As young adults finishing school or starting a career, you may find yourself looking for the fastest way to success. While there are no shortcuts, achieving career fulfillment and financial security before 40 is an attainable possibility.

Here are five easy investment ideas to help you get ahead early on.

Professional Wardrobe

First impressions last. Whether you are going for a job interview, a business presentation, or meeting the future in-laws, it is important to look good, smart and proper. That way you can be comfortable, less distracted, and more confident.

Invest in well-fitted comfortable clothes that look smart and professional like a tailored suit, dress shirts, leather shoes and a reliable bag. Pick these items in neutral colors for an easy mix and match ensemble. Likewise, if you buy durable pieces, not only will you look fabulous but also save money in the long run.

Knowledge and Skills

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority January 2018 report, there around 11 million millennials in the workforce. How do you stand out?

Create additional opportunities by investing in yourself. Go online, hit the library, ask around: there are free to low-cost courses, seminars or mentors that can help you hone your hobbies, turn it into expertise and moneymaking machine. If you have an overactive imagination and into drawing, study storytelling techniques and try your hand at comics. Who knows, you might be the next Stan Lee with his Marvel universe.

Health and Well-being

It is hard to enjoy life when you are in bed, sick. Make sure to invest in your body and health while still young. Know that the bad habits and poor hygiene of today can lead to disconcerting diseases and unwanted medical bills tomorrow. Treat your body right today as an investment in your future body. Play a sport, choose the stairs, eat a balanced diet, cut bad habits, maintain cleanliness, and most importantly visit the doctor regularly.

At the same time, take care of your mental wellbeing. Treat yourself with kindness and respect, avoid destructive self-criticism and learn how to deal with stress. Make time for relaxation like going on walks, hanging out with friends, or planting a garden. Take good care of your greatest friend and ally – yourself.

Retirement Fund

For most of us, growing old is inevitable. One day, retirement will come knocking and when he does, will you be ready?

Factoring in the inflation, lifestyle requirements and the probability of long life, preparing for retirement is crucial. Set aside a portion of your monthly income for your retirement fund. Look into long-term investment and passive income options like the stock market and real estate to help your hard earned money grow faster than it would in a savings account. Remember the more money and time you commit to your retirement fund, the more comfortable you will be in your golden years.

Real Estate

If you think the stock market investment is too risky for you, you might be interested in investing in real estate.

You can earn four ways in real estate investment: property appreciation, rentals, property management, and ancillary income. In starting a real estate investment, consider the location and quality. Choose a high-quality property in a central area like Makati central business district to attract tenants willing to pay a premium price for the convenience of living near their workplace, public transportation hubs, schools and lifestyle shops. Such is the upcoming Horizon Land condominium for sale near Makati City.

Located at Buendia Avenue corner Taft Avenue, the upcoming condo tower is a self-contained community with its retail stores, restaurants, study halls, lap pool, and a full set of amenities to help motivated and hardworking students and young professionals in their pursuit of career, interests, and causes. Get the most out of life with Horizon Land’s new offering with the pre-selling condo units to be offered soon.

With Horizon Land, owning your first condominium residence is easy. Just contact our representatives, provide a Philippine government-issued ID (with your Tax Identification Number), fill up the required forms, pay the reservation fee and voila! The unit is booked under your name. However, you may need to contact a bank for your home loan requirements using the most convenient payment scheme available. A Horizon Land seller can assist you on that.

Horizon Land, and its mother company Federal Land Inc., also offer condominium units for sale -pre-selling condo units or lease to own condo units that are ready for occupancy (RFO) in Makati; BGC (Fort), Taguig; Binondo and Paco, Manila; Entertainment City, Pasay; Greenhills, San Juan; Quezon City; Marikina; Cebu as well as in General Trias, Cavite. For lease to own plan details or pre-selling reservations, email us at digital.mktg@federalland.ph.

Investing in your future is the best you can do for yourself. Earning a degree in your dream university is the first step in the putting a career right on track. But what if your dream school is all across the city? Are you willing to commute four hours or more every day? Would you still have time to work on your assignments?

School is hard enough; eliminate unnecessary hassles by getting a condominium for sale or a lease to own condominium unit near your university. With the convenience of living near your school, your chances of getting better grades and excelling in both academic and socio-curricular activities could be highly probable since you can avoid all inconveniences in commuting and will have more time to rest and study.

No More Commuting
Even with the convenience of Grab or driving your car, commuting for hours every day is tiring and demotivating especially with the worsening traffic condition in Metro Manila and other parts of the country. Now add heat, humidity, rain, flood, heavy traffic, fragile projects, and last-minute cramming into the equation and you will have a miserable headache on the road.

