We say goodbye to 2009 and give thanks for a very memorable year. In 2009, we marked the first year anniversary of Foreclosure Philippines, although I never got around to creating my first anniversary post. Actually, October 31, 2009 was the day of our first anniversary. Nevertheless, I just want to mark that day as we bid farewell to 2009 and I would like to take this opportunity to look back at 2009 for one last time. Read the rest of this entry

I first played Rich Dad’s Cashflow 101 game way back in 2007, after I found Think Rich Pinoy Seminar attendees who organized their own cashflow 101 game sessions. I was hooked ever since. I play cashflow 101 whenever I get a chance to do so as part of “sharpening the saw”. I believe that the cashflow 101 game effectively simulates one’s  journey out of the rat race and I would like to share here what I have learned from playing what I consider to be a “life changing game” and its practical applications in real life.

Here goes my Top 7 lessons learned from playing Rich Dad’s cashflow 101 game… Read the rest of this entry

How NOT to invest in foreclosures

One of my mentors, bestselling author Trace Trajano, recently posted a story about Anna, who bought a property in a foreclosure auction in the US. Take note that some of the things in the story might not be applicable here in the Philippines. Nevertheless, there are lessons here that are applicable to real estate investors  no matter where our locations may be. Before that, here’s the story of Anna… Read the rest of this entry

How I track my expenses and manage my money

This is the third part of a series on Managing Finances. If you have not read the first 2 parts, head on over to Part 1 and Part 2!

In part 2 of my series of posts on managing finances, I mentioned that I would be discussing more about how I tracked my expenses and the tools I used to do these. For now, I’ll just focus on how I track my expenses. This is not rocket science.  I only need to record exactly where my money is going, particularly my cash on hand. Based on experience, this is where my money gets “lost”.

How many times have you wondered where your money went when it was still more than a week to go before payday?! Have you ever tried but failed to remember exactly where you spent your money? Get my point?!

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This is Part 2 of a series on Managing Finances. If you have not read the first part, head on over to Part 1. You can also go to Part 3 later!

In part 1 of this series about managing finances to get ready for real estate investing, I mentioned that the learnings that I got from the “How To Become Truly Rich” seminar of Bo Sanchez  and the “Money Jars” that were mentioned in T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Intensive program broke the camel’s back as that was the turning point in my quest to manage my finances.

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This is Part 1 of a series on Managing Finances. After reading, don’t forget to read Part 2 and Part 3!

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for beginning real estate investors is that you realize that you have little or no money to invest. The big question is where do I get the money for investment? I believe that the starting point is to get it from your savings, which you get from managing your personal finances well.

When you always have savings available for investment, you can grab opportunities as they arise. Remember: great deals and opportunities may come anytime, and you don’t want to miss out on such opportunities because you simply don’t have enough cash on hand for downpayments, and/or have little chance of getting bank financing approved. Come to think of it, how can you expect to manage the cashflow from your properties (when you already have them) if you can’t even manage your own personal finances? Read the rest of this entry