How can you prepare for your children’s future?

MANILA, Philippines – The life of a parent is tough.

There are times when we can’t help but feel like our efforts to give our children the best life
possible are taken for granted.

It can feel like a thankless job, and we wonder if we may be raising our children the wrong way.

Sun Life’s second film of Sun Shorts 2, entitled “She Said, She Said,” shows the dual
perspectives of a mother-daughter relationship.

The mom, who’s raising the child on her own, wonders if she’s doing parenting right – especially as they grow apart through the years.

However, the daughter’s inner monologue reveals how she always appreciates the hard work her mom puts in for their needs, despite barely spending time with each other anymore.

Together with some friends, Judy Ann Santos filmed a video in reaction to the short film.
“Naiintindihan pala nila, pero meron pa silang gustong iparating sa atin,” Juday says. (Turns out they understand us, but there’s more they want to say.)

Being a parent goes beyond taking care of our children while they’re still young. Even when
they’ve grown up into adults themselves, we’ll always be their parents.

And that’s why aside from taking care of our children’s present needs, we also need to consider their future. “Our priorities change when we have dependents. We have to set aside something now for their future,” says Camille, a Sun Life advisor.

Juday worries whether the fickle career of an actress would be enough to support her
daughter’s future. “Kailangan ko ‘tong paghandaan. Kasi gusto ko maayos yung kinabukasan ng anak ko.” (I need to prepare for this, because I want my child to have a good future.)

For some parents, it’s important to give kids the opportunity to decide what they want for
themselves, to pursue what they’re passionate about. Che, a mother of one, used to harbor
dreams of being a dancer, but that was shot down by her father.

“‘Di ba lagi nating sinasabi na gusto ko ibigay sa anak ko yung mga di ko nakuha? For me, hindi ito yung mga material.” (We always say we want to give our kids what we weren’t able to have. For me, it’s not just about the material things.)

Together with her husband Chrome, Che is saving up for a “be who you want to be” fund for her child.

Camille says that partnering with an institution such as Sun Life would make things easier in terms of preparations for the future.

Parents can avail of a life insurance product with an investment component. One example is pairing any Sun Life’s Peso Variable Life Insurance product with MyFuture Fund.

A Variable Life Insurance product provides a benefit amount to the beneficiaries upon insured’s death. When paired with an investment fund option like MyFuture Fund, it can help the insured secure a bright future over time.

MyFuture Fund comes in different maturity dates: 2025, 2030, 2035, or 2040. It’s a target date fund that maximizes earning potential in earlier years through allocation in equities, then transitions to wealth preservation by shifting the fund’s portfolio towards more fixed income assets.

This ensures the fund’s exposure to risk is minimized as the maturity date nears so that gains made in the earlier years are preserved.

Parents just need to map out their financial goal and decide when they need the matured fund.

In the case of Che and Chrome’s four-year-old daughter, there would be an annual premium of P40,500 for 10 years. This will help them grow their money in the achievement of their life goals. In addition, Che and Chrome can also get supplementary benefits available to the plan that would waive premiums in the unlikely event of death and disability.

Parents can choose to pay annually, semi annually, or quarterly and need not worry about not having enough money to pay by the due date.

Juday says, “‘Yung kinuha naming plan… kumportable pa. ‘Di ka mangangarag na dapat makaraise ako ng ganito kalaking pera. It’s very flexible.” (We’re very comfortable with the plan we got. You won’t stress about raising a certain amount of money.)

Preparing for their future
As parents, we worry about how our children will turn out in the future. How strict should you be? You want to be their friend too, but will that make them respect you less?

We have a lot of questions about parenting. But there will never be a cookie-cutter way to raise kids.

We have to let them discover the world on their own. The best we could do is to guide them
when they need us, and to give them the financial opportunity to make decisions for themselves. – Rappler.com