My UITF Experience

I am a newbie with respect to investment. When I say investment, I refer to the legitimate types available through banks, financial firms, and the stock market. So far I have only been familiar with savings and time deposits, insurance/pre-need plans, cooperatives, and just last year UITF's (which are quite similar to mutual funds). I've had a bit of experience with stocks through my past employer, Intel, which of course offers stock options and discounted stock purchase plans.

Now why am I starting to take an interest in knowing more about investment options? Because 1st of all interest rates for savings and time deposits from banks are getting smaller and smaller such that it is almost non-existent. Insurance and pre-need plans are ok but they are usually just set aside for future specific use. Membership to cooperatives is one good alternative as it not only allows you to save but also allows you to borrow in case you need money among other benefits. However, share capital in a cooperative is not something you can liquidate throughout your membership (unless you're planning to withdraw membership which I do not plan to do). Savings account interest here is also higher than banks but they're not enough to
battle inflation. When I got a bit of experience buying and selling our company stocks, the rate of return was good. And it inspired me to learn more how to take advantage of these opportunities.

As a beginner with respect to stock investment, I canvassed for quite a while what are good possible investment prospects in terms of mutual funds and UITFs. These were my only initial considerations as these are handled by experienced fund managers and I wanted to test the water first. I read a lot of feedback from forums discussing which are the best performing and differences with respect to minimum placement, holding period, fees etc. In the end, I opted for BDO Balanced Fund. I started out with the minimum P10k first.

I chose BDO balanced fund because 1st of all BDO is a very accessible bank. It is located in any SM mall and therefore there is always an open branch during weekends or after office hours. Basically I had factored in its accessibility. Secondly, it is affordable aside from its Fixed Income Fund which also has a minimum placement of P10k. Thirdly, I checked their portfolio and past performance. I saw that from its inception it has been on a continuous uptrend. And since it has a mix of stocks and fixed income securities in it, there's a higher rate of return but with some volatility.

That was in August 2007. I checked the NAVPU (Net Asset Value per Unit, while for mutual fund it's per share) daily which changes up or down ranging from a few pesos to a hundred. I was happy that in general the rate increases up to a point that it reached an all-time high in October that I decided to cash it in. My first attempt in UITF gave me a return of 18% in less than 2 months. I just realized I should have put in more money. But it was beginner's luck.

In December, I decided to invest again now that the rate went down by a few hundred pesos. The next month it went down again but I continued to invest. The same thing happened in the succeeding months, with the rate going down and I continuing to invest. My philosophy was the general direction it will go is only UP in the long term. And I incorporated what some investors say as cost averaging, which is continuously investing in order to absorb the changes and averaging over the long-term your investment. However, up to now, the rate is still going down. As a precaution, I invested partly on Fixed Income Fund (which is more conservative than the Balanced Fund) in order to preserve my capital more due to higher risk in the Balanced Fund. But both of them are going down although not at the same rate.

I stopped my continuous monthly investment last month. I want to wait it out first until the market changes course. I am planning to analyze the fund performance based on the Technical Analysis training I attended and assess whether it is time for me to pull it out or just hold. Unfortunately, the website where I can access the charts currently doesn't work. O well, I just need to look for a way to improvise.

While the current economy is not the best time to invest, I am now starting to learn what I can about investments particularly the stock market so that I am prepared to take action when the right indicators/opportunity comes.

Learning more about Stock Market Investing

I have just recently started attending trainings on Stock Market Investing. In my pursuit to look for a job related to financial management, I happened to find some very informative trainings that are provided free of charge or for just a minimal fee.

One of the brokerage firms that provide trainings is CitisecOnline.com, which is an online stock brokerage firm located within the PSE Center in Ortigas. I was browsing their website when I chanced upon the ff. seminar series they provide to the public.

