appropriate to what your blog did to my personal finance.
I am in a much better position than when I was 2 years ago. I've cleaned up my credit card debt. I am living an almost plastic-less life (can't resist the 5% rebate on fuel charges). I take 0% interest promos with a grain of salt. And for the first time since I joined the labor force, I am not living a payday to payday life.
Thank you Salve, and congratulations on the new baby!
I have known you for a little while, especially your blogs, but I'm so thankful for all your sharings in moneysmarts. I learned a lot from it. Surely, I'll miss you. Good luck and may God bless you always!
All the best Salve and more power to your writing and whatever else you're getting into :)
Ria
Thank you so much for your articles!! I enjoy reading them all.. Good luck with the next stage in your life. Cheers for growth! :)
Thank you Salve for all the treasure that you shared.
God Bless!
I'll miss reading Money Smarts! :( I really learned a lot through this blog. It gave me hope while I was (am) trying to get my finances in order.
"See" you around Salve! Thanks a lot!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful blog entries for the past 2 years, I enjoyed it very much. :)
Salve let's celebrate two years of companionship here in Moneysmarts. Ilibre mo kaming lahat! Sana'y matikman din namin lahat ng iyong endorsement revenues dito :D Mwahaha. Joke lang. Best wishes!
Some good things never last.
But why is inquirer shutting down moneysmarts, the blog with the highest traffic among the blogs of inquirer?
It has been a daily routine to check updates on this blog. I will terribly miss your great articles.
as an apostle of personal finance, I will try to spread the gospel of delayed gratification and financial freedom.
I do hope you can visit my blog (mywtentyfivecents.wordpress.com) and comment on my articles. I can even have you as a guest writter if you want, although I can't pay you. This is all about passion.
I promise to update my blog as often as I could. brining relevant news and opportunities on personal finance.
Hope to hear from you again Salve. Thank you for 2 years of wonderful articles.
Why o why Salve? Seriously, we'll miss you a lot! I've been one of your avid readers since last year and I've learned a lot from your blog as I apply some of them in my own blog to educate also my readers in personal finance.
Truly, with your articles and writings, you served and helped a lot of people in alleviatying their lives. Naks!
More power!
GOD, my creator and the only GOD, you better know the life of Salve. I ask You to bless her in all realms and make her prosper. Take care of her family, her health, her work and all her plans. Lead her not into temptation, but deliver her from evil. In Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you GOD for all the blessings!
Hi Ms Salve!
i was really surprised by the news that money smarts is saying bye.
i am an avid follower and this section in the web gave me an opportunity to meet entrepreneur-friends.
thanks for the information and tip!
hoping to see you again!
Salve, you know how much impact you have had on my life, our lives. I cannot thank you enough but I will try. When we signed up for your personal finance experiment, we knew we would make money, but the most wonderful surprise is meeting a bunch of wonderful, amazing and great people (you, Mr. Money Smarts, Joe and Nannette and the kids!). You have generously let us into your lives and meeting all of you has added a new, happier dimension to the word "rich". I am glad for you, in your "moving on". Know that you will always have our love. We salute you and Money Smarts and thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.
I am one of the avid reader of Money Smart. Really sand to know this morning that you're saying good bye to us. Thank you very much for helping us educating in our personal finance. Hoping to see you in your personal blog same like money smart.