Ditch the commute altogether and get a condominium near your university. You will not only eliminate the unnecessary hassles of being stuck in traffic but also free your time to do your coursework or extracurricular activities. Need to stay late for a group project? Need to rehearse for tomorrow’s performance? Need to attend Freshmen Night? You do not have to worry about getting home in the wee hours because home is only a few meters away from school. Likewise, it is easier to come to school early for that last-minute cram session before an important exam or recitation because you live nearby.

Most importantly, it is easier to concentrate when you do not have to commute for four hours to and fro Mondays to Fridays.

Convenience
Living in a condominium near your university places you in the center of the academic community. You are within walking distance from bookstores, craft supplies shop, tutorial centers, transportation hub, malls and other student hangouts. Going places is definitely easier.

And compared to renting a dorm, owning a condo gives you the ownership and independence to design, furnish and utilize your unit based on your needs and wants. Want to bake cookies for the whole class? No problem. Want to wear your favorite shirt for the second time this week? No problem. Want to invite your buddies for a group study/pajama party? No problem. You are allowed to have stove, oven, washer and invite your friends; fire hazard, utility bills, noise complaints and personal security are your responsibility.

Most importantly, there are no curfew hours in condominium units to observe unlike in dormitories so you have the freedom to do group studies outside your school and even bring your classmates to your unit to continue finishing your school projects, presentations and homework.

Your Safety as Top Priority
Some dormitories in Manila are near rowdy slums and accident-prone areas. Living in a condominium ensures that you have a quieter and safe place to live with their 24/7 security, CCTV cameras, audio entry, fire detection and alarm, automatic fire suppression, and a standby power generator. As an extra security layer, the main door of each unit is equipped with a keycard lock that sends an SMS notification every time someone access it. The receptionist also screens your guests and asks your permission first before they can be allowed to enter the premises.

Condominium management places your safety in their top priority; in fact, lobby personnel screen unexpected guests to ensure that they were indeed invited.

Recreational Space
For most students, earning a college degree is tough. From time to time, it is important to unwind, relax and recharge to be on your optimal performance and ready for the next day.

Condo living allows you to de-stress in style. Condominium offers numbers amenities unavailable in most dorms such as swimming pool, fitness gym, jogging path, multipurpose court, game room, hobby hall, study hall, landscape garden, retail shops and restaurants. This means that you do not have to spend on expensive gym memberships and schedule your workout anytime you like.

Learn Independence and Responsibility
Often overlooked but a definitely important advantage in owning a condo is learning to be independent and responsible. For most students, this will be their first time away from home and your parents. Living alone means there will be no one to pick up after you – you will have to cook and clean for yourself. Living alone also means your parents trust you and believe you are ready to be on your own. Make them proud!

As a student in Manila’s University Belt, it would be a lot easier going to and fro your university classes and your Makati internship with a home in a central location. The top real estate developer of various outstanding family condominium communities in Metro Manila, Horizon Land, is launching its newest condo community made for students and young professionals looking for a home conveniently closed to Manila’s University Belt and Makati Central Business District at the Taft Avenue and Buendia area which is highly accessible to public transportation 24/7.

Get the most out of life with Horizon Land’s new offering. Located at Buendia Avenue corner Taft Avenue, the upcoming condo community is a self-contained community with its retail stores, restaurants, study halls, lap pool, and a full set of amenities to help motivated and hardworking students in their pursuit of career, interests, and causes. Pre-selling condo units from Horizon Land will soon be offered in this strategic central business district location.

Students in Makati City can avail of ready for occupancy condo units with lease to own payment schemes at Paseo De Roces – Legazpi Tower near universities like Ateneo de Manila University, Mapua University, Centro Escolar University, Far Eastern University, Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati, and STI Makati.

While students in Quezon City can also avail of ready for occupancy condo units with lease to own payment schemes at The Capital Towers – Rio Tower, located at E. Rodriguez, Jr. Avenue near universities such as Trinity University of Asia, St. Lukes College of Medicine, Delos Santos Medical School, St. Paul College, and St. Joseph’s College of Quezon City.

With Horizon Land, owning your first condominium residence is easy. Just contact our representatives, provide a Philippine government-issued ID (with your Tax Identification Number), fill up the required forms, pay the reservation fee and voila! The unit is yours. However, you may need to contact a bank for your home loan requirements using the most convenient payment scheme available. A Horizon Land seller can assist you on that.

Horizon Land, and its mother company Federal Land Inc., also offer condominium units for sale -pre-selling condo units or lease to own condo units that are ready for occupancy (RFO) in Makati; BGC (Fort), Taguig; Binondo and Paco, Manila; Entertainment City, Pasay; Greenhills, San Juan; Quezon City; Marikina; Cebu as well as in General Trias, Cavite. For lease to own plan details or pre-selling reservations, email us at digital.mktg@federalland.ph.

