Money and major life decisions
O ne of the scariest statements a father will ever hear from his daughter is the statement, “Dad, I’m getting married!”
Trust me, fathers ( or even mothers) still get surprised by this scary statement — no matter how much they think they’re prepared for it.
And so one day, a daughter approached her dad and said, “Dad, I’m getting married.”
The dad, obviously shocked by the news, replied, “You’re getting what?! Getting
married?! Who is he? How much money does he make?”
Many parents, just like the dad above, ask the wrong questions. The right questions would have been: “Is he an honest person? Is he a hard worker? Is he mature and responsible?” or “Is he a God-fearing person?”
But obviously, because the statement came as a surprise, the dad’s response was materialistic: “Who is he? How much money does he make?”
The daughter shook her head and said, “Dad… You men are all the same. That is the same question he asked me about you!” Panic time! There are a lot of major life events that come into our lives that necessitate serious decision-making. From the choice of course to take in college, to the company of choice for employment, or the development of one’s career.
These major life decisions require very careful thinking. Decisions like these involve vital life resources such as time, money and energy, and these resources should be allocated wisely.
The Philippine STAR’s Single/Single TV series, together with their major sponsors, have brought me to a lot of BPO companies where I have had the opportunity to share money management ideas with the young, and I have never failed to remind them of a very important basic principle when it comes to life and living.
This is what I say all the time: “The way you spend your time and the way you spend your money is a clear indication of the quality of the life you live.”
In other words, show me your checkbook and your calendar and I can fairly assess the quality of the way you are living your life, or the lack of it.
There are a lot of people who live or have lived their lives wisely simply because they have made good and rational decisions.
Those who have failed to make good decisions live their lives today with regrets. In addition to that, most of the unwise decisions were made in haste ruled by emotions and careless reasoning.
Entering a relationship is a major life decision most people will eventually make. That decision should put reason way above emotions in order to ensure victorious living. And this is exactly what Joee (Shaina Magdayao) of the
Single/Single series is doing. Relationships should be established on a foundation of commitment, honesty and transparency, managed by an enormous amount of responsibility.
Getting married requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice in order to make it work and to raise a family successfully.
Once the romance flies out the window, as the baby continues to cry in the wee hours of the morning; once the preparation of provisions, education and other life responsibilities come calling, the commitment is still what will keep the romance going in the midst of all the challenges life will bring.
This is why good financial preparation should start early. The ability to look into the future with a healthy sense of urgency and preparation is important. It will never be a very good idea to enter into any relationship without it.
Make sure that you have a sufficient personal wealth to live by and the skills to produce more of it. Ensure as well that you have the knowledge and ability to manage your wealth correctly and responsibly.
Define your financial goals, determine who will deal with spending and budgeting every day, and make sure that your intended partner for life understands and agrees to the arrangement.
Consider all these or seek the advice of a financial counselor to help you through the process. For, after all, love is sweet and even sweeter when there are sufficient resources to live upon.
And finally, a quote from Nishan Panwar that made me laugh at its irrefutable logic: “They say that love is more important than money. Have you ever tried paying your bills with a hug?’
I rest my case.
Single/ Single is a wealth management project of The Philippine STAR in partnership with SunLife, Metrobank, Avida, Samsung, and Ford. It airs on Cinema One every Saturday at 8 p.m., with replays on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 p.m.
Stay up-to-date on Single/Single by catching the latest episode synopsis every Sunday in the Entertainment section.
‘Those who have failed to make good decisions live their lives today with regrets.’