Another break from my Hong Kong Trip posts because this one deserves a space here in my blog. The Philippine government has just announced another Retail Treasury Bond offer to the public. Again, before I give my own opinion about this kind of investment, I'll post the definition from our own Bureau of Treasury's website:
What is Retail Treasury Bond (RTB)?
RTBs is recommended for the people who want to invest their money but have low risk appetite. If you are not into stocks or mutual funds, I highly suggest RTB instead of time deposit in banks.
Thanks to the government's improving website they have embedded a working calculator of how much your money can earn if you invest it in RTB. I have tried the calculator on their site and played on some numbers. Please try it because it gives the interest figures net of taxes (after taxes). I tried to enter an amount of 500k and here's the result:
Comparing the interest of time deposit vs RTB, a huge difference can be seen. Of course, you don't need 500k to be able to invest in RTB. You can invest as low as Php 5,000 in RTB so don't get discouraged if you're thinking that only the rich can start investing. By the way, this net annual return is fixed and the government will give it to the investor quarterly.
I would like to emphasize that RTB public offering is available only for a limited time so if you want to invest, please read about it first, and if you are convinced, act on immediately.
If you're just starting to invest, no need to worry because its easy to begin:
If you want to know more about Retail Treasury Bonds, please visit this site:
http://www.treasury.gov.ph/?page_id=11221
You can also try to reach BTr for more information through their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TreasuryPh/
You can also ask your bank of choice if you need to know more or if you need to clarify something.
Lastly, please, please read more about it before you invest your hard-earned money. Yes, it may be risk-free (almost) because it is government owned but you don't want to put your money just anywhere you have no idea of, so read more and ask if you have questions.
Happy investing! Stay positive and pass it on!
UPDATE: As of April 5, 2017, the reservations are already closed as per BPI and Metrobank.