Sean Akizuki's Personal Blog

I remembered how seven years ago became a big turning point for Samsung -- it was when Samsung sold more phones than Apple. It's the principle of substitution. It always reminds me of how some people who have way more money than I do still take a less pricey substitute rather than the more pricey luxury items. In economics, that would be the principle of substitution.  It was based on my experience when I lost my i-Pod to damage. Sure, I could afford to have it repaired but it startled me. I remembered when my Samsung laptop won't turn on and I only paid around PHP 2K+ for the repair while I would have to pay for almost PHP 10K+ for the repair of my i-Pod. With that in mind -- I chose not to repair my i-Pod yet I chose to repair my Samsung laptop. Then I thought that even if I bought a more expensive Samsung item -- repairs may not cost as much as the luxury items. Talk about me paying for repairs for a Toyota over a BMW -- one costs much less than the other! It makes me t...

I may be no economic genius or anything but trying to learn the fundamentals of economics. Now it's time to look at some of them. I just decided to analyze from  Get Smarter About Money  to know some of these factors that affect the stock market. 1.) Interest rates From what I see, interest rates do affect the stock market. If interest rates are high, that means there is less borrowing since wise business decisions say you DO NOT borrow at a high interest rate. If you are charged with higher interest, it can really affect your profits because you will be charged higher interest. Interest is the charge for borrowing money. It's beneficial to the lender like bank depositors but it is a downside for the debtor. You may earn more money as a depositor and it may be the best time to sell but not the best time to buy. Higher interest rates means share prices may drop soon for buying. 2.) Economic outlook This is based on expanding and contracting. In the face of expansion, d...

I'll admit I'm no economist but hey, it doesn't mean I can't understand the basics of economics or the discussion of more qualified people right? As of late, China is having a currency devaluation . In my quest to understand whatever I can to preserve my mind from decay, I would try to get what I can to learn about the pros and cons of currency devaluation. Currency devaluation on the upside means that the economy becomes instantly more competitive, that is the country becomes more competitive with its labor sector. This in turn will tends to generate more international demand for the locally produced goods, thus cranking up growth. On the other hand, it's also bad because it tends not to be neat and easily controlled. It can also create an inflationary spiral if the relevant economy also happens to be bumping against supply constraints. Import prices can increase which in turn can spur higher wage demands. On the other hand, a currency appreciation  is where ...

Although I regret not being able to go to the Henshin Convention thanks to real life circumstances (I will admit that Red mask and Five Blue are my favorite rangers in their respective shows), but here's what I thought of the practicality between the two events. One Direction's CONCERT tickets were just too expensive and besides, it's just a concert compared to the Henshin Con.  The Henshin Con offers meals and seating for PHP 1,000.00 and PHP 2,500.00 respectively.  If I were to talk about my choice if I had the time, I would go to the Launch Party which prices are lower which is practical because of the principle of utility. For example, if I spent PHP 1,150 on a standing ovation, it would be really stupid compared to if I spent PHP 1,000.00 which has a MEAL and seating.  It would be practical when I think of the following... I would have WAY more pocket money than if I spent it all on a One Direction ticket.  Also a VIP ticket worth PHP 2,500 with a m...

The whole Dingdong/Marian wedding had triggered another part of me.  I felt like I can discuss about practical buying.  Before people can start to say, "You're just jealous." like that Troll guy at Get Real Philippines group, I can start to actually show the advantage of practical buying.  Practical buying is all about being practical with how you spend your money.  You make a budget but you also plan at the same time. It's a common problem these days to have the economics of overspending .  Sad to say but a lot of Pinoys have copied the typical American habit of overspending.  I remembered the whole statement of, "When they can't afford it, they charge it to their credit cards."  It's always a problem when people just spend and spend without thinking about the consequences of spending. Sure one can have all the nice stuff BUT do you have savings?  The problem is when one looks at status symbols as an indicator of wealth  when it isn't....

