Mum Shares: Cebuana Lhuillier ~ More Than Seven Decades of Uplifting Filipino Lives

Since the first Cebuana Lhuillier pawnshop was opened in 1953 {previously known as Agencia Cebuana}, the company has continuously provided Filipinos with ease and comfort, especially when it comes to financial access. More than seven decades after, Cebuana Lhuillier, remains to be a household name in the country, as it has established a strong presence in Filipino lives as the leading microfinancial services provider.

By operating close to 3,500 branches nationwide, the company has successfully reshaped the financial landscape and elevated societal access to financial products and services in many ways possible.

Over the years, the company has strategically positioned itself at the intersection of financial and social impact, therefore transcending traditional business boundaries. It has redefined the role of a financial institution as it embraces a multifaceted mission that goes beyond conventional norms. At its very core, Cebuana Lhuillier consider microfinance as a social mission rather than a business of numbers, thereby assisting Filipinos in every step of their financial wellness journey.

Moreover, the company has also launched several corporate social responsibility {CSR} initiatives and specialized projects that uplift Filipinos, the company has shown its deepest intentions of helping Filipinos in the many facets of life. Aside from pushing financial wellness, Cebuana Lhuillier also advocates for education and champion sports development.

“We purposely continue to develop new products and services that we know will help uplift lives of Filipinos. We believe that our market is capable of making smart financial decisions if provided access to good products. Aside from that, we also champion education and sports as we believe that these are good tools for people to improve their lives”, says Jean Henri Lhuillier, Cebuana Lhuillier’s President and CEO.

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Tips + Tricks: Press Play On Your Financial Goals With FWD Life Insurance

FWD’s Press play campaign encourages Filipinos to pursue their goals once more

Every day is a new chance for happiness, for living life to the fullest, looking at things from a different perspective, and being closer to achieving our goals.

FWD Life Insurance recently released its newest campaign, Press play, to encourage people to press play on their goals that were halted by personal challenges, lack of resources or time, or perhaps the pandemic. Press play was inspired by FWD’s DNA and brand promise to celebrate living. For over five months, FWD searched all over Asia for real people who are doing just that. 

One of the six featured individuals is Filipina Pau Javier, who switched careers and became a potter during the pandemic. The former producer for TV and independent films not only pursued her hobby, she also founded Wabi-Sabi Studio with her sister and now teaches pottery and sells her own creations. 

Press play’s featured individuals reassessed their lives and goals, made changes, and are happier for it. That’s what we all aim for, isn’t it? Pursuing your goals can lead to happiness, according to a study by the University of Basel. As long as you have goals that seem attainable to you, your psychological wellbeing can improve, the study said.   

Working on goals gives us a sense of purpose and control and leads to self-confidence and exploring life in directions we may not have considered before. Ready to restart on your goals and make new ones? Here are 5 goals that are worth pressing play on. 

Health and well-being goals

People in good health are physically active and get adequate rest daily. No matter how busy your day is, get moving at least 30 to 60 minutes a day and aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep to help your mind and body recharge. Eat more plant-based foods and swap fatty meats with healthy fats from fish and nuts. Maintain a healthy weight and less than 25 BMI. 

It helps your mental wellbeing when you try to pass on joy to people around you and talk to trusted friends and family members when you’re feeling stressed. If you feel overwhelmed by your sadness for extended periods, talk to a professional and get help. Peace of mind is also an important factor in your total wellbeing. One of the ways to achieve that is not having to worry about your health. Getting a health insurance is the best way to avoid stressing about getting sick. Knowing you can focus more on your wellness and recovery in case you get sick takes some heavy load off your mind.

Financial goals

Learn to manage your money. This involves spending, saving, earning, and investing. Financial goals are essential to creating a household budget and getting a clear picture of what you have and what you aim to have. Building an emergency fund should be an essential part of your financial goals which can be used for unplanned expenses like medical bills and simple (but costly) things like roof repairs or a fender bender.    

Talk to experts who know how to guide you in achieving your financial wellbeing, like an FWD financial advisor. It also pays to study and research money matters and tips on investing to grow your money even more. Experts can help you identify what kind of investment suits you, and having their expertise can help you focus on your goals.  

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Money Matters: 3 Effective Ways To Analyze Your Budget

In this hardest of times, making both ends meet is a struggle in itself. This is why it is a must to analyze your budget so you can maximize your spending power, ensure that there is enough budget to spend for needs and wants, and guarantee that money is set aside for important expenses, as well as for emergencies and similar unexpected expenses.

Examining your budget may be challenging, but here are a few effective ways you can practice to effectively analyze your budget:

Compute your monthly income

To analyze and create your monthly budget, you must first compute your regular monthly income. This would include all the funds that are coming in regularly by the end of the month. In case of unfixed or commission-based monthly income, you can compute for the average and include that to make your computation more comprehensive. It is also a must to subtract items like income tax and payables, as well as loans or social security contributions, in order to compute your net income, or the actual funds you receive at the end of the month.

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Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

List down your monthly expenses

In the same manner, you must also list down all your monthly expense to help you set your monthly budget and analyze whether it is enough to cover all your expenses for the month. Your list must include all your fixed expenses, or those that you need to regularly pay each month. This may include rent, car mortgage, school tuition, insurance premiums, and the likes. Variable expenses, on the other hand, are those that may vary from one month to the next and must also be included in your list. Such expenses include gas, groceries, funds for dining out or food takeaway, medical expenses, as well as car maintenance and repair fees.

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