Saturday, August 25, 2012

Financial IQ: Money Mindset

I Get MoneyI Get Money (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

Interesting money mindset article. :)


Budgeting and managing your money is never a happy experience – IF you’re in the red. Yet, if you’re like most people, there are 7 common money mindset myths that are keeping you that way.

Change your mind and change your numbers. This sounds simple, but it works.

Money Mindset Myth #1 – A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned
Money Mindset Myth #2 – I Don’t Need Money Help
Money Mindset Myth #3 – Budgeting Saves Me Money
Money Mindset Myth #4 – If I Earn More, I Can Spend More
Money Mindset Myth #5 – If I Don’t Risk It, I Can’t Lose It
Money Mindset Myth #6 – I Make Enough
Money Mindset Myth #7 – My Today Is Taken Care Of

Start saving into a retirement fund today so you can start planning for future success.


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Friday, August 24, 2012

Financial IQ: P6.95 billion worth of Treasury bills

Original BSP Seal (1949-1993)Original BSP Seal (1949-1993) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

The government has issued a new set of treasury bills, with interest rates lower than previously issued T-bills.  Instead of purchasing T-bills, you may want to consider SMC's preferred shares instead with interest rates of 7% to 8% per annum.


The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) sold P6.95 billion worth of 91, 182 and 364-day Treasury bills (T-bills) in yesterday’s auction.

This was below the planned debt sale of P7.5 billion because the government’s auction committee opted to do a partial sale of the 181-debt paper.

Had the government decided to sell the full amount of P2.5 billion for the 181-day T-bill, the average rate would have stood at 1.745 percent from a previous rate of 1.795 percent.

The 90-day T-bill fetched an average rate of 1.452 percent from 1.495 percent. Total tenders for this paper reached P2.871 billion, allowing the government to sell P1 billion as planned for this tenor.

The average rate on the 181-day T-bill hit 1.671 percent, lower than the previous rate of 1.795 percent as the government settled for a partial award.

The average rate of the 364-day T-bill, meanwhile, declined to 2.125 percent, lower than the previous rate of 2.722 percent.

Total tenders for this paper reached P6.76 billion, out of a planned sale of P4 billion. This allowed the government to sell the full amount of P4 billion as planned.

Deputy Treasurer Eduardo Mendiola said investors factored in the possibility of an uptick in the inflation rate in August.

Inflation rate hit a six-month high of 3.2 percent in July from 2.8 percent in June and 2.9 percent in May, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said that the monsoon rains may temporarily cause supply disruptions which may put pressure on inflation.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=840766&publicationSubCategoryId=66

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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Financial IQ: San Miguel's preferred shares offering

San Miguel Premium LagerSan Miguel Premium Lager (Photo credit: drewesque)Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

San Miguel's preferred shares offer is a very good deal.  More so, if you are just leaving your money on time deposits or some bonds with lower interest rates.  Prices of preferred shares are generally less volatile than common shares.


The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved a landmark preferred shares offering planned by conglomerate San Miguel Corp. worth up to P80 billion.

According to documents  from the SEC, as much as 1.067 billion shares in a new series of preferred stock  at an issue price of P75 per share is to be offered to the public.

Mandated as bookrunners for the offering were: HSBC, Union Bank, BDO Capital, China Bank, RCBC Capital, First Metro Investments Corp., ING Bank, Philippine Commercial Capital Inc., Standard Chartered Bank, SB Capital and United Coconut Planters Bank.

The base offer will comprise 960 million shares with an option to upsize by 107 million shares in case of strong demand.

The series 2 preferred shares will be peso-denominated, perpetual, cumulative, non-participative and non-voting and may be issued in sub-series or tranches.  SMC has the option to redeem the preferred shares by the 5th, 7th or 10th year or otherwise pay a higher dividend rate.

Dividend rate per annum on the sub-series (2-A) redeemable in five years is 7.5 percent and that on sub-series (2-B) redeemable in the seventh year is 7.625 percent.  The sub-series redeemable in 10 years will be paid a dividend rate of 8 percent per annum, the SEC documents showed.

The shares will be issued upon approval by the SEC of the increase in SMC’s authorized capital stock from P22.5 billion to P30 billion.  These preferred shares will be listed and traded on the Philippine Stock Exchange.

