I had a chance to handle my sister’s and my friend’s rental condo units (they’re both OFWs), dati one of my goals talaga was to eventually have rental properties for “passive income.” But oh booooy, now that I’m actually experiencing it, di pala worth it yung sakit sa ulo and expenses for what feels like a pretty small profit

Ang hirap makipag-deal sa mga tao kahit maayos naman yung contract then every time mag-end/terminate contract, may cleaning, repairs, repainting, fixing things in the unit, etc. , Habang vacant yung unit tuloy sa pagbabayad ng Dues, parang nakakain lang lahat ng supposed to be profit. Tapos may yearly property taxes and other expenses pa pala???

I feel lucky dahil I get to experience all of this w/out actually shelling out my own money for the property. I get to experience the reality of being a landlord and understand the work, costs, and headaches involved before I ever decide to put my own money into it. For now, I’m going to stick with investing in IBKR na lang, mainly VWRA and just keep doing that until retirement. Someday once I have a lot of surplus money na then I’ll consider investing in properties na siguro (no to condo units). At least ngayon, I got to learn the lesson for free (may narreceive konting fee pa pala from them) 😂

MANILA, Philippines — Businessman-turned-lawmaker Leandro Leviste has pocketed P3 billion from unloading more shares in SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC) of tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan.

A regulatory filing yesterday showed that Leviste’s Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. (SPPPHI) sold 2.4 billion SPNEC shares at P1.25 apiece to an unnamed buyer.

The transaction slashed SPPPHI’s stake in SPNEC to 11.51 percent from 16.3 percent, further weakening Leviste’s grip on the renewable power company he founded.

Pangilinan, whose Meralco Group took control of SPNEC in 2023 after acquiring a majority stake from SPPPHI, earlier confirmed that Leviste was in talks with a foreign investor to sell his remaining shares in the company.

You hit the number you always said would be enough. So now that you can actually stop working, can you?

Here's the thing. Sometimes it's the lifestyle. The condo you like coming home to. The car you worked years to afford. Eating out without checking the bill. Traveling without having to save for months first. None of it feels extravagant anymore. It just feels like your life.

But sometimes it's not the money at all. It's the job itself. Twenty or thirty years to make director. The title. The people who know your name. The feeling that what you do matters. Walking away means giving up something you spent a big part of your life building.

And then sometimes it's just fear. What if you live to 95 like my lolo? What if there's a major medical emergency? What if the number you spent years calculating turns out not to be enough?

That's what makes golden handcuffs strange. They don't look like a trap. They look exactly like the life you worked for.

So if you've reached your number, what would make it hard for you to actually walk away?

im a 19 yrs old po and i wanted to try investing na kaya po nag-try ako mag invest sa dragonfi and gotrade. it's been weeks (?) pero parang hindi po siya nausad hahahaha, is this normal po ba? should i invest more po ba or mag wait muna ako? help me po plss

I manage a small personal Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) REIT portfolio and share its performance for the informational and educational benefit of others. The portfolio is built through cost-averaging a few handpicked REITs through PERA. Its purpose is to grow a retirement fund through dividends and capital appreciation.

---

Portfolio Performance Summary

I started my PERA REIT portfolio in December 2025. As of end-August 2026, it has generated a return of -4.8%.

During the period, the Peso-cost average equivalent of the PSEI decreased by 3.1%, so the portfolio underperformed the index by -1.7 percentage points.

*If you're interested in the background of the portfolio and my methodology for comparing its performance vs the index, read until the end.*

REIT Holdings' Performance

Below are the REITs I hold in the portfolio. My strategy is to hold REITs over the long-term and simply let the dividends compound and price to appreciate. Dividends are reinvested back into the portfolio, often in the REIT with the most attracted price at the time of dividend payment.

MREIT (-3.8% Return to date)

MREIT currently makes up 33% of the portfolio. Average cost is ₱14.1341. Compared to the closing price on end-August, return is -3.8%.

With the trailing twelve months dividend at ₱1.03, the yield on average cost is 7.3%.

AREIT (-10.8% Return to date)

AREIT currently makes up 23% of the portfolio. Average cost is ₱41.0454. Compared to the closing price on end-August, return is -10.8%.

With the trailing twelve months dividend at ₱2.49, the yield on average cost is 6.1%.

CREIT (-12.3% Return to date)

CREIT currently makes up 22% of the portfolio. Average cost is ₱3.579. Compared to the closing price on end-August, return is -12.3%.

With the trailing twelve months dividend at ₱0.20, the yield on average cost is 5.7%.

