Just 3 years ago, we launched the Associate Financial Planner (AFP) ® program for the Filipinos in the Middle East and held our first certification class in Doha, Qatar. More than 20 participants from Qatar and the UAE joined the milestone initial program. Since 2013, the AFP program has been helping improve the financial lives of many Filipinos in the Middle East by way of objective and structured financial education. To date, there are almost 200 AFP’s from Qatar and the UAE and these AFPs are really making a difference.

We are pleased to announce that the AFP will be holding 2 runs in the UAE this September 2016.

Abu Dhabi – September 9 & 10, 2016

Dubai – September 10 & 11, 2016

Why the AFP?

Because of the increasing financial awareness and prosperity of many Filipinos, the demand for financial products and financial advisors has been growing through the years. However, while there have been many who claim to be financial advisors, there has been a need for certified advisors to be differentiate a properly trained advisor from one who is not.

This differentiation can be achieved by choosing to become an Associate Financial Planner (AFP®), a professional designation awarded by the Registered Financial Planners Philippines, the Philippine’s leading financial planning institute.

Become an Associate Financial Planner (AFP)®

The public is looking for a financial planner who has demonstrated a commitment to competency, and financial professionals want an established certification that will set them apart in the globally expanding financial planning profession. As an AFP®, you can energize and revitalize your career by leveraging the knowledge and prestige associated with one of the world’s most recognized financial planning certification.

Benefits of the AFP® Certification

– Immediate recognition from clients, peers and employers with AFP® designation after your name.

– Strict eligibility criteria mean only a selected few are privileged to hold this designation.

– Provides a good starting point for professional who have the necessary skills sets and knowledge in basic personal financial planning.

– Provides an interim designation while you are pursuing the Registered Financial Planner (RFP®) quantification in the future.

– Become part of the preeminent financial planning organization in the country, the Association of RFPs in the Philippines with numerous benefits, including access to technical sessions, events, seminars and conferences.

What will be discussed during the AFP® Program?

• Personal Finance Steps
• Insurance Planning
• Behavioral Finance
• Investment Planning
• Time Value of Money
• Stock Market Investing

After completing the training program, a qualifying examination will be performed within 1 to 2 months after the program. Those who pass the exams can apply for membership to the AFP®

Who will be conducting the AFP® Program?

Randell Tiongson, RFP is the director of the Registered Financial Planner Philippines and has been engaged in the financial services industry for nearly 3 decades. He is one of the most respected personal finance speaker and educator in the Philippines and has given over 1000 lectures & training on finance through the years. He is a columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, best-selling author of 4 finance books.

Marvin Germo, RFP is the Philippine’s most in demand speaker and educator on stock market investing. He has given hundreds of seminars on investing in equities for Filipinos across the globe. He is frequently seen in Philippine media on the subject matter of investing and he is also a best-selling author of 4 books on investing and the stock market.

If you are interested to become an AFP®, please send an email [email protected] or click HERE

Testimonials from the AFP®’s from the UAE

“The AFP® helps me pursue my personal commitment in helping others with their financial journey (giving back to the community) as a form of social responsibility. The AFP® has also served as a venue for me and my fellow Overseas Filipinos to find and validate opportunities of investment vehicles where we grow our hard-earned money.”

Francis Medina, AFP (Business Manager and entrepreneur)

“I initially wanted to join the Program just to advance my knowledge in money management and get a clearer view of my own total financial life. I have attended a few talks provided by financial institutions and naturally most of them are product-driven. I yearn for unbiased views on personal finance and was in search for programs where the focus is on the concepts and not on the products. This is what AFP has provided me – Financial Planning, which is customized and goal-focused, thereby providing need-based solutions to an individual’s financial circumstances.”

“Through the AFP I have been equipped with the tools and knowledge to navigate the complex landscape of personal finance. The program has somehow boosted my confidence and has also facilitated the establishment of strong networks within the Filipino finance community. What I’ve learned at the AFP was something wonderful that I just had to share it to my immediate community. Today, as a community leader, I am imparting what I’ve learned to my fellow Filipino Expats in the UAE by pushing financial education. For me the AFP is not just a title; it has become a way of life.”

Charry Dela Cruz, AFP (Private Banking & serial investor)

“The AFP program is more than just a professional certification program. Being an AFP means being a life-long advocate of financial literacy.”

