How Much Money Do You Need To Start Investing in Philippine Stocks?
In this blog post, we will talk about how much money you need to start as a stock market investor in the Philippines. We will also talk about various stock investing tips and strategies.
Many Filipinos are interested to invest in stocks but taken aback by one important, valid concern:
How much capital is needed?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, this is a valid concern because you will be spending your hard-earned money to invest in the Philippine Stock Exchange. And if you’ve never done that before, it could be both an exciting and nerve-wracking proposition.
So let’s go right into it:
Here’s How Much Capital I Had When I Started
I started investing in the year 2013.
I was sitting on my desk in my deadbeat IT job during breaktime (official title was “Search Engine Optimisation specialist). My colleagues were watching the NBA Finals game between Lebron James-led Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs (during coffee break).
I was the only killjoy that time because I was still sitting behind my desk. The reason is that I’m researching for ways to get started as a stock market investor!
When lunch time came, I told HR I won’t be coming back to the office in the afternoon. I will take a half day.
The reason? I was on my way to Ortigas Tektite Tower! Because that’s where the Philippines #1 stock broker company is holding their offices. The name is COL Financial, Inc. I was about to start an account with them.
When I reached their office, I was told to fill up some forms and show required identification. It’s just signing up for a bank account.
How Much Money Was Required To Start My COL Financial Account?
During that time, I was told that I all I need as an “initial fund” to my stock account is Php 5,000. This money is NOT a payment to COL Financial. But rather it is money that I can use for my initial purchases of stocks.
However, I told myself, why just go for the minimum amount? Why not go crazy and put some “real cash” into my account. So I excused myself and went to a nearby ATM and withdrew what was left of my salary and made an initial deposit of Php 25,000 to my COL Financial account.
And even though my NBA team that time LOST (San Antonio Spurs), I felt like a winner! Because as I exited the doors of the COL office, I am now a LEGIT investor. Yipee!!!
So that’s the amount I started with. Php 25,000. Over the next 6 months, I would grow that to six figures, lose it, then win it all back again 3 years later.
And the rest is history, as they say.
My investing journey has been a roller coaster ride, but now I can honestly say that it has paid off dividends (no pun intended) and that I have profited from the entire thing.
I also made a lot of mistakes and stupid decisions. To avoid the same mistakes I made, check this out.