RCR (-5.3% Return to date)

RCR currently makes up 22% of the portfolio. Average cost is ₱7.5703. Compared to the closing price on end-August, return is -5.3%.

With the trailing twelve months dividend at ₱0.44, the yield on average cost is 5.8%.

Overall REIT Performance

My PERA REIT portfolio is down 4.8% to date, but I believe it's due to interest rates staying elevated. With inflation still beyond the BSP's target range, the Target Reverse Repurchase (RRP) rate was raised by 25 basis points to 5% last August 27, bringing the rate to its highest in over a year. This means investors demand higher yields from REITs since safer investments (e.g. Treasury bills, bonds) would have increased returns compared to prior to the rate hike. With investors looking for higher REIT yields, REIT prices come down.

I'm still convinced that the businesses behind the REITs are doing well. Considering inflation remains above target and Q2 GDP tanked, Q2 earnings are healthy: AREIT increased by 19% over Q1, RCR increased by 5%, CREIT increased by 0.5%, only MREIT had a slight decrease by 2%. Dividends are mostly stable. In the case of RCR, it even increased by 2%.

All in all, my average yield on cost remains healthy at around 6.3%. I can earn steadily through dividends while prices are down, which I only see as buying opportunities. When the BSP starts cutting rates again, likely next year at the earliest, overall prices should recover, increasing the value of my portfolio. But until then or if the rate hikes continue, I'll focus on increasing my invested capital regardless.

PERA REIT Portfolio Snapshot

See the full snapshot and summary table here. Summary table as of August 28, 2026 (last trading day of the month).

Background of the Portfolio and Methodology for Performance Evaluation

I started the portfolio with the goal of trying out [PERA](https://www.dragonfi.ph/pera-accounts) to build up a personal retirement fund. I had been interested in PERA for a while, mainly because of the tax benefits and the lock-in "feature" (depending on priorities and investment horizon, others consider it as a bug). With my REIT holdings from a separate portfolio performing really well, I thought of starting a retirement fund that would focus on REITs through a PERA account.

My strategy is simple. REITs give me stable dividends with decent yield and further upside from possible price appreciation. PERA's tax advantages complemented the focus on REITs: getting the full dividends (vs only 90% when it's not on a PERA account) would further compound the returns over time.

Brokers and other more sophisticated investors can tell you better ways to assess REITs. Personally, I just keep it simple by focusing on (my high-level view on) discount to fair value and the dividend yield. That informs me which REITs I should buy and at what price.

Then I do Peso-cost averaging when I have funds to invest. The reason is quite simple. I earn decently, but after expenses, I'm left with only a small amount for savings and investments. Of that, only a small portion is what I'm comfortable locking in for more than 2 decades. But if I regularly top up small increments, the contributions would add up over time, without me having to penny-pinch my monthly budget. The good thing is time is still on my side so there's plenty of runway for the portfolio to compound returns.

For performance evaluation, I compare returns of the portfolio with a Peso-cost average equivalent of the PSEI. It is basically a harmonic-weighted average of the PSEI, which tells me what price I would have effectively paid for the index if I bought it exactly the same way I bought the REIT holdings, i.e., same amounts invested on the same dates as I did the REIT investments. It allows me to compare returns vs the overall market and to account for the PCA approach (specifically the principle that I would have bought more index shares when prices are low, and fewer index shares when prices are high).

Disclaimer

This writeup is purely for informational and educational purposes only. I am merely sharing my own investment opinions, hoping to engage with others interested in the topic. This writeup is not and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or professional advice. Before making any financial or investment decisions, please do your own due diligence or consult a licensed professional.

Does anybody have a game plan on how to withdraw your money from IBKR, for anyone with 7-8 digits invested?

For me, deep analysis of foreign exchange market trends is useless.

I've been investing since last December 2025. Since half a year has passed, I want to re-evaluate how I've been investing my funds since I feel I'm not maximizing my savings from what I've been reading here.

To start:

• I'm young and financially secure (with family support) with no debts.
  • I earn 23,666 baseline in the healthcare sector, but with overtime, I earn above 29,000 on average. Fortunately, there is possible advancement in my employment if the opportunity arises.
  • I also have an emergency fund in a HYSA worth six months that I have not used in months.
• I have been investing in DragonFi since last December 2025, putting 2,000-3,000 biweekly in two funds, the Manulife Global Technology Fund and the Manulife Global Clean Energy Fund.
  • DragonFi was suggested to me when a co-worker told me her sister earned a considerable amount of funds from investing in stocks in the app. I did my research and started using the app myself, but investing in funds instead.
  • The unrealized gain/loss at this point hovers around positive 18-20 percent.
• The goal is to maximize my savings, upskill, and eventually migrate soon, but the migration process is on hold due to finances.

