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.
[Read the rest of this entry »]

If you were to put a peso figure on “your entire life” what would it be?

Watch this heartbroken Australian who decided to auction his entire life on eBay, which includes his three-bedroom house, a 19-year old Mazda car, jet ski, motorcycle, parachuting gear and – get this – his lifestyle, an introduction to all his friends and a two-week try out for his job as rug salesman.

Click here to see the video: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia
[Read the rest of this entry »]

MY apologies to our non-Filipino speaking readers. This is an article in Filipino sent to me by stock broker-friend Rodney Lim right after the Makati stand-off last Friday, which affected the stock market and the foreign exchange market. I could translate it to English, but a lot of the funny stuff will get lost in translation. This is just for laughs guys; nothing is factual in this article. Enjoy the week ahead!

According to sources from an asylum in Mandaluyong, this mobile phone conversation happened in Manila Pen.

Senator Trillanes: Pare, nasan ka na, nakareserve na ako ng room para sa iyo dito. Five star pa ang accommodations ko.

Royette Padilla: Pare pasensiya na pero kausap ko pa si Pareng Bill Clinton, inaayos namin ang mga supporters na babarikada diyan.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

Whew, I don’t know about you but I need a break from watching the market. This Lego doll knows how to relax! hehe…

Photo from Agence France-Presse with caption:

NETHERLANDS, Zandvoort : A huge Lego-doll of about 2,5 meters is seen at the beach of Zandvoort, 07 August 2007. Owners of a beachpub discovered the toy this morning. Nobody knows where the toy comes from, the Danish Legoland says they do not miss the Lego piece.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

What do you do when you need money in a hurry?

This guy had it easy. A smudge of driveway sealant that resembled the face of Jesus Christ was found on in his garage, and he sold it on eBay for…$1,525.69. Yep, P70,181.74 for a slab of concrete that doesn’t even cry, change expression or something.

(Photos again courtesy of Michelle Morelos.)

One of my weirdest habits is collecting flyers of “quick sources of cash” and taking note of advertisements on walls and posters. Here are some of the most common:

[Read the rest of this entry »]

…doesn’t mean you have to buy it.

Not as cryptic as Seth Godin’s post here, but it totally captures a basic personal finance attitude and reminds of an earlier blog post on wants versus needs.

Anybody want to play a game? Hopefully we’ll get some good personal finance one-liners from you. Complete the sentence… :-). You can choose one, two, or all.
[Read the rest of this entry »]