The 5-Step Guide To Be a Millionaire With a ₱25k Salary

Ito si John. Isa siyang corporate employee na kumikita ng ₱25,000 kada buwan at gusto niyang maging milyonaryo.

Kung iisipin mo, hindi sobrang laki ng kinikita niya kada buwan. In fact, for a lot of Filipinos, maliit na ‘yung ₱25,000 per month na sweldo. But it’s not about how much you make right now.

The game is about living below your means and expanding your means.

You have to realize this one critical thing: it’s not about the plan. Yes, this plan will show you kung paano magiging milyonaryo si John—at ano ‘yung mga steps na kailangan niya para magawa ‘yun. But it’s not perfect. No plan is. So anong value nitong pagbabasa nito?

The value of the plan isn’t the plan—it’s the planning.

‘Yung totoong buhay ay mas masalimuot, mas mahirap, mas komplikado. There will be adjustments and unmet expectations. And that’s okay.

Kahit ano pang mangyari, know that it’s possible to live a financially comfortable life. Pero hindi mo magagawa ‘yun kung aasa ka lang sa sweldo mo ngayon. Kailangan mo ng tamang diskarte, matalinong paghawak ng pera, at willingness na matuto ng bagong skills.

So without further ado, here’s the steps John can take.

Bago pa siya magsimulang mag-ipon at mag-invest, dapat ma-maximize muna ni John ‘yung current niyang income. Kailangan, alam niya kung magkano ‘yung pumapasok sa kanya buwan-buwan at magkano ‘yung gastos niya.

Kapag kasi hindi natin alam saan napupunta ‘yung pera natin, hindi tayo aware kung may butas ba. Ibig sabihin, we don’t know if we’re making money or not. We have no idea what our expenses are and if it’s bigger than our income.

Based sa profile ni John, ito ‘yung picture ng expenses niya kada buwan:

• Total Income: ₱25,000.00
• Total Expenses: ₱21,500.00
  • Family Support: ₱12,500
  • Food & Work-related Expenses: ₱7,000
  • Phone Installment: ₱2,000
• Total Excess: ₱3,500.00

Dito sa excess niya na ₱3,500 tayo magsisimulang magplano. Dapat tignan niya kung may mga bagay ba siyang pinagkakagastusan na hindi naman niya talaga kailangan.

For example:

• May mga subscriptions ba siya na hindi niya nagagamit? (Netflix, Spotify, gym membership na hindi naman pinupuntahan?)
• Pwede bang bawasan ‘yung pagkain sa labas at magluto na lang sa bahay?
• May ibang paraan ba para makatipid sa transportation, gaya ng pagko-commute sa halip na mag-book ng ride-hailing services?

Let’s say that from his ₱21,500 expense, he was able to get an extra ₱1,500. Napababa niya ‘yung expenses niya to ₱20,000 per month. That means, tataas ‘yung kaya niyang maipon from ₱3,500 to ₱5,000 per month.

And that’s a total saving of ₱60,000 per year.

Ito ‘yung magsisilbing foundational emergency funds ni John. Bakit kailangan ng emergency fund? Kasi hindi naman laging smooth sailing ang buhay natin eh. Isipin mo, what if bigla siyang mawalan ng trabaho o may unexpected na gastusin? Kung wala siyang emergency funds, may chance na uutang na lang siya at mabaon do’n.

Our emergency funds act as a financial cushion so we won’t get ourselves into deep debt.

So, pano niya maiipon ‘tong ₱50,000? Ito ‘yung ilan sa mga ideas:

• If mag-iipon siya ng ₱5,000/month, matatapos niya ‘yung emergency funds niya in 10 months.
• If gagawa naman siya ng paraan para kumita ng extra at madagdagan niya ng ₱10,000/month ‘yung savings niya, he only needs 5 months to finish saving up for it.

Now, foundational lang ‘yung focus natin. Usually kasi, ang emergency funds ay 3 to 6 months of your income (or expenses). Sobrang tagal kung ito agad ‘yung bubuuin ni John. He can do it over time, pero hindi naman kailangan na isang bagsakan ‘yan. Ang mahalaga, may progress na nangyayari sa finances niya.

Kung aasa lang si John sa pag-iipon ng pera, mabagal talaga ‘yung progress niya sa financial goals niya. The fastest way to be a millionaire (and get rich) is to have a side income.

And the secret to having a profitable side hustle is to learn a high income skill.

Dito magsisimula ‘yung totoong pagbabago sa financial status ni John. Kapag nag-aral siya ng high-income skills, pwede siyang makawala sa employment trap. And eventually, he’ll get paid for the value he can provide.

So, ano ba ang high-income skills? At pano ‘to naiba sa high-paying jobs?

‘Yung high-income skills, ito ‘yung mga skills na may mataas na value sa marketplace. Generally, these are skills that either: (1) help businesses (or people) earn more money or (2) save money.

‘Yung high-paying job naman, sa isa lang ang kliyento mo dito. Hindi ikaw ‘yung highly paid kundi ‘yung trabaho. For example, ‘yung mga software engineer ng international SaaS company, malaki ‘yung bayad sa kanila. Pero kung magta-trabaho sila sa isang mom-and-pop business, pwedeng maliit lang ‘yung ibabayad sa kanila.

High-income skills, pwede mong i-offer sa iba’t-ibang kliyente. High-paying jobs, hindi ikaw ‘yung binabayaran kundi ‘yung trabaho.

