Sending Money To Philippines

[RO_AH 1,615]

11 hours ago, dnavinnie said:

The last time I used WU I was charged $14 transfer fee for $1000. What is your rate?

If you read my original post, I pay zero fee to transfer. I just sent 2 days ago. The money was in my wife's account in 90 min. Zero fee. I send $1,000 or more every month.

[Allovertheworld 355]

5 hours ago, RO_AH said:

If you read my original post, I pay zero fee to transfer. I just sent 2 days ago. The money was in my wife's account in 90 min. Zero fee. I send $1,000 or more every month.

Dang, I thought the Philippines was suppose to be cheap place to live

[dnavinnie 132]

10 hours ago, RO_AH said:

If you read my original post, I pay zero fee to transfer. I just sent 2 days ago. The money was in my wife's account in 90 min. Zero fee. I send $1,000 or more every month.

I will have to check that out. Thanks.

[RO_AH 1,615]

19 hours ago, Allovertheworld said:

Dang, I thought the Philippines was suppose to be cheap place to live

Supporting my wife and 2 babies, putting her sister through college, supporting her parents. I feel that is pretty cheap.

[Allovertheworld 355]

33 minutes ago, RO_AH said:

Supporting my wife and 2 babies, putting her sister through college, supporting her parents. I feel that is pretty cheap.

Why do you support the parents?

 

Did they not work in their youth and have a pension or save any money for retirement?

 

 

[RO_AH 1,615]

3 minutes ago, Allovertheworld said:

Why do you support the parents?

Did they not work in their youth and have a pension or save any money for retirement?

This is why I really didn't even want to respond to your last comment and I really don't owe you an explanation now, as you seem pretty judgemental, and have already made up your mind without knowing anything. My father in law is in bad health. He is only alive because I was able to provide the medical assistance he needed to treat him. He can barely walk and his medications cost close to 5k pesos a month. My mother in law is an angel. She is the first to wake up in the household. She opens the little sari sari store that they have and spends the rest of her day working in the store, taking care of her husband, cooking, washing clothes, and helping my wife with our kids. There is rarely a time when you will ever see her just sitting and relaxing. Did they work and prepare for their future? Yes, they had a farm in the province when my wife was young. When the youngest son was born he had heart problems which required surgery in Manila to save his life. My father in law was healthy at that time. He sold everything that they had, including their farm, to get the help that my brother in law needed. They then moved to a squatters area and tried to rebuild. He did some farming and raised animals before he became ill and was not able to do it anymore.

 

So to your first question, why do I support them? Because I want to. I am blessed to have their daughter as my wife and since I met her almost 10 years ago. she has never asked me for even 1 peso. Everything that I have done for her or her family is because I am able to and I want to. Could they get by if I sent less? Yes, but why would I want my wife and children to live like peasants when I can afford to give them a good life?

[Adventine 3,187]

@RO_AH started this thread as a helpful resource for those who, for whatever reason, need or want to send money to the Philippines. He didn't start it to be second-guessed about his personal life choices or his decisions about his family. That's really no one's business but his and his family's.

[Allovertheworld 355]

2 hours ago, RO_AH said:

This is why I really didn't even want to respond to your last comment and I really don't owe you an explanation now, as you seem pretty judgemental, and have already made up your mind without knowing anything. My father in law is in bad health. He is only alive because I was able to provide the medical assistance he needed to treat him. He can barely walk and his medications cost close to 5k pesos a month. My mother in law is an angel. She is the first to wake up in the household. She opens the little sari sari store that they have and spends the rest of her day working in the store, taking care of her husband, cooking, washing clothes, and helping my wife with our kids. There is rarely a time when you will ever see her just sitting and relaxing. Did they work and prepare for their future? Yes, they had a farm in the province when my wife was young. When the youngest son was born he had heart problems which required surgery in Manila to save his life. My father in law was healthy at that time. He sold everything that they had, including their farm, to get the help that my brother in law needed. They then moved to a squatters area and tried to rebuild. He did some farming and raised animals before he became ill and was not able to do it anymore.

 

So to your first question, why do I support them? Because I want to. I am blessed to have their daughter as my wife and since I met her almost 10 years ago. she has never asked me for even 1 peso. Everything that I have done for her or her family is because I am able to and I want to. Could they get by if I sent less? Yes, but why would I want my wife and children to live like peasants when I can afford to give them a good life?

Thanks for answering. Sorry if I come off judgemental.  You never have to answer I just like to widen my scope  and knowlegdge  about why some give and some don't give money.

 

Interesting story, and thanks for sharing........... And you are correct you don't owe me and explanation, I was just wondering about you amount of remttance back to Philippine, now it make perfect sense.  

[seekingthetruth 1,218]

3 hours ago, RO_AH said:

So to your first question, why do I support them?

One of the things I like best about Filipino and some other Asian cultures, is that they take care of their elderly.  Even people without means will always make sure mom and pop are taken care of as they get older.  In many cultures, that respect for the elderly has been lost.

