When Jesse James Cooley Llamado enrolled in the Registered Financial Planner (RFP) program over a decade ago, he was in a place few would associate with long-term goal setting: he was broke. No savings, a modest salary, and a lifestyle that left little room for financial planning. Yet, it was in this exact situation that he was asked to create a five-year financial plan—a task that would eventually redefine his entire approach to life and money.
“It wasn’t just about numbers,” Llamado told Financial Adviser PH. “It was about clarity, commitment, and learning to believe that something better was possible.”
The Challenge of Planning with Limited Resources
At the time, most of Llamado’s income went to rent, food, and daily living expenses. Creating a five-year financial plan felt ambitious, almost unrealistic. But the assignment forced him to stop and ask the questions that most people avoid: What do I really want my life to look like? What will it take to get there?
“I remember staring at a blank page,” he said. “I didn’t even know where to begin. How do you plan five years ahead when you’re just trying to survive the week?”
But that blank page quickly became a mirror. It reflected not just his financial state, but his values, fears, and the limiting beliefs he had carried since childhood—growing up hearing words like kulang, bitin, and utang.
The process of planning didn’t require wealth—it required honesty.
Turning Abstract Dreams into Measurable Goals
One of the most impactful parts of building the plan, Llamado shared, was breaking down vague aspirations into specific, measurable, time-bound goals. Retirement wasn’t just “some day”—it had to be a date, with numbers behind it. Debt repayment wasn’t just a hope—it became a monthly timeline.
He outlined long-term goals (financial freedom, helping his family, contributing to the community) and then broke them down into yearly and monthly steps. “That’s when things started to shift,” he said. “Because suddenly, what felt impossible started to look like a checklist.”
Learning the Discipline Behind the Plan
Planning is one thing—following through is another. Llamado quickly realized that having a five-year plan was useless without the discipline to execute it.
“I had to track everything—expenses, income, habits,” he said. “I built my own personal balance sheet and income statement, not just once, but regularly. That structure became my foundation.”
Even when income was low, Llamado treated the process like a non-negotiable practice. And over time, the habits stuck. “It wasn’t glamorous,” he admitted. “But every peso I managed with intention brought me closer to those long-term goals.”
Mindset Over Money
What surprised Llamado most wasn’t how much he learned about investing or taxes—it was how much he learned about himself.
“I started the program thinking financial planning was about money. But what I really needed to plan was my mindset,” he said.
The experience challenged his beliefs: that wealth was only for a few, that opportunities were limited, that struggle was inevitable. Through writing and refining his five-year plan, he began to realize those beliefs weren’t facts—they were inherited limitations that he could change.
“You cannot execute a plan you don’t believe in,” he told Financial Adviser PH. “So the first step was rewiring the way I saw money and success.”
The Ripple Effect: Helping Others Through Practice
Llamado didn’t keep the process to himself. He began helping friends build their own financial plans—for free. He treated it as both practice and purpose.
“I needed to internalize what I was learning,” he explained. “So I started creating plans for friends over coffee. No charge. Just a way to share and reinforce what I was applying.”
That service-first approach helped him build credibility—and clarity. As his finances improved, so did his ability to guide others with empathy and experience.
Why Planning Matters—Even When It Feels Impossible
Today, Llamado still follows a structured approach to financial goal-setting. His income has grown, his life has evolved, but the framework built during those lean years still holds.
“People think financial planning is only for the wealthy. It’s not,” he said. “It’s for anyone who wants to stop guessing and start growing.”
The five-year plan he wrote while broke wasn’t a perfect map—it was a mindset shift. It taught him that financial change begins not with income, but with vision, structure, and belief.
His advice to anyone facing the same uncertainty?
“Start where you are. Write it down. Own your numbers, your habits, your goals. It may not change everything overnight—but it will give you the direction you’ve been missing.”
And that direction, as Jesse James Cooley Llamado told Financial Adviser PH, is the first step to real wealth.
