Double-your-money investment schemes — are they for real?

Several rural banks in the Philippines are offering time deposits that pay as much as 20% interest per annum, effectively doubling your money after five years. Because these are time deposits, they are supposedly covered by the PDIC up to P250,000.

So does that make it a high-yield but virtually risk-free investment?

Let us know by posting your thoughts in the Rural banks offering 20% per annum thread in the PMT Forum.

Here's what a few PMT members have to say about double-your-money time deposit investment offers:

AMARANTH says:

20% is really a good rate of return as long as the bank doesn't close and people are smart enough to invest only 250k per person as max PDIC insurance.

Bitster says:

I initially placed a Deposit of just Php100K, wanting to prove to myself that it did indeed pay 20/12% interest Month on Month.  I am happy to report this has been happening for over 2 years now.

I increased my 'investment' in such Time Deposits, with another Php150K 5 Year Time Deposit.

I was now at the limit of the PDIC Insurance.  Rural Banks DO get closed, so sticking to this limit so ones Deposits are fully covered by this 'insurance' is strongly advised.

Wynn says:

Please don't get me wrong here why i opted not to put my money in rural banks in pinas and choose to put it in a more known stable banks like PNB, Metro Bank and BPI although they offer that very low interest.  

First i'm not a resident there, that means also i seldom go back there and i don't have family, close relatives or children maybe to spread my deposits into 250k each to get covered by this pdic insurance which i believe give the most assurance to this type of investment and like what most of you here are doing.  

Anyway if you personally think this is viable option of investment do it but for me this is just not an option.  Convenience and long term safety and preservation of my capital is the only option for me.  Convenience on the sense that the bigger philippine banks have branches and offices internationally.  Safety i think i don't need to explain this further.

mykl says:

how sure are we that PDIC will pay up just in case something happens? do you have any documentation/certification from a PDIC officer that pertains specifically to these kinds of special accounts?

i agree that PDIC is the deciding factor for this product. this is the reason why i am requesting legacy agents here to produce or post a certification from PDIC. it's hard to rely on what is posted in their website and come up with our own interpretations. what if some 'fine print' that we are not aware of disqualifies products such as this from PDIC coverage? what do we do now?

tacamonchi says:

Now you have rural and thrifts banks that actually charge lending rates as high as 48% pa and simultaneously have access to cheap sources of funds as low as 8%, and we still find it difficult to believe that they can double our money in five years.

I do wholeheartedly agree that PDIC is first and foremost a safety net….and should not be counted as the first way out.  But it is still a reliable and strong net available to bank depositors which is not available to investors in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, uitfs, forex trading and all other investment vehicles.

Share your own opinion on these double-your-money investments in the following threads:

About the Author

PSEi support seen at 6,200 and 6,000 amid weaker Peso

In a not-so-surprising move, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) yesterday raised interest rates by 75 basis points (bps) or 0.75% in a bid to tame rising inflation in the United States. This was the third consecutive 0.75% rate hike by the Fed, which brings the federal funds rate, the central bank’s benchmark interest rate, to ... Read more

Official SWIFT Code of BDO, BPI, Metrobank, Philippine banks

When sending cash remittances or wire transfer to a bank account in the Philippines (such as BDO, BPI, Metrobank, Landbank, DBP, etc.), you’ll surely need the SWIFT Code of the bank. Look no further because you can find all the SWIFT Codes you need in this list! Make sure you’re using the right bank code ... Read more
blank

How to Waive your Credit Card Annual Fee (BDO, BPI, Metrobank, RCBC, Citibank, UnionBank)

Without a doubt, one of the most annoying fees that credit cardholders have to pay is the annual fee. Majority of cardholders are familiar with this fee and majority of us likely pay this grudgingly year after year after year. In the case of my credit card with BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands), I’m ... Read more
blank

Why Filipinos do not become business owners or entrepreneurs

For a majority of Filipinos, entrepreneurship does not seem to be a typical, expected path. This is not surprising, considering that in school, students are primarily taught to become employees after graduation. Students train for years to become staff workers, reporting to a supervisor, and just waiting to receive their wages or salaries every month. ... Read more
blank

My experience investing in Mutual Funds in the Philippines

I started investing in mutual funds when I was 22 years old. As an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) then, I was fortunate to be able to save some money at that young age because of my work abroad. One time while I was on vacation in the Philippines, I saw a large billboard in EDSA ... Read more
blank

Income Tax Tables in the Philippines (2022)

The Philippines’ new tax reform bill, known as TRAIN or Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, was signed into law on December 19, 2017 and its implementation began on January 1, 2018. What are the new income tax rates under the TRAIN law? How will TRAIN affect income taxes of individuals and corporations? How is the ... Read more
blank

PSE Stocks Performance under each Philippine President (1987-2021)

Did you know that Philippine stocks were able to achieve an astounding growth of 800% in a span of 30 years? From 1987 until 2018, the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose from 1,000 points to a peak of 9,000 points — generating a return of 800% over 30 years. (The PSEi is an index ... Read more
blank

SSL 2022: Salary Increases for Teachers, Nurses, Gov’t Employees

Good news to all government employees! There’s a new round of salary increases beginning January 1, 2022! Millions of employees of the Philippine government — including public school teachers, nurses and staff of government hospitals, and workers in local and national government agencies, etc. — will be getting an automatic salary adjustment this 2022 under ... Read more
blank

PSE Trading Hours in 2022: What time open, when closed?

Before you take the plunge into stock trading and investing, make sure you understand what stocks are and how the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) operates. Unlike other investments that are relatively safe, stock trading is risky and loss of money is a possibility. So before you deep dive into the exciting world of stock trading, ... Read more

Price Floor and Price Ceiling of PSE Stocks

Trading bands in the PSE come in two forms: Price Ceiling, or the upper price limit, and Price Floor, or the lower price limit.

6 thoughts on “Double-your-money investment schemes — are they for real?”

  1. The company or banks that are referred here are all active & not only active but are doing very well in it’s microfinancing (lending rate at 3% per month) program. Only yesterday I saw the President of Bank of East Asia (BEA) and the President of Philippine Countryside Rural Bank (PCRB)together with a representative of BSP who is currently doing its periodic audit on these banks. So far, so good.

    Reply
  2. If you have a 100 thousand and you want to DOUBLE IT IN 6 YEARS. Well all you have to do is to look for the more than 50 branches of BANCO FILIPINO in your place and open a 6 year time deposit. Unlike the obscure rural banks which who knows might not be there at the end of your 5 year time deposit, BANCO FILIPINO will be there in your entire lifetime and the lives of your children.BANCO FILIPINO is the only BIG BANK offering this DOUBLE YOUR MONEY so you get the benefits of the stability of BIG LEAGUE BANK and the RATES OF A RURAL BANK. Best of both worlds. I assure you im not connected with this bank but is merely researching where to place some of my money after I have already exceeded the PDIC coverage for myself, my wife and ITF account for my 4 kids. In other words I already have more than 1.5 million in BANCO PARANAQUE and am looking for banks that will be a safe heaven for my money less the risk that I have to experience nightly with my favorite rural bank.

    Reply

Leave a Comment