Gemmy Lontoc, AFP (Remittance Manager & community builder)

“The AFP taught me 3 things: To connect, to grow, and to contribute.”

“The AFP helped me connect with people who share the same passion. These same people helped me grow my expertise and contribute to my fellow OFs by helping them cross the bridge to financial security.”

Josh Mallo, AFP (Oil & Gas industry & stock market investing aficionado

“My affiliation with the AFP made me more confident and courageous in sharing financial literacy among my church group. An answered prayer indeed, 50 of my church mates and our beloved Pastor attended our financial literacy event last 3rd of June, 2016.”

Ivy Datanagan, AFP (Accountant & financial education advocate)

The AFP gave me a more structured way of handling my personal finance and paved my way to more investment opportunity. The AFP became a n opportunity for me to meet like minded persons who aims to make a difference in the life of OFWs.

Jermain Poncardas, AFP (Registered Nurse & personal finance advocate)

‘If a man empties his purse into his head no man can take it from him. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.’ – Benjamin Franklin

This is a longer version of the usual quote “An investment in knowledge…” The author expresses a straight forward saying, which means that there will be a great outcome if you start focusing on nurturing your intellectual being. You’ll gain a better understanding over some matters, and this is not something that anyone can take away from you.

This kind of investment is something that we tapped without noticing. But add a little consciousness to it and you’ll see its essentiality.

The essentiality today

In a recent study, 60 % of the Philippine population would be people of ages 30 and below, a portion of which are the millennials. From my past blog about “Personal Finance for Millennials,” 75% of the latter spends more on experience rather than material goods. They have this hardworking, motivated, “everything in an instant” attitude, that gives them a fast pace of knowing things.

Experiences correlate with knowledge as these two are the foundation of wisdom. It is not enough if you just know it without doing it, as the same goes to if you just do it and don’t learn from it.

But, millennial or not, all of us need to keep up with the changes and learn as much as we can.

Where to find them

The technological or digital age is our period where information is within grasp. The least we can do is to make the most out of it. With the aid of a powerful tool called the internet, we know that searching for what we need now can be done easily.

Whether it is searching for a nearby library, a current event, a technological advancement, socialize to learn, etc. it’s just one click away.

It’s a great way to start on consciously investing on knowledge for its compact-ability and multiple platform-compatibility. It gives you an experience where you’ll gain knowledge at ease. This article too, is a contributor to your intellect as it gives you an insight on the essentiality of the subject matter.

But, that is just one of the sources.

One of the most effective way of consciously finding an investment opportunity in both intellect and business setting is by attending business seminars and conferences, more specifically, in the field of finance. The eminent and selfless transfer of knowledge from one body to a numerous number of persons is a great opportunity to be a part of. The people who may came from different parts of the country, yet unifies them in a single interest that gives them a sense of belongingness. Those are some things that I have observed from numerous seminars and conferences that I have been on.

The bottom-line

Our brain works in many ways, and what we need is to give input for it to make it work with ease. Knowledge is an essential investment in your intellectual well-being. It takes you to a point of view with deeper understanding of a subject.

Also, it takes out the fear of the unknown. It brightens the grey areas of your thoughts and gives you a confidence boost on what you want to endeavor, especially in business. It can be really tricky for a person who doesn’t know much how business works rather than the principle of spending money to earn money.

Being financially knowledgeable is a great way for you to know how to intelligently cope up with the ups and downs of daily business operation; Trends that you can see fit to venture in to, in order to make your money grow while spending less; And how to make your money work for you.

You can start investing in knowledge now by attending the fourth install of my Investment conference dubbed as #iCon 2016 this coming May 28, 2016 at the SM Aura Samsung Hall in Taguig City.

Take part of this iCON-ic event as with a bigger innovation, we have gathered a stronger group of local finance authorities in the country to talk about basic finance and how the recent innovation affected the economy through Marvin Germo, one of the most passionate personal finance experts in the Philippines; Diwa Guinigundo, an economist and Deputy Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Paulo Tibig, one of the most sought after professional speakers in the entrepreneurship community; Rex Mendoza, Founder and Managing Director of Rampver Financials and the most dynamic financial speakers in the Philippines; Jose Feron “Dodong” Cacanando, a businessman who owns Moriah Farms, Inc. and Karmel HA-Moriyah, Inc. and a truly inspiring business speaker; Valerie Pama, the President of Sun Life Asset Management, one of the country’s biggest mutual funds, and yours truly.

