Manila, Philippines – As more Filipinos start or grow their businesses during the pandemic, Manulife Investment Management Philippines recently held its “From Passion to Action: Unlocking business ideas and fueling growth potential to achieve financial goals” webinar featuring actress, artist, and entrepreneur Heart Evangelista, Potato Corner co-founder and CEO Jose Magsaysay Jr., and Zalora Philippines co-founder and CEO Paulo Campos III.
Hosted by award-winning broadcast journalist Karen Davila, the webinar aimed to discuss critical business and investment insights that can help Filipinos start their business ventures, accelerate business growth, and adapt to today’s ever-changing business landscape.
“Amid the pandemic-induced economic challenges, we recognize that many Filipinos are exploring more ways to grow their money, whether through business, side hustles, or investments. Through this webinar, we want to share more practical ways for Filipinos to turn their passion projects into potential business opportunities and reach their financial goals”, said Aira Gaspar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Manulife IM Philippines.
“Learning from our guest speakers’ inspiring stories, they made bold yet calculated risks to make their dreams a reality. We hope to impart the value of taking the first step, no matter where you start, and making the right financial decisions in achieving financial aspirations,” Gaspar added.
How to start, when to grow
In Manulife’s latest study, “Know Your Ys and Zs: A closer look at the financial and mental well-being of Filipino Millennials and Gen Zs in the time of COVID-19,” some of the surveyed respondents’ top worries include running out of money and drowning in debt. These concerns have fueled their top priorities, which include establishing their own business. A number of the millennials covered in the study have entrepreneurial ambitions that impact the way they approach wealth planning, contributing to their increased focus on investing.
Her drive to be smarter with her finances guides Evangelista’s recent business and investment decisions. “When I first started my career, I was focused on spending my earnings. However, I didn’t want to become a slave to my work to maintain my lifestyle, so I started spending wisely and investing. I listened to experts on how to manage my finances better and where to put my hard-earned money so it can grow and earn. I am lucky to be supported by loved ones and Manulife in my investment journey, and I encourage others to seek advice and guidance from those who are knowledgeable about finance, especially if it’s their first time to invest.”
For those who want to know the secret behind the success of Potato Corner here and abroad, Magsaysay shared, “We have been taking care of our franchisees, as they are the people looking after our customers. We innovate and expand in response to evolving customer needs. Currently, we are on our way from simply being known as the ‘House of Flavored Fries’ into becoming the ‘House of Flavors.’ In business, it is always important to be customer-driven.”
Lastly, Campos talked about how customer-centricity in e-commerce empowered him to succeed in a highly competitive market. “What differentiates Zalora from competitors are our assortment of high-quality and authentic products, as well as our superior customer experience,” Campos shared, adding how harnessing today’s technologies can help aspiring entrepreneurs. “See what you can start on the side while doing your day job. Take it one step at a time. Study how you can use the power of the internet and e-commerce. Now, starting a business can not only benefit you, but can also enable you to help the country recover.”
The webinar also featured Manulife Investment Management’s Head of Fixed Income Jean de Castro, one of The Asset’s 2021 most astute investment managers in the Philippines, and top wealth specialist Cherrie Briñas. They provided insights on the types of investments that Filipinos may consider in growing their money or securing capital to fund their passions.
“From Passion to Action” is streaming on Manulife’s Facebook page for those who missed the webinar.
To know more about Manulife Investment Management’s products and services, visit www.manulifeim.com.ph
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About Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation
Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.) Inc. (Manulife Philippines). It acquired its trust and other fiduciary business license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 2017 and started operations in September 2017. It operates under the brand name of Manulife Investment Management, the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. For additional information, please visit www.manulifeim.com.ph.
About Manulife Philippines
The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife’s Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country’s leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world’s largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website www.manulife.com.ph and following them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ManulifePH), Twitter (@ManulifePH), and Instagram (@manulifeph).
About Manulife Investment Management
Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We’re committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.
As of June 30, 2021, Manulife Investment Management’s assets under management and administration, including assets managed for Manulife’s other segments, totaled CAD $1.0 trillion (US $834 billion). Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.
About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across our offices in Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. We provide financial advice, insurance, and our global wealth and asset management segment, Manulife Investment Management, serves individuals, institutions and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2020, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 118,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 30 million customers. As of June 30, 2021, we had CAD$1.3 trillion (US$1.1 trillion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $31.3 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 155 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.
Disclaimer
The products and services of Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation are trust and/or investment solutions and NOT deposit accounts, obligations of, guaranteed, or insured by the company, its parent company or its affiliates. The Fund/s are not insured or governed by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC). Due to the nature of the investment, yields and potential yields cannot be and are not guaranteed. Any loss/income arising from market fluctuations and price volatility of the securities held by the Fund/s, even if invested in government securities, is for the account of the client/participant. As such, the units of participation of the investor in the Fund/s, when redeemed, may be worth more or be worth less than his/her initial investment contributions. When presented, historical performance is purely for reference purposes and is not a guarantee of similar future results. Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation is not liable for losses unless upon willful default, bad faith, or gross negligence on its part.
Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation, its products and services are regulated and governed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) with telephone number (02) 8708-7087 and email address consumeraffairs@bsp.gov.ph. For inquiries or complaints relating to our products and services, you may call our Customer Care Hotline at (02) 8884-7000 or send an email to phtrust@manulife.com. To know your rights under BSP Circular No. 857 (Regulations on Financial Consumer Protection), please access a copy at the BSP website (www.bsp.gov.ph).
Media Contacts:
John Sion
Manulife Philippines
John_Robert_Sion@manulife.com
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Virtusio PR International, Inc.
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