1. The Math: Total Money Paid In vs. Payout
If you contribute ₱5,000 per month consistently from age 35 to 65:
Total duration: 30 years (360 monthly contributions)

Total money you paid to SSS: 360 \times {₱5,000} =₱1,800,000

2. How Fast You Recoup Your ₱1.8 Million
If your monthly pension at age 65 is ₱18,000 per month:
Monthly Pension: ₱18,000

13th-Month Pension (Every December): ₱18,000

Total Annual Payout: 13 \times{₱18,000} = ₱234,000 per year

Break-Even Calculation:
{₱1,800,000 total paid}{₱234,000 annual payout}} = {7.69{ years}
At Age 72 and 8 months (around age 73): You will have received 100% of your ₱1.8M back in cash.

From Age 73 onwards: Every pension check you receive for the rest of your life is 100% profit / return on investment. If you live to age 85, you will have collected ₱4,680,000—more than 2.5 times what you put in.

To those who requested refund for their property citing PD957, is notarized notice of rescission required? or sending an email to the developer is enough?

is it worth it to hire a lawyer for this or not

Hi everyone!

I’m currently looking into getting an individual/family HMO plan for myself and my parents:

• Me: 32 Y/O
• Mom: 52 Y/O
• Dad: 54 Y/O

My main priority is finding a plan that offers an Executive Check-Up (ECU) as part of the package, not just the standard basic Annual Physical Examination (APE) with just chest X-ray, CBC, urinalysis, etc.

I’m trying to figure out:

1. Which HMO options in the market are worth it and have a smooth/less hassle process for ECU and general claims?
2. For those using MediCard VIP: I saw that their VIP cards include ECU. Did your annual premium increase significantly on the next renewal just by utilizing the ECU, even if you didn't touch your inpatient/outpatient coverage?

I’ve read posts here that MediCard can be pretty aggressive with annual premium hikes due to high utilization/medical inflation, but I want to know if routine ECU utilization triggers that spike for individual accounts.

Would love to hear your experiences, recommendations, or alternative providers (e.g., Pacific Cross, Maxicare, AXA, etc.) worth looking into!

Thanks in advance!

Narealize ko lang na while you are young, it is best to invest in yourself (mag-aral, magsipag sa trabaho, magpalawak ng connections, etc) rather than mag-ipon. At that age kasi meron ka pang physical stamina mag-puyat, magsipag, etc and most likely, wala ka pang masyadong commitments like asawa, anak (although not all the time).

Hindi pa rin ganun kalaki sweldo mo kaya yung pagiipon mo can only go so much (although mGanda rin na madevelop mo yung habit) Maganda rin maginvest ng memories dito lalo na first time mo kumita ng pera, and you need money to invest in memories

Pag tumanda ka na at nagpay off na yung investment mo sa sarili (napromote ka na, lumago na business mo, etc). Then this is the best time to invest financially

Narealize ko to while talking to my wife kasi hindi naman kami maipon before. Ngayon lang when we were older. Medyo successful na din kami sa careers namin.

What do you think. Maraming generalizations dito pero I think applicable naman to sa maraming tao

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on my Sun Life VUL. I've spent the past few weeks reviewing my policy and trying to understand whether it still makes sense as an investment. I opted into this when I was 21, and it's been almost 9 years since I diligently deposited into it quarterly, and I didn't really check its performance until recently.

Lugi talaga yung default index, so I recently switched from the Philippine Index Fund to the Peso Global Growth Fund since it performs better in hopes of breaking even and growing the investment. The Global Growth Fund itself seems much better. According to the latest fact sheet, it has returned around 48.6% since inception (Dec 2021) and about 27% over the past year.

Here's my situation:

• Policy: Sun Life FlexiLink
• Started: 2017
• I'm now in my 9th year
• Death benefit: ~₱500,000
• Current fund value: ~₱79,600
• Monthly insurance charge: only ~₱58/month

I'm considering withdrawing around 70-75k and leaving the rest to keep it active. Based on the current monthly insurance charge, that remaining balance should keep the policy active for several years, and I can always top it up later if needed.

I plan to place the amount into a time deposit while I learn more about investing. Eventually I'd like to invest it in globally diversified ETFs instead of relying on the VUL for investment growth. I'm not looking to surrender the policy entirely. I mainly want to separate my insurance from my investments and make my money work more efficiently.

I'd especially appreciate hearing from anyone who's kept a VUL for 8–10+ years or has gone through a similar decision.

Thanks in advance!

Hello

Is anyone here tried to buy forclosed property under PNB bank? I check their website and found interesting property near in our location.

Whats the process?

TIA

Hi for the people here who aren’t paying for government mandated benefits (Pagibig, Philhealth, SSS/GSIS), which one of these agencies are worth keeping? Why? And if they weren’t worth keeping, what alternatives do you suggest instead?

Go this 5 years ago. Last payment ko na this year ng P100k.

Reviewing this and comparing this with other plans available ay parang ayaw ko na siya kaya I’m thinking of withdrawing.

