Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

  Uproxx As Christmas is just around the corner--I feel more stress coming in! It doesn't help when people try to use the late Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" to try and skip the problem. It's already known that most Filipinos love to start Christmas in September . However, the irony is that Filipinos start Christmas early but do their Christmas shopping late. If they began the Christmas Season early, shouldn't they think about what to do before December strikes?  Two years ago, I wrote a post discussing last-minute Christmas shopping . Many Filipinos tend to do last-minute Christmas shopping. They had all of November (when the Christmas sale usually begins) but why do the Christmas shopping in December ? One of the things I blame is the one-day paycheck lifestyle (see here ). It can be observed that many Filipinos never learn to prioritize more important things . One can get their stars when they see their paychecks. However, the

  As the countdown to Christmas continues--it's easy to expect the toxic Filipino trait that I'll dub as "Kahit Konting Awa". The literal meaning is "Just a Little Pity". I named it after that song by Nora Aunor, the theme song of The Flor Contemplacion Story . I wasn't a bit surprised when the hit movie was uploaded on VIVA Films' YouTube page last 2013 (read here ). Back on the topic, I noticed it's easy for people to desire to reconcile because it's the Christmas season. The Philippines has the longest Christmas season. However, people love to do last-minute Christmas shopping presumably due to their poor budgetary habits. Ever heard of the one-day paycheck pandemic in the Philippines? It's a common abusive trait in the Philippines to have that "Kahit Konting Awa" attitude. There's the problem of "Utang (debt) is life." It's no surprise that financial literacy is that low in the Philippines. A not fun fact a

  It's September and the -ber months are here. It's already known that  the Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration in the world . Christmas can be the most expensive time of the year. In the Philippines, Christmas decorations tend to be out earlier. With Christmas in mind, the keywords and key phrases that come to my mind are "overspending", "last-minute shopping", "buried in debt", "spending beyond your means", "feasting over finances", "just add sugar if it's bitter"--just to name a few of the many financial stupidities during Christmas. Such phrases can be linked to  the Filipino's typical lack of financial literacy . That's why discussing business and economics isn't more fun in the Philippines! It's not just because of financial illiteracy but also due to  economic illiteracy . Even worse, some people still adhere to what the late Lee Kuan Yew would call a third-world mentality . Suc

Two years ago, I wrote an entry about why discussing economics with an overspender is frustrating . Now, I was looking at certain fat people who say really dumb things about economics. Just recently, I was looking at a certain fat idiot (fortunately, he only has 1K+ followers) who posted on Facebook that not only will the parliamentary system cause the Philippines to become a dictatorship, but he also says that changing economic provisions will cause the Philippines to collapse and the country to fall into the hands of foreigners. I won't name the person out to avoid getting personal. However, the person is apparently very fat and he blames capitalism day in and day out. The person even says that businessmen do nothing and it's the employers that do everything. Has that fat slob ever heard that businesses are run by bosses and that if the bosses do screw up, they're the ones who are the most answerable? The employees are the cogs and the boss runs the cogs. I was looking at

WWD I really hate December because of the heavy traffic. Some say that people do last-minute Christmas shopping because they just live paycheck to paycheck. However, the way things go during payday can tell why they can't have the money to do some early Christmas shopping . An irony indeed that Christmas comes early in the Philippines (September) but not the Christmas shopping.  Indeed, so many should realize that living paycheck-to-paycheck should be a warning not to splurge on it (read here ). Instead, they choose to many stupid activities. Maybe, call in the one-day paycheck where they immediately go splurging the paycheck when it arrives. They would focus more on their wants than their needs. I guess that's why some fools are demanding the stupidity of higher salaries and lower price of goods aka Sahod Itaas Presyo Ibaba. I'm afraid that such a move isn't economically feasible (read here ). Even if they do get a high-income job (or even become an OFW for better inco

I wrote about the Filipino obsession with the iPhone a few months ago . With Christmas being a few days away, I wrote that post to address the foolishness (and hypocrisy ) of wanting imported luxury items for Christmas. One of the greatest wishlists that someone in the Philippines could have composed of imported luxury items. It shouldn't be just a bag--it should be something like the latest Prada or Hermes. It shouldn't just be a smartphone or a new tablet--it should be an iPhone or an iPad. Some Filipinos may have even pestered their OFW relatives to bring them the latest imported luxury item. Never mind that working abroad, separated from loved ones, is anything but glamorous. Ironically, some people who want imported luxury items still oppose economic reform. I mentioned  how Apple has a huge factory in Communist Vietnam . I wrote an article where I discussed Lego operating a factory in again, Communist Vietnam . Just think for the moment if I talk to them, who are either

Some time ago, I wrote an article using @successpictures to portray a toxic view of menial labor . As November is about to end, I was looking at some good and bad things that happened this 2023. I'm not going to spill them out, to respect the privacy of the people involved. I was also looking at the toxic positivity common in the Philippines. One of these involves the attitude where people say, "If it's bitter, just add sugar." (read here ). The illustration that I just got may actually be funny but it can be annoying. You have a wise old man selling his invention of the wheel. Unfortunately, two idiots are too "busy" dragging their cargo with a square wheel . The idea may sound funny because one might remember some cartoon shows they watched. Maybe, it was a gag show in the 1990s for all the 1990s children, out there like myself.  I faced some people on Facebook who are too stubborn about system change. I try to ask for their sources and they can only give

There's always that irritating habit among Filipinos called the mañana habit. It's typical to think about how events tend to start one hour late, people who always show up late for work, and you know the drill. As Christmas draws near, I can expect heavy traffic from last-minute shoppers. There can be various reasons why there's no money for Christmas. Be it the payday blowout problem (read here ) or there are various other dumb ways to drain the salary (read here ). I would also like to blame the incredibly bad habit of procrastination on paying bills. I don't care what the reasons are but procrastination keeps people poor. Sure, it's typical for teenagers to procrastinate but shouldn't that be outgrown as an adult?  Some people procrastinate to pay bills because they're reluctant to part with their money Some people can be so stingy it's borderline unreasonable (read here ). A thrifty person spends money wisely. Stingy people are  very reluctant to par

I was checking on GInvest and I'm not surprised that the ATRAM stock investments have gone down. I checked my current portfolio and things went down. I was tempted to panic-sell until I recalled Grandpa Warren Edward Buffet's advice. It's sad that business schools, based on my experience, never taught students how to invest in stocks properly, not even the business schools. It's a good thing that Buffett himself speaks in such a way that I can understand it. I may not be the Oracle of Cebu City (nor do I intend to). I decided to Google Warren Buffett again for advice. I might need to buy a book by Buffett though before I can continue this project.  The article (from Yahoo! Finance ) I found was written last October 23, 2010. Here's some advice that I should heed instead of social media gossip: But numbers are only part of the equation; Buffett also emphasizes the human element in investing. As he stated in his interview, " Some people should not own stocks at a