AFTER a 17-year career in journalism with ABS-CBN, I retired and joined China Bank Savings (CBS), the retail banking arm of Chinabank. At CBS, I would get to travel the Philippines conducting financial wellness seminars for teachers, students, employees, and others. It was the perfect way for me to marry my personal advocacy as a registered financial planner and my new professional career in banking.

That was in 2023. Fast-forward to today, I have now personally conducted dozens of financial wellness seminars with thousands of participants across the Philippines over the last two years covering personal financial topics like saving, budgeting, debt management, financial goal setting and personal finance tools. It has been amazing. It has also been eye-opening.