As earlier reported, the bulk of the proceeds will be used to redeem all of SMC’s existing P72.8 billion series 1 preferred shares while the remainder shall be for general corporate purposes, including partial repayment of short-term debt.

This new series of preferred shares, when redeemed, shall not be considered retired and may be re-issued by SMC at a price to be determined by the board.

The offer period is expected to be completed by September 14 and listing on the PSE no later than Oct. 12.  The final timetable, however, is subject to approval by the PSE.

The government holds 753.8 million preferred shares in SMC previously equivalent to 24 percent of common shares but were converted into preferred shares which SMC has the option to redeem this year.

Following an affirmation from the Supreme Court that these assets belong to coconut farmers, the government is now technically free to sell its SMC preferred shares.

This offering also intends to attract billions of pesos in excess liquidity otherwise invested only in the special deposit accounts of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

http://business.inquirer.net/76027/sec-approves-san-miguel-preferred-share-offering

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Financial IQ: PAL's fly global free domestic ticket

PR RP-C3332PR RP-C3332 (Photo credit: caribb)Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

A decent deal from PAL, get a free domestic ticket for each international ticket purchased.


Fly Global Get Local
Fly to any of our 26 international destinations and get a domestic ticket for yourself or for your loved one for FREE! 

Selling/Ticketing Period:  19 to 25 August 2012 
International Outbound Travel Period: 19 August to 26 October 2012 
Travel Period of the FREE Domestic Ticket: 01 September to 26 October 2012. Travel must be completed by 26 October 2012 

Book and buy Fiesta Saver, Fiesta Plus, Mabuhay Classic or Mabuhay Premium international ticket through www.philippineairlines.com using MasterCard, Visa or JCB credit card to avail of the FREE domestic ticket. Or, purchase tickets at any Philippine-based ticket office and travel agents or call our reservations office in Manila at (632) 855-8888.  Click here to view other contact details in the Philippines

The FREE domestic ticket may be claimed after the outbound sector of the international ticket has been flown or within three (3) days after arrival but not later than 26 October 2012 . Tickets may be claimed at any PAL Philippine-based ticket office or call Contact Center at (632) 855-8888. The FREE domestic ticket is valid on PR-operated flights only.

Flights operated by Airphil Express (codeshare partner) cannot be redeemed under this promo:

Between Manila and Busuanga, Calbayog, Catarman, Caticlan, Masbate, Naga, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Surigao, San Jose, Tuguegarao
Between Cebu and Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan De Oro, Caticlan, Cotabato, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Surigao, Tacloban, Zamboanga
Between Davao and Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga
Between Zamboanga and Jolo, Tawi Tawi
Between Clark and Cebu, Davao, Kalibo and Puerto Princesa
Between Busuanga and Puerto Princesa

TRAVEL CONDITIONS 

Application:

This promo entitles the passenger purchasing Fiesta Saver, Fiesta Plus, Mabuhay Classic and Mabuhay Premium international ticket to a free domestic class ticket of the same class of service
Only full adult fare paying passenger shall be entitled to avail of the FREE domestic ticket. Fiesta Deal fares are not qualified to avail of the FREE domestic ticket
Valid for sales/ticketing in the Philippines only and for travel originating Philippines 
Passengers who purchase round-trip international ticket shall be entitled to a FREE round-trip domestic ticket for the same class of service; one-way international ticket shall be entitled to a FREE one-way domestic ticket
The FREE domestic ticket can be availed only once per international ticket
The FREE domestic ticket can be availed by the same revenue passenger or for another passenger; however once issued, the FREE domestic ticket is no longer transferable
The FREE domestic ticket may be claimed after the outbound sector of the revenue ticket has been flown or within three (3) days after arrival but not later than October 26, 2012 
The FREE domestic ticket may be claimed at any PAL Philippine based ticket office. In the event that another passenger is availing of the FREE domestic ticket he/she must provide upon ticketing an authorization letter and valid ID from the revenue passenger
For internet/web transactions, passenger may claim the FREE domestic ticket by any of the two options below: 

Option 1: 
Passenger at his/her own convenience can go to any PAL Philippine-based office to claim the FREE domestic ticket after outbound sector of the revenue ticket has been flown. 

