Health is Wealth

I have loved ones who were afflicted with the Big C. My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and thank God that through prayers and good Doctors at PGH, he just went through an operation and didn't have to go through chemotherapy. My sister was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to go through the said treatment for a period of 6 months. My aunt had a tumor in the neck area and went through radiation therapy. A very close friend of mine had breast cancer and had undergone chemotherapy as well. Her treatment brought her immune system down and this eventually caused the cancer to spread in her uterus and now lymph nodes. Year 2009, I spent my birthday with Brave Kids. They are cancer patients being treated at PCMC. For more details you may view their website at http://www.projectbravekids.org/about_childhood_cancer.php.

I watched Rated K yesterday and they featured the new treatments for Cancer which may eventually lead to a breakthrough that will totally heal this disease. This is very good news especially with the latest statistics that 40,000 die due to the Big C in our country alone. You may view the details of the Rated K episode here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cYx0mZ6vwU.

We all believe that health is wealth but sometimes we don't do something about it until we are afflicted with illnesses. We need to take charge and really put into action the quote that says prevention is better than cure. We begin by understanding how people get cancer.

Based on what I've gathered, Cancer is a temporary malfunction in our normal cell division process and we all have cancer cells in our body but our immune system destroys them. If we have low immune system because of our lifestyle choices (wrong type of food, lack of exercise), emotional trauma (resentment, anger, depression) or excess toxins, the number of these cancer cells grow beyond the capability of our immune system to destroy them, then we get cancer. For more detailed information here's a very good blog regarding what cancer is: http://www.beating-cancer-gently.com/whatiscancer.html.

Knowing this, we know now how to prevent cancer or how to prevent the increase of abnormal cells:

1) Eat healthy by taking in more fruits and vegetables to give us the required vitamins and minerals to boost our immune system and energize our cells. We need 3 servings of fruits and 4 servings of vegetables on a daily basis. I have a lot more to share on this topic but I will discuss that on a separate blog so I can elaborate more.

2) Exercise at least three times a week. Anything to keep your body active, if you're on a budget run or walk more often. Avoid polluted area though because that is also toxin to your body.

3) Avoid negative thoughts and people that will lead to bad feelings that is not good for our body. I know stress is unavoidable in our fast-paced society but try to identify what causes you stress and minimize your exposure. Avoid negative people, those who criticize and whine all the time. Don't let their negativity rub in on you. Do what makes you happy inside and out, this will give you a good feeling and is definitely good for your health and immune system. I remember one time when someone caused me great depression, I noticed that I had colds and cough for an extended period of time. I didn't know why because I rarely get sick in the past. I eventually found out that depression or emotional pain causes your immune system to go down.

4) Avoid toxins. There are a lot in our environment from the food we're eating, the air we're breathing to the clothes we're wearing. Yup, it's all around us so we need to understand what these are and learn how to minimize our exposure. Here's a link regarding Toxins: http://aberdeen.myvillage.com/article/toxins-where-do-they-come-from-and-how-dangerous-are-they-really?hidden_session_id=Y

Let's take care of our health. Believe it or not, it is a selfless thing to do. Why? Because by being healthy we have the ability to continue to serve and love more and to spend more happy memories with our loved ones. I know some people care less about their health because they thought it only affects them. This is not true, I know how devastated I was when I found out about my father (Thank God he got cured). Do it for the people you care about, they need you and it is the most important gift you can give them.

Mutual Funds for Pinoy

Did you know that Warren Buffet, the richest man in 2008, bought his first stock at the age of 11? Later after selling his share and got his earnings, he wished he bought earlier.

Albert Einstein called compound interest the eight wonder of the world and mankind's greatest invention, because it is the mightiest force ever unleashed for the amassing of wealth. For instance:

Age 4%

Money doubles every 18 years

29 100,000

47 200,000

65 400,000

Age 8%

Money doubles every 9 years

29 100,000

38 200,000

47 400,000

56 800,000

65 1,600,000

Age 12%

Money doubles every 6 years

29 100,000

35 200,000

41 400,000

47 800,000

53 1,600,000

59 3,200,000

65 6,400,000

As shown above, time is your ally in financial wealth. Invest in individual stocks or mutual funds. Start now, don't further delay!

If you want to stop working before 60 or if you want to relax after your retirement from work and enjoy the fruits of your labor then it is not too late. You can start now and plan a better future for you and your children. You may consider saving for your child's college fund. Nowadays it is difficult to trust pre-need products to prepare for college education. Several pre-need companies closed shop or were unable to produce what they promised.

Before you proceed in stock investment, do your research. Know the difference between Mutual Funds and Individual Stocks to make a better well-informed decision that will suit your need and your profile. Here's a good right up you can read through: http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/28/pf/expert/stocks_funds.moneymag/index.htm

Individual stocks are for people with a bigger appetite for risk and as for anything with high risk, the returns can also be big. If you prefer Individual Stocks, you can start investing for as low as PHP5,000 through citiseconline (https://www.citiseconline.com.ph/final2/b_home_new/home.asp). I know a number of people using citiseconline. Some people have earned 40% return of money within a years time so this will also be good for short-term financial goals.

Mutual funds normally has lower returns compared to individual stocks but risk is lower because of diversified portfolio. Mutual funds is the answer to your long term financial goals (e.g. educational fund, retirement). It normally takes 5 years to reap good return of investment.

For Mutual Funds, I currently transact with Philequity Management Inc. Find out more about the company and view the historical NAVPS and learn more about investing in their site - http://www.philequity.net/. You can also start for as low as PHP5k and the succeeding for as low as PHP1k. I recommend money cost averaging strategy. This is to systematically purchase shares to offset investment risk in fluctuating market. A constant amount is invested at a specific time interval. As the price of the given product fluctuates, the same money amount invested will purchase more number of shares when the price is low and less number of shares when its price is high. See illustration below:

Montly Contribution Price Per Share #of Shares Accumulated

Month 1 P100 P100 1

Month 2 P100 P50 2

Month 3 P100 P25 4

Month 4 P100 P20 5

Month 5 P100 P25 4

Month 6 P100 P50 2

Total Contribution Average Price Total # of Shares Accumulated

P600 P270/6=P45 18

18 Shares

x P50 Last Share Price

------------------------------------

P900 Total Value after 6 months

P900 Total Value after 6 months

- P600 Total Contribution

-------------------------------------

P300 Gain after 6 months

50% over 6 months or 8.33/month

Remember to do your research because stocks/mutual funds involve risk. Once you have figured your appetite for risk then make a decision what best suits you. Best of luck with your investment!