First Metro Securities Interviews Jaycee De Guzman

Last July 17, 2019, Equilyst Analytics, Inc. and First Metro Securities Brokerage Corporation signed the Memorandum of Agreement (partnership). Click here to read the article about the MOA signing. After the photo-op, I was also interviewed by Ms. Vanessa Galvez, Head of Product Development of First Metro Securities, for their The First Take episode. You can watch the replay of the video below.

I wonder what my responses would be if I answered the questions in a written manner. So here’s what it would be like.

Van: Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another episode of First Take.  I’m your host, Vanessa Galvez from First Metro Securities.

Van: Like in our previous videos, if you are watching this for the first time, First Metro Securities’ First Take is a Facebook Live session where we talk to the country’s key financial figures and influencers like our guest this afternoon, Mr. Jaycee de Guzman, CEO of Equilyst Analytics.

Van: Please feel free to leave any feedback or questions that you might have for FirstMetroSec or for Jaycee down in the comment section below. And if you have been following Jaycee on social media, say hi!

Van: Before we formally begin, we would like to inform all our viewers currently tuned in that we are giving away P2,500 worth of FMETF Investment Credits, whether you’re a client or not, towards the end of the interview. Jaycee will also be giving away one ticket for his The Evergreen Strategy in Trading the Philippine Stock Market seminar anywhere in the Philippines. Be sure to stick to the very end!

Van: Without further ado, Jaycee are we ready to do this?

Jaycee: Yes, we are!

Van:  Jaycee, before we get into the nitty gritty details of your life and how you were able to build your empire from the ground up, we would just like to ask what is a typical day like for you? What is the first thing that you do in the morning and the last thing at night?

Jaycee: I begin and end my day in prayer. In the morning, I pray the Holy Rosary as I jog around a memorial park near our house. As soon as I’m done with a decade of the Holy Rosary, I knew I’ve run for at least one kilometer already. So, by the end of the Holy Rosary, I have already run for at least 5 kilometers. In the evening, I gather my family to pray the Holy Rosary, too. It’s hard to have time for this since I’m managing two companies. But I have to make time for what’s important.

Van: Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? I recall during your talk during the 2019 Trader’s Playbook that you used to sell cigarettes in the cock fighting arena. What made you hungry or strive to achieve the things you have today?

Jaycee: That’s right. I was selling cigarettes on my left hand and holding a pail of cold beverages (soft drinks, buko juice, etc) on my right hand. I did that from the 4^th grade to the 1st year in college. That was my first job for eight years. You know, the rock bottom of life is a very uncomfortable place. When you’re already at the rock bottom, the number one thing you want to do is to go up. During that time, I thought I was buried. I thought that was already my lot in life. Looking back, I realized I was not buried; I was planted for success.

Van: who’s ready for 2020 trader’s playbook? Leave a comment down below!

Van: Were you always inclined to finance? What was your first job? And how did you take the leap from employee to entrepreneur?

Jaycee: I stumbled upon the stock market not by choice but by chance. My natural inclination is in computer and data science. I was active in impromptu speeches, academic, and literary competitions during college. I had to keep myself abreast with the latest news including, but not limited to, economics, politics, business, finance, entertainment, and more. I learned about stock trading and investing in 2001. There were relatively few blogs and discussion groups about Philippine stocks during that time. Most of the blogs were about foreign stocks. So a self-study on the stock market during that period was extra challenging but it was fine with me since being a do-it-yourself guy is my default.

My first job was as a cigarette vendor in a cock fighting arena. My first post-graduation job was as an IT instructor both in college and high school. My college alma matter offered me a job immediately after graduation. As a student, I was already taking part-time jobs. I worked as a digital writer. I worked as an assistant of agricultural scientists.

I continued my engagement to digital or home-based gigs even when I was already an employee. It was in December 2011 that I jumped from employment to entrepreneurship. That was the day when I earned my one year worth of a salary as an employee in one day from my sidegig business as a writer and a programmer. Immediately on that month, I gave up employment for entrepreneurship. Today, I manage two companies. One is iPresence Digital Marketing, Inc., a digital marketing business. The other one is Equilyst Analytics, Inc., a stock market consultancy firm.