Stocks certainly have high yields but have high risks.  During the time I wanted to invest in stocks, the bank said, "Sir, you should only invest in stocks if you really have lots of money.  Other than that, you might as well want to try other safer means of earning money.  Then again, somebody may suggest to buy low price stocks and only a certain amount, then sell them later. It's like my mistake of allowing a huge purchase in credit hoping for high returns, only to be defeated by my own foolishness.  As said, in life you can never say you will never stumble down.  I'd like to talk about my modest knowledge of safer investments based on my experience.  Banks earn money by gaining interest from loaning the money to others.  The money you deposit is loaned to the bank, the bank loans it to others thus creating a cycle of interest. 1.) Time deposit Money is being locked up in the bank, with a higher interest rate than savings account. ...

Somehow do you ever wonder why the Philippines' tax collection tends to be hard to collect?  Well only if the Bureau of Internal Revenue Robbery realize what is going on.  You have BIR Konsomisyoner Kill Henares as part of the problem.  Just think of the following reasons why taxes are hard to collect in the Philippines: 1.) The Philippines has the HIGHEST tax rate in ASEAN .   Just think the link I put is from ABiaS-CBN.  For one, if you increase tax rates TOO MUCH, it will discourage people from contributing higher to the government, it punishes the diligent and rewards the lazy in the process.  They always say that lower taxes will hurt the income of the Philippines... yeah right and WHERE IS THE MONEY HEAD TO?! 2.) Bad governance and misuse of funds.   The Philippine government is never known for being honest and accountable.  I wouldn't mind paying huge taxes IF I am getting what I pay for.  the problem is, the government al...

While I'm no economist, I just consulted one of my economic professors who is a doctorate in the field.  I told her about the economic concepts of two persons.  I'll name the models as the Blabbersky Model and the other, the Pedronomics Model.  These are two extreme views to avoid for these reasons. The Blabbersky Model is a view of an overly closed economy.  I named it after some American guy who thinks the Philippines is blessed to have 60/40 economic policy.  He believes that progress is bad, that the poor are blessed, that multiplying children beyond one's means is good for the country, he somehow embraces poverty, he thinks that opening up the economy will destroy the "holiness" of the Philippines. This view also views the culture of being habitually late, lavish feasting, covering up the fault of your countrymen, the victim mentality and lack of discipline makes life worth living in a third world country.  Countries worse than the Philippines lik...

Obviously President Nobita doesn't know what happened to the money or does he? Whether or not the Philippines had economic boom during Gloria Abobo's term and currently President Nobita's term, one may think that the problem is misusing national budget.  Why did the late Ferdinand Macoy bring the whole economy down?  Simple- he was MISUSING the budget.  The same went for Nobita's late mother Cory "Tamako" Aquino and Sherap Estrada.  If any post-Macoy leader gets the blame the most, I would say it's Sherap.  Sherap spent the money on jueteng, then his son Unggoy came to power as a Senator, the pork barrel gained strength through the swine Sherap's regime and then President Nobita's laziness also contributed to a misuse of budget. One GOOOOOD example of the misuse of funds is the Yolanda bunkhouses vs. that of the pork detention cells.  Why are they building BAAAAAD bunkhouses for typhoon victims and give nice cells for pig politicians?  Pig po...

I always love the statement of, "Nothing is wrong with having an iPhone just make sure you have iPon (savings)." which is true.  The problem of children, teenagers and EVEN adults is that they want to look fancy so others will think they are rich, even if in the reality they aren't even rich or are probably even broke.  Many try to live like that they have millions but are in reality, broke.  And personally, status symbols are usually just to brag. Remembering the 90s, I remembered the system wars that kids had which for me made me realize why I'm thankful I didn't have all those video game systems.  For one, some snotty classmates of mine picked on me because I didn't have all those systems.  Some of the so-called 'rich' kids had a SNES, Sega systems, etc. which they say, "I'm rich because I have lots of these stuff."  Well it's pretty natural for a child to be conceited but sadly, some of these go beyond adulthood.  Later I real...