5 Easy Freelance Jobs for Students

As a college student, a lot is riding into your time at university. Finishing college and acquiring a degree is essential for your future career but with today’s competitive job market, a graduate will need more than a diploma.

So what’s a college student to do to improve his/her chance at the job market without sacrificing study time? Well one can try these easy freelance jobs.

1. MICRO JOBS
Also called ‘gigs,’ Micro Jobs are small task-type jobs of various kinds that can be done in as little time as possible in exchange for a small fee, typically booked online. With gigs ranging from typing captchas, clicking ads, answering surveys, commenting on YouTube and other similarly minor tasks, micro jobs do not require skills specialties, previous experience or time commitment. Thus, making it a perfect sideline to students looking to earn income in their free time.

Though micro jobs only pay small fees, a steady stream of gigs could accumulate sizeable pocket money.

Notable micro job websites include Amazon Mechanical Turk, MicroWorkers, ClickWorker, survey site Toluna, and virtual assistant site Virtual Coworker.

2. Tutorials
Did you know you could make money out of your favorite subjects? Simply register in a tutorial center (e.g., Kumon, MSA) near you or advertise yourself in your school or your neighborhood. You can offer tutorials to your classmates in need or help K-12 students with their homework. As a tutor, you can charge as low as Php 50 up to Php 500 per hour.

Likewise, you can also become an online English as a Second Language (ESL) tutor. All you need are high-speed internet, laptop or desktop computer, webcam, noise-canceling headphones and a strong command of the English language. Notable English teaching companies that accept freelance students (of at least 18 years of age) are Bibo, Weblio, and Rare Job.

3. Freelance Writing
If you enjoy reading and writing, you can look for freelance writing jobs online and offline. From completing academic papers to writing blog posts, tons of opportunities await a freelance writer that a good number of people take this a full-time career. Just note that as a newbie, you will first need to build your portfolio before snagging lucrative writing gigs and expect not to be credited or not to have a byline on most writing gigs.

You can start setting up your online portfolio on Clippings, Contently, and Journo Portfolio or you can go straight to work with notable freelance writing websites like ArticleBunny and TextBroker. You can also set up accounts at freelance sites like People Per Hour, Fiverr.

4. Photography
Since you have been assigned the official photographer to school events and field trips ever since you can remember and your Instagram feed is complimented on the daily, why not turn that obvious talent into a weekend job? You can start by offering yourself as an event photographer at your neighbor’s upcoming 18th birthday party or to your high school’s prom to build a portfolio. Good work can speak for itself, and soon referrals will come your way.

You can also sell stock photos online at Shutterstock, PhotoDune, Fotolia and Getty Images.

5. Graphics Design
If you have the ‘eye’ for design and is proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and other photo editing software, you should consider getting paid designing posters in your free time. You can become a freelance graphic designer and use the opportunity to gain experience, connect with clients, and build resume/portfolio. Since the competition in freelance graphics design is high, it is best to start with designing logo and posters for small businesses then contracting bigger projects as your reputation and portfolio grows.

You can start setting up a free online portfolio on Behance, Weebly, and Portfoliobox or you can go straight to work with notable freelance websites like 99Designs and DesignCrowd. You can also set up accounts at freelance sites like PeoplePerHour, Fiverr.

With the rising competition in the job market, it is crucial for students to gain work experience and build their resume to distinguish themselves from others. While freelancing might work for some, internship remains the most straightforward way of starting a career right on track. Securing an internship related to your career choice is a great way to prepare yourself for your chosen industry’s ins and outs, as well as increase your employment opportunities.

5 Easy Freelance Jobs for Students

As a student in Manila’s University Belt, it would be a lot easier going to and fro your uni classes and your Makati internship with a home in a central location. The top real estate developer of various outstanding family condominium communities in Metro Manila, Horizon Land, is launching its newest condo community made for students and young professionals looking for a home conveniently close to Manila’s University Belt and Makati Central Business District.

Get the most out of life with Horizon Land’s new offering. Located at Buendia Avenue corner Taft Avenue, the condo community is a self-contained community with its retail stores, restaurants, study halls, lap pool, and a full set of amenities to help motivated and hardworking students in their pursuit of a career, interests, and causes.

With Horizon Land, owning your first condominium residence is easy. Just contact our representatives, provide a Philippine government-issued ID (with your Tax Identification Number), fill up the required forms, pay the reservation fee and voila! The unit is booked under your name. You are now ready to start a home loan application through in-house or bank financing.

Horizon Land, and its mother company Federal Land Inc., also offers condominium units for sale in Makati; BGC (Fort), Taguig; Binondo and Paco, Manila; Entertainment City, Pasay; Greenhills, San Juan; Quezon City; Marikina; Cebu as well as in General Trias, Cavite. For lease to own plan details or pre-selling reservations, email us at digital.mktg@federalland.ph.