Career turning points do not always begin with a carefully prepared plan. Sometimes, they start with an unexpected question, a chance conversation, or an opportunity that seems unrelated to the work a person is already doing.
For Edric Mendoza, the path to becoming a Registered Financial Planner began not in a bank, an investment firm, or a finance classroom, but inside a television studio where he had been invited to talk about homeschooling.
What started as an interview about education soon opened the door to a pioneering personal finance program. The opportunity would eventually transform Mendoza from someone whose role was simply to ask financial experts the right questions into a certified professional who could apply their lessons to his own family, communicate with them at a deeper level, and teach financial planning to audiences around the world.
“In the course of my education entrepreneurship journey, I was interviewed at ANC. The specific feature was on homeschooling. In that interview, one of the producers approached me and asked if I ever considered hosting my own TV show,” Mendoza recalls.
The idea was not entirely new to him. He had considered television work before, but his different education ventures already demanded much of his time.
“Of course, I was flattered! But my honest answer was I did years before, but in that season I was smashed with the different ventures I was pursuing,” he says.
The producer continued the conversation and introduced him to the concept of a pioneering personal finance program. The proposed show would help Filipino families understand how to manage their money, but Mendoza would not be expected to provide all the answers himself.
“Still, the producer carried on and made a pitch for a pioneering personal finance show that I could host part-time. It was designed to help Filipino families handle money better, and the clincher was I did not need to be the subject matter expert (SME), I simply needed to interview these SMEs.”
That distinction made the opportunity more realistic. Mendoza did not need to present himself as a financial expert. His role was to ask questions, guide conversations, and help specialists explain financial concepts in ways ordinary viewers could understand.
But he did not immediately accept the offer. He evaluated whether the program fit his responsibilities, purpose, and existing ventures.
“So I thought about this deeply, prayed for wisdom, consulted wise people I knew, including those in the TV industry already, and after a series of interviews and test runs with ANC, I got the job! I was the lead anchor of ANC’s ‘On The Money’ show.”
Hosting the program placed Mendoza in regular conversations with experts on budgeting, investing, insurance, retirement, estate planning, and other areas of personal finance. Although his original responsibility was to interview them, continued exposure to the subject eventually changed how he viewed his role.
He realized that asking stronger questions required more than television skills. He needed to understand the principles behind the advice being discussed.
A host who only followed prepared questions could complete an interview. A host with deeper subject knowledge, however, could challenge assumptions, ask meaningful follow-up questions, and help viewers understand how financial advice applied to their own lives.
Mendoza decided that he could not rely only on what he learned during each interview. He wanted a more structured understanding of personal financial planning.
“But because I was eager to learn more and engage the SMEs better, I wanted and needed to equip myself better in the area personal finance,” he says.
The Registered Financial Planner association was one of the program’s partners at the time. Mendoza approached RFP Philippines president Henry Ong to ask how he could obtain the professional certification.
“The RFP association was a key partner of the show at that time, and so I approached Henry Ong and asked about the process of getting certified, and voila! I completed the course, got certified, and was transformed.”
His decision reflects an important lesson about professional growth. Opportunities often arrive before people feel completely prepared for them. The choice is not always between accepting a role as an expert and rejecting it because of limited experience.
Sometimes, the better approach is to accept the opportunity with humility and then acquire the knowledge needed to perform the role responsibly.
Mendoza could have remained a television interviewer who depended entirely on the expertise of his guests. Instead, he used the role as a reason to deepen his own competence.
The RFP program did more than improve his performance on television. It first changed how he handled his own family’s finances.
“It was a great learning experience first, for me and the way I could manage my own personal and family finances better,” he says.
This personal application was important. Financial education becomes more meaningful when it changes actual decisions rather than remaining theoretical knowledge.
Understanding cash flow can change how a household allocates income. Learning about risk management can lead a family to review its insurance protection. Studying investments and retirement planning can encourage people to prepare earlier for long-term goals.
For Mendoza, the certification also improved the quality of his discussions with the experts who appeared on the show.
“Then it became a way to engage the SMEs on the show better,” he says.
Because he understood the subject more deeply, he could move beyond introductory questions. He could help connect technical explanations with the concerns of Filipino families, many of whom were trying to manage limited income while preparing for education, emergencies, retirement, and other financial needs.
His financial planning education eventually created opportunities beyond television.
“And finally, it became a way to help countless other Filipinos around the world as I got invited to speak to various groups, companies, and events on the topic of personal finance.”
What began as a part-time hosting opportunity developed into another extension of Mendoza’s work as an educator. His experience shows how expertise can grow through a sequence of related opportunities.
The ANC interview led to a conversation with a producer. That conversation led to On The Money. Hosting the program created the need for deeper knowledge. The need for knowledge led him to the RFP program. The certification then allowed him to educate audiences beyond the television show.
None of those steps appeared to be part of a fixed career plan when the journey began.
The story also shows that professional certification has greater value when it serves a clear purpose. Mendoza did not pursue the RFP designation only to add letters after his name. He wanted to manage his family’s finances better, conduct more meaningful interviews, and become more useful to the people who listened to him.
The certification strengthened work he was already doing and allowed him to serve a wider audience.
“This was a perfect weave to my portfolio of education and learning ventures because everyone, arguably, not just Filipinos, needs to learn how to handle their money better,” Mendoza says.
Personal finance may have appeared separate from his earlier work in homeschooling and education entrepreneurship. But the connection became clear: all three involved helping people acquire knowledge that could improve the decisions they made for themselves and their families.
Mendoza entered personal finance as an interviewer who was expected to ask experts the right questions. He emerged from the experience as a Registered Financial Planner who could apply the lessons personally, engage specialists more effectively, and teach those lessons to others.
His journey shows that an unexpected opportunity can become transformative when curiosity is followed by serious learning.
The role may open the door, but the willingness to become better equipped determines how far the opportunity can go.
