NSO Certificates Online Application

Request for NSO birth certificate, marriage certificate, CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage Record) or death certificate can be done from the comfort of your home. No more long lines and long waiting time, processing is now fast and hassle free. Just follow the simple steps below.

1. Go to e-Census website https://www.ecensus.com.ph. Go to "Request" select "Online Application".

2. Read the information carefully, click the "Click here to request now" button.


3. Read and accept the terms and conditions.

4. Fill out the Contact and Delivery Information.

5. Confirm the details.

6. Add your request(s) for Birth, Marriage, Death or CENOMAR, then click Submit.

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9 gift and date ideas: how to save money on Valentine's day

It's another season when you will find it hard to find a seat in a nice restaurant if you didn't call to reserve and when flowers are at their most expensive prices.

Valentine's Day isn't meant to make you rob the banks just to get your loved one something nice. Technically, it is not just about gifts either. It is a Saint's feast day and modern day has just commercialized it. And because of the joy of tradition, this once-a-year celebration of love calls for something extra special for your loved one. 

So what can I get her without spending too much but not look too cheap? What can I prepare for him that does not require money, but show him my love and sincerity?

Fear not, hopeless romantics! Lo, and behold, we have collated some ideas that might help you survive the day of hearts (and red shirts, teddy bears, chocolates and flowers).

Here are 9 Valentine's day gift and date ideas especially when you are on a budget: 

Valentine's day ideas? Try breakfast in bed.

1. Breakfast in bed

Given that you are living together with your loved one, whip up a little surprise. Research for something to prepare - sunny side up, french toast and some hot choco with mallows. Find something doable for your cooking skill. 

Buy the ingredients beforehand and prepare it while your loved one is still sleeping. You could cut up the bread into hearts, or get heart-shaped chicken nuggets, form the egg into a heart - whatever rocks your boat. Add in a few flowers from the garden outside. Serve it right when you wake her up. 

Valentine's breakfast date is served! 

2. Candlelit dinner date at home

In case you don't live together but you could make him come over to your house, you could always do the dinner. Make chicken or pasta or whatever you can do that is decent enough for the event. 

Got no cooking powers? Pick up the phone for delivery! He wouldn't mind a big mac. 

Light up some scented candles, chill the wine and you are good to go. 

Extra brownie points if you set up the mood with some sweet violin background songs from YouTube!

3. Small meaningful gifts

If you really want to give something other than food, you could always give small gifts with BIG meanings. 

Find something sentimental for both of you, maybe an item from your first date. You could also collate some photos from the past and make a scrapbook. 

You could buy something small and place a card to explain what it symbolizes. 

There is also a message board made with small chocolates or candies to stand for some words (google it now!). 

4. DIY Valentine's cake or cupcake

If you could, make a chocolate cake! There are even instant cake mixes in boxes that are so easy to do. Prop up some sugar flowers or sprinkles and you become like a pro. 

Take these instant cakes into a new level by making them into mini cupcakes and spell out "Happy Valentine's day" or something sweet - a letter for every cupcake. 

Who wouldn't want cakes or chocolates or both?

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Childbirth tips: 10 ways to save money when having a baby

Congratulations! If you are reading this post, then a bundle of joy must be on the way. If not, congratulations still! This could help your future family or your neighbor's family cut-off some unnecessary expenses on childbirth.

In every aspect, preparation is key. 

Here are 10 childbirth tips on how you can save money when having a baby:

Having a baby soon? Preparation is the key.

1. Check your Philhealth 

Philhealth can deduct a substantial amount from your bill. Both you and your newborn (to be declared as dependent after you give birth) are covered. 

Philhealth discounts on the professional fees of your doctors, and the giving birth fee itself. In case you newborn needs medication right after birth, it deducts an amount too, per case. If you are employed, most likely, your contributions are up to date. 

Nevertheless, it does not hurt to check with the HR. If you are voluntarily contributing, check if your payments are up to date.

2. Check your company healthcare

If you are employed, chances are, you are entitled to short-term healthcare. Some company healthcares provide assistance for childbirth. 

Some, including mine, luckily, provided 14 free prenatal consultations. Fourteen consultations was just enough for the 9 months of conception. Scan through your healthcare policy booklet if your private OB-GYN is accredited, or ask help from your HR.

3. SSS

Technically, your maternity benefits from your Social Security System pays you for the days you have to stop working in preparation, during, and after childbirth. Though if you choose to, your SSS benefit could help you with the hospital bills. 