For transmission confirmation or questions contact Deniece Pineda at (+632) 750-6510 or 0926-691-0126 or at [email protected].

REGISTER NOW AT bit.ly/GO_ICON2016

The Philippine Stock Market took a heavy beating yesterday, August 24, 2015 due to external factors. The fundamentals of the Philippine market has not changed but the bearish sentiments since March has made many investors jittery, to say the least. Last Friday’s major decline in the U.S. markets had a domino effect in the whole world, coupled by issues in China.

The result? The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) drops by 487.97 points or a retraction of 6.70% to 6,791.01 in just one day.

I recently started a MoneyTalks Viber group and quite a number of people have been active in that group because of the stock market decline. It’s nice to see that there are a lot of people who are learning much from the interactions with the experts and with each other. If you want to be part of this very active group, send your Viber number to my assistant, [email protected]

While I will never downplay what has happened yesterday, I wish to remind many that the stock market is the way it was because that is it’s nature. It is said that the stock market can be overly optimistic or severely pessimistic and the later was what has been prevailing lately and especially yesterday. The stock market cannot defy gravity – what goes up most ultimately come down… but what goes down will also go up eventually. Despite the fears, I still believe that the stock market is a great way to grow your money but you must understand that it pays to think long-term when it comes to this kind of investing. This hold true whether you are buying individual stocks or investing through equity pooled funds (Mutual fund, UITF, VUL).

If you look at the how the stock market has behaved in one month, it really will scare you.

However, if you view the stock market from a long-term perspective, you will see a different picture.

I have asked my stock market expert friends of their advise to investors with regard to what’s happening in the market recently. You will find their advices insightful, helpful although they can have conflicting opinions.

“Today wasn’t a mere correction, it was more like major psychological and technical breakdown by the market. We advise investors not to catch a falling knife and to allow the market to signal an intermediate bottom first. Looking at the peso-dollar rate vs. this 7% one-day historical drop by the PSEi, we are not convinced that this is a structural exit away from PHL assets. Most likely we just had to adjust to regional peers which have come down much against us but had more modest corrections today.” – Tony Herbosa, Chairman of Philstocks and founder of Traders Apprentice Pilipinas (TAP)

Investors should understand that markets do not go up on a straight line and market declines happen. But it is during these drops when better opportunities are presented. For as long as you do not lose sight of the big picture of why you invest, there is nothing to worry about and continue with your investing journey to be financial free. Investing during these times is not just for the brave– it is for everyone. – Marvin Fausto, President of IFE Management Advisers Inc. & former Chief Investment Officer of BDO Universal Bank

While the severe drop in global stocks show critical issues and concerns on valuation, it is the pervasive negative sentiment that makes things worse. Times like these represent opportunities to take positions in companies that present good value, more so given the lower prices. The important thing to consider is one’s investment horizon, and staying power is key amidst the volatility. – Rex Mendoza, President of Rampver Financials and former CEO of Philamlife

Everyone should treat this market situation as like a major earthquake happening. A strong earthquake will have repercussions that take time. Those who are inside should not insist on going out in panic. Those outside should not go in. There will be aftershocks. Those inside should treat their stocks for the long term. Let the dusts settle before making any decision. –Dr. Alvin Ang, PhD, economist of Ateneo de Manila

The drop is an effect of price movement due to what’s happening globally. If you look at it, the rest of Asia and most of the developed world is down. When you look at the fundamentals of our country I don’t think locally there’s anything compelling that should be a cause of alarm. However, given that we are trading and investing in stocks. There’s such a thing as expensive and a bear market. Our fundamentals are good but we are still expensive which would cause buyers to want to wait out until we become cheaper. Our fundamentals are good but we have been in a downtrend since April and will continue to do so until proven otherwise. My suggestion is for each investor to follow their buy/sell plan. It would be great though if they could wait to see until selling subsides and forms a support before they buy. It’s great to buy cheaper but not when everyone else is selling. – Marvin Germo, stock market investing advocate and best-selling author.

Always invest according to your investment objective, time frame and they must be consistent with your risk tolerance. The stock market is not for the faint of heart but we should also not be afraid of stock investing. Learn as much as you can about stock investing and always invest according to the 3 factors I mentioned and don’t forget to diversify and you should be fine.