Elisa Belderol

I attribute my success to the financial education I received. I did it as a client first, and it really did something for me. I thought I knew it all because I have a master's degree and I know math, but I was still struggling financially and didn't know what was happening. So I took it on my own to attend the workshops, and I included my family and my husband - everybody went to the workshops. That's when my eyes were opened. I was like, wow, this is something that people need to know about. And that's when I became a member of the organization, the World System Builder. I filed bankruptcy in 2018 because I didn't know anything. My financial situation was the worst - I thought I couldn't get out of it. I was just going to be in debt all my life, in negative cash flow all the time, skipping payments with a lot of credit card debts. I was working passively but so tired and stressed because I couldn't see the future. But because of the education, I understood everything. I paid off my credit card debts of $40,000 in one year, paid off my car loans, and went from $400,000-$500,000 in debt to just $100,000. My life insurance went from $100,000 to 4.8 million in proper protection. I was able to retire at my target age because I was earning more money part-time in this business than my full-time job. The education taught me where to put my money and how to plan properly. I have a saying: mission first before commission. It's all about helping, and then the money will follow.

My advice for women is not be limited. If you know, don't be dependent on your partners. If you want to do something, just do it. And you know, if it's going to do great for families, then just do it. But if your goal is really not for the betterment of the community, then it's not a good goal. It needs to contribute to the betterment of the community and the society, because if you do that, then everything follows. Like I have a saying that says, mission first before commission. You help, and then money will follow. That's what we've been doing, me and my husband - we're not even crazy marketing or whatever. We're just sharing the campaign, sharing the education, and then that's how we're getting leads and the money's coming in. I'm not even buying leads. I just help. If you want help, I'm here.

The biggest challenge is that financial literacy is what they call the most ignored thing. People don't want to sit down and learn because they think they know it all. But once you sit down and really learn all these things, it makes such a difference. People are in denial - they think they're set, but they're not. Like, no one is set until you look at your financial foundation and see if everything is at the right place, because there's always a formula. People follow their friends and think they know what they're doing, but deep down inside, they're suffering. I wish these people would just listen to me and attend my workshops, but it's their decision. You cannot force them. You gotta want it, but then you need to attend the workshop so you understand. I cannot just say get this and then you don't understand. There's a sensitivity around talking about money - people don't like to talk about it. But you need to know this, because if you don't, you're going to be screwed in the future. You're going to be this sad person with no money, cannot even go to the nursing home because it's expensive. You're just going to be sorry in the future, and your kids will just be resenting you.

The most important value to me is helping others and contributing to the betterment of the community and society. I believe you have to focus on Jesus and keep your faith strong. Mission comes first before commission - it's all about helping people, and then the money will follow. I believe if you have money, it's so great because you can help a lot of families. You gotta love money, but don't worship it, because you only have one God. Use it as an instrument. If you hate money, it's not going to come to you. You attract it, and then you use that to help other people. My goal needs to contribute to the betterment of the community and society. I felt the calling to teach kids - I love teaching kids. Even though teaching is the most underpaid profession, I did it because I felt the calling and I love it. I'm also deeply involved in my church as a choir director and finance council member, and I'm a leader in the Filipino American Catholic community.