ALTHOUGH investing in the stock market is one of the good investment platforms, a lot of Filipinos are not yet investing in the capital market.
Through his own little way, COL Financial Group equity analyst Charles William Ang is conducting lectures to different sectors to enlighten them the merits of investing in stocks and the perception that it is gambling. Furthermore, he is also teaching stock-market courses at the Caylum Trading Institute (CTI), a school for investors founded by Edward K. Lee, who want to deepen their knowledge in investing in the market.
“A lot of people are not much aware of the nature of the stock market. Stock market is not gambling, but involves a lot of strategy,” the 28-year-old Management Engineering graduate (cum laude) of Ateneo de Manila University told the BusinessMirror. “It’s not promoted early enough in the country. That is why these perceptions came out.”
Even his parents were a bit surprised when he told them he will work with a stock-brokerage firm.
“How would you say it’s gambling? Stock market is investing in a company. Being an owner or shareholder, how would you say it’s gambling?” Ang asked to no one in particular. “By buying, for example, a share in ‘Company A,’ how would that be considered gambling?”
Evangelization
ANG said he and his colleagues in COL go to different schools and promote the stock market to develop more awareness and show them that “this is the way by starting them early.”
He believes the perception on investing in the stock market will improve over time. With the improvement in technology, Ang believes more people like the millennials will become more aware of the value of investing in the stock market.
His main job is to analyze the performance of publicly listed companies.
“I analyze the companies and recommend to clients which stock to buy and look at their growth strategy,” he said. “The job is much dynamic, because you are able to see a lot of happenings every day.”
Ladder
ANG initially planned to apply as a management trainee after graduation to apply the knowledge he learned from his college degree.
But, as they say, fate had different plans for the gentleman who has fascination for numbers. The soft-spoken Ang thinks he is just lucky he got introduced to finance early during his college days.
“I developed a liking to finance early, unlike other management engineering students who have prioritized in eyeing a managerial position in the corporate world,” he said.
He said his passion for finance became stronger when he passed the first level of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification. Ang took the first level after he graduated in 2009. In 2010 he took the second level and passed. He also passed the final level in 2011.
“It is definitely an advantage to have a CFA certification,” Ang said. “I really benefited from the setup.”
He considers himself fortunate enough to get the chance to have an exposure in CFA in college.
Ang believes his fellow millennials have a reputation of being quite eager to get to the top of the corporate ladder.
Upward movement in the finance world is not slow, too, according to him.
“Perhaps, if you are good, you should be in that position.”