Top 14 Illnesses of a Financially Sick Filipino

I have been a financial consultant and a medical doctor at the same time for 6 years now.   Whenever people ask me what is my specialty, I always jokingly say, “My Specialty is Healing Financial Sick People.”  Through the years in this business, I have diagnosed a lot of financial illnesses most Filipinos have, so it’s time to share my findings to you.

I divided it into two major categories:  The Lifestyle Financial Diseases and Diseases that would lead to Financial Paralysis.

Find out for yourselves if you have some signs and symptoms of these diseases.

Lifestyle Financial Diseases

Lifestyle financial disease has 4 types.  Diseases from 1-3 can still be cured and be reversible but the last type is fatal and often terminal and irreversible.  Find out what they are:

1. Influence-za

A person with Influence-za virus loves comparing himself to his friends.  If his friends have the things that he likes, wait for couple of days, this person has that too. He easily gets influenced by society, what’s in, what’s new and what’s trending.  This virus usually infects young people although can also be seen in the older age group.  Spending to things that are not really needed is the most common symptom.

2. Gastador-enteritis

A person with this disease loves spending too much money because it temporarily helps them to feel good.  They have a “One-Day-Millionaire Syndrome” which is characterized by spending almost all the money if they have it in their hands.  They live from paycheck to paycheck.

4. Debt-betes

If Gastador-enteritis cannot be controlled, it often lead to this disease,  Debt-betes.  When a person became unsatisfied spending his own money, now, he loans to spend others’ money too.  Sometimes people with Debt-betes will have so much loan he is actually living his whole life paying for his loans.

You can read this in handling your debts, so it won’t lead to the final stage:

                How to Win the War?  Filipino vs Debt

4. Osteo-perasis

This is the final stage of a lifestyle financial disease.  Since too much spending and having too much loan would limit the capacity of a person to save for the future.  This disease becomes imminent during old age.

After working so hard “magkanda kuba man sa pagtatrabaho” as they say, all his life and when it’s time to retire, this person suddenly realizes that he was not able to save for his retirement.

Sad reality is, he still needs to work until he dies.  This disease is the end stage disease of the lifestyle financial diseases and when a person reaches this stage, it becomes irreversible for 99% for most people, because it is too late.

Diseases that Cause Financial Paralysis

Diseases under this category are diseases that prevent people from taking actions in their financial lives.  These diseases prevent them from doing the right thing for themselves, which is to protect, save and invest. 

1. Vampiritis

This is a person who thinks he is immortal.  A good financial plan always starts with good financial foundation of protection.  That is, protection against early death, disability, critical illness and accidents.  These things could be addressed by getting a good Life Insurance with comprehensive coverage.

People with Vampiritis think that they will not die; they will not get critically ill or become disable.

If the “Breadwinner” of the family becomes infected with this disease it becomes fatal.  If early death happens without life insurance to the breadwinner, a tragic outcome happens to the family.

I hope you do not have this disease.

2. Hello-cination

People with this disease are people who often hide from financial advisors.  The moment they knew that their friend is an insurance advisor, they hide. They would as much as possible wanted to get away from these financial people, thinking that they will be offered with life insurance or investment products they do not want.

The problem with this people, they become “Assuming.”   If you have this disease, please, don’t assume that financial advisors will sell you something every time you meet them, they may only want to say “hello” and if they do ask for a meeting, it won’t kill you “if you listen.”

3. STD

STD stands for “Sige, Teka, Di na lang.” 

A person with this disease changes her minds easily.  At first, she wants to save or invest, then after quite some time, she will tell you, “Wait or Teka lang, I need more time.”  Then after thinking not so hard, he will tell you, “Di na lang.” Then, gives her alibi.

4. Toxic-plasmosis

These people are “toxic” – as we call it in medical terms.  They are the ones who will read every word and every page of each financial proposal an advisor gives.  Will ask all the impossible questions, will look at all the nitty-gritty and every angle.  Will look for all the loop holes and invisible “fine prints” they imagined.

The financial advisor will patiently answer all the questions raised but in the end, because of too much information, people with Toxic-plasmosis often lead to “Analysis Paralysis Syndrome.”  At this stage of their disease, they choose not to make investments because they cannot decide anymore which in turn often leads to “inaction.”

5. Eh-Bola Virus

Eh-Bola Virus, is a related disease of Toxic-plasmosis, only, this disease is much more toxic. 

These people has chronic doubt in their system.  They closed their minds to all financial opportunities presented to them, because they feel, “Binobola lang sila.”  (They are being played every time).

These disease may come from a previous experience or they are just being “Nega” as we call them.

Note:

Don’t approach people with this disease, this is a highly contagious disease.

6. Depende-sitis

This type of financial disease has also different types, these are:

• Depende-sitis on your parents

Person with this disease often comes from a well-off or middle class family.  These are the “anak” that would always tell, “nandyan naman si daddy or mommy.”  They feel that they don’t need to save for their future because they feel that their parents will be always there for them.

They make their parents their “emergency fund.”

• Depende-sitis on your children

These are parents that believe LITERALLY in the saying “Ang kayamanan ko, ang mga anak ko.”    They are hoping that someday, their children will take care of them or make them wealthy.

They make their children their “retirement fund.”

