Homemakers, Moneymakers

They say, “Home is where the heart is.” But why do most parents spend more time out of the home?

Nowadays, children are left with nannies, helpers, grandparents, or relatives. One working parent is no longer sufficient to raise a family. Gone are the days when the husband takes the role of the sole breadwinner and the wife as the homemaker. The wife is now forced to work, if not burdened to find other sources of income while making sure that the household chores are done.


I have been part of the active population since the age of twenty. Married for 12 years and with three kids, it has now become more difficult to decide if and when to quit my job when the demands of my family increases. I believe there’s no one most qualified to look after my children than myself. But when our income just cannot seem to pay for the needs of the household, leaving my spouse to generate income seems no longer to be the best solution. But if I decide to quit working temporarily to have more time at home, I am also worried that my skills might become outdated and therefore, make it harder for me to someday find employment again.

I am certain that there are others like me who want to personally take care of their family and therefore, do not want to get tied to their jobs. But if they stay at home, won’t their special skills and talents come to waste if they do not make use of them? Another concern is that homemakers, mostly wives, are not able to contribute to retirement funds, and therefore, they become more "economically vulnerable" if left financially unprotected by the breadwinners.

Whatever your case may be, you are not alone! The good news? I have found people who actually work towards the objective of personally taking care of their families and at the same time, working on their daily and future needs. Like me, they want to be able to work without being forced to because they have to earn money. They want to be able to retire sooner than the normal age of retirement. They want to enjoy life with their children and spouses while they could. I am not talking about fictitious people here but real and dedicated people who spend their free-time achieving their goals:

- A retired overseas Filipino worker (OFW), now an OFI (overseas Filipino investor) is currently building up a team of OFWs to become investors themselves so that when they go back to their homeland they will be able to retire comfortably with sufficient funds.

- A retired doctor, who went to medical school to please her parents, now finds more time with her children and husband after deciding to pursue a career in the financial industry.

- A retired chemical engineer now a registered financial planner, has become the CEO of a leading international financial services company advocating financial literacy for Filipinos. He discovered his household helper mistreating his child and so had to fast-track his plans of taking the responsibility of being the sole breadwinner in his family so that his wife can stay at home.

- A full-time lawyer teaches others part-time in order to increase other people’s awareness of the latest and proven-effective financial solutions.

It is great to know that you can now actually have both sides of the coin – whether you decide to stay at home and consider working part-time, or stay with your present job while setting a definite date for you to retire! There is in fact a perfect opportunity for everyone who aspires to break out from the bondage of financial insecurity. Get to know more people like the ones I mentioned to you above, and ask how they have made it to their dreams and how you can reach yours too? Ask me more at mdvidaure@yahoo.com.