Manila Freelancer

If you’ve always dreamed of a life and career as a freelancer, here are the steps you can take to become one:

Understand your skills

It’s not enough that you know what your skills are; you need to know how well you can do them. There is a level of expertise required in many jobs, regardless of what their nature is, be it copywriting, graphics, editing, photography, blogging or programming.

Familiarize yourself with your competition [More]

Ever wished you had better control over your savings? Now you can.

BPI offers a savings scheme that allows you to transfer a set amount of money from one account to another on a regular basis. The product is called BPI Direct Save Up Account – it works as an automatic savings program and offers insurance coverage as well.

How BPI Direct Save-Up works
To open a Direct Save-Up Account, you will need to have a BPI Peso account (savings or checking). Once you’ve enrolled your account, you only have to set the amount you wish to be withdrawn from your source account (referred to as the settlement account) and the frequency with which you choose to save funds. You can decide how much you want to save regularly, although the minimum amount is set at PhP 250.00. The frequency can range from weekly to bimonthly transfers. [More]

Competition among businesses doesn’t get any easier these days, thanks to a teetering economy and the introduction of more players in the market.

If you want to know which businesses have the best chances of surviving and which ones to avoid, learn what will work for you.

Here are tips on where to find seminars on business ideas and trends:

Business clubs and associations
If you’re looking for industry-specific business ideas or niche industries, good places to find seminars are local business clubs and associations. Many of them support certain industries or causes related to a specific industry which you will find helpful. Seminar costs will vary, depending on the topic, length of time involved, materials and speaker.

Community colleges
Many community colleges sponsor seminars that entrepreneurs will find useful. The advantage is that seminars on business ideas offered through these institutions are designed to cater to local needs, so you’re likely to find courses that are a good fit to your location and interests. Check with your local colleges for the schedule.

Entrepreneur groups
Many entrepreneurs form groups that help out business startups and would-be businessmen. Although most topics are focused on how to start and run a business, they frequently offer seminars on new and up-and-coming business ideas. They usually post invitations on their websites or in local community boards.

Online
As always, the Internet is a good source of information on seminars and trainings. SiteBusinessBrief.com, for example, has a forum where business seminar schedules are frequently posted. There are also sites that focus on promoting trainings where you’ll find plenty of information regarding new business ideas. Trainings tend to be nationwide events, though, which means you’ll have to choose locations carefully.

Have you ever wondered where your money goes each time it leaves your hands?

Or maybe you’re perplexed at how difficult it seems to maintain a budget or grow your savings. The answer may actually lie on your expenses – what they are, how much and why.

Here are reasons why we all need to record our expenses for better money management:

1. Monitor daily, weekly, monthly or annual expenses
   Recording expenses makes it easier to determine how much we spend within a given time period. We can then compare the figures with resources such as salaries, bonuses and other sources of income to determine if the spending was indeed reasonable. If it isn’t, then it would be easier to control similar purchases in the future.
2. Tax purposes
   Itemized deductions on tax returns require accurate recording of expenses. Come audit time, it’ll be easier to know exactly which receipts to present and why the items concerned should exempt us from paying taxes.
3. Separate the necessity from the luxury
   Whether we admit it or not, we buy luxury items just because we can, without considering the effects on our finances. This is why we need to record our expenses. By keeping track of where the money goes, we are able to take note of items we buy out of necessity and keep them separate from the items we purchase out of want.
4. Keep track of investments
   Another important financial aspect we need to take control of is our investment. Need to know what your purchases give back to you? Recording all expenses helps keep track of all investments made in the past and determine which ones are actually paying back.
5. Create and maintain a budget
   By recording expenses, it’s easier to control future spending. This, in turn, helps build a more substantial savings.

Now that you finally realized the importance of saving money, implementation is the next step.

This could get harder if you don’t fully understand what you are doing and this is usually true with first-timers. Saving money encompasses self-discipline, better judgment and outmost repression.

The problem with this is sometimes we don’t see the immediate need for saving money hence the delay to do so. To avoid cramming when the urgency arises, it is best to save even small amounts of your monthly pay check for the things you will need in the future. Even a humble 10 % of your salary would do.

Taking up a part time job would also help you save money. You can set aside your small earnings from this job and let it grow. If you do this daily, you will have a little extra by the end of the year to spend for holidays. [More]

Are you a photographer, enthusiasts or a photography professional?

This year The International Photography Awards will conducts an annual competition for professional, non- professional, and student photographers on a global level, creating one of the most ambitious and comprehensive competitions in the photography world today.

Join IPA 2009 to showcase your talent and get the chance to be recognized for your masterpieces!

Also, if you have friends, acquaintances, co-workers who are interested in photography, let them know about IPA :)

For more information on how to submit your photographs, please visit our website at http://www.photoawards.com/en/  or you may reach Aiza at aiza@photoawards.com