4. The Hospital Hunt

The bigger the hospital, the more likely it would cost more. Lying-in clinics or birthing centers would really turn out cheaper, if you are comfortable with it. 

Research through the internet for approximate rates in the hospitals and clinics near you if it fits your budget, ask some friends who have given birth recently or ask your OB-GYN for suggestions. 

Some online forums really offer help too, so go ahead and ask.

5. The Bundle Benefit 

Most hospitals and birthing clinics offer maternity packages to Philhealth members. Packages include the prenatal consultations down to giving birth. 

The good thing with packages is that, you pay it every time you visit for prenatal check-up, so it is not heavy on the pocket. 

Another good thing about packages is that they offer plenty of seminars, from breastfeeding and taking care of your newborn upto family planning post partum. 

Research and ask around to see which hospital carries the package you need.

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Wedding Financial Planning: How to prepare for your big day

The jittery feeling and excitement may have not settled down after the proposal or the decision you both finally made to tie the knot. 

And then you go to Google, type in the search box: "Things to prepare for wedding"

Hands up, ladies, we are all guilty of this.

From wedding invitations, decorations, color themes, wedding gowns, venues, entourage and guests - these all need preparation. 

But what MAY come last to our minds is how to get these all items ready. We need the moolah.

Here is our friendly advice (from experience) on how you can prepare for your big day - a wedding financial plan. 

Disclaimer: Please note that this worked for us, and it MAY or MAY NOT work for you. If it is sensible (and humane) enough, do give it a try.

Are you ready for the BIG day, especially financially? 

A little background of my husband and I: we have been together for 7 years, so naturally, getting married has been talked about. And because that is where we intended to go, we started saving for it in about 1 year before we wanted to get married.

Separate Bank Account for Wedding Budget

Though we both have different savings accounts, we set up a separate bank account for our wedding budget we call it "Wedding Fund."  

Every pay day (or commission cycle), we would set aside 20% of our income to our wedding fund. Initially, our goal was to put up minimum 100 thousand pesos (but it went up to almost 300k!): that is 50 thousand pesos per person. 

We monitored our savings monthly and encouraged each other. We raced as to who gets to the 50k mark first. There were times when we slacked off, and times when we did great catching up with the goal. It was challenging, but it was actually fun. 

What happened? We really did it. Hooray! We were financially ready! 

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52 Week Money Challenge + FREE Downloadable Template

It's the start of the New Year and people now are making resolutions. 

"I will finally exercise every day."

"I will eat healthy foods." 

"I will save money"

"I will hear mass every Sunday!" 

and more...

One of the famous "challenges" especially during New Year is the 52 week money challenge. 

Do you accept the 52 week money challenge?

The challenge starts with 50 pesos and the amount you need to save increases by 50 pesos every week until the end of the year (for 52 weeks). 

Example: 

Week 1: Jan 1-7: You need to save 50.
Week 2: Jan 8-14: You need to save 100.
Week 3: Jan 15-21: You need to save 150, and so on and so forth. 

When you continue saving this way, you will be amazed that you will be able to save 68,900 pesos at the end of the year just by saving increments of 50 pesos per week! 

Amazing isn't it? Don't believe me? See the table below:

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How to compute your MOST annual premium

Lately we have been receiving emails requesting a proposal or quotation with IMG's partner company, Philam Life with its product - Multiple Option Super Term (MOST). 

As much as we want to send you a proposal, as part of our advocacy in sharing financial education, we want people (especially IMG members) to become their own money manager. 

Looking for a quotation or proposal? Learn how to compute your MOST annual premium

Instead of depending on an agent or your IMG trainer, why not learn how to do-it-yourself (DIY).

So today, let me share to you how to compute your Multiple Option Super Term annual premium.

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Understanding Deposit Insurance of Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC)

Here's a basic information on the scope of deposit insurance and the application of the maximum deposit insurance coverage.

Source: Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation

Disclaimer: We are not connected in any way with PDIC and this article is for informational purposes only. 

Maximum Deposit Insurance Coverage (MDIC)

PDIC pays deposit insurance on all valid deposits up to the Maximum Deposit Insurance Coverage (MDIC) of P500,000 per depositor of a closed bank. For purposes of computing deposit insurance, accounts maintained in the same right and capacity for a depositor's benefit, whether in his own name or in the name of others, are added together and in no case shall exceed the MDIC.

Deposits are considered valid if, upon determination of PDIC, these deposits are recorded in the bank's records, and are evidenced by inflow of cash.

What  are covered by PDIC deposit insurance?

