Clueless with Investing? Start now with GCash

What if we told you your milk tea allowance can buy you shares in PSEi’s top 30 companies? Consider these investment tips from Antonette Aquino on how to grow your money starting at P50.

From using our GCash as our everyday e-wallet,  times sure have changed with the multitude of opportunities you can do with just a click of this app! What once started out as the go-to app for payments and sending money, GCash has transformed itself into truly providing a better everyday, with finance solutions made for all.

Today, 1 in 3 Filipinos are currently on GCash, as it provides safe and seamless payment transactions, as well as shopping and financial services. Earlier in the week, the brand announced how they’re continuing to reimagine their services allowing users to shop, save, invest, get insurance coverage, and more -- all within the GCash app. That not only means having a more frictionless user experience and convenience for all, but more importantly, it means many Filipinos will now have access to services that could help unlock a better every day, and eventually, a brighter financial future.

Investing is more than just setting aside your money for long-term goals. It’s about making wise choices that will benefit you and your loved ones in the future.

Antonette Aquino, a multi-awarded financial advisor and founder of Tiktok finance channel Money Health Check, believes that investing is not just for the rich. “People forego planning for their financial future because of this. But as they say, investing is not for the rich, it’s how you get rich,” she says.

To help us learn more about investing, here are Antonette’s five tips: 

1. Be properly informed

The internet can provide you with information and helpful tools for investing. However, Antonette advised being mindful of what you read online.

She explains, “Most young people are scared to invest because they’re scared to lose money. If you take time to learn about investing, you’ll realize that you’re losing money every day because of inflation.”

In investing, it’s important to learn from the right people—in this case, experts and wealth coaches.

2. Find out what works for you

“When choosing an investment vehicle, you need to assess your goals, time frame, and risk appetite, then you’ll be able to form your investment strategy,” Antonette says.

Choosing your investment profile will highly depend on your financial objectives. For Antonette, investing in mutual funds is perfect for those who are just starting.

She adds, “The less hands-on and less complicated approach is investing in mutual funds because you have professional fund managers doing all the work for you. On the other hand, investing directly in stocks involves decision-making and time to study the technical and fundamental analyses.”

3. Focus on your priorities

Investing is about allowing your money to work for you. This includes deciding where your money will go. 

For Antonette, it’s important to prioritize spending your needs rather than splurging on things that wouldn’t add value to you. “The job of your money is to help you achieve your financial goals in the long term. There’s nothing wrong with spending on your wants, as long as it doesn’t jeopardize your future.”

4. Stay organized

For Antonette, finance apps and spreadsheets can help you stay financially organized. It helps you control your money and not the other way around. 

“When you understand your cash flow, you determine your profitability as a person,” she adds.

5. The best time to start is now

Antonette started investing at the age of 17. It gave her an opportunity to learn from her mistakes and develop better spending habits. 

She started the habit of putting a portion of her hard-earned money into her financial freedom fund. This helped her to do something she loves, buy the things she wants, and help others. 

Today, GCash is more than just your everyday e-wallet. It has grown into a reliable partner in helping Filipinos build a better future. 

For millennials like Antonette, GInvest is a helpful way to achieve financial freedom. It’s the first-ever digital investment platform that allows Filipinos 18 years old and above to explore investments and conveniently grow their wealth with a tap. 

With GInvest, you can also have access to expertly managed funds with industry leaders such as Ayala, Globe, Apple, and Google. 

You can choose from different types of funds like Money Market Fund, a more traditional way of investing; Philippine Total Return Bond Fund, which lets you invest in bonds in local companies and government; Philippine Smart Equity Index Fund, where you can invest in local companies through the PSEi index; Global Technology Feeder Fund, where you can invest in tech leaders Google, Apple and Samsung; and Global Consumer Trends Fund, where you can invest in companies like Shopee, Nintendo, or Alibaba.

Investing is made easy through GInvest. After logging into GCash, you can register at the GInvest module where you need to answer a Risk Profile assessment. This will show what kind of investments fit you. After accepting its Terms and Conditions, you’re ready to invest. 

GInvest is available for fully verified GCash users. For more information, visit www.gcash.com/services/investments.

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Editor’s Note: This article was provided by GCash.