In order for the Philippines to be self-sufficient, it must identify some of its enemies like... 1.) The country's Pwede Na Yan Culture or the culture of mediocrity.  After all, isn't it what's keeping the Philippines from improving?  The countrymen have poor production standards, poor infrastructure, poor standards of living, poor health, poor education and it's all said as Nobita says it, "That will do." even if the situation needs to be remedied.  It's a problem not to fix problems like drainage, reckless drivers, shoddy manufacturing processes, cleanliness... if the government refuses to solve them, how can they have good governance and raise standards?  And it goes to invade the school system where academics is reduced to a mere piece of paper... as long as they submit a thesis (even if it was a spurious one) then the teacher lets the student pass.  2.) The bad habit of tardiness.  If one things tardiness helps, think again.  The Litt...

It's necessary for the Filipino to jump away from the spendthrift Pinoy mentality and do some basic cash investment.  Now here's what can be done especially with some basic financial plans.  Here are just some basics.  No, this isn't a plan to be a billionaire.  Rather this is a basic back up plan because you will never know when you'll make bad decisions with money or when something will go wrong. Rather, this is a plan to get some financial back-ups. Some practical tips: 1.) Make sure you spend less on trips if you don't have a private transportation.  Ride a jeepney or bus more than you ride a cab.  One good reason is to save money.  Ride a cab only when you are in a hurry. 2.) Avoid spending expensive meals as much as possible.  Make sure if you are spending more, you are getting more. Like it's fair enough to pay PHP 270 for an eat all you can buffet because you get more than pay it for a cupcake! 3.) Remember save your coins! ...

After some people were crying over the VIP tickets of One Direction, one must realize that one could learn to settle for less sometimes.  I mean, let's face not everybody is a VIP.  I am definitely not one and I don't whine or bitch about it.  And for one, I watch some concerts myself and seldom, go to Hong Kong for it when I have time BUT sometimes you have to settle for less when you can't have more.  I mean, if I were to watch the One Direction concert and if I were a fan, I would settle for a lower cost ticket... I mean I can still enjoy the show right?  Besides for that PHP 18,000.00 I can actually buy myself more stuff.  I mean, if I had PHP 10,000 or more pocket money I would probably go to Chinatown, shop, buy more stuff and maybe go for some food trips before the concert.  Just practical financing, in fact I'm no financial guru either. In life we can't always be on top and not everybody can be on top.  I mean, for one not everybody is i...

Some people say that Filipinos should feel blessed about the 60/40 mandatory rule which is a joint venture agreement but what most don't realize is that after the 1987 constitution, the damage left behind by the Macoy Administration had worsened.  In fact, Nobitacracy continues the damage (while conveniently blaming Gloria Abobo for everything) which is really bad. The 60/40 rule states that every foreign corporation must have 60% to be owned by the Philippines and 40% to be owned by the foreign corporation. Though it sounds good in the name of "protectionism" but the huge problem is that, it's what basically was a problem in China before.  China tried to take control of every foreign corporation that way but later, Chinese business policies allowed a consideration of 100% ownership for certain firms within the Special Economic Zone.  China later dropped the mandatory China owns it more and has given options for more ownership of the foreign firm but what about th...

There's no doubt that many Filipinos are so stuck in the word spelled above in all capital letters, "LOAN".  And why is that?  No doubt the Philippines is filled with so much of the poor budgeting habits.  I have noticed how many Pinoys tend to spend left and right, do reckless stuff like gambling (and mind you most people lose more than they gain) or you could think about why the Philippines is so full of poor budgeting habits and here's what's going on and this includes the government! 1.) Wastefulness as a tradition I would admit that wastefulness has become a way of life among many Pinoys.  I have noticed how it becomes, every pay day is another day to slack.  I could remember how a manservant has knocked himself out on payday and ended up losing all the money he worked to earn for two weeks in just one night's setting. I can also remember how when payday comes, all they talk about is "getting together" rather than save the money first becau...