PDIC insures valid deposits in domestic offices of its member-banks, as follows:

By Deposit Type:

- savings

- special savings

- demand/checking

- negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW)

- time deposits

By Deposit Account:

- single account

- joint account

- account "By", "In Trust For" (ITF) or "For the Account of" (FAO) another person

By Currency:

- philippine peso

- foreign currencies considered as part of BSP's international reserves

PDIC member-banks

Consist of institutions authorized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to perform banking functions in the Philippines:

- banks incorporated under Philippine laws, such as commercial banks, savings banks, mortgage banks, development banks, rural banks and cooperative banks and stock savings and loan associations

- domestic branches of foreign banks

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Wealth Bootcamp: from Zero to Hero

We just concluded an awesome event last weekend, Nov. 6, 2016 at Harold's Hotel in Cebu:

Wealth Bootcamp: from Zero to Hero

as organized by ProsperPinoy + the admins of Life at IMG, in partnership with CERTA, Inc. - Family Estate Planning and Investment Advisory. 

While it was the people's champ - Manny Pacquiao's fight with Jessie Vargas, around 100 attendees still dedicated themselves in learning more about business and personal finance. 

It was a comprehensive program which covered 3 areas which are believed to be an essential factor to thrive and maximize the financial potential and opportunities in the 21st century.

1. Business & Entrepreneurship (Modern and Online Business, Art of Selling)

2. Stock Market & Mutual Funds (Types of Investments that will work for you)

3. Financial Education (Increase Cash Flow, Debt Management, Understanding Insurance, Retirement Planning)

Here's a peek at the topics that were discussed in the event: 

1. Investing in yourself

Investing in yourself

The event started with Serge Bargayo, RFP, CSS of CERTA. The topic revolved around investing in yourself which is key to increasing your value. 

While people may acquire a lot of different investments and assets. The best asset that appreciates over time is yourself. It was the perfect start of the event as it is very important to remind people why we invest in attending seminars and lectures. 

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Want to achieve financial freedom? Here are 15+ sources of passive income

One of my favorite financial mentors is Mr. T Harv Eker. He is the best-selling author of the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. 

One of my favorite topics was when he discussed about winning the money game. 

To win the money game is to achieve Financial Freedom. He defined it as "living the lifestyle you desire without having to work or rely on somebody else for money."

In short, having enough passive income!

With enough passive income you can be financially free

In my Cash Flow Upgrade ebook (click here to download for free), I mentioned that the ideal scenario is that our cash inflow should be greater than our cash outflow or in short:

Living below your means: Income > Expenses

However, if we want to be financially free, our passive income should be greater than our expenses, thus:

Financial freedom: Passive income > Expenses

The question now is, are we building a source of passive income?

To give us an idea, here are the two major the sources of passive income: 

1. Financial Instruments - money working for you.

2. Passive Business Income - passive business working for you.

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D.I.G. - The Key to Achieve your Dream Lifestyle

I just completed an e-course on personal development and online entrepreneurship. And in every learning opportunity, I always remember and apply the best part that struck me the most. 

It was about visualization and achieving your dream lifestyle. 

Before I share what I learnt, I would like to ask you some few questions and I'll try to emulate as much as possible the way the trainer did the visualization exercise. 

time and financial freedom with family

Let's start: 

How do you see yourself three to five years from now? 

Can you see yourself having enough savings and investments? How much are you earning by then? 

Can you see yourself inside your dream house? How big is it? How many rooms? 

How does your dream car look like? Can you see yourself riding your dream car? 

Where do you want to take your family for a vacation? Imagine yourself very happy spending quality time with your family. 

How does your dream lifestyle look like? 

Pause. Internalize the questions and start visualizing. Get lost in your imagination if needed. After that let's continue..

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Are you financially compatible with your partner?

The number one reason most couples fight is because of money. Whether we like it or not, money plays a very important role in our relationships. 

I personally don't believe in the saying, "bahala'g saging, basta loving!" (It's okay to eat banana, as long as you love each other.) Try feeding your family with banana for a year and you might have a brand new family: monkeys. 

Are you financially compatible with your partner?

Let's take a break with all the financial lessons in this blog and let's enjoy a little quiz and see how financially compatible are we with our partner. 

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How big is your psychological wallet?

Wealth file #9: 

Rich people are bigger than their problems.

Poor people are smaller than their problems.

This wealth file is all about how ready we are in terms of handling money. This is not about how BIG or small or money problems are BUT how BIG or small we are compared to our problems. 