Option 2:  (If the passenger cannot go to PAL ticket office) 
Once the outbound sector of the revenue ticket has been flown, passenger must call PAL reservations at 855-8888 to book the PR-operated domestic sector and date of their choice for the FREE domestic ticket.  After payment of the applicable taxes, fees and surcharges, the e-ticket will be emailed to the passenger by the Contact Center to the same email address used online.   The passenger must be the card holder or must be part of the traveling party. 
Confirmed reservations are required for all sector
International ticket will accrue the standard mileage
Senior Citizen Discount shall not apply
Normal fare conditions shall apply to revenue tickets 
Conditions for FREE DOMESTIC TICKET:
The FLY GLOBAL, GET LOCAL FREE domestic ticket can be claimed at any PAL Philippine-based ticket office or through PAL Contact Center at 855-8888
A valid revenue ticket is required to redeem the FREE domestic ticket
Ticketing must be completed within 48 hours after confirmed reservations are made.  Individual tickets will be issued per itinerary for tickets issued in the PAL ticket offices. Extension of validity is not permitted
Rerouting not permitted

Changes 
Changes permitted   (ONLY WITHIN THE TRAVEL PERIOD) 
Business Class (Z) -  PHP 400 plus VAT per sector  
Economy Class (W) -  PHP 800 plus VAT per sector 
No-show surcharge of PHP1, 000 plus VAT (domestic) shall be applied based on existing policy 
Refunds - All unused tickets must be presented for refund 
Business Class (Z) and Economy Class (W): taxes and surcharges are refundable subject to the current general service fee of PHP750 per ticket
No mileage accrual for the FREE domestic ticket
Passenger must present valid IDs to claim the FREE domestic ticket 
Limited seats only

http://www.philippineairlines.com/special_offers/latest_offers/fly_global_get_local.jsp
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Friday, August 17, 2012

Financial IQ: Forget Apple, Forget Facebook: Here's The One Company That Actually Terrifies Google

Image representing Amazon as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBase
Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

Interesting to see how the competing tech firms are keeping a watchful eye on each other.


It's very easy to get caught up in the Android versus iPhone duel and Google's recruiting battles with its newly-public Silicon Valley neighbor, Facebook.

But neither one of those companies worry Google executives as much as another that is actively taking money out of their pockets.

This company is from Washington, but no, it's not Microsoft.

Google's real rival, and real competition to watch over the next few years is Amazon.

Google is a search company, but the searches that it actually makes money from are the searches people do before they are about to buy something online. These commercial searches make up about 20 percent of total Google searches. Those searches are where the ads are.

What Googlers worry about in private is a growing trend among consumers to skip Google altogether, and to just go ahead and search for the product they would like to buy on Amazon.com, or, on mobile in an Amazon app. 

There's data to prove this trend is real. According to ComScore, Amazon search queries are up 73 percent in the last year. But it makes intuitive sense doesn't it?

Why go through these steps …

Google search "rubber galoshes,"
Analyze some text links,
Click on one to go to a product page on some e-commerce store,
Click to add the item to your cart,
Input your credit card,
Input your address,

… when you can just …
Search amazon for "rubber galoshes,"
Click one button to buy the product with your usual credit card and have it shipped to your normal address.

On mobile, where Amazon has its own app and Google is just a search bar for a smaller-screened browser, the equation tips further in Amazon's balance.

The scenario gets even scarier for Google if Kindle phones and Kindle tablets gain ubiquity.

If you have a Kindle phone, which comes with free movies and books because you have an Amazon Prime account, which also gives you free shipping, why in the WORLD would you ever search to buy something through anything but Amazon?

You wouldn't.

That's why Amazon is practically giving its hardware away.

It's also why Amazon scares Google more than anything Facebook or Apple are up to.


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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Financial IQ: What's next for Standard Chartered?

Standard CharteredStandard Chartered (Photo credit: Canadian Pacific)Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

Still on Standard Chartered, though business will surely take a hit if it can no longer operate on US, it can still sustain its operation as it still generates 80% of its revenue from the rest of the world (excluding US).


