Our stay overseas is temporary. Sooner or later, we go home to establish a life with our family. But the question is ‘when’? I’m no expert to give advise about investment tips for OFWs but based on personal experience, there is one thing I am certain. OFWs should start investing.
Saving money as an OFW can be challenging, but is not entirely impossible. All you need is discipline, commitment, perseverance, and the will to keep going.
How can we start saving? Here are five investment tips for OFWs to turn that hard-earned money overseas into investment in the Philippines.
- Stocks Investments
Buying stocks means ‘to own’ a share in a publicly traded company. Once you own a part of it, you become a shareholder according to how much investment you put into that particular business. The more stocks you have, the more you can earn, depending on the company’s performance in the stock market.
Here’s a list of online stockbrokers accredited by the Philippine Stock Exchange: AB Capital Securities Inc., Abacus Securities Corp., Accord Capital Equities Corp., Angping & Associates Securities Inc., BPI Securities Corp., COL Financial Group Inc.,Yap Securities Inc., First Metro Securities Brokerage Corporation, RCBC Securities Inc. and Wealth Securities Inc.
Stock investing can be a bit tricky and complicated for starters, but there are many You Tube videos and FB groups of stock market investors which can help you navigate through the world of stock investing.
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Mutual Funds
Money experts say, it is the simplest form of investment. All you have to do is to pour in a certain amount and leave all the works to the fund managers, who will invest those funds capital and work out to produce capital gains and more income for the fund’s investors.
Investopedia explains that one of the main advantages of mutual funds is that they give small investors access to professionally managed, diversified portfolios of equities, bonds and other securities, which are difficult to create with meager amount of capital. Each shareholders have an equal share in the gain or the loss of the fund.
Here is a list of the Top 5 Best Mutual Fund companies in 2020 according to pinoymoneytalk.com:
- Cocolife Fixed Income Fund
- Sun Life Canada Prosperity Bond
- Philam Bond fund
- Sunlife Prosperity GS Fund
- Philequity Peso Bond Fund
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Real Estate
SMDC, a prime developer of condominium units across Metro Manila listed these reasons why we should consider investing in a condominium unit.
1. If your condo is situated in a prime location, it can bring a premium resell price or monthly rental.
2. Condos can help you rent out your unit through their rental services, ensuring that the unit is occupied, and the cash keeps flowing.
3. The purchase price is lower compared to a single family home. Renting it out tends to be cheaper than a typical home because the maintenance costs are shared, even if the property value is high.
4. Because condos have restrictions when it comes to maintaining the property, its value is maintained as well, which is great for when you’re renting it out.
5. Condos offer excellent amenities like pools, gyms, gardens, and so on. These are great perks for renting or reselling.
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Pag-ibig Fund
One of the most essential investment tips for OFWs is investing in Pag-ibig Fund. PAG-IBIG Fund is a very good retirement savings vehicle because it provides members’ savings growing dividends generated from the loans incurred by its members and other generating projects.
The good thing is we have the option to choose how much savings we set aside monthly. Needless to say, the bigger the savings, the higher the annual dividends.
Pag-IBIG I Program:
MP2 Program:
The Modified Pag-IBIG II (MP2) program is a saving’s scheme, designed to provide Pag-IBIG I members with another savings option that would grant them higher returns than those under Pag-IBIG I program.
MP2 program has a minimum contribution of Php 500.00 per month for a given term of 5 years (renewable). It has a flexible dividend rate but always higher than Pag-IBIG I program with contributions and earnings guaranteed by the government.
Here’s how your money will look like after 5 or 10 years:
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Agricultural Property
One of the most profitable investment tips for OFWs is agricultural investment. Investing in agricultural property is also a wise investment according to Lito Soriano, most sought-after consultant, and discussant both in government and industry meetings and dialog about overseas employment industry.
“Dear OFWs, the stock market, condos-real estate in the cities are not safe place to put your savings. I suggest you invest/buy agricultural lands and properties in your own province where you were born.” he posted in his Facebook page.
What makes an agricultural land a wise investment?
- Its value does not depreciate. As time goes by, land properties increases its worth and its return may be even higher than a bank interest.
- With the country’s growing population, the demand for agricultural products is also growing so the income in this property is constant.
- With proper maintenance and self-sufficient financing, there is a very good return of investment in farmlands. Harvest time for vegetable farms is in a weekly basis, and rice farms harvest at least twice a year so the income is always coming into your pockets.
- Farmlands can be a family business. This way, our family is earning their own money rather than waiting for that monthly allotment we are going to send them. “It’s providing them a fishing rod so they will know how to catch a fish rather than feeding them right away.”
Experts say that we should try to diversify our investments to avoid total drain in cases of loss. So you may start picking two or three tips on the list.
Wrapping Up
As an overseas worker, our ultimate desire is to return to the Philippines to settle down for good. This objective, however, will not happen unless we have saved enough to provide decent living for ourselves and our family.
The first step is always the most difficult but once you have started, it will become a habit.