Van: Would you say you’re a conservative type of investor or an aggressive one? If we take a peek into your investment portfolio, where are you invested heavily?

Jaycee: I’m an aggressive investor given my age and personality. I am invested in equities and non-equities. For the equities, I am invested heavily in the holdings, properties, and food sectors. For the holdings, I have the likes of Ayala Corporation and SM Investments Corporation. For the properties, I have SM Prime Holdings and Megaworld. For the food sector, I have Jollibee Foods Corporation. For the non-equities asset class, I am invested in real estate, agriculture, and livestocks. I rebalance my investment portfolio once a year and diversify accordingly.

Van:  Can you tell us a little bit more about Equilyst Analytics? And for everyone wondering, or curious about Equilyst, the website is posted in the description box above.

Jaycee: Equilyst Analytics, Inc. was founded in July 31, 2017. It is a stock market consultancy firm that guides local and foreign traders and investors in terms of short-term trading and long-term investing. Mentoring is also part of our services. I mentioned earlier than I am do-it-yourself guy. When the leader is a DIY guy, you know that spoonfeeding is a no-no and having a lazy attitude is a crime. My minimum goal for our clients is to be able to make sound investment decisions on their own even if you’ll make them face a blank wall for as long as you leave them with a laptop that is connected to the internet.

Van: Jaycee we always say or remind our clients to plan your trade, and trade your plan. Can we have a glimpse of how you plan accordingly? How does it vary? Do you plan depending on the stock? The sector? Maybe purely technical?

Jaycee: I follow a 6-step process when I plan whether it’s for short-term trading or long-term investing. Here are the 6 steps:

1. identify the best stocks to trade
2. check if the current trend is more likely to continue
3. know the true market sentiment
4. identify a confirmed buy signal
5. identify the best price range to trade
6. sell more logically and less emotionally

I’m purely technical. My methods aren’t found on Google or YouTube. These are the 6 lessons that I also teach in my proprietary and advanced stock seminar entitled The Evergreen Strategy in Trading the Philippine Stock Market Seminar.

Van: Jaycee, we have a lot of viewers who are new to investing or have never tried investing before. If you can tell them anything today, what would it be?

Jaycee: Everything is difficult in the beginning. I’m telling you, it’s already my name but I still had a hard time writing my name when I was 5 or 6 years old. So stop asking, “Is it difficult?” Your focus must not be on knowing if stock trading is difficult or not. Your focus must be typing on Google every single question you have and reading the search results non-stop until you understand whatever it is that you want to learn. I cannot emphasize enough how lucky you are in today’s generation in terms of learning how to trade and invest in the Philippine stock market. During my time, I did not have a computer, a smartphone, and an internet connection. I didn’t even have a scientific calculator throughout my college days for crying out loud. Today, even some of those families who are beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) have a smartphone. There are so many establishments that offer free internet connection, too. The information is already under your fingertips.  You have all the reasons why you can learn in one to two years what I have learned in 19 years.

Van:  Aside from stocks or mutual funds, what other investments would you tell the average Joe to have under his belt? Is it property? Perhaps jewelry?

Jaycee: In addition to stocks and mutual funds, I am into non-equities type of an asset class such as real estate, agriculture, and livestocks. It’s best to venture on business ideas that are within your core gift, passion, calling, or whatever you want to call it.

Van:  If you can relate actively trading in the stock market to something, what would it be?

Jaycee: It would be rubber shoes. You can buy the most expensive brand of rubber shoes or hire the best coaches in town, but you’ll still have to drag your feet into wearing those nice rubber shoes and run with your feet. You can outsource coaching but not the running itself. In the same way, you can subscribe to Equilyst Analytics, but at the end of the day, it’ll still be you who’ll push the buy and sell buttons. Trading is personal.

Van: Jaycee, in three words, how would you describe your outlook in life?

Jaycee: Seek God first. If I may add more words, I’d say that it’s easier said than done, especially when you’re a business leader who’s goal is not only to add up in your line of business as just-another-business but to standout.