Sort Your Finances 2020: Here are 5 Useful Resources on Personal Finance

1. Ready to Be Rich by Fitz Villafuerte
   
   Fitz Villafuerte is a civil engineer who left the corporate world in 2003 to dive into entrepreneurship. He’s the co-founder of 199jobs.com, a Registered Financial Planner, and a resource speaker who actively advocates for financial literacy.
   
   He writes about all things business, investments, and personal finance in his award-winning blog, Ready to Be Rich. He caters to freelancers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals who wish to improve their financial management and literacy to help them make informed financial choices.
   
   For starters, his article 5 Mental Strategies to Help You Budget Your Money Effectively is a very timely read for the holiday season, one that will help you start the new year with the right mindset. Also, check out his piece How to Invest in The Stock Market If You Have No Experience at All to gain some knowledge on how the stock market works if you’re interested.
   
   
2. Investagrams
   
   
   

   Source: Investagrams via App Store

   Investagrams is a great platform and resource that offers handy guides for those who are considering diving into the world of the stock market. Their virtual trading platform allows users to practice buying and selling stocks using their trading tools without the risk of losing money. You also get to keep track of hundreds of stocks and see what’s happening in real-time.
   
   Their blog is an amazing reference for tips and educational articles, which are especially helpful for new traders. For instance, they tackle common misconceptions and discuss trading approaches to make stock trading and investing less intimidating for the uninitiated.
   
   They also have an investing community, where anyone can create an account for free and get in touch with fellow stock market enthusiasts to expand their network, ask questions, and learn more about the market.
   
   
3. BPI-Philam’s Finance and Insurance Blog
   
   BPI-Philam is more than just an insurance company in the Philippines. Apart from making it their goal to make insurance accessible, affordable, and personalized for Filipinos, it’s also their mission to educate readers like you about insurance and finance topics to help you make wise money moves.
   
   The blog rolled out in 2018, and visitors can find well-researched articles there. For instance, if you’re shopping for a life insurance plan, but don’t know which one fits you best, read their blog post titled Which type of life insurance fits you?
   
   If one of your goals is to build good habits and have a more streamlined budget system this coming year, the infographic on Top 5 Budgeting Techniques can help you start on the right foot and save more money.
   
   
4. Pesos and Sense
   
   Pesos and Sense, a blog spearheaded by Aya Laraya, started as a TV show in GMA News TV. It aired every Sunday morning and tackled personal finance and investments in a simplified and approachable sense.
   
   Today, Pesos and Sense stands as an educational organization that takes on the same subject matter, but on a broader scale. The blog aims to educate and empower typically intimidated average Filipinos when it comes to making sound financial choices and financial management.
   
   You can binge-watch their show (all 13 episodes can be accessed for free in their blog) to gain a quick understanding of financial concepts—from credit and budgeting to investing in insurance and VULs. You can also find online classes and helpful articles about personal finance on their blog, such as this piece about being frugal to increase your savings.
   
   
5. Think Pesos
   
   Think Pesos is a fantastic resource for people who seek personal finance tips and other valuable information. Created by Billy Ramirez, a network administrator and blogger who is passionate about personal finance, the blog aims to share the fundamentals of financial literacy.
   
   Billy’s articles are well-researched, but what really makes his blog different is that he writes from the perspective of an ordinary Filipino who’s on his journey to financial independence—something that his Filipino readers can resonate with.
   
   You can check out his blog post about setting and achieving SMART financial goals—a timely piece to welcome the new year. His post, The ABC of Building an Emergency Fund, is also a good read for those who want to build an emergency fund but are clueless about where to start.

Expand your financial knowledge to start the year right

With these resources, you can find the answers to your most pressing financial challenges and questions. Now, all you need to do is free up some time and regularly check them out to get your personal finance in order this 2020.

Want to take the next step towards improving your personal finance? Reach out to a Bancassurance Sales Executive at any of the 900 BPI branches to learn more about life insurance products offered by BPI-Philam. See you there!