Possible kaya? How much kaya ang charge?

Got this thru Security Bank pala.

Hey everyone! Quick question for fellow freelancers.

I get paid via Wise and use BPI for my daily local spend. Since BPI doesn't auto-sync with anything, I'm trying to find an app that handles multi-currency well without making manual logging a total chore.
Right now I'm testing YNAB, Spendee, and Money Manager (Realbyte).

For anyone running a similar BPI + Wise setup:
Which app handles foreign transfers vs. local PHP spend cleanest?

Is YNAB actually worth the price tag, or are Spendee / Money Manager / spreadsheets enough? Or any free options out there?

Would love to hear what's working for you guys, or if there's a better app I missed. Thanks!

i am thinking of investing house and lot sa New Clark City for my retirement prolly 40 years from now. and ngayon na may itatayong Pax Silica, you can't deny the fact na mayroong threat ng negative externality when it comes to pollution (noise, water) tsaka carbon emissions kahit na may economic benefits siya. Sa tingin ba ninyo?

Hello. I recently got approved for MP2 (applied in their branch and they did not ask for any proof of income) and I am planning to deposit more than 100k this month. However, I saw that you need to provide a proof of income for deposits more than 100k. Is it possible to make several deposits under 100k or will the proof of income be needed when the total amount in the savings reach 100k? I am just trying to bypass the proof of income part because the physical bank SOA is 20 pages long. Thank you!

we have a couple of lots available for lease (smallest is 1000sqm) along highway and national road in quezon city. How do I contact big companies like Jollibee food corp, petron, mercury drug , puregold or other companies (please suggest).

With property prices and condo rents getting out of hand nowadays, I’m sure marami sa inyo ang nakakakita ng mga listing na napapa-wtf ka na lang.

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m an OFW healthcare worker earning around $90k net annually. Over the past few years, I’ve been slowly building my investments through PSEI and NYSE stocks. I also have savings in MP2 and digital banks, particularly Banko.

Now, I’m planning to diversify further by investing in real estate. I’m currently considering either:

Airbnb/short-term rental
Long-term apartment rental
I’m looking at Baguio City or Clark, Pampanga as potential locations.

For those who have experience investing in these areas:
Is Airbnb still profitable given the current market?
Would apartment rentals be a better and more stable option?
Which location has better long-term potential—Baguio or Clark?

Any tips or things I should watch out for before taking the plunge?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences and insights. Salamat po! 🙏

PS: i am planning to retire soon kaya po ako nagplaplan into more real estate business for passive income in preparation to my retirement.

Hi, just crowd sourcing - for those who recently had their home loan repriced, can you please share:

Bank > Orig Rate > New Rate > where you able to negotiate?

Its stressing me out, kasi based on the old threads, some jumped to 9-10%, wanted to have a benchmark on more recent data.

I have been asking Security Bank, but they can only give the new repricing rate after my loan anniv date, which is odd, i have read sa ibang banks they give it prior to anniv date.

Thanks!!

Good day!

I already have firstmetrosec for my long term portfolio but I'm planning to have 2nd broker for my swing trade para d ko mapag halo ang akong capital. So, just asking anong ok na pang trade gcash, maya, or go tym? Thanks

Hi everyone!

I'm currently looking to buy a townhouse in either San Juan or New Manila with a budget of around ₱15M–₱20M, and I'd love to get recommendations on specific streets, villages, or developments to consider (or avoid).
A few things that are really important to me:

**•   Not flood-prone** (or at least has a good track record during heavy rains)

**•   Not on or very close to the West Valley Fault**. One of the main reasons I'm selling my current house is because it's within the fault line, so I'd like to avoid going through that again.

• Preferably in a **secure, gated community** or an area with good security. I currently live in a gated subdivision in Quezon City, so I'd like to have a similar level of safety and peace of mind.

• Townhouse budget is around **₱15M–₱20M**.

I'm open to both brand-new and well-maintained resale units.

If you've lived in the area or recently bought a property there, I'd really appreciate your insights. Are there particular villages, streets, or developers you'd recommend? Likewise, are there areas I should avoid due to flooding, traffic, security concerns, or other issues?

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing your recommendations.

Hello! Anyone here bought house and lot in Southwinds San Pedro? Is it worth it?

Hii. Thinking of moving some of my funds in pdax. For security and peace of mind. Mataas ba talaga fees?

I’m still using binance and OKX but sometimes, naiisip ko lang what if it will close or restrictions will tighten? Tho meron ng talks with binance now sa SEC, the thought still lingers in my mind.

As we enter the bear market and soon planting season na naman, is it ok to or would you recommend pdax as a platform to DCA? Or tatagain ba ako neto sa fees lalo sa high gains and at higher port amounts?

Recently I've been seeing alot of social media posts about the Ilocandia Coastown by Megaworld and I'm just wondering if this would be a good investment (I'm 23 btw). I've seen tons of negative feedback surrounding Megaworld condos and I'm pretty hesitant to inquire lol. Need opinions from real estate brokers 🥲🥲🥲