“This isn’t your average money talk—it’s your roadmap to financial success."

The Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI) has been instrumental in guiding scholars on a transformative journey toward achieving financial freedom. The recent Life Skills, and Motivational Seminar (LSMS) entitled “No-No’s to Financial Freedom," featuring the esteemed speaker and our beloved alumnus Mr. Julius Ceazar Bactad took place on October 15, 2023, at Sky 1 Tower in Binondo, Manila. CFBCI wanted to share invaluable insights and a comprehensive guide to achieving the scholars’ first million after graduation. Through such initiatives, CFBCI continues to brighten the path, equipping scholars with the knowledge and motivation needed to face the difficulties of financial success with confidence and determination.

Before the seminar started, Mr. Samuel Lee Uy, CFBCI’s Executive Vice President, took the stage to share some wisdom in what we called a serendipity talk. He threw some questions at the scholars to get them thinking, like what they would do if their uncle gave them P25,000 or how they’d handle an P8,000 cellphone bill—pay in cash with a discount or in installments? For a 1 1/2-kilometer trek to school, walk or hire a ride? Spending the whole day at school, was bringing a lunch box acceptable? Lastly, when parents deal with financial afflictions, what’s the scholars’ move? The scholars’ answers showed a mix of perspectives, making the room filled with different ideas and values. Here are some of their responses:

“My answer is yes po, in reality our class po start between 6AM to 9PM so para po makatipid ako nagbabaon na lang po ako”, scholar answer to the question ‘you will spend your whole day in school, is it ok for you to bring your lunch box?’

“Since I’m taking BSBA major in FM [Financial Management] what comes into my mind is yung PHP 25,000 po is gagamitin kong puhunan para magbuild ng isang business”, scholar said upon answering ‘if your uncle gave you P P25,000 , what will you do with the money?’

To continue the seminar, the stage moved forward to Mr. Bactad’s presentation. His talk – No-No’s to Financial Freedom – is a detailed and informative guide to achieving financial stability and freedom. The presentation is divided into several sections, including Mr. Bactad’s humble beginnings, his motivation to be better, his milestones, and the top 5 “no-no’s" to achieving financial freedom.

Mr. Bactad’s personal journey serves as an inspiration to those who are struggling to achieve financial stability. He shares his experiences of shifting his career from a nutritionist-dietitian to sales, experiencing numerous heartbreaks, rejections, trial and error, risk-taking, and financial mistakes. Despite these challenges, he was able to achieve several milestones, including traveling to 13 countries, owning a car and property, having a comfortable home, giving back to his parents, going to concerts, and having more savings and investments.

The presentation then focuses on the top 5 “no-no’s" to achieving financial freedom, which are not having a financial plan, buying what you cannot afford, sticking to one source of income, not having an emergency fund, and not securing the future. Mr. Bactad provides actionable steps and advice for each of these “no-no’s," such as paying yourself first, identifying your non-negotiable needs, adhering to your budget, not spending beyond your means, having multiple sources of income, having an emergency fund, and starting a retirement plan early.

Bactad emphasizes the importance of balancing enjoying your income and securing the future, not blaming your past, being patient, and having an abundance mindset. He also provides a helpful analogy of a financial house, where the foundation is having a financial plan, the walls are multiple sources of income, the roof is an emergency fund, and the decorations are savings and investments.

After the talk, Mr. Bactad welcomed different takeaways and learnings from the scholars. Aside from the scholars, the CFBCI Bosses also shared their perspective from the talk and give the scholars a chance to voice out their knowledge as they now about to accept their own path towards their financial freedom. After the speech, everyone readied themselves to enjoy snacks and lunch together before departing from the office.

菲華工商總會訊：本會於十月十五 日（星期日）上午，假八樓禮堂為「點亮未來」助學方案的受助生舉辦修養講座，講座內容著重於培養學員的道德思想，個人素質和生活技能的提高以及良好生活習慣的養成，陶冶身心。出席學員共一百一十位。當天出席的本會領導有：執行副理事長黃書瑋，常務顧問曾煥眉，理事張其安、留牡丹、黃愛儀。

當月主講人是二零一三年畢業的受助生 Julius Ceazar Bactad，當年他以第三榮譽 (Cum Laude) 成績畢業於菲律濱理工大學 (PUP) 飲食營養系 (Nutrition and Dietetics)，並參加政府會考取得第三名優異成績；現在是英國保誠人壽菲律濱公司 (Prulife) 的團隊經理，兼執照財務顧問。講座主題為「財務自由—畢業後第一個百萬指南」。

在研討會開始之前，執行副理事長黃書瑋先向受助生們提出了一些假設問題，讓他們思考：一、如果你們的叔叔給你們兩萬五千元菲幣，你們會怎麼花？二、你們將如何處理八千元菲幣的手機帳單？是以折扣現金支付還是分期付款？三、如果需要跋涉一點五公里路上學，會選擇步行還是租車？四、在學校呆了一整天，帶飯盒可以接受嗎？最後，當父母處理經濟問題時，你們會有什麼行動？學員們的回答給出了多種觀點各異，很有思考價值的意見。

接下來由Bactad學友開始演講「想實現財務自由的禁忌」，是實現財務穩定和自由的詳細資訊指南。內容分為幾個部分， 重點介紹了實現財務自由的五大「禁忌」；如果沒有財務計劃、購買負擔不起的東西、堅持一種收入來源、沒有應急基金以及沒有保障的未來。Bactad學友為這每一個「禁忌」提供了可行的步驟和建議。比如在購買額外物資時，先想一下：我真的需要嗎？是我想要的嗎？我負擔得起嗎？這是上帝想要給我的嗎？想清楚確認後，並遵守預算，不超出個人能力支出，擁有多種收入來源，備有應急基金，以及儘早安排退休計劃。

接著以個人的人生歷程來激勵那些正在努力實現財務穩定的學員。他分享了從營養師轉向銷售員的艱辛經歷，儘管面臨種種挑戰，但十年的奮鬥，他還是取得了幾個里程碑，包括前往十三個國家旅行，擁有自己的汽車和房產，有能力照顧父母、還有閒暇可以參加音樂會，及擁有豐富的儲蓄和穩定的投資。

講座最後， Bactad學友再次強調一個合理的財務計劃，和財務自由的禁忌的重要性，希望學員們有不同的收穫和理解。本會出席領導也分享了他們的觀點，並鼓勵學員們要融會貫通，學以致用，早日實現財務自由，走上康莊大道。講座會在出席領導向主講人頒贈感謝狀後，於中午前圓滿結束。
圖片說明：
上小圖：左、右分別是Julius Ceazar Bactad主講，黃書瑋致詞之影。
中圖：向主講人頒贈感謝狀（左起）留牡丹，曾煥眉，黃書瑋，Julius Ceazar Bactad，張其安，黃愛儀。
下圖：講座現場。