As T Harv would say, we can only grow to the extent that we do. If we think we are small, then we only do small things. And the problems, especially money problems like bills, mortgages, debts will appear to us as HUGE monsters. 

However if we grow ourselves, then even how big we think problems are like taxes, lawsuits, sudden economic downfall, we are ready to face them because these problems are just small problems compare to our bigger and more confident selves. 

How big is your psychological wallet?

Example: 

10K income per month + 25K debt per month = BIG PROBLEM

If we are earning 10K per month and we have a 25K per month debt, then this looks like a big problem to us. However, if you grow ourselves, educate ourselves how to handle money, earn more, or get promoted by working harder and then we raise ourselves to earn 100K per month, then the 25K per month debt becomes a "no problem."

100K income per month + 25K debt per month = NO PROBLEM

Thus the solution really is to grow ourselves first. And one powerful way to grow is by learning, especially financial education!

Remember: We are all containers and each one of us has what we call our "psychological wallet." This wallet is the preset amount in our minds that we are willing to hold. 

Thus, ask yourself, "how big is your psychological wallet?" 

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Want to get rich fast? Learn to sell

Wealth file #8: 
Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value.
Poor people think negatively about selling and promotion. 

The word "selling" has been tainted with not so good impressions. We Filipinos, in one way or another, hate being sold. Like:

- When we go to the mall, looking for a good dress and the saleslady keeps following us.

- We walk on the street and salespeople are giving out flyers aggressively. 

- Or when our insurance agent keeps on calling us.

These situations have left "selling" a bad taste in our mouths. However, as we said in cash flow planning, to increase our cash flow, we need to earn additional sources of income or manage our expenses.

In simple terms: earn more or save more.

Related content: 4 Sources Of Income To Increase Your Cash Inflow

The best way to earn more is basically to sell something. Personally, I love selling. Because when you are in this kind of career, you control your income. It is results-based rather than time-based. (More of this on wealth file no. 11)

Want to get rich fast? Learn to sell.

However, when you take a closer look: rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value while poor people think negatively about selling and promotion. In other words, almost all rich people are salespeople but, again a big BUT, they are not just selling products or services for money rather they promote themselves and the value they can give to the world. They are doing a higher level of selling.

Here's a collection of the mission of powerful companies showing the value they offer to the world:

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Why you should not hate or resent rich people

Wealth file #6: 
Rich people admire other rich and successful people.
Poor people resent rich and successful people. 

Wealth file #7: 
Rich people associate with positive, successful people. 
Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people.

These two wealth files from the "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" are related as most of the times, we Filipinos have negative beliefs and perspectives towards rich people. 

The rich people think very differently with poor people

Examples are: 

"Rich people are selfish and greedy." 

"Rich people are snobbish." 

"Rich people make their money from the sweat of the poor." 

And because of these negative notions, we don't want to be associated with these rich people. However, these beliefs are neither true nor false and in fact they become self-sabotaging beliefs. 

As per the law of attraction, we attract that which we want. However, when we dislike something or someone, we become an anti-magnet to the things we don't want. Meaning:

We all want to become wealthy, BUT when we hate/resent rich people, we become an anti-magnet to wealth. 

Who wants to become a snobbish, selfish or greedy person? Ofcourse, No one! But when we believe that rich people are greedy, selfish or snobbish, then guess what, we will never be rich because we don't want to become greedy, selfish or snobbish. 

But again, as mentioned these beliefs may not necessarily be true but rather can be supportive or non-supportive to your way to wealth. So I rather believe that wealthy people are good people and they help a lot of people because it is a more supportive belief towards my way to wealth. And so should you. 

That's why rich people wants to be associate with other rich people, not because they are greedy but because they want to belong to an environment of supportive people. 

And poor people associate themselves with other poor and negative people because they want to be comforted of their situation knowing they are not the only one. Worse, they resent the wealthy people to make themselves feel better. 

Be in a positive environment

As Jim Rohn cleverly said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." It is therefore very important to choose your environment wisely. 

If you are in an environment where people talk about debt, are in debt and financially struggling, then guess what, most likely we are also in that same situation. 

We need therefore to change our environment. And luckily, we have IMG as a vehicle where people can belong to a community or organization where people are success-driven. That's why IMG is having a global campaign to financially educate millions of Filipinos worldwide because we want to change the mindset of people to learn how to save and invest, to belong into a positive and supportive environment and to help people dream again that all our financial goals are really possible. 

So to become wealthy, we need to think like the millionaires. We must learn to appreciate and admire other wealthy people by associating with other successful, success-driven and positive people. So that through attraction, when we become wealthy ourselves, other people will also admire and appreciate us.

