From a developing country like the Philippines, the allure of working in the United States is irresistible. Earning the almighty dollar seemed to answer everything we desired: a decent home, shiny cars, and a better future for the family. So, when I read the job offer that took me to the United States for the first time, I couldn’t believe it. I will be doing the same thing, but I will be earning 30X more. How could anyone say “No” to that?
In today’s podcast review, we follow the journey of a friend who took a leap of faith and dreamt of making it in one of the most expensive cities in the world, New York City. The struggle to find her place in a new world and the valuable lessons she continues to learn along the way.
Photo by Ahmer Qureshi on Pexels.com
Rachel May is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Lymphedema Therapist, Yoga Instructor, and Personal Trainer. In addition, she is a runway and print model, event planner, and host. Seeming like she has more than 24 hours a day; we asked how she can fit a busy PT Career and Side Gigs in a week. She says you have to make time for the things that you love to do. You get stressed and burned out when you only work (for the money), but her passion is the fire in her heart to keeps her going.
Making it in NYC
Rachel had not figured it out in her first few months in the US. She always went out with friends. Unfortunately, she got into the habit of spending a few dollars or so each night out. She was stunned by the amount of credit card bills she racked up. Instead of dwelling on the problem, she adopted a solution-centered mindset and promised to be more financially responsible.
Rachel aimed to be intentional with her life. She wrote down financial goals for the year, checked them off the list when achieved, revised them, and reallocated resources to fund a new plan. She used the conversion rate between the US and the Philippines ($1 = 55 Pesos) to curb her appetite for spending. She reflects on how much her dollar could buy for her family in the Philippines before spending it. The opportunity cost alone is enough to make her think twice.
Rachel still goes out with friends occasionally but found creative ways to do so for a fraction of the cost. For example, the iconic NY Central Park offers lots of activities that anyone can access for free. Some museums are also free to the public on specific days of the week. In addition, you could see the Statue of Liberty or the Manhattan Skyline through ferries and cable cars accessible by the Metro Card, save money on dining out by eating at home before going out, and take snacks with you.
Side Gigs
Rachel learned that money came from hard work in the 2nd Grade. Her grandma said she wouldn’t give her money but would cook peanuts that Rachel could take to school and sell to her classmates for a profit. When they were bored of snacking on peanuts, she bought a pack of stationery sets that she sold piece by piece. Little Rachel’s venture into entrepreneurship created a mindset of scaling the strategy to bigger things, thus opening her to a world of possibilities.
Like when she found herself neck deep in bills upon arriving in New York City. Instead of complaining to the owners about her living situation, she made a deal with them to clean the property in exchange for lower rent payments. As soon as she had saved enough to move on, she rented a 3-bedroom apartment, furnished it with the basics, and rented the rooms. She was employing both solution-centered and entrepreneurial mindsets to eliminate her housing expenses.
Modeling is a side gig that Rachel is passionate about. It could be part of your wealth-building arsenal if you do the work. Earnings will depend on the brands you work for, their modes of payment, and the time you put into them. Some brands would pay through either products, money, or both. In the beginning, most jobs will be geared towards exposure from the big brands. Lining up for auditions usually takes hours, especially the big fashion shows. It may take a dozen of auditions before you land the job.
She tells us that the more confident and genuine you are with your size, shape, and color, the more you’ll get the job. Start with an updated portfolio from various angles to find suitable projects. This could be through an agency or recommendations from people you know in the industry.
Photo by George Shervashidze on Pexels.com
Another side gig came on Rachel’s radar when she helped a friend in New York City. Having experience in event planning and hosting in her teenage years in the Philippines, she gave her all in organizing an event for her friend that turned out well, earning recommendations from friends of friends through the grapevine.
Rachel’s two cents on achieving Financial Independence are knowing your passion and putting in the time and effort to improve. Then, once you have enough, spend it on things that will generate true happiness for you and those who matter to you.
Real OFW Struggles
Through the hardships of moving to a costly city, Rachel still considers herself lucky to be surrounded by people with the mindset of helping others achieve FI, like our mutual friend Angela from Season 1 (Designing a Financial Independence Life and Marriage), who gave her spreadsheets that helped track her expenses. In addition, Rachel is fortunate to have a husband who knows finance as a trained financial advisor. While she is focused on finding different income streams, her husband, Danny, allocates their savings to various investment vehicles.
The couple owns a rental duplex and rents rooms in their own space. Lessons learned when she started continuously helped them save and invest for the future. The couple’s goal is to retire either in the Philippines or Ecuador. They want to be with their families, take advantage of the low cost of living, and enjoy the beautiful weather each has to offer.
In our conversation, we realized that Rachel’s resiliency was the light at the end of a dark tunnel. When all that people saw was her living a good life, a successful practice and modeling career, and all smiles on all her social feeds, she was going through one of the lowest points in her life. She was lonely because her career and relationships were nowhere near where she wanted them.
Rachel wanted to end her life. In a moment of despair, as she stood in front of the subway tracks, her phone, with barely enough juice, rang. A friend from a while back checked on her, asking if she wanted to go out. She then realized that she was never alone because God never left her side.
From then on, Rachel takes comfort and strength from the Bible verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. A reminder that amidst all the challenges in life, God would not place her in a situation that she cannot face.
Like most people who dream of making it, we often encounter roadblocks and challenges. Life does not come out as we pictured it, so we hustle more to polish the edges. We forget that we did not fly halfway across the globe to work ourselves to death but to live a better life and spend every second doing things we value with the people we love. The struggles are real, but they test our character and resilience. We can only accept it, learn from it and be stronger because of it.
Connect with Rachel @rachel_mae_pt on Instagram.
About Us
We are a Pinoy Physical Therapist duo living somewhat unconventional but intentional lives. In this podcast, we want to learn how Filipinos worldwide in different industries and walks of life earn, spend, save, and invest money to achieve Financial Independence.
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DISCLAIMER
We are NOT certified financial advisors, analysts, or CPAs. Investing strategies shared in this article and the website are not financial advice but our opinions for educational purposes only. We want you to treat our content as a preview to do your research so you can make smart financial decisions.
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