Why I want to re-evaluate:

• I read that I should be investing in low-cost index funds; both Manulife funds I put money in have high fees, reaching 1.25 percent annually.
  • This made me think about if I should transfer my money into a cheaper fund for better long-term growth.
• GoTrade has higher transfer fees but has the low-cost index funds like VOO that everybody recommends. Unfortunately, I can't do the math in my head if GoTrade's fees are better, especially if I'm investing biweekly.
  • I am aware of IBKR, but the more involved process in putting funds as well as the government seemingly discouraging its use makes me wary of using it.
• I also lately realized that the Global Technology Fund, which contains most of my portfolio, tracks more closely to the more historically volatile Nasdaq rather than the SP500, which everybody recommends to invest in.
  • This also makes me want to transfer funds to a SP500-based fund for slightly less exposure to tech, especially with the fears of a possible AI bubble. Although the lesser growth of the SP500 bothers me.
• Since I want to migrate as soon as possible (although there is unfortunately a possibility I might be here longer than I want), putting money on long-term funds seems contrary to my goals. Besides being promoted or changing jobs, I don't have a short-term idea of what I can do to chase my goal.

So far, I have no major issues with what I have right now, but it was recommended to check on my portfolio once or twice a year. Also, I have nobody to talk to regarding growing my wealth. I am willing to put in more details if needed. Thanks.

Hello guys. Just wanna confirm if I'm doing this correctly. I tried converting (just checking first) the peso inside WISE, and it gives me $195.49 if I convert this amount. But here in IBKR, it’s only $194.19, though I thought it would give me more since I’m looking for the best and cheapest method for my DCA to buy VWRA this is my first time investing.

My question is, if I convert it in Wise (giving me $195.49) and hypothetically have $195.49 there, and then initiate funding IBKR using Wise inside IBKR, would there be an additional fee (like a transfer fees close to the amount shown in the attached screenshot)? Or no additional/transfer fees, and I’ll receive the whole $195.49 in my IBKR since it’s already in USD in my Wise account?

I'm planning to buy VWRA (buy and forget) probably for 15 or 20 years for my retirement. I'm checking the VALU new ETF, based on my research and on how I understood it, it's almost the same with VWRA but just with 10% small-cap stocks and pretty cheap per share of ETF. Would it be better if I just invest (and have faith) in VALU that after 5 to 10 years its value per share will increase?

Thank you!

Thoughts on MER? Dapat bibili ako nung nag450 yan, kaso tumaas sa 475-480 value ni-sumipa pa nga ng 500 pero bumagsak padin.

I think hindi na tatalag technicalities dito since we are in issue of questioning kung itutuloy ba yung charges or hindi.

Kayo ano tingin niyo below 400 or we need to wait for clarification sa current issue ni meralco before entering?, take it or double and pass to the next person?

I'm 23M and August marked my 1st work anniversary! I also finally saved up my 300K EF goal. 300k since I earn 49k per month x 6 months and rounding it to 300K.

I save 20k per month and I used to put most of it to my EF. I also saved most of my bonuses for my EF. Now that I reached 300k and is more secure, I want to explore investing, specifically ETFs.

I've decided to put 10k per month to ETFs specifically the Irish Domiciled VUAA LSEETF. I've looked into IBKR and this post but instead of the UITF-ETF method:

1. Save ~30k in BPI BanKo (5% interest)
   
2. Transfer funds to IBKR every quarter (Wise method)
   
3. Invest in VUAA LAEETF
   
4. Repeat

I decided to use the HYSA-ETF method since I want some liquidity on my pool of funds just in case I want to try out other investments.

Is this a solid plan?

Hello! Just trying to buy ETF in IBKR. But im having issues with message. Should I proceed or will it have any issues? Buying market order / limit order on market hours.

Previously i received a messaged when my account was new:

Since your equity balance in account has fallen below the required minimum maintenance equity balance requirements for market data, your eligibility for requesting snapshots was disabled.

Is this related? And if yes, how to restore it? (Already added funds)

My wife and I each have 70k passive income, through rental income (we own condos and apartments). We are both in our early 30s. We both make good money in our corporate jobs but every day we wonder why we still put ourselves through the hassle of working.

Given no kids, no real luho, no rent, would 140k a month be enough for us to retire on? Our monthly expenses are nowhere near that much. I'm just worried it won't be sustainable over decades as health costs pile up, or if rental market suddenly vanishes, or if our rental rates can't keep up with inflation.