So, be part of IMG, become part of our global campaign for financial literacy. Experience #LifeatIMG. Be a member now! (Click here)

Want FINANCE, BUSINESS and INVESTMENT updates? Make sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter and/or follow our social media accounts.  

Crisis: do you see danger or opportunity?

Wealth file #5: 
Rich people focus on opportunities
Poor people focus on obstacles

This wealth file is related to wealth file no.1: The victims - blamer, justifier and complainer. While the wealth file no.1 talks about taking responsibility, this file talks about how we perceive things. 

We all know that what we focus on, expands. So when we focus on the obstacles, the more and more obstacles we encounter. And just like the complainer, we become a negative person where people will then start to move away from us. 

Remember: Nobody wants to be around someone who is negative.

Rich people focus on opportunities. As one financial mentor said, instead of saying "I can not afford it" ask yourself, "how can I afford it?" By asking yourself that question, your mind starts to work. It keeps on looking for opportunities, hidden wisdom, or basically, your mind becomes an opportunity-seeking machine. When you say, "I can not afford it." your mind automatically shuts down! 

Today, let's play with your mind. Take a look at this picture, what do you see? 

what do you see? (source: hubpages)

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How do you win the money game?

Wealth file #2: 

Rich people play the money game to win.

Poor people play the money game to not lose. 

This may sound a little bit the same, "winning and not losing." But in terms of finance, they totally are planets apart. 

Let's take for example the game of basketball. If a team wanted to win the game, they need to play on offense. They need to score. Though defense is a vital strategy needed in the game, no team could ever win on pure defense.

Relating to finance, playing the money game to win is playing on offense and playing the money game to not lose is playing on defense. 

The rich people play the game to win. They have clarity, they have vision and they know exactly what they want to achieve. The poor people however, drift like a leaf on the river, appearing calm, relax and going with the flow, but totally lost and having no sense of direction. 

How to win the money game

Again, we refer the rich and poor as mindsets, not necessarily income. 

So how do you win the money game? 

Before we answer that question, let's look at some examples of how some Filipinos play the money game to not lose. And try to check if you know these people intimately. 

Pedro: "It is enough for me to be able to eat three times a day."

Juan: "I still have enough money to last until the next paycheck."

Satiango: "I want to have enough money to pay the bills, and on time would be a miracle.!" 

Diego: "Let's party until we drop, anyway paycheck's coming this Saturday."

You see, most of the time their target is just to get comfortable. The sad part is when life starts to throw challenges at these people, oftentimes, it becomes very difficult to stand back up. 

Again, it does not matter how much you earn, everything starts in the mind. And this is how rich people think. These are the steps to win the money game: 

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The blamer, justifier and complainer. Are you one of them?

Wealth file #1: 

Rich people believe "I create my life." 

Poor people believe "Life happens to me."

As in our previous post: Lessons From The "Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind", we enumerated the 17 wealth files. Though we may not discuss every bit of detail, I suggest to just go buy the book. 

Let's however, dissect the lessons on some (if not all) of the wealth files and how we can relate it to our advocacy in IMG. 

The wealth file no.1 is all about responsibility. Taking responsibility and taking control of your future. Rich people believe they create their life, meaning they are responsible for the lives they have now. Relating this to IMG, this just shows that we are in the right environment, exercising our minds to think like the wealthy people by taking control of our finances.

IMG encourages people to "do-it-yourself" D.I.Y. Instead of relying to so-called financial planners and advisers, you become your own money manager. When you take charge of your life, you are one step closer to becoming wealthy as wealth starts in the mind. 

On the other hand, poor people (referring to mindset not necessarily income) believe that life happens to them. They blame, justify and complain on their financial lives. These types of people are those that you need to avoid the most. They are in short called, victims.

Let's dissect why we need to avoid these 3 types of victims: 

Are you a victim? A blamer, justifier or complainer?

1. Blamer - this type of victim blames everybody else for their situation. They blame their employer, their employee, their business partner, their church, their parents, their spouse and even God! They blame everybody else except themselves. 

Why? because it is easier to point the responsibility to others than taking the responsibility ourselves. By nature we want to keep our hands clean, and in so doing, we let others take the blame for our financial situations.

Example: 

Poor Mindset: "My policy got lapsed because the agent did not remind me of my due date!" 

Rich Mindset: "I keep a calendar and a reminder for my due dates so I can pay them on time regardless of my agent."  

See the small difference in the mindset but totally BIG impact on their financial lives? Are you a blamer? 

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