 

I wish we had a grandma and grandpa for my kids.  Not from what I have experienced, but from what I have observed, the grandparent / grandchild relationship is something very special.  My mom was 40 and dad 47 when I was born, and both sets of grand parents had passed away by then.  Now I became an older dad, long after my parents passed away.  My wife is younger, but her parents passed at a relatively young age.  So our 3 daughters do not have any grandmas or grandpas.  Consider yourself blessed that your family still has them in your lives and that you are able to contribute to their well being.

[Unlockable 7,306]

3 hours ago, Adventine said:

@RO_AH started this thread as a helpful resource for those who, for whatever reason, need or want to send money to the Philippines. He didn't start it to be second-guessed about his personal life choices or his decisions about his family. That's really no one's business but his and his family's.

Well said!

[Unlockable 7,306]

19 minutes ago, seekingthetruth said:

One of the things I like best about Filipino and some other Asian cultures, is that they take care of their elderly.  Even people without means will always make sure mom and pop are taken care of as they get older.  In many cultures, that respect for the elderly has been lost.

 

I understand what you are getting at with the above statement but I feel I need to make a clarification as to not give off the wrong message. I have heard many times (on this site and other places) that Americans/ Westerners do not take care of their elderly. That is not true. It is just that our elderly has more resources to help be taken care of than other cultures. For example, we start paying into Social Security from the time you start working which could be your teenage years. There is also pensions, retirement portfolios, and investment opportunities that a lot can take advantage of. And it is not simply for those in the professional field. Even McDonald's and Walmart has 401K plans. And if you take other countries, like Canada, that have Social healthcare, the elderly's medical needs are taken care of with no worries of financial burden.

 

So it is not that some cultures don't respect or take care of the elderly, it is that in some countries there is no urgent need to. I have mentioned a few times on this site of my mom being an example of a parent that does not need help from me nor my siblings. She is past retirement age but is still working. She has been working for the same company for 30+ years. She is looking to stop working soon and she was calculated her Social Security, pension, and 401k. She is looking at something like $7k - $8k per month after she fully retires and collects everything. Her social security alone will be about $3k per month. And she isn't in a high level position. She sold her 1st house to pay off her second so she will be mortgage free when she retires.

 

I am fully aware of the differences from country to country and culture to culture. I know some countries don't have the same social structure as developed countries. Another example, my wife's mom get's something to the equivalent to $40 a month from her country's government which isn't much at all. So my wife sends her money to help. There is even unemployment to fall back on where a lot of other countries don't even offer that.

 

Like I said earlier, I understand the point you were making but it may come of as offensive to others. My brother has asked my mom to move in with him and his family many times but she doesn't want to. She is an avid cruise and likes to travel on a whim. But if there ever is a time where my mother needs our help or attention, all of us would drop what we are doing and be there for her.

[B_J 2,752]

5 hours ago, RO_AH said:

why would I want my wife and children to live like peasants when I can afford to give them a good life?

This!  One hundred times this.  

 

If you have the means, it is so easy to make a huge difference in the lives of others.  

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

5 hours ago, Allovertheworld said:

Why do you support the parents?

 

Did they not work in their youth and have a pension or save any money for retirement?

I support my MIL because she is elderly and has dementia. So my SIL takes care of her and we send maybe $250 a month at most because my SIL's husband is working in Dubai and sends money home as well, not to mention a niece that is going to college right now. We had to send more home every month a lot last year because he was out of work so we had to support the family. This isn't an issue for us at all because we see where the money is going. 

Also last month it was my BIL's 50th birthday so we sent money home for a lechon for him. He is certainly stable and makes decent money as well but we do what we can and my wife was happy. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Cyberfx1024

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

6 minutes ago, B_J said:

This!  One hundred times this.  

 

If you have the means, it is so easy to make a huge difference in the lives of others.  

Not to mention a little bit goes a long way in the Philippines especially out in the province. 

[seekingthetruth 1,218]

24 minutes ago, Unlockable said:

Like I said earlier, I understand the point you were making but it may come of as offensive to others. My brother has asked my mom to move in with him and his family many times but she doesn't want to. She is an avid cruise and likes to travel on a whim. But if there ever is a time where my mother needs our help or attentionall of us would drop what we are doing and be there for her.

I agree with what you said, but I still think Asian cultures have more respect for the elderly, in general.  Your family is a great example of the right way to do it, but many do not do it that way, and/or, the final place to live is an old folks home.  Your family appears to be well off financially, but many families are not.  This article says 64% of Americans are going to retire broke.  I don't really agree that it is that high.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/survey-finds-42-americans-retire-100701878.html#:~:text=Sixty-four percent of Americans,42% reported back in January.

I will throw out there that the high rate of divorce in the U.S., resulting in broken families, also is a contributor.

Edited January 27, 2021 by seekingthetruth