Standard Chartered shares slumped in both Hong Kong and London on Tuesday after New York’s top bank regulator said the British bank worked with Iran to hide $250 billion in transactions, violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws, but analysts say that the case will only have limited impact on the bank. 

The New York State Department of Financial Services on Monday threatened to strip Standard Chartered of its banking license in the state. It said the bank was a "rogue institution" that had "schemed" with the Iranian government and hid 60,000 secret transactions that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in fees.

The stock [STAN-GB  1200.50     -269.50  (-18.33%)   ] had slumped more than 6 percent in London on Monday after news broke on the accusations. It fell a further 17 percent in early morning trade on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the stock in Hong Kong [2888.HK  160.10     -28.00  (-14.89%)   ] closed 14.8 percent lower.

While the case could “haunt the company” for some time, the impact on its stock will be “limited,” according to Kathy Lien, Managing Director of BK Asset Management.

“Yes, it creates a really big black mark on their name but at the end of the day, what’s probably going to happen is they’re going to get slapped on their wrist, they’re going to be fined, they’re going to get greater scrutiny as a result of this. But at the end of the day, Standard Chartered is going to survive this,” Lien told CNBC Asia’s “Squawk Box.”

Aberdeen Asset Management, which owns about 6 percent of Standard Chartered, said investors will have to give the bank a chance to respond and believes that the bank should be able to uphold its “very clean” reputation. The company expects certain risk management and oversight standards from the bank and the bank also tries to uphold those standards, Hugh Young, Managing Director of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia told CNBC.

“It’s a strong bank,” Young said. “It has avoided up until yesterday all the nightmare areas that the other banks have strayed into. It had and still has, unless we are prejudging, a very clean reputation as one of the world's leading banks. And certainly do we recognize the rogue bank that they're accused of being? No, we don't.”

Japanese brokerage Nomura however cut its rating on Standard Chartered's stock from 'Buy' to 'Neutral' on Tuesday after the news.

Standard Chartered had allegedly moved money through its New York branch on behalf of Iranian clients, including the Central Bank of Iran and state-owned Bank Saderat and Bank Melli, that were subject to U.S. sanctions, according to the department of financial services. The bank processes $190 billion every day for global clients, it added, and its activities with Iran exposed the U.S. banking system to terrorists, drug traffickers and corrupt states.

It did this through so-called “U-Turn” transactions, referring to money moved for Iranian clients among banks in Britain and Middle East and cleared through Standard Chartered's New York branch, but which neither started nor ended in Iran.

Standard Chartered in a statement on Monday rejected the department’s accusations, adding that it did not present “a full and accurate picture of the facts.” 

“The analysis, that the Group shared with all the US agencies, demonstrates that throughout the period the Group acted to comply, and overwhelmingly did comply, with US sanctions and the regulations relating to U-turn payments.  As we have disclosed to the authorities, well over 99.9 percent of the transactions relating to Iran complied with the U-turn regulations.  The total value of transactions which did not follow the U-turn was under $14 million.”

The bank’s “reviews of its Iranian payments also did not identify a single payment on behalf of any party that was designated at the time by the US Government as a terrorist entity or organization…Standard Chartered ceased all new business with Iranian customers in any currency over five years ago,” it said.

Standard Chartered, a financier in emerging markets, is the sixth foreign bank since 2008 to be implicated in dealings with sanctioned countries such as Iran in investigations led by federal and New York law-enforcement officials, according to Reuters.

Its British counterpart HSBC was also accused last month by a U.S. Senate investigation of violating anti-money laundering rules.

Justin Harper, Market Strategist of IG Markets in Singapore, said he does not expect any impact on Standard Chartered's reputation to last.

The bank's name won't be dented, "not if it can clear its name, which I expect it will be able to do," he told CNBC. "Mud gets thrown all the time at banks, and it very rarely sticks for long. These type of accusations are becoming more common and banks will need to be prepared to defend themselves if they have done nothing wrong."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/48541031?__source=yahoo%7Crelated%7Cstory%7Ctext%7C&par=yahoo

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Financial IQ: Market reaction to Standard Chartered news

‪中文(简体)‬: 渣打银行(中国)有限公司广州分行天河支行‪中文(简体)‬: 渣打银行(中国)有限公司广州分行天河支行 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):


This is an example of the market reaction to Standard Chartered News.  The price dropped by almost 20% when news broke out of possible regulatory issues.


