Digital Floors and Ceilings

Photo by  Ricardo Gomez Angel  on  Unsplash March is being observed in the Philippines as fire prevention month based on Proclamation No 115-A and Proclamation number 360 in 1986. It is perfect time to discuss about causes, hazards, and dangers of fire.  Here are some short statistics from BFP, Bureau of Fire Protection: 15,545 average fire incidents every year 42 fire incidents every day 251 deaths every year due to fire incidents 848 fire related injuries every year P4.65 billion damages every year To counter these incidents we have: 145 fire stations in 81 provinces across the country 1,113 activated fire stations for a total of 1,489 municipalities 813 fire brigades with a total of 4,525 volunteer firefighters in the entire NCR According to BFP majority of fire incidents happens in residential areas which is a sad fact.  Your home is not only a safe refuge for your family, it also represents your hard work, achievements a...

Photo by  Allie Smith  on  Unsplash IPO fans and traders today rejoice once again after the latest initial public offering in the Philippine stock market opened at 8% higher than the initial price. Fruitas seems to be a relief after the last two IPO which failed to make a good short term return at the open. Until today Axelum Resources, Inc. is still trading below their IPO price level and All Home Corp is near its initial price. Let's discuss a little bit of FRUIT's background. Fruitas Holdings, Inc. opened its first store at SM Manila last 2002 which then grew into more than 800 stores around the Philippines. It expanded to several brands including Buko Loco, De Original Jamaican Pattie Shop and Juice Bar, Juice Avenue, Johnn Lemon, Black Pearl, Buko Ni Fruitas, and Fruitas Ice Candy. In their IPO prospectus, the initial public offer proceeds will be used majority for expansions and acquisitions although some will be to pay up existing debts. I've seen several ...

"credit card"   by  remundo  is licensed under  CC BY-SA 2.0  I've encountered several questions about credit card types and which is a good one. There are also lots of resources that can be found online regarding use and type of credit cards from different banks in partnership with commercial institutions. You can also find several negative experiences with the use of credit card if not treated properly as well as security breaches associated with card utilization. I summarized categories of credit cards below. Friend or Foe Credit cards is a friend to those handling their finances and those who practice budgeting religiously. It pays rewards in terms of points or rebates that give us extra for our expenses. There are also promotions and offers exclusive to holders of certain credit cards like free meals, hotel discounts, and travels. It also comes with a monthly billing statement which in a way you can track your monthly expenses. If used prope...

Photo by  freestocks.org  on  Unsplash It's almost Christmas again, in fact it started last 2 months ago in the Philippines. The festivities will not be complete without some extra money, for us employees, which will be from our 13th month pay. So here are the list of things we can do with this pay. 1. Buy a new phone! I know you want that Iphone 11 and Samsung S10 with state of the art selfie camera quality and superb new features.  2. Fill up that coffee sticker to get a planner. That leather, suede and iconic siren is really irresistible! 3. Buy your wife/husband/partner a really nice gift. The smile on their faces would be priceless after receiving that gift. 4. Christmas shopping! Whether toys and clothes for our kids and godsons and daughter. Decorations and food for our home. 5. Book that vacation trip! Travel sale is just a few clicks away  6. New furniture for our house. That new sofa, dining table, or shoe rack is per...

Photo by  Rami Al-zayat  on  Unsplash This year is a great year for the Philippines in terms of development in available payment apps. BSP pushing more use of electronic retail payments by 2020 is a boon for these payment apps. There are also mergers and acquisitions that made those resources behind the apps bigger and better. What are the advantages of one from another and who are the leads and runner ups so far? Below are few of the unique features  GCash GCash Forest You can help plant in Ipo watershed thru earning green energy. Green energy can be collected thru walking and using the functionalities of the app. Instapay Transfer Free transfers instantly to any local bank account. 100K monthly limit Invest Money Investment fund which offers the lowest initial and top up with just 50 pesos GSave Save money as high as 3% per annum in partnership with CIMB Philippines Paymaya Virtual Card This is like a debit card which can be used ...

For us who were born in the 70's to 80's, we grew up with our "alkansya" whether piggy bank, bamboo, jars, or tin can. It is where we put our precious coin savings (if there are any left from our baon/allowance). This is where we start to learn the value of savings even before being introduced to banks and "paluwagan".  A few months ago, I thought of how to maximize these loose change and excess allowance and add to existing investments but the amounts are small considering the minimum of most investment funds and time deposits. Sitting in a regular bank account, these small amount would have an interest of 0.10% to 0.25% per annum if you meet the minimum for interest eligibility. Time deposit minimums ranges from 10,000 pesos to 50,000 pesos while mutual funds and UITFs minimum ranges from 1,000 to 50,000.  I was able to identify a few alternatives: Digital Banks ING and CIMB launched last 2018 their mobile banking services. You c...

"100 SME Banking Mobile Apps"   by  Oleg Kapush  is licensed under  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0  Mobile internet usage have grown globally. Philippines mobile internet use grew from around 30 million to 40 million this year and estimated to reach 48 million next year. Banking sector is now using this channel to reach more customers and expand customer base.  Last year, two international banks launched their branchless bank in the country utilizing mobile app as their only channel for the customer. ING, a global bank, European origin with headquarters based in Amsterdam, Netherlands started to offer their mobile banking app capable of  mobile account opening, higher interest rate, and check image deposit. CIMB (Commerce International Merchant Bankers), leading ASEAN universal bank introduced their mobile banking app with mobile account opening, higher interest rate, bills payment, ATM card withdrawals free from fees at any ATM machine locally including...