INVESTMENT is one of the most important things a person must have to secure his future. But for a lot of us, investment is like a dark forest we are hesitant to explore because we simply fear the unknown.

One of the best and fastest vehicles to wealth is learning how to invest in the stock market. And yet according to studies, less than one percent of the Philippine population understands, let alone invests in, it.

A couple of weeks ago, this is precisely what JCI (Junior Chamber International) Bacolod, Inc. wanted to do: to shed light to the enigma that is the stock market.

“Stock Smarts Bacolod” was born through the efforts of JCI member and project chair Kaye Dequillo. Marvin Germo was a speaker in a seminar during her college years, and his sharing about retiring young and rich through stock market investment has led Kaye to start her initial portfolio. She was amazed that with only five thousand pesos, a person can already start his stock market investment.

When she joined the JCI Bacolod, she learned that through the organization she could spearhead projects that would create social impact. She immediately thought about how great it would be if she could share what she has learned about investment to other young people like herself.

Inviting a well-known certified financial planner to come to Bacolod is an opportunity to spread the advocacy of financial wellness.

During the three-day seminar series, the speaker, Marvin Germo shared how, while working for Hewlett-Packard, his colleagues were intrigued about the fact that he seemed to be having more savings than those who have been working longer than he did. What started as information sharing over lunch had become a full-time consultation career in financial advising. He realized that a lot of Filipinos need to be educated as to the different ways of securing their income.

The Stocks Smarts talk with Germo gave the participants a chance to understand the basics of stock market, how it works, and how a person can make his money grow through stocks investment. Through this, young people can hopefully arm themselves with better knowledge as they plan their financial future.