Standard Chartered's share price, which lost close to a fifth of its value in early trading Tuesday after news of U.S. regulators' allegations that it helped Iran launder up to $250 billion broke, may not be the only victim of the accusations.

London's reputation as a global financial center has come under attack repeatedly in recent months, as one after another of its most famous financial institutions had to admit to underhand dealings and accept fines.

As Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), HSBC and Lloyds reported their various troubles, Standard Chartered, with its emerging markets focus and solemn promise to "balance its ambition with its conscience" in a recent marketing campaign, looked like a beacon of fair dealing and profitability.

The damning statement from the New York Department of Financial Services (NY DFS) claimed that Standard Chartered had illegally earned "hundreds of millions of dollars in fees" for hiding transactions from Iran worth close to $250 billion since 2001. Worries that this could lead, not just to a hefty fine, but even to its U.S. banking licence being revoked, sent its share price into freefall in Hong Kong and London.

In comparison, when Barclays announced its fine over manipulation of the London interbank offered rate (Libor - click here for an explanation), its share price dropped by around 16 percent.

Standard Chartered has vigorously denied the allegations and said the statement does not present "a full and accurate picture of the facts." Just $14 million worth of transactions are suspect, the bank said.

Standard Chartered is facing a fine of up to $1.5 billion, according to Cormac Leach, UK bank analyst at Liberium, who pointed out that HSBC had recently made a $700 million provision for fines related to "weak anti-money laundering controls," rather than the deliberate fraud which the NY DFS has alleged against Standard Chartered.

Nomura downgraded the bank from buy to neutral. Banking analysts at the Japanese bank wrote in a research note: "On fundamental equity analysis, Standard Chartered remains our preferred UK bank, but in face of this unquantifiable legal risk, we would rather remain cautious until some of this uncertainty is mitigated."

There was indignation in the London market at supposed high-handedness from the U.S regulator.

Sean Corrigan, chief investment officer of Diapason Commodities Management, spoke of "American legal buccaneering" from the NY DFS.

"The American authorities never go after an American bank, they always bully somebody abroad. U.S. banks are closer to Washington and the political action committees there," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Tuesday.

"The American judicial system is so politicized. This is usually some guy climbing the greasy pole of politics, and it's easier for them to pick on a foreign institution that does business in America than on an American institution."

"Diplomatically, there is no counterweight to bear against the American political might. That's not to say the American system is immune from oversight, but these high-profile cases always seem to go outside the country," he added.

Wachovia, part of U.S. banking giant Wells Fargo, paid a hefty fine in 2010 for helping to move money for Mexican drug smugglers.

"I fear that we have another Eliot Spitzer on our hands who's looking for a bit of fame and glory," Chris Wheeler, banking analyst at Mediobanca, told CNBC. He recommended buying Standard Chartered on the dip in its share price.

"This is one of the most solid management teams in the sector. There are always risks working in developing markets. I am concerned that we're in a situation where it's something that is going to damage the bank and could just be down to individuals."

Another argument is that there are more likely to be faults in London purely because of its size and importance. The city has grown in importance in recent years following the introduction of the Sarbanes-Oxley rules in the U.S., and partly because of its geographical importance and location in the time zone between the U.S. and fast-growing markets in Asia.

"London is the global financial center of banking, and therefore if there are issues in the banking sector, they are more likely to be in London," Mark Boleat, chairman of the policy and resources committee of the City of London, told CNBC.com.

"There is nothing special to London in what's happened in recent months, issues like the Libor scandal seem to have affected different financial centers. London is still a very strong financial center but there are issues which need to be dealt with at the moment."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stanchart-iran-claims-latest-threat-104147099.html

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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Financial IQ: You as loan guarantor?

English: Seal of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board.English: Seal of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

If you are considering assisting your friends or relatives in availing loans, with you as the co-signor or guarantor... think twice first and understand the repercussions.  That is, you will be the one responsible for the loan in case the primary person bails out.