1. Investing in the Stock Market Today
2. Introduction to Technical Analysis
3. Technical Trading Strategies

For the past two Thursdays (yesterday and last week), I attended the first 2. The 1st one is free of charge while #2 and 3 are free for CitisecOnline members but for non-members, like me, it's P500. Not bad right? Considering that the trainings so far last 4hours each. And you'll already learn lots of tips and information. This also already includes the handouts and snacks.

Considering that those seminars last 4hours (and the 1st training was even scheduled in the afternoon), I did not even get sleepy at anytime. I guess I wanted to really absorb everything that is being taught. Plus the trainor himself, Mr. Juan Barredo, is very knowledgeable and engaging. Classes so far are quite well-attended. The training room which can probably accommodate around 50-60 people is almost full. I will definitely attend again next week for the 3rd training.

The Hulk and Anger Management

Last night, Rene and I watched a movie for the first time in Trinoma. It was The Incredible Hulk (starring Edward Norton). We normally watch at SM North Edsa. Since it's a weekday there were no lines. And the movie we were planning to watch incidentally is being shown in a THX theater.

The cinema was not full. Although where we were positioned (in the middle almost at the top) is where most of the viewers chose to sit. Hmm bad choice for us. Throughout the movie, guys sitting behind us kept kicking at our backrest. And it is irritating. The leg room is already spacious enough and there is no excuse for them to bang on it.

Although I enjoyed watching the movie, I really was irked at these inconsiderate viewers. Once we glanced at the back when it was bothering Rene. But when it was also done to me I looked back again. I just looked but didn't say anything. It stopped for awhile but later on continued to do so again.

So I tried to get back by sitting upright to slightly block the view of whoever was doing it behind me. I don't know if it was successful but i'd like to think i irritated him even just a little bit. I was thinking if ever he would complain to me, I will tell him to stop kicking my backrest. He didn't complain though. So am already satisfied with that.

After the movie and everyone was about to leave, a small commotion took place. I don't know what it was about but i just saw a guy got punched on the face by another guy wearing sando (or more like a basketball jersey). The punched guy was with his gf who also got mad and slapped the guy in sando. While the guy in sando was with his pregnant wife. They were mediated by their partners and some other people I am not sure if with them. After which some security guys came in and took them probably for some questioning. The people concerned obviously didn't look like they knew each other. So I am guessing maybe the issue was similar to mine. Apparently, Bruce Banner isn't the only one who needs to learn anger management. It applies to all.

Lucky Friday the 13th?

Last Friday, Rene got home quite drunk after some drinking session with his officemates. He told me he had good news. So I asked him what's the good news. He said he won a raffle and the prize was a 3 days, 2 nights accommodation in Boracay! My first reaction was, really? I thought he might be joking.

He wasn't joking. But the other question i asked was, was it for real? I mean it might be a scam. He told me the circumstances on how he got to be in the raffle. It so happened that while he was waiting for me at Trinoma (I don't remember when) and there was an Isuzu car show, a sales lady asked him to join a raffle. He didn't buy anything though.

I thought what do you know, an unfortunate incident of me being late and Rene spending time at the car show, just happened to join the raffle and then won a major prize on a Friday the 13th. Talk about ironies.

Anyway, we really thought it was real. The caller who informed him of the prize told him that it is valid for 3 mos and that it will be awarded supposedly yesterday with a free lunch/dinner (our choice) at Astoria club in Tomas Morato.

I kept thinking maybe there is a catch. But they seem legit as every time Rene asked for directions how to get there, they answer promptly. However, every person we told about it also kept thinking if it might be a scam. So before leaving for the 6pm dinner we scheduled, Rene searched over the internet about the promo and the place. He found out from one blog that they are going to make you sign an agreement that you're willing to listen to a 90-min presentation after your lunch/dinner.

Anyhow, we still showed up at Club Astoria to see for ourselves and personally ask if they are going to sell us anything. We arrived around 5:45pm and some people were already there. We waited till the couple who arrived ahead of us went in. They seem to be hesitant too though. When the girl at the front desk entertained us, that was when we asked what the 90-min show was for. She explained that they were just going to show a presentation about their hotels. She did not elaborate much. We told her about our concerns and our expectations (Rene remembers being told about the 90-min presentation over the phone but his idea was it would be shown while eating dinner). Apparently, it will be a sort of one-on-one presentation. We just told her that we might not have that much time to spare. She emphasized too that it's actually a minimum of 90-mins and that it could extend further.

