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by: Frauline Abangan

(Based on a true story)

Money problems, unfortunately, are common in Filipino households. This is one of the driving forces that push IMG financial educators to work hard on their mission to spread financial literacy. One of our youngest and successful financial coaches is a 22-year old lady who grew up in a shanty by a river bank.

"I came from a broken family."

This lady shared her story during the IMG Convention on February 23, 2020, which was held at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City and attended by about 5,000 financial educators from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and abroad. Wearing a heavy green jacket that signified she has helped as least 100 families save the right way, she bared that her parents used to fight a lot about money.

Many commercials on TV show happy children with happy parents, picture perfect families drinking milk, eating ice cream and visiting restaurants. Then I imagined how this lady used to be a little girl, probably sitting on the damp floor of their tiny house watching her parents exchange loud and angry words at each other. The fights got so bad that her parents eventually broke up and went on their separate ways.

This lady stayed with her mother in a shanty by the river bank that was prone to floods. Her mother struggled to send her through elementary and high school. Money was tight, so tight that her mother could no longer afford to give her a college education.

But this lady dreamed of getting a college degree. So she went to her father to ask for financial support for her college education.

Easy, right?

The mother put her through elementary and high school so now it's only right that the father would put her through college. This would be a very logical progression to the story.

But this was a decision that required humility, a decision that required her to swallow her pride and face her father hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

You see, this lady had a secret. When she was still in grade 3 (she was probably around 9 years old at that time), she went to her father's new house without telling her mother.

In that unfamiliar place with a strange woman walking around, this little girl looked at the man who she called Papa in confusion.

"Bakit nandito ka? Manghihingi ka ng pera? (Why are you here? Are you asking for money?)" Her father, who will never win an award as Dad of the Year, asked her.

Remember when you were 9 years old, if your father asked you this, how would you feel? Most 9-year old kids try to bluster and act so much older but you know they are still just kids who are trying to make sense of how the world works.

Why did mama and papa fight? If I cry hard enough, will they get back together again? If I get angry at them, will they get back together again? If I do well in school, will they get back together again? What did I do wrong?

Adult relationships make no sense to a 9-year old child.

Fast forward 7 or 8 years after her father crushed her little heart, can you imagine how much courage it would take for this lady to face her dad once again and, yes, this time to actually ask for financial support for her college education?

Many people cannot do this. Pride is important, right? But I think a person who can swallow their pride for the sake of something much greater is the stronger than the person who's carrying an enormous chip on their shoulder.

There are many paths she could have settled for. For some young women, it is easier to take comfort in the arms of their boyfriend and marry young to try to recreate that picture-perfect family that was denied of them. Other young women would look for security, find an old rich man to make sure they would never live in poverty again.

However, this lady chose a more difficult path. She chose to work and sell all kinds of things to help pay for her college tuition -- from various food items to beauty products. She was able to find a job as a sales associate at an SM store. She sold perfume. She would stand for hours at the department store feeling stressed all the time.

"Natatakot ako mabasag ang perfume kasi baka wala akong sahod (I was afraid the perfume bottle would break because I would have no salary)."

Then she met IMG when she was 19 years old. With IMG, her life changed.

"Para sa akin (for me), IMG is Information & Message from God."

Because in IMG, she said, it's not about your background and where you came from but it's about what you want to achieve in life.

The lady is now the youngest CEO in IMG. To become a CEO in IMG, you must have helped AT LEAST 150 families save for their future in a span of 90 days.

What drives this lady? What is her BIG WHY?

"Gusto kong tumulong at magturo sa mga magulang na importante talaga na mag-save sila para sa kanilang mga anak (I want to help and teach parents that it is important to save for their children)," she said.

As a financial educator at IMG, this lady not only learned how to secure her own future with healthcare, life insurance and investments, but she also learned to help others, especially parents, build a good future for their family.

By helping parents understand the value of financial planning, she hopes they will fight less about money. She hopes to prevent relationships from being broken so that kids will not grow up like she did.

How about you?

Are you still dreaming of success?

When are you going to TAKE ACTION? When are you going to WORK HARD & WORK SMART for your success?

IMG has changed many people's lives. When are you going to let it change yours?