Co-signing a home loan is like strapping yourself to an amateur bungee jumper, and then insisting the rope’s too short. Unless it’s your wife or sibling, I don’t even want to know the reason; it’s liable to make LSD look like a glass of warm milk. But before you willingly dive into 10 to 15 years of debt, take some time to consider the dangers. Co-signing a home loan brings severe disadvantages, and you’ll want to be prepared:

1. It Can Stop You Getting Your Own House 

When you co-sign a home loan, it’s as good as getting the loan yourself.

The bank doesn’t care that someone else is paying, or what your deal with them is. When you approach the banker for a home loan, he’ll check the records, see you’ve already got one, and turn you down. End of story. The only time you’re getting a new home loan is when the old one gets paid off; which, depending on the borrower, might take 10 to 15 years.

If you’re co-signing for a spouse, this might not be a problem. But if you’re co-signing for a sibling or child, consider the ramifications: if for some reason you can’t stay in the same house, you’re still saddled with the home loan. Do you know how ridiculous it is to rent a house while you’ve got a home loan? It’s like asking for matches because your hair is on fire.

And if you can’t afford to rent…well, there are plenty of ways to become homeless, but you may have just found the stupidest.

2. It Can Sink You in Debt 

What happens when the co-signatory can’t make repayments? Well, the banker scrapes its claws across the loan document, and notices there’s another name there: yours.

Don’t think you just have to pay the balance. Your co-signatory would have accumulated late fees, attorney fees, and compound interest. And by the time your co-signatory is officially declared bankrupt, you may be looking at years of missed payments. At which point, your only help will come from Googling “bank robbery” or “organ harvesting”.

Oh, and if you can’t make those payments? The bank has a right to garnish your wages, foreclose on any other property you might have, and just outright declare you bankrupt. Hard to deny that accusation from the bridge you’re living under.

3. It Damages Relationships 

“Gee, I’m sorry I bankrupted you and left your whole family on the streets, but happy New Year!”
That might be the awkward statement on your co-signatory’s mind, at every family reunion from now on. That, or the location of the nearest hospital, depending on whether you’ve gotten over things. But consider point 2, and think what would happen if you’re dealing with a son, sibling, or spouse.

Yeah, uglier than botched Botox.

It’s inadvisable to even lend to friends or family, let alone use their home as collateral. If you really need to help them out, consider a one-off donation instead of co-signing. Co-signed home loans can permanently rip a family apart, especially when your children start paying for it.

4. It’s Difficult to Extricate Yourself 

Once your name is on the home loan, extricating yourself is like unwinding barbed wire with your tongue.

Maybe your co-signatory has just lost his job, or has a divine message to bet his life savings on the next race. Well good luck; you probably won’t get your name off that loan document on time. Few co-signatories get away before the loan tenure is up; even if your co-signatory has no problems with the change (and you’ll need his approval), the legal fees are steep.

The first time you co-sign, the bank absorbs the legal fees. Every subsequent change, you pay the fees yourself and waste a lot of time.

5. It Might Damage Your Credit Score 

If your co-signatory is meant to pay the loan, you’d better hope he does it regularly.
Late or missed payments will show up in your credit reports, because it’s your loan too remember? Suddenly, anyone running your credit check starts thinking “Whoah, this person has the fiscal responsibility of a five year old in candy store”.

This can cause serious problems, especially when making a major purchase (like a car). Your net worth is similarly affected, because that loan you co-signed now adds to your liabilities. This might translate to higher interest for other loans, and even affect insurance premiums. And, of course, the home loan ultimately adds to your credit ceiling; there’s only so much money each of us is qualified to borrow, and a home loan takes up the lion’s share of that.

So if you’re going to co-sign a home loan, think beyond immediate relationships. Yes, it might hurt your relationship if you turn them down; but how much worse will it be if they default? 

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Friday, August 3, 2012

Financial IQ: Financial show

Easy Money (TV series)Easy Money (TV series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

This new TV show sounds a good match to anyone who wants to improve their financial education.


