Free financial planning services, as in free, is accessible to average Filipinos if only they have the motivation and aptitude to learn and improve the way they manage their finances. However, very few are aware that financial advice from financial planners comes in handy with no strings attached. Financial planning in the first place, is a novel idea to many Filipinos. Most think that it is only for the wealthy or those who have lots of money to manage and thus have the financial capacity to pay for the services of a financial planner.
If you are interested to learn financial planning and money management, here are key sources of free financial planning information to guide you:
Wealth Academy seminars of International Marketing Group
The Wealth Academy series of seminars provide free financial planning services initially covering the first two series: Series 1 is on money management strategies while Series 2 covers the basics of investing. These seminars are available to just about anyone.
Many registered and associate financial planners of the Philippines and registered IMG financial advisors serve as resource speakers in Wealth Academy seminars on a regular basis. The free financial planning and money management seminars are largely held in IMG offices. These are definitely given for free with no strings attached. The objective of these free seminars is purely educational Normally, once a participant fully understands the benefits of joining and getting a license, they register as agent or broker on their own volition. Once they join and own a product, they can start the practice of becoming their own financial advisor and share their newly- acquired knowledge to their immediate family members and friends.
When invited as resource speakers by institutions or organizations, the participants can take advantage of their presence by asking questions on specific financial dilemmas they are facing. I envisioned that for free financial planning services to be more accessible, holding of financial clinics and one-on-one consultations can be a practical approach. But this is yet a novel idea.
Website of International Marketing Group
If not one of the venues of the free seminars is physically accessible to you, you can access the financial concepts taught at IMG Wealth Academy by visiting its website.
Scores of websites on personal finance
I follow several websites and also learned a lot from. These are the websites that I frequently visit and use as reference: about.com, Kiplinger, investopedia, CNN money, gnmagazine’s article on managing your finances, and Get Rich Slowly, among many others.
Pesos and Sense
Pesos and Sense is a weekly television show that brings the world of financial planning and investments closer to Filipinos. Many of the episodes are downloadable from YouTube.
These resources however, will not make Filipinos, wizards when it comes to managing their finances. By most measuring sticks, Filipinos are poor at saving and yet good at spending. Since they are poor at savings, they are consequently poor at planning for their financial needs, both immediate and future ones.
While financial planners may provide free financial-advice sessions, most Filipinos are not keen on getting financial advice or do not see the need for it.
If you are not satisfied with the free route, there are many personal finance books sold in bookstores as well as at Amazon. These some of my favorites: Be Your Own Financial Adviser and The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom.
This site is a free resource. Just reading through the various pages serves the purpose of providing free financial planning advice. You can get a lot of insights and actionable tips by just reading through the contents of this site. Its part of my personal mission to share what I learned and practice. Can you share your thoughts and reservations?