My Contribution to the OFW's (Overseas Filipino Workers)

If you’re like any other Filipino living in the Philippines, chances are you know somebody or related to somebody working abroad. In my case, I have a sister in Chicago working as a nurse. My brother too is hoping to leave the country and work as a nurse.

My aunts were among the first batches of nurses out of the Philippines that migrated to the US. Hence, I have 3 siblings who are nurses (one eventually became a nun so no overseas work for her). Nurse cousins? Oh, I have lost count.

For most Filipinos, it means a better life for themselves (the OFW’s) and primarily, the loved ones they have here at home. Is it not all about the money? I would like to think not. But it is a means to an end.

Now that brings us to the website that I developed. IAM Personal Finance. Proudly made in the Philippines. It’s a free to use personal finance website that helps you keep track of your expenses as well as income.

One of my visions for this website and for OFW's in particular is for them and their beneficiaries at home to have a common account and manage their finances together. Money after all is hard to come by and that’s mainly the reason why OFW’s are leaving the country and their families. So it’s only natural that we should be frugal in our finances and know where every penny is going. The more we save, the sooner we can go back home and maybe just start a business or live on the savings.

It has also features for monitoring income. So if you already have a business at home, you can use this website to monitor how well your business is doing and if indeed it is making money. This is not a business application but it has adequate tools to give you a general view of your business in terms of income and expense.

My personal favorite is the checkbook management feature.

There are many products like this out there. But most are tied to actual bank accounts (mostly US banks). This one you can use to even monitor the money in your wallet. Or the piggy bank (or the kawayan bank). Because it's not tied to actual bank accounts, it's safe and not a target for hackers.

More features are being added and you get to participate in it. Just post your suggestions on the forums.

Take a look and register today. It's FREE. Mabuhay and God bless you all.