Yvonie, Your FA-VA

Saturday is for grocery day and errand day. ✨

Kaigat ba ani uy. 😂

Sauna, fantasy ra gyud ni nako. Kanang mag date-date with my future husband, mag grocery together, mag debate unsay paliton ug dili paliton, unya mag drive pauli sa among balay.

Karon kay naa na diay ko ani nga era. Hahaha. 🥹

It's funny how the things I used to pray for are now part of my ordinary weekends. Dili man siya grand or sosyal nga date, pero makahilak gamay if hunahunaon nga once upon a time, gihandom ra ni nako.

Thank you, Lord, for the love, the home, and this life we're building together. Hallelujah. 💛

"𝐍𝐚𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐮𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐍𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐤𝐚𝐠 𝐒𝐒𝐒, 𝐏𝐚𝐠-𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐮𝐠 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡?"

Honestly, this is one of the questions I get as a VA and Financial Advisor.

Yes, naa koy Sun Life plans for my future retirement, health protection, and small investments. Pero gabayad gihapon ko sa akong SSS, Pag-IBIG, ug PhilHealth.

Why?

Because I don't believe in putting all my eggs in one basket.

For me, lahi-lahi sila og purpose. SSS is still for retirement and other benefits. Pag-IBIG opens opportunities like housing loans and affordable financing. PhilHealth helps reduce medical expenses. Then naa pud koy personal plans and investments para makadugang sa akong financial security.

As freelancers and remote workers, walay employer nga mag-asikaso ani para nato. Kita mismo ang mahimong HR, accountant, ug future self nato. 😅

Financial planning is not about choosing one over the other. It's about building multiple layers of protection and preparing for different life situations.

✨ 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The goal is not to depend on just one source. The goal is to create a stronger financial safety net for your future self.

💬 How about you? Are you still paying your government contributions as a freelancer or remote worker? Why or why not?

Comment below or send me a message. I'd love to hear your thoughts! 😊

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟎𝟏 🥹😂 | 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐫𝐚

Kinsa diri ang naay "hard mode" childhood? 🙋🏻‍♀️😂

Balik ta sa early 2000s.

Nagpuyo mi sauna sa Bato, Toril. Pwera gaba gyud. Lapok na, walay tubig pa gyud. Ang among cardio? Dili gym. Mangabo og tubig. 😂

Gibuhatan mi ni Papa og kariton gamit ang ligid sa bike. Dayon ako o si Fatima ang mutulak sa kariton nga naay dako nga gallon, sabay bitbit og mga gagmay nga gallon sa duha ka kamot.

Imagine that. Mga bata pa mi ato ha.

Pero maski ingon ato among sitwasyon, in fairness, puti kaayo among uniform. Proud kaayo si Mama kay pirmi makadawat si Fatima og award nga "Most Neat."

Ayaw nalang gyud pangutana kung nakadawat ba sad ko.

Wala. 😂

Dugyot man ko sauna. Kiat kaayo. Murag every month naay gisi nga palda o polo. Hahaha!

Fast forward.

Tungod sa family conflict, nibalhin mig Sinobong, Veruela, Agusan del Sur.

Abi nako lapok na ang Bato.

Pag-abot namo didto, nakaingon gyud ko:

*"Lord, naa pa diay next level?"* 😂

Ang lapok didto, murag naay commitment issues imong tsinelas. Mabilin sa dalan unya wala naka kabalo kung magkita pa ba mo balik. HAHAHA.

Pila pa lang ka adlaw mi didto, sige na kog ingon kang Mama:

*"Ma, muuli nata'g Davao?"* 😂

Of course, wala nahitabo.

Nagpabilin mi didto for almost 4 years.

Didto nako na-realize unsa diay nang survival mode.

20-30 minutes nga baktas padulong eskwelahan. Naay sapa agian. Walay motor kay wala man mi motor. Tsinelas ra kutob sa dalan, sapatos na pag-abot sa school.

Mangabo og tubig sa balon nga tua pa gyud sa bakilid.

Manghinis og kaldero sa sapa.

Dzae, mas sinaw pa ang kaldero kaysa akong future ato nga panahon. 😂

Kada Sabado ug Domingo, adto sa pikas yuta para mananom.

Lubi? Check.

Saging? Check.

Balanghoy? Check.

Kamote? Check.

Murag starter pack sa farming simulator. 😂

Pag-uli, maglukdo og kahoy si Mama ug si Fatima para pangsugnod.

Unya ako?

Di man ko kabalo maglukdo.

Aw syempre, ako ang taga-karga. Labor force representative. 😂

Pag-abot sa balay, maghaling dayon para makalung-ag ug makaluto before mu-ngitngit.

Kay kung maabtan kag gabii, murag automatic shutdown ang lawas.

Alas sais pa lang, tulog na. HAHAHA.

Pero kidding aside...

Kung balikan nako karon, makaingon ko nga grabe mi ka adaptable ni Fatima.

Wala mi kasabot sa tanan nahitabo sauna, pero nisunod lang mi. Nag-adjust. Nagpadayon.

Karong dako nami, narealize nako nga lisod pud to para kang Mama ug Papa.

And maybe that's why until now, dali ra mi maka-appreciate sa among mga blessings.

Kay kung nakasuway ka'g walay tubig, malipay naka sa gripo nga mutulo.

