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Did you
know 1:
In the
aesthetics (read: cosmetic surgery) industry, the
surgical procedure that makes a woman a virgin again is
colloquially called a flower arrangement.
Not as
popular yet is the surgical procedure for penile
enlargement. No, the industry doesn’t have another name
for the procedure.
Did you
know 2:
There are now 10 life insurance companies engaged in
variable universal life products, which accounted for 80
percent of industry sales growth in the last year or
two.
Basically, VUL combines life insurance and mutual fund
to hopefully increase what the life insurer gets when
his/her policy matures. This is particularly attractive
to Chinese-Filipinos.
As
everybody knows, many insurance companies have sister
companies engaged in mutual funds, which invest in
government IOUs like Treasury bills, listed companies in
the Philippine Stock Exchange, or a combination of both.
Here’s
an interesting book entitled, “The Citi Commonsense
Money Guide for Real People,” which is edited by
Citigroup Office of Financial Education director Dara
Duquay.
Ignore
the American examples and book is relevant to Filipino
readers as well.
Look for
the book in the bookstore’s personal finance section and
prepare to pay the peso equivalent of $25.95. An
alternative is to ask a Citibank (Phils.) friend to get
you a copy or you can easily download for free the
bank’s more compact “Use Credit Wisely,” which is
available in both English and Pilipino versions.
An
extremely useful chapter tackles credit card fraud. Here
are some sensible tips:
•
“Purchase a paper shredder. Use it before discarding old
credit-card receipts, solicitations, cancelled checks,
ATM receipts, and any other financial documents that
might contain personal information.
•
“Whenever you receive a new credit card, sign it right
away. Call your credit-card company immediately if your
credit card has expired and a new one has not arrived.
• “If
you decide to cancel a credit card, call the company to
inform them. Don’t just put away the card or cut it up
and throw it out.
• “Don’t
sign blank charge slips. If you aren’t tipping on a
restaurant bill, draw a line through the tip space.
Don’t leave receipts around at work (and) in your car…
Make sure you have been handed a receipt after every
purchase, and tuck it away securely.
• “Never
lend your card to anyone, under any circumstance.
•
“Report lost or stolen cards immediately. Most
credit-card companies have a 24-hour toll-free number.
•
“Record card numbers, expiration dates, and phone
numbers. Keep this record in a safe place, separate from
your cards. One easy way to do this is to take all your
cards to a photocopy center and place them face down on
the copying machine. Make two copies and put them in a
safe place.
• “Don’t
carry around any more cards than you need to use
regularly.
• “Don’t
give your account number over the phone unless you know
the company and you made the call.” |
