Converting your Passion into a Business

By Francisco J Colayco


You might recall my advice about choosing a business that is best suited for you. One main factor is the need for “passion” for the kind of business you choose. As time passes, I begin to see more and more how the word “passion” can be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Let’s look at this further by understanding some ways you can determine your passion. Remember that you are looking for a passion that can also be your business.


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Filipino Entrepreneur: Another Look at Education

Filipino Entrepreneur: Another Look at Education from Illustrado

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Another Look at Education

By Francisco J. Colayco

Most parents assume that the best education is the most expensive one. Going to the higher tuition schools is almost always equated to high quality education. Graduating from such expensive institutions is taken as a guarantee for a good career and personal financial success. Indeed, education is an investment for one’s own future. 


But what if we were to look at education as strictly a financial investment decision? Though clearly, it is not all about money, determining the most appropriate type of education for our children boils down to affordability. Here is where the pitfall lies. Most of us will kill ourselves to give our children the most expensive education (at the expense of other just as pressing needs) we can afford. Why? This is because we have been conditioned to believe that the higher the investment in education, the higher the return. Worse, some of us may even believe society will judge our stature by where and what category of school our children go to. NOTHING COULD BE MORE IRRELEVANT TO OUR LIVES THAN THIS!


Purely on a return on investment perspective, we must evaluate the cost of formal schooling versus the lifetime cash return to the graduate.   Presently, even graduates of the so-called high-end schools are having a hard time finding jobs. This was happening even before the present global economic crisis.


Today, life is more complicated, much more competitive and expensive. Few can have the luxury of wasting time, effort and money in an education that was not really fit to the personality of a child/person. Thus, we should encourage “dreams” in the minds of our children much earlier in life on what they want to be when they grow up. As parents and teachers, we must observe them more and guide them towards the field/s in which they seem to have the most capability to enjoy and succeed. They have to be preparing for their “personal career” as soon as they step into high school.


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Financial Planning: Investing in the New Year

Financial Planning: Investing in the New Year from Illustrado

By Francisco J. Colayco

Christmas is a time to celebrate and be with family and friends. It also falls on the last few days of the year when everyone is preparing for the New Year also. As Christians, we use this season to improve our spiritual life as we remember the birth of Jesus Christ. But we could also use this time of the year to plan for the improvement of our financial life. My message for your New Year financial planning is: INVEST NOW!

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Investment Literacy Is Key

For the past years, we have been harping on the central message that to build wealth is an obligation. With the bright economic conditions with us today and even brighter economic prospects in the next three to five years, it is imperative that we focus today on investment literacy. The medium-to-long term future cannot be brighter as we have it today. If you, as income earner, miss the opportunity to participate in our capital markets in the next five years, you will be regretting it for the rest of your life.


If you had decided earlier to secure your financial future, you probably would have put away some savings by now. But as we always say, earning and saving money is a prerequisite, not a guarantee, to achieve financial comfort. It is prudent and correct investing that will ensure your financial independence.

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