Who we are

Our story began with an email, willing and open hearts, and caring experts who generously want to share their skills in wealth management.

While working for INQUIRER.net, the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s online edition, journalist Ma. Salve Duplito cooked up a social experiment in 2008. She asked readers who wanted to be coached by a financial planner to volunteer for the experiment, on condition that they would be willing to share their story with the world. By following their progress for one year through the INQUIRER.net network’s MoneySmarts blog, the experiment would illustrate that it is possible to break from debt or payday-to-payday existence. "Filipinos don’t need another academic article or another Sermon on the Mount on personal finance. It’s time we see how it can really be done," she thought. A panel of editors chose a single male and a couple -- "financial babies" with not a checking account to their name.

A huge part of the experiment was getting two financial planners who had the experience, expertise, and the generosity. They would have to share their time and knowledge for free. One of those chosen was Augustus J.V. Ferreria, then senior executive vice-president of Generali Pilipinas. Joe wasted no time in expertly unraveling what had previously been personal financial puzzles for the couple—for example, why Bianca is wracked with guilt when she spends even when she can afford the item or why Diego could not save anything that he puts in his wallet. An expert on heuristics, Joe showed that the road to real wealth could be bumpy but with discipline and the right guidance, dreams are possible to achieve. He proved that financial planning is not about the money. All sacrifices—pride, time, and giving up that gotta-have-it mentality—will result to not just higher net income but happier relationships and a more secure future.

The money makeover experiment ended very successfully in 2009 (read article in PDI), but the friendship within the group flourished. Bianca and Nannette Ferreria, Joe’s wife, became fast friends and started dreaming of a financial planning company that would replicate the couple’s learnings to create a million Filipino millionaires. Everything started falling into place like a series of serendipitous moments especially with the unique skills brought on by each of the three couples: Joe and Nannette as the backbone of the firm’s financial planning practice, Diego the artist who took care of the company’s design needs, Bianca the lawyer who ensures seamless solutions to estate planning cases, Salve the journalist who handles the firm’s publishing arm, and Dan the information security expert and programmer who makes sure that in this day and age of identity theft and other related crimes, MoneyDoctors’ clients’ information are secure.

MoneyDoctors is a firm born out of big hearts and big dreams--a vision of Filipinos that are financially secure, wherever they are in the world.