We have a few million in savings as well that we are currently planning on investing into another apartment that would generate around 40k monthly or so, but at this point I think we might be too reliant on rental income already.

This is also not mentioning that I'm set to inherit about 4 other properties in the (hopefully far-off) future when my parents pass. Maybe those 4 will be the silver bullet?

It's scary considering retirement this early, but I dunno, it feels within reach? What am I missing?

Hi everyone, I just wanted to know where do you park your USD?

I am currently working part time as a VA with money coming in as USD on my Wise Account. Previously, it was coming in to my PHP account but I have decided to retain it in USD to hedge against the lowering value of PHP.

So I have some USD savings now and through a quick search, I’ve realized Wise is not a good place to store my money. Is there anywhere I can put my USD that has some sort of growth options?

I intend to have my USD as liquid as possible, I already have ETF investments.

I would love to hear suggestions on your end. Thank you!

Where should I start investing and potentially grow my investments in the long term. Should I do it in Rampver Financials, COL Financials, BDO, BPI, or First Metro Sec?

Just asked Binance support as it always keeps redirecting to the home page whenever I try to check the direct US stocks on their platform. Grabe talaga mafia ng SEC

Back in 2023, I bought my first residential lot and I was inexperienced on the due diligence part. I was planning to build a house on it someday but realized the subdivision it was in had a lot of issues. The developer of the subdivision left it unfinished and a lot of areas lack utilities, one of which was my lot. So the only way to really live there was sort of off-grid living.

I was blinded by the fact na the subdivision was along a major highway and the lot was walking distance from a major mall.

I honestly don't know if this lot will appreciate. My relatives say 'just hold on to it, di ka naman malulugi sa lupa' which I know is not always true.

I don't need money urgently naman but I'm thinking I could be earning more if I just placed the money in MP2 instead. Plus, yung annual taxes din. The corporation owning the major mall nearby actually bought of some of the lots around me (na wala ring utilities) and I keep praying they contact me so I can sell it to them.

I know this lot can sell if the price is low enough. Should I just start finding buyers now? Or hold onto it and hope it appreciates in decades?

Brand owner here and honestly getting burned out after running this for years (since 2019):

Some numbers:

- Startup capital of ₱20k in 2019

- ₱220M+ estimated historical revenue (wholesale and retail)

- ~₱300K/month current online sales (retail)

- Shopee, Lazada & TikTok only (TikTok currently growing organically with zero ads)

- ~78% historical gross margin on flagship product

- Registered brand/IP

Main problem: CPR/regulatory issue + limited capital

I feel like a bigger pharma company could do much more with the brand.

Would you raise capital, find a pharma partner, or sell/exit? What would you do first?

I’m getting USD 300 per quarter sa Security Bank.

Talked to my banker in HSBC, and they can give me USD200/month. Lilipat ma ako sa HSBC.

Thoughts? Or baka may idea kayo saan pa ako pwede maglagay to grow my USD portfolio?

Also interested in Yen. Medyo mabagal lang ang growth. Halos wala, but I could use the interest or dividend when traveling to Japan.

May small house kaming nabili, fully paid na. One bedroom unit lang and I can say, comfortable naman kami. Napalagyan na namin ng aircon sa sala at sa kwarto, kumpleto na rin namin appliances. My husband and I are 26yrs old, no kids.

This year mag ipon muna kami ng EF then next year, start na ng ipon para sa future investments. Napapaisip ako syempre pag tumatanda, magkakaanak at lalaki ang pamilya. Kung makakaipon kami ng malaki, tingin niyo magpagawa muna kami ng dream house namin tapos saka na lang yung paupahan kasi bata pa naman kami para maenjoy din yung bahay?

O magpagawa kami ng paupahan para may passive income kami agad? Kahit 10k-15k monthly na passive income sa rental properties ay malaki na rin.

We’re working as VA so medyo worried din ako sa security ng work namin pero since bata pa naman kami at currently upskilling, tingin ko madali lang naman den humanap work if magjob hop ulit kami lalo kapag may emergency fund na.

What do you think po? Any advice?

I'm (F22) deciding to invest my money for the future. I've already got a TD with MariBank and only recently I opened a GoTyme account and saw that there is a USD TD but the return is only 2-3%. Is it worth investing? If not, what are better options out there? TIA!

Hi, sana me makatulong.

I want to start a small business and meron na akong DTI registered name and nakakuha na din ako ng BMBE. What's next?

I understand , 30days lang dapat maregister ko na sa DTI. How much kaya expenses?

Salamat sa sasagot.