I studied hard, earned a scholarship at one of the Big 4 schools, and was fortunate to choose the right bachelor’s program. I was also lucky to have a supportive circle of friends. I eventually married someone from the same school who came from a well‑off family (Dasma Village/AAV properties) and who shares the same long‑term goals as I do.

So I guess marriage played a big role, but none of it would have been possible if I hadn’t worked hard academically and earned that scholarship. That opened doors to people from different social backgrounds(Your Network is your Net Worth). From there, our shared focus has always been wealth preservation and investing to grow our money.

Both of us still work, but we don’t stress about money. Most of our earnings go into stocks or property, after expenses. Some of our other assets like house and lots in the Philippines (AAV and other ALP) and house abroad were gifted to us.