How to pay your PAG-IBIG mortgage online

I'm on my fourth or fifth year into my 30 year PAG-IBIG mortgage. The first three years, our unit was a dormitory for some students in the nearby college and my mom played landlady, paying the mortgage from the rental income.

When I took over the mortgage, I was honestly too lazy to go all the way to the PAG-IBIG Makati office to tender PDCs for the next year and lining up monthly to remit my mortgage payment was also a no-no, besides, my PAG-IBIG statement of account always arrived late, if it even arrived at all. Some googling action revealed that yes, I can actually pay my PAG-IBIG mortgage online! Huzzah!

Here's how to do it.

Sell CEB

Last night, Bo Sanchez sent out an email advising his followers to sell CEB and switch to SMPH, MEG or MBT instead. The long and short of it was that CEB wasn't performing as expected and with the stock market in a slump, it makes sense to sell CEB shares even at a loss and then use the profits to buy better performing stocks.

Why, hello there!

I was aimlessly browsing around the internet, when I suddenly remembered that I hadn't checked into Sun Life's It's Time webpage for the longest time ever. And guess what I saw when I dropped by the It's Time page...

Top Blogs PH

I removed my blog Kikay Exchange from Top Blogs about 2 years ago, because I was becoming too obsessed with ranking and I didn't like the pettiness it brought out in me. Also, but to a lesser degree, I was trying to limit the sponsored products sent my way for review because my face can only take so much before it declares a revolution on me. Most PR companies and brand managers don't scour the internet for bloggers and merely rely on Top Blogs for their listing, so I knew that removing Kikay Exchange from the listing will significantly lessen the product avalanche.*

But here I am again, joining the rabble at Top Blogs, but this time, it's not Kikay Exchange that's up for scrutiny, instead I submitted my personal finance blog, Frugal Honey.

We are not amused.

As much as the Queen is probably seething right now over the press that her grandson's lily white royal behind and family jewels are getting, I am also not amused with Cebu Pacific's (CEB) performance today.

How do I choose stocks to invest in?

To date, I pick stocks based on Bo Sanchez' recommendations and tips from my financial adviser. But from what I've been reading online, it seems as if there really is no guarantee when it comes to buying stocks. So in order to minimize risks, it pays to study the company, history, financial statements etc. etc., or sign up with the Truly Rich Club and have everything spoonfed to you:p

Question: Should I continue making extra home mortgage payments?

About three years ago, my mom bought three condo units and took out a PAG-IBIG loan under my name to fund one of the units (for the other 2 units, she used my sister and dad's PAG-IBIG benefits). The units were leased as dormitories to the students in the nearby school, and the rent payments used to pay the monthly mortgage.

Addicted to Traveling

We have reworked our food budget, ditched our non-energy efficient A/C, regularly sock cash away in our emergency fund and have turned my our back on impulse shopping. But in spite of all that, we still have a long way to go in improving our personal finances, simply because we still haven't owned up to our biggest vice: Traveling.

Rainy Day Funds

I think it's apt to start talking about our emergency funds today because they're supposed to be our buffer against the proverbial rainy day, and look, it's been raining incessantly for the past few days!

Go Getz It!

My first job was logistically ideal. It was so near my house that I only had to take a tricycle to the highway and then walk to our office. When I passed the bar exams, I had to attend hearings and the like and so I would borrow my mom's car every now and then as needed.

I don't know if she got tired of me borrowing her car, or got fed up with my sister and I squabbling over who would use the car (FYI my sister worked in a pre-school near our house and she could have easily commuted there too, but for some reason, she refused to commute!), or perhaps she saw how my salary went mostly to important stuff like shoes and clothes, but one day, out of the blue, my parents decided to buy me a car.

Sun Shorts: 1945

Set in war ravaged Manila, 1945 is a moving tale of survival and how the war drastically affected lives, to put it mildly. This is actually based on real-life events and towards the end, it tells of Sun Life's efforts at locating the beneficiaries of those who perished in the war.

 

I got teary-eyed while watching the short film. My lolo was part of the guerilla forces during the war and I'm sure my lola felt the same way as Angel Aquino did while waiting for him to come back.

There are no ifs and buts about it, if you have people who depend on you for financial support, life insurance is a must.