ANC is empowering Filipinos to become better managers of their personal finances with its newest daily program On The Money


Premiering tomorrow, July 30, at 3:30 p.m., On The Money will be packed with segments that explain saving and investment concepts, demystify money myths and simple, easy-to-use tips and tricks on how viewers can get more bang for their buck. Every episode will also feature the best and most credible finance experts, professional money managers and life coaches in the country, who will sit in to provide pieces of advice and answer viewer questions.


On The Money will air from Mondays to Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and will be anchored by entrepreneur and marketing guru Edric Mendoza; financial planner and former business reporter and columnist Salve Duplito; and broadcast journalist Melissa Gecolea.


Edric, the program’s main anchor, is passionate about teaching people the responsibility of spending on the right things and busting bad shopping habits. An advocate of homeschooling, Edric said he feels very excited to do his first TV show because it is in line with his passion for transforming families.


“I’m thrilled about this show because of what it can do for its viewers. If Filipinos manage their money properly, we will have better fathers, better mothers and even better children,” said Edric, who is also a marketing lecturer and has 10 years of corporate experience across research, project development, sales and brand management in several multinational companies in the country.


He also believes the key to financial well-being is disposing of what he calls the entitlement mentality, which he said makes people believe they deserve to get things they cannot afford. Edric revealed that he was once a victim of — but has since recovered from — such mindset, which got him into debt and almost made him bankrupt.


“We are in a culture and environment where wherever we go, everything says ‘buy me.’ We need to have a mindset change because a large part of why people have money problems is their idea of entitlement that makes them think they owe it to themselves to buy things,” Edric said.


On The Money, meanwhile, will also bank on Salve’s years of experience as a multi-awarded business journalist, personal finance advocate and financial planner through her segment Salve Says, in which she will be busting money myths, teaching finance basics, and guide viewers through and out of their financial mess.


“There is a great need for financial literacy in this country. My job is to translate these concepts into real doable actions, and tell the story of those who have blundered and those who have succeeded, so that ordinary people will know what to do with their finances,” she said.


On The Money will also serve as a TV homecoming to Melissa who will facilitate the show’s social media segment by monitoring questions and comments from viewers via Facebook and Twitter and field them to the program’s resource persons.


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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Financial IQ: 10-year T-bonds

Seal of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (1993-2010)Seal of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (1993-2010) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Financial IQ Philippines Quick Hit(s):

Due to the low bank interest rates, investors are now seeking other investment instruments.  If you have not started buying bonds and is still saving everything on either savings/time deposit, the purchasing power of the money is decreasing because inflation rate is higher than the interest rates you are getting from savings/time deposits.


Investors swamped yesterday’s auction for 10-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) on the back of strong appetite for government debt papers.


Total tenders reached P31.414 billion, more than three times the planned debt sale of P9 billion. With strong demand, the government successfully sold P9 billion worth of the paper at a coupon rate of 4.875 percent.


This was lower than the rate of a similar paper of 5.42 percent or a decline of 54.5 basis points.


Deputy Treasurer Eduardo Mendiola, who chaired yesterday’s auction panel, said last week’s 25-basis points policy rate cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) convinced investors to park their funds in government debt papers.


Last week, the BSP reduced the overnight borrowing rate to a low of 3.75 percent and the lending rate to 5.75 percent on concerns over global growth risks.


Mendiola said the government’s announcement of a narrower-than-programmed budget deficit recorded in the first half of the year and the benign inflation environment also convinced investors to put their money in government securities.


According to the latest data from the Department of Finance (DOF), the government incurred a budget deficit of P11.696 billion in June, wider than the P7.691 billion posted a year ago.


The June budget gap brought the first half deficit to P34.482 billion, still way below the programmed ceiling of P109.341 billion for the period.

Inflation rate, meanwhile, dipped to 2.8 percent in June from 2.9 percent in May, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Office.


The June inflation brought year-to-date inflation at three percent, falling at the lower end of Philippine central bank’s three-to-five percent target for 2012.


The government hopes to raise P108 billion from the sale of T-bills and T-bonds in the third quarter of the year or slightly higher than the programmed domestic borrowing of P106.5 billion in the second quarter.


The government relies on local and foreign borrowing to fund its budget deficit, which is expected to hit roughly P279 billion this year. Last year, the budget gap hit P197.8 billion, lower than the original program of P300 billion set for 2011.

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