Invest in Travel and Family

Whenever I get the chance, I travel.  I used to travel with a bunch of friends all the time, but I have found that traveling with family is so much more joyful for me now.  Don’t get me wrong, I have had so many great times with my friends, from getting drunk in Vancouver, Canada at 19 to losing two hours of memory in Boracay a few years ago.  Of course, there were many memorable moments with friends that were not binge drinking related.

A few years ago, I had decided to travel with total strangers as well, and this has totally opened my eyes.  And just recently, I had the brevity to travel solo.  Yes, totally on my own.  In fact, I spent my birthday without family and friends in Cebu.  What freedom!

But being with family is always going to be my joy.  A couple of years ago, I visited my folks in Las Vegas, and I was there for a year.  I had traveled to Los Angeles and San Francisco with them, but my favorite one was from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City, with my mom and dad, to visit my sister who had moved there.

I remember several years back as well when my folks visited the Philippines.  I took my sister and my parents to Boracay, and it was their first time.  I had always been to Boracay with friends and colleagues, but the elation I felt in my heart was pure joy.  We dined well, watched sunsets, hopped on a catamaran, and just chilled by the beach.  No loud booming music.  No unlimited alcohol.  Just my folks and the ocean.

As Filipinos, family is one of the things we keep dear to our hearts.  I don’t get to live with my family anymore as I have moved to the Philippines over a decade ago.  I wish I had traveled more with them when I was still in the US.  But as the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  This absence has truly made me miss my folks.

Now that my parents are getting older, I am also wishing I had done more for them.  I’m wishing that I had also looked after their finances.  You see, my mom and dad are hard workers, but they never really learned how to save or invest their money.  Yes, they gave a lot to their kids, and I have so much appreciation for that.  My mom, even though she was just making minimum wage, gave everything to her five children.

But I do wish that a few years ago, I had begun discussing with them their retirement plan.  I did at one point, but it never went anywhere.  Maybe I still have time.  I’m now a wealth management executive with AXA Philippines, and I’m looking for ways to still give them some kind of retirement.

If you’re looking to help your parents plan for their retirement, now is the time.  Actually, yesterday was the best time.  Today is the next best time.  Tomorrow?  Just don’t wait too long.

If you’d like to find out how you can help your parents, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/S9tqsvnQcoTaqaM49