A Million, and One Way to Grow

If you have a million pesos, what would you do with it? Buy the latest gadgets, book a cruise for the family, use it as downpayment for a brand new car…these are some of the normal initial responses. But, for financially savvy individuals, other options come to mind, foremost of which is investments. By exploring and choosing the right investment product, they end up growing their money, and having bigger funds to spend.

Making the Smart Choice

Investment is viewed as delayed gratification, the concept that is often associated with the EQ (emotional quotient) test conducted on young children, wherein they are given a chocolate-covered marshmallow and told that they have 2 choices. One, they can eat the marshmallow immediately, or they wait for 10 minutes and they’ll get another piece. 7 out of 10 kids ate the marshmallow, but those that waited, were indeed rewarded with the second treat. Further studies showed that the kids that waited ended up being more successful than their peers. Apparently, your ability to delay gratification in exchange for more and better rewards is an indication of success.

Going back to your one million pesos, you may choose to spend it all or most of it, but investing the money will prove to be the better choice. For Richard Tan*, a successful realtor, his choice was a matter of meeting his needs. “Spending my commissions and year-end bonus on new diving equipment and a trip to Australia was tempting, but I know that during these times, I needed to be smart and seek options on how to grow my money so that I can have my cake and eat it too”, states Richard.

Richard needed a viable investment product that will help him grow his funds but not necessarily hold the capital for too long. “I’m still looking forward to enjoying my hardearned money, I just want more of it to enjoy,” says Richard. “It was great timing that I got a call from my AXA Financial Partner and I found out about AXA Philippines’ new 3G-Xceed offering that gives me exactly what I need.”

A Guaranteed Slice of the Pie

Naturally, the main reason to invest is to achieve growth. aX cess, a special 3G-Xceed offering, provides potential upside through the Icon Funds, AXA’s new equity funds that feature the cream of the crop in blue-chip stocks. The first is the Spanish/American Legacy Fund where the portfolio is invested mainly in blue-chip stocks of companies with Spanish/American lineage listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi), such as PLDT and Meralco.

Investors can also choose the Opportunity Fund, which is invested mainly in a diversified portfolio composed of topperforming stocks listed in the PSEi to provide long-term growth through capital gains and dividends.

Richard goes on to say, “It is not every day that you get a chance to invest in these prestigious companies and even then it takes a huge amount to buy in. These companies have shown strong growth and stability for decades. They know how to grow their money and give their investors ample returns.”

Risk is an inherent part of investments, and it is a major deterrent for anyone. Whether it is bonds, trust, securities or money market, an investor bears the burden of loss during market decline or economic recession. “I know the risks in investing,” states Richard, “that’s why I’m happy about aX cess, since it gives me additional security from risk with 80% guaranteed capital protection.”

“It’s a win-win situation for me,” says Richard. “With a million peso-investment, I get to taste a slice of the biggest and best equities in the Philippine market and attractive returns on my investment. AXA is an established global brand in life insurance and with Metrobank as partner, I’m confident my money is well taken care of.”

To learn more about aXcess and other AXA Philippines products, visit their website www.axa.com.ph, or call the AXA hotline +632 5815 292 or +632 3231 292.

*name was changed to protect customer’s privacy