Ilan sa mga halimbawa ng high-income skills ay:

• Copywriting: ‘Yung pagsusulat ng persuasive content na ginagamit sa sales at marketing. Ang goal nito ay mang-influence ng tao to do something.
• Social Media Management: Ito ‘yung pagma-manage ng social media accounts ng mga negosyo para mapalaki ‘yung engagement at sales ng negosyo nila.
• Video Editing: Gagawa ka ng high-quality videos para sa content creators at brands.
• Digital Marketing: Ito ‘yung pag-iisip ng mga online strategies para sa pag-promote ng products or businesses.
• Ghostwriting: Ito naman ‘yung pagsusulat para sa ibang tao gamit ‘yung boses nila. Pwedeng blog posts, newsletter, eBooks, at marami pang iba.

Kahit busy si John sa trabaho, kaya niyang maglaan ng 2-3 hours per day para pag-aralan ‘yung napili niyang skill. At syempre, dapat hindi puro aral lang. Dapat ina-apply din natin ‘yung natututunan natin. So ang goal is to:

1: Study the skill: the big picture, each component of that skill, and how it helps businesses.

2: Apply the skill you’re learning to projects.

Ngayong may skill na siya, oras nang humanap ng kliyente.

Ito ‘yung ilan sa mga signs para malaman ni John na ready na siyang maghanap ng clients.

• Kapag naiintindihan na niya kung ano ang problemang sino-solve ng skill niya.
• Kapag alam na niya kung paano niya ito gagamitin para makatulong sa isang negosyo.
• Kapag may sample work na siyang maipapakita.

Hindi naman kailangan agad premium ‘yung i-charge niya sa mga kliyente niya. Kung nagsisimula pa lang siyang mag-build ng experience at confidence, pwedeng mababa lang muna. Tapos charge more along the way.

Ito ‘yung ilan sa mga ideas kung paano siya pwedeng makahanap ng mga clients:

• Mag-apply sa freelancing platforms tulad ng Upwork, Fiverr, o OnlineJobs.ph.
• Gumamit ng LinkedIn para ipakita ‘yung mga skills niya at mag-network.
• Mag-reach out sa mga small business owners na maaaring nangangailangan ng services niya.
• Mag-post sa Facebook groups kung saan tumatambay ‘yung mga potential clients niya.

Kung makakakuha siya ng extra ₱10k to ₱15k per month, life-changing na ‘yung para sa kanya. Mas mapapabilis ‘yung pagbuo niya ng Emergency Funds niya and at the same time, ‘yung pag-abot niya sa goal na maging milyonaryo.

Now that he has some extra income, he needs to be aware of lifestyle inflation and actively manage his extra. Mahirap kasi na tumaas ‘yung income natin tapos lolobo rin ‘yung expenses natin. It’s sad, but the reality is, gano’n ang tendency ng mga tao unless they become intentional on how they spend their money.

Kung ako si John, ilalagay ko ‘yung extra income ko sa 3 major “buckets”:

1. Emergency Fund: Unti-unti kong lalagyan ‘yung emergency funds ko hanggang sa matapos ‘yung 3 to 6 months na cash reserves.

2. Investments: I’ll continue to invest my money. Kung conservative ako, pwedeng sa Pag-Ibig MP2 ko na lang ilagay. Pero kung kaya kong mag-handle ng risk, may iba pang investment vehicles ang may mas mataas na growth potential.

3. Sustenance (Play Money): Syempre, hindi pwedeng puro pagtitipid lang tayo. We need to sustain ourselves. Mahirap ‘yung sobrang tipid ka to the point na feeling mo, deprived ka na. Kahit paano, dapat may enjoyment.

Example ng computation:

• Kung ₱10,000/month ang nai-invest niya at kumikita ito ng 8% per year, pwede nang maging milyonaryo si John within 6.5 years.

Pero may mas mabilis na paraan...

Most people don’t invest in themselves. Kaya naman they stay on the same level for years at a time. In fact, I know of people in the corporate setting who are still working THE SAME JOB and THE SAME POSITION years after I left the company.

And guess what? ‘Yung finances nila, incremental lang ‘yung improvement.

Here’s the thing: if you want to grow faster, you have to invest in yourself. Picture this: kung si John, nag-invest siya sa sarili niya at mas gumaling siya sa skills niya, pwede siyang makakuha ng higher-paying client.

For example, instead of earning ₱10,000, he can earn ₱40,000 for the same skill. And it’s because he’s better at doing it and can bring more value—even when he’s using the same skill.

Tapos, kung ₱25,000 lang ‘yung iinvest ni John mula sa ₱40,000 niya, at may 8% growth per year, magiging milyonary siya in 3 years or less.

…basta meron kang plano.

At ito ‘yung ilan sa mga steps na pwede mong gawin…

1: Maximize your income: Alamin mo kung saan napupunta ‘yung pera mo at bawasan mo ‘yung expenses na walang value para sayo.

2: Learn a high-income skill: Mag-invest ka sa sarili mo at mag-aral ng skill na may mataas na value.

3: Expand your means: Use your newly learned skill to serve other people and get paid while doing it.

4: Invest your money properly: Palaguin mo ‘yung pera mo gamit ‘yung mga tamang investment strategy.

Your boss isn’t responsible for making you rich. It’s in your hands—go and work for it.

Thanks for reading and remember…

Just conquer today,

Jeric Timbang

P.S. If you need help creating a plan to get from where you are to becoming a millionaire, email me at hey@jerictimbang.com! I’m excited to hear from you.