Hello guys.  This is Cake Boss whose real name is Kousei Kougami and I'm here to ramble my heart out of anger.  Why do I hate Sillybank?  The reason has to be this... Sillybank is silly.  It is very arrogant with their, "Because we're Sillybank" logo and their arrogance is so sky high.  Here's my bad experience... I really HATE their staff and I am really not entertaining them whenever I see them outside their work place.  Mind you, why do they keep changing relationship officers?  I really find that very annoying and one gets worse than the other.  Many of them engage in arrogant bad behavior because they are Sillybank!  Last time, I really lost my temper to the point I had to call my lawyer to sue that lady relationship officer named Demona Xu who was driving me nuts by making me sign truckloads of paper and hasn't even worked on my bonds! Why do they continue to insist on fax when the express mail is a lot more secure to give them i...

As said, I am so annoyed with all these requests to fax important documents.  It really annoys me how that incompetent Sillybank always wants their requests faxed.  I can understand if they don't accept email instructions for confidential information but fax?  Really.  Have they ever realized that the fax is a very open way to get confidential information out?  I really say you want hard copy, get the express mail.  It's no wonder why Sillybank had failed its relationship with its customers because of how it treats its customers but also that annoying fax requests.  I mean, isn't an express mail enough to send secure instructions?!  Made me think that it's very, very annoying to get all that "please fax or we won't process it" type of talk.  I mean, why can't they receive the more secure express mail?  I mean, faxed documents will FADE AWAY because of thermal paper.  It really shows how incompetent Sillybank is.

Be careful of a bank that claims to be the best and has its arrogant staff.  Why?  Based on my experience, they can be such a headache and two, once you enter it can be very difficult to get out of that abusive relationship.  You could consider the following consequences: 1.) The staff are very discourteous and will drive you nuts.  Believe me, I've had to deal with bad relationship officers and they change a lot all too often.  Compared to good banks that don't change their relationship officers all too often, you can land on an incompetent staff member.  Even the manager needs to get fired sooner or later. 2.) You could consider they make your life a hassle with unnecessary stuff.  I can understand secure details but one thing is certain, you really can get stuck with signing too many papers or doing absurd requests for them.  I can understand if they want standard mailing or express mailing for secure documents but fax?  Mind you, fax ...

Just a tip, you might want to be careful about arrogant banks.  Sometimes you can recognize them by either word or mouth or the more obvious like, "Because were (insert bank name) and that's why we are the best." As said, no business should claim to be the best except at the accreditation of customer testimony and two, no customer testimony should come from a bribe.  So how can we identify them? Based on my horrible experience of investment failure with them, here they are: 1.) They always claim to be the best.  As I said, no business institution should say, "We are number one." without customer support.  I find that to be very dishonest marketing.  At first, I used to believe these people but let's just face it, most of them flop.  Every bank has its own pros and cons.  These banks are sooner or later going to bully their customers because of such a huge amount of pride because they say, "Well we are number one."  Neither customers nor servic...

I was starting to do some minor time investment with treasury bills, time deposits and savings accounts.  One thing was for sure, I really had to be careful with selecting the proper bank especially at impulse and impression, this happens around the world.  One may talk about Malaysian Ahman scheme and well, talk about it that it was in Malaysia that it happened.  Malaysia is pretty developed.  Or talk about the Madoff scheme in the United States of America.  What is going on?  We have the problem of bad banks! So what's the bad bank?  I really had my thoughts of these examples: 1.) Doing the absurd requests to customers. Today in e-commerce we can only honor air mail, express mail and email and I am fine with that if you ask me to express mail anything or me to appear there in person to deliver the papers.  The air mail will never be obsolete, the express mail will never be obsolete but why do they now ask for instructions via fax?  Wh...