• Depende-sitis on your spouse

You will often hear from these people, “Mag-aasawa na lang ako ng mayaman.”  These people may or may not really be “gold diggers”  but they depend too much of their future to their spouse.

• Depende-sitis on the government

These people depend their whole lives to what the government can do for them.  Their health, kids’ education, their retirement, their daily living expenses and even their own burial to the government.  They don’t pay taxes but they are the first ones to blame the government if they are not being supported.

Even with different types, Depende-sitis has one thing in common: people with this diseases – they believe that their future are not in their hands.

7. Anorexia Nerbyosa

These people are the conservative ones. They will put all their savings to banks, safety deposit box, piggy banks and even in pillows under their beds.  They feel that having them there will make it safer.

Not knowing the consequences of these acts.  Read more there:  “Saving Millions in Bank, How Safe it is?”

If a person with this disease do venture some of his money to invest, at the first news of stock market falling, she becomes too nervous and immediately withdraws her money at a loss.

8. Over-culosis

This disease is the exact opposite of Anorexia Nerbyosa, the conservative, a person with Over-culosis is too much of a risk taker.  He is someone that would invest and put his money on the line in investments with very high promised returns, double your money guarantees and pyramiding marketing.  They are often becomes a victim of financial scams because of their greed.

9. Rota-nga Virus

This disease is better explained in a case:

The Case of Gabriel and Jenny:

Gabriel is the breadwinner of the family, he works as a manager in a bank.  His wife Jenny takes care of their 3 kids at home.  Knowing how important his income to his family, he wanted to get life insurance and make Jenny his beneficiary just in case something happens to him, his wife will get money to take care of their kids.  Gabriel talked to an insurance agent to get life insurance.  He told his plans to his wife,  but Jenny objected.  Jenny feels that getting life insurance is an added expense that would be deducted in her monthly allowance.  Because of that, the policy became pending while Gabriel is still convincing Jenny that it is for their family.  While still in the process of convincing and deciding, Gabriel met an accident, and died on the spot, leaving Jenny, a housewife, no work, now has no money even for Gabriel’s burial what more for the kids.

It is sad, but this disease is very common to Filipinos.  I often encounter this disease to wives, but there are times, this happens to husbands too.

To wives and husbands who has this disease:  You are the primary person that will benefit from a life insurance or investment plans.  Please be intelligent enough to recognize that.  Financial doctors cannot cure this disease, only you can heal yourself by making yourself more intelligent.

10. Ask-Ma

Let me give you a case presentation to explain what disease is this.

This is case of Dr. Alfred Hika (based on true story), he is a colleague of mine in medicine.  Now he is already a practicing Psychiatrist, he agreed for an appointment with me about his finances.  We met, I did my presentation and all the time he would nod in agreement with me almost all the time.  He said, “Yes, I need this.  I want to be protected and have something invested for my retirement.”  When it came to decision time,  this is where Ask-ma will show its signs and symptoms.

He said, “I will Ask-my” mom first.”

Oh, ok.  Then, I asked, “Doc, is your Mom a financial specialist or an expert on business or a finance person?”

He said, “No. It is just that, she handles all my money.”

Ok, then, I want to ask again, but I didn’t because I already know the answer, I want to ask sana, “Doc, how old are you na nga?”  Because he is already 38 years old that time.

Ask-ma Disease has different types.  These are:

1. Ask-my Mom or Dad (our case above)
2. Ask-my Wife or Husband
3. Ask-my Kapatid or Kapitbahay
4. Ask-my Boyfriend or Girlfriend (this is the worst case)

Well, asking others is a valid action I agree.  But you have to ask the right person.  It is like when your doctor tells you,  “You have a CANCER, you only have a month to live.”  You don’t go home and ask your mom if it is true, unless she is a doctor too.  Who do you ask for a more valid and expert opinion?  Of course it is advisable to ask another doctor expert in that field, right?

Same thing with you financial decisions.  If you want to get a second opinion, better, ask someone in the financial field too, an expert if you can find one.

Kindly note that there are financial diseases that when found with couples, it becomes more fatal.  Like for example:

If Husband has  Ask-ma and Wife has  Rota-nga Virus (Very Deadly)

There you go.  Do you have signs and symptoms of the above financial diseases?  I myself have those diseases before.  In the past, I had:  Ask-ma and Anorexia Nerbyosa.  But because I wanted to be cured, I study and flood my mind with “knowledge” to become financially fit.  Now, I am cured!

Have you identified you own financial disease?  It’s time for you to get cured too.  Let my help you get healed.  Consult me here for free.

Your Finance MD,

Read More:

• 6 Ways on How to Drastically Change your Financial Life Now
• Saving Millions in Bank, How Safe it is?
• 5 Money Habits to Avoid Telling Your Kids
• The BEST INVESTMENT Vehicle for Your Child’s Education
• How to Win your war against Debt?
• Hurdles of Financial Freedom (Mga Balakid sa Iyong Pag-Yaman!)

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Pinky De Leon-Intal, MD, RFC

Doc Pinky is a licensed Medical Physician, Internationally Registered Financial Consultant, Certified Investment Solicitor and Associate Wealth Planner and Estate Planner of the Philippines. She loves to educate and spread financial literacy. She is a Lactation Consultant. She loves to travel. She is a devoted wife and mother.

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