Money Matters | Learn more about saving and investing

Finance boils down to decisions. From spending, to using credit cards, to investing, we’re always making decisions. Unfortunately, many Filipinos fall victim to investment scams, get caught in cycles of debt, and struggle to keep up with the rising costs of living.

The people at Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) want to change that. They want to equip people with the knowledge they need to make good financial decisions.

Metrobank Chief Marketing Officer Digs Dimagiba says the bank aims to help people learn. “Our customers are people, not accounts,” he says. “As such, we want to enable them to live life to the fullest. Through financial education, our customers can make decisions on how they can use their money in smart and meaningful ways.”

Metrobank has come up with two financial education initiatives: MoneyBasics and Earnest.

MoneyBasics: Practical tips for saving

MoneyBasics is a collection of simple and creative tips for you to build up a habit of saving.

At the center of MoneyBasics is #The30DayMetrobankChallenge. The aim of the challenge is for you to build a foundation of financial stability by learning to manage debts, track expenses, and build an emergency fund.

Learn more about saving and take part in #The30DayMetrobankChallenge by following @meaningfulbanking on Instagram.

Earnest: Investing made simple

For people who already save, Metrobank has Earnest. Designed to give you the confidence to invest, Earnest is a website that contains bite-sized lesson cards and easy-to-read articles so you can learn while on the go.

Earnest covers a wide range of topics from why you should invest to compound interest. They also tackle myths and misconceptions around money as well as investing How To’s – all without the usual barrage of jargon.

And instead of pushing for a specific kind of investment, Earnest promotes choosing investments based on one’s lifestyle and goals.

“Finance is not one-size-fits-all. Financial education should respect how people come from different life stages. Instead of promoting specific products, we guide people into a general direction where they can be proactive and get what they want out of life,” Dimagiba says.

Visit earnest.ph to learn about the basics of investing, for free.