Kung nakasuway ka'g maglakaw ug layo para lang maka-eskwela, ma-appreciate nimo ang convenience.

Kung nakasuway ka'g gamay ra ang naa, makat-on ka nga dili kinahanglan daghan para mahimong grateful.

Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons.

Usahay pinaagi sa books.

Usahay pinaagi sa mentors.

Ug usahay... pinaagi sa lapok nga mokuha sa imong tsinelas. 😂

𝙏𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙙...
(𝙉𝙖𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙜𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙖𝙖𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙖 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙧𝙖. 𝙃𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙝𝙖.)

✨𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈 𝐊𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐕𝐀 #𝟐

Sa sugod, feeling nako stable na kay dugay na ko sa akong client.

But freelancers know this truth:

Clients can leave.
Projects can end.
Businesses can change direction.

No matter how good you are, some things are beyond your control.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.

Because security comes from preparation, not prediction.

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐚? 𝐕𝐀? 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫?

Daghan kog nailhan nga freelancers earning ₱50k, ₱80k, even ₱100k+ monthly. And honestly, that's one of the reasons nganong ganahan pud ta ani nga industry—kay dako gyud ang earning potential. 🙏✨

Pero here's something most of us don't think about: unsaon man kung di ta makatrabaho for 3 months tungod sa sakit o hospitalization? Unlike traditional employees, walay automatic sick leave, walay employer-sponsored benefits para sa kadaghanan nato. If we stop working, income can also stop.

𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙏𝙞𝙥 #2: 𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚. 𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙤. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧. 𝙆𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙮, 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚'𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚.

📩 Curious lang ko, if your income stopped tomorrow, pila ka months ang kaya sa imong savings?

Day well spent. ☕️🌮

Started the day with a 10k-step walk, squeezed in a grocery run, then ended it with good coffee, nachos, and quality time with my husband. Simple moments, but these are the days I silently prayed for years ago.

Life isn't perfect, but today reminded me how blessed I am to have time, health, a home to take care of, food on the table, and someone to share it all with.

Small wins. Simple joys. Grateful heart. 💛✨

💳✨ 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞.

Kabalo ko daghan kaayo og negative stories about credit cards, and honestly, naa pud koy nailhan nga naka-experience og financial mistakes because of them—which I totally understand. Credit cards are just tools. Depende gyud na kung giunsa nato pag-manage.

One habit I'm trying to build is being intentional with every swipe. My personal rule? If mag-swipe kog ₱1,000, dapat naa koy at least ₱3,000 sa akong savings. 𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧, 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙨. Whether Excel, notebook, or mobile app imong gamit, okay ra kaayo. Ang importante kay aware ka sa imong income, expenses, ug unsa ra gyud ang kaya sa imong budget.

I also love maximizing rewards cards and membership cards for things nga gastoan man gyud nako bisan wala pa ang rewards—groceries, fuel, coffee, snacks, dining out, deliveries, and bills. The goal is not to spend more because naa kay points or discounts. The goal is to get rewarded for expenses nga planado na daan. 😅

One realization pud nako as an adult: financial literacy and money management are not really taught in school. Mao siguro daghan sa ato ang nagkat-on pinaagi sa trial and error. The good thing is daghan na kaayong free information online. Follow people who talk about budgeting, saving, investing, insurance, and responsible credit card use. Or basin ganahan pud mo mu-follow nako. Hahahaha. 💜💛

Use your cards with purpose.
Every swipe today should help your future self, not stress your future self. ✨

𝐅𝐀-𝐕𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 #𝟎𝟎𝟏: 𝐈 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫

If you told 2023 Yvonie that one day she'd be helping people with insurance and financial planning, dili gyud ko mutuo. 😅

At that time, I was simply looking for ways to secure my own future. I became a Sun Life client first before becoming an advisor. Then somewhere along the way, I realized something: daghan kaayo ta'g ginapaningkamotan para makakwarta, pero usahay wala nato naprotektahan ang income nga atoang gihagoan.

As a VA, I understand the feeling. Walay guaranteed salary increase. Walay company HMO para sa tanan. Walay paid sick leave nga makasalig ka pirmi. If we don't work, most of the time, we don't earn.

That's one of the reasons why I chose to become both a VA and a Financial Advisor. Not because I have everything figured out, but because I know what it's like to worry about bills, loans, emergencies, and future plans while trying to build a better life.

Today, I'm still a VA. I'm still learning. Still paying bills. Still working on my goals with my husband. But one thing I've learned is this:

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜.

— Yvonie, Your FA-VA 💛💜

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈 𝐊𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐕𝐀 #𝟏

When I started working as a Virtual Assistant, I thought earning more was the answer to everything.

"If I can just reach ₱30k... ₱50k... ₱100k, okay na ko."

But as the years went by, I realized something:

𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨.

Nobody taught me about emergency funds.
Nobody taught me about protecting my income.
Nobody taught me how one unexpected hospitalization, job loss, or family emergency could affect everything I worked hard for.

As freelancers and VAs, we enjoy freedom and flexibility. But we also carry responsibilities that traditional employees don't always have to think about.

Looking back, I wish I focused not only on increasing my income, but also on building a strong financial foundation.

Still learning. Still growing. One step at a time. 💛

Fellow VAs, what's one thing you wish you knew earlier when you started freelancing?