Marginal Investor Savings Program Update

The Starter Investor Begins Saving to Build Equity

Effective from our update on April 5, 2023, we have rebranded from Marginal Investor to The Starter Investor. For additional details, please visit our About Us page.

SAVING IS THE BEST STARTING POINT for the beginning marginal investor to build equity for stock trading and investing.

If you have nothing to start with but your definite desire to become a successful investor with millions in assets, then it is most important we find a way that can squarely monetize our talents. One can be employed and receive a salary in return for the services rendered to the best of our abilities. Thus, we can generate some cash flow from which our savings may come. Let me share with you a principle lifted from the book The Richest Man in Babylon:

"A part of all you earn is yours to keep." 

The practical application of this idea was illustrated in one of my previous posts Finding the Money for Investment. For one with a salary of about 150,000 pesos a year, the savings rate of 2% to 3% will result in cash savings of about 3,000 to 4,500 pesos in one year. This would be enough to open a BPI Express Teller Savings account and a BPI Direct Trading account for our BPI Trade stock trading operations. 

Savings Program

Our Savings Program inception date is October 1, 2007. The gross savings amount is the balance at the end of the month indicated.

No.			Month		Gross Savings		Savings To Date		Monthly Average		Per Cent of Salary
1			Oct - 07		160		160		160		1.3%
2			Nov - 07		440		600		300		2.4%
3			Dec - 07		-		600		200		1.6%
4			Jan - 08		-		600		150		1.2%
5			Feb - 08		100		700		140		1.1%
6			Mar - 08		25		725		121		1.0%
7			Apr - 08		-		725		104		0.8%
8			May - 08		-		725		91		0.7%
9			Jun - 08		600		1,325		147		1.2%
10			Jul - 08		500		1,825		183		1.5%
11			Aug - 08		100		1,925		175		1.4%
12			Sep - 08		-		1,925		160		1.3%
13			Oct - 08		-		1,925		148		1.2%
14			Nov - 08		400		2,325		166		1.3%
15			Dec - 08		120		2,325		163		1.3%
16			Jan - 09		1,600		4,045		253		2.0%
17			Feb - 09		2,000		6,045		356		2.8%
18			Mar- 09		350		6,395		355		2.8%
19			Apr - 09		850		7,245		381		3.1%
20			May - 09		575		7,820		391		3.1%
21			Jun - 09		1,975		9,795		466		3.7%

Last Update: July 4, 2009 This post is updated monthly until we reach our goal of 50,000 pesos in savings for this Marginal Investor Savings Program.

Savings Program Reactivation Date: March 15, 2023

After 185 months and 14 days since starting on October 1, 2007, we are concluding this program. We have a net cash savings of Php5,000.00, which we have forwarded to GCash. 

Additionally, we have Php10,000 in savings for maintaining the balance of our Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Settlement Account.

And another Php5,000.00 for maintaining the balance of our BPITrade account. 

We have also used some of our savings to purchase common shares of Banco De Oro (BDO) Unibank, Inc. and Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) through BPITrade for a total of Php15,000.00 stock portfolio.

• BDO acquisition cost: Php 5,000.00

• JFC acquisition cost: Php 10,000.00

Despite the time elapsed since the inception of our savings program, we were only able to accumulate Php35,000.00, which is a small portion of the desired amount. As a result, we have decided to restart the program. This will be the final update for this post.

However, we are not ending our journey here. We are restarting with a renewed sense of purpose and a broader investment horizon. Our goal is to continue providing valuable insights and guidance to our readers as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the investment world.

We understand the importance of constantly learning and adapting, which is why we are excited to embark on this new chapter. We will be sharing our progress and experiences with you through future posts, so be sure to stay tuned.

In the meantime, if you want to follow our journey as we restart, you can refer to the related post that we will be sharing. We are committed to maximizing our returns while managing risk effectively, and we invite you to join us on this exciting new venture.

Related post:

Building Wealth in Later Life: Investment Opportunities for the Fourth Quarter (Ages 55-65)