That was it. We decided not to go through with it. We did not want to waste hours for nothing. It's just unbelievable that they have to "require" people to listen to them in order to sell something. And it's deceitful to entice people to claim prizes they thought they won when in fact they are asking for something in return.

There are a lot of similar marketers like this. We've already experienced it first hand with Family First a long time ago. I can't believe we actually ended up spending 3hours there! Most of it just waiting. And the remaining was arguing why we couldn't leave when we wanted to. I pity those people who they did fool and gave in just to make them happy.

Btw, in case you're curious what Club Astoria has to say (as I am) in the presentation, you might want to check out this blog: http://momtofourbeta.blogspot.com/2007/03/my-disgusting-experience.html

I'm glad we didn't go through with it.

I hate getting sick!

Last monday, I decided to make myself healthier and more fit by starting an exercise program for myself. I got the following tips from an OPRAH show: 30 mins of cardio workout at least 3x a week and flexibility exercise daily. I'm not really sure if i got them exactly right but this is what I wanted to start with.

So that day I did an hour workout of Hip Hop Aerobics which I just played in my husband's MacBook. It really worked up a sweat considering the summer heat. In addition I wanted to avoid getting the usual migraine around my period. And that morning was the 1st day.

Now my plan was to start with the cardio workout 1st. After which i will start with the flexibility exercise by doing the belly dancing workout maybe a week after. But a day after my initial cardio workout, I suddenly got sick.

Tuesday night after dinner, I suddenly felt pain in my lower abdomen. My guess is dysmenorrhea, which i thought was odd, because i rarely suffer from that plus it usually occurs on the first day of period at the onset of menstruation. So i applied a hot water bottle on it to relieve the pain up to the time i slept.

The pain subsided throughout the night, but my stomach still felt swollen and painful when touched. Throughout the whole of Wednesday, there's still pain. The pain even gets worse after meals. I feel bloated as well. I know now it's not due to dysmenorrhea but something else. Now my guess was it's kabag. Not really sure what the term is in english but it's due to too much gas. The problem is i don't even have the urge to gas. So it's that way until evening.

Fortunately my sister in law is a doctor. So i was able to consult with her as soon as she got home. I would have had difficulty going out at the condition i am in. Her diagnosis based on my symptoms is ulcer. She suggested taking Kremil-S, an antacid as temporary relief.

The realization that it's ulcer is a bit devastating for me. I felt it is like a life sentence. I have to avoid acidic foods and i am not sure if the pain reliever i take during migraine attacks contributed to it.

The worst of it came early morning Thursday. I woke up around 1am with a sharp pain in the stomach. Di ako mapakali. Nangangasim na parang iniipit ang tyan ko. I got up and checked the internet. I wanted to know more about what I am experiencing. Kasi ayoko naman manggising ng tao. Medyo bothered din si Rene pero i told him not to worry. So based on what I read, the least i can do for the pain is take an antacid. And then i slept it off.

The next day before Eden left for work, I told her what i felt that morning. So she prescribed Nexium and Mucosta to treat the acidity and heal the ulcer. The medicines are quite expensive, Nexium being P108.50 each and the whole 2 weeks medication costing around P2500.

Today's the 4th day of medication and so far so good. I no longer feel pain in my abdomen. And the only sacrifice so far is abstaining from carbonated drinks and coffee. But it's a sacrifice that is worth the pain i avoid. I'll probably postpone my planned exercise workout till i'm through with the medication. I would not want to cause any more pain in my stomach until I am fully recovered. Or better yet, I could start again gradually like doing the stretching 1st then the cardio workout later. I guess eating healthy should always go hand in hand with regular exercise. But it's easier said than done.