Every Filipino—whether Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, or Gen Z—knows who Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan is. Whether or not they’re familiar with her timeless hits like “Bituing Walang Ningning” or her classic movies like Maging Sino Ka Man, Filipinos the world over continue to encounter Sharon in films (most recently in the 2023 Metro Manila Film Fest entry A Family of Two with Alden Richards, which you can stream on Netflix), various advertisements, social media, showbiz news from home, and even viral memes (look up “Shinaron“). Knowing Sharon Cuneta is part of being Filipino. She truly is the Megastar.
If you even need a refresher, we got you: With a career spanning more than 45 years, Mega or Shawie, as she is fondly called, started her career at age 12 with the release of her song “Mr. DJ” and other classics from her debut album DJ’s Pet (1978). Three years later, her acting career kicked off with the blockbuster flick, Dear Heart, in which she starred opposite Gabby Concepcion, her now ex-husband. Because of the film, their loveteam shot to stardom and ShaGab became one of the most favorite loveteams in Philippine cinema.
Since then, millions of Pinoys witnessed how the Megastar’s career flourished, how she grew up in the public eye from being a child to being a wife and mother, how she courageously faced heartbreaks and challenges, and how she fueled her passion to continue working and maintaining her status as one of the legendary icons of Philippine entertainment.
If you’re based in the U.S. or Canada, you’ll get the chance to watch Sharon and Gabby perform together again as they bring their “Dear Heart” reunion concert on tour in California, Las Vegas, and Hawaii in the US; and Ontario, Winnipeg, and British Columbia in Canada from from October 26 to November 29, 2024. Check out tour details below:
View this post on Instagram
You’ll also watch Sharon soon in her highly anticipated return to television via the upcoming ABS-CBN melodrama Saving Grace, the Pinoy remake of the 2010 Japanese hit drama Mother, with a powerful cast that includes Julia Montes, Janice de Belen, Sam Milby, Jennica Garcia, Christian Bables, and Zia Grace.
Sharon has recorded over 40 chart-topping albums, starred in more than 60 blockbuster films, held 35 jampacked solo concerts, hosted at least a dozen long-running TV shows, earned countless awards and recognition, among many other achievements. It is no surprise that Sharon remains one of the most trusted and notable figures in showbiz whom many Pinoys look up to, especially because she’s always been known for how she manages her earnings.
In a recent interview with KUBO, we asked her about her strategy when it comes to finances. Below, Sharon shares some tips that might help you turn your own earnings into mega-investment like she did.
1. “Dapat diversified ang portfolio mo.“
“That’s the number one rule, do not put all your eggs in one basket,” Sharon advised. Especially for first-time investors, it’s ideal to put your money on different investments where you can gain some, even if you may lose some, rather than putting all your money in one and then losing them all.
Whether in her career or her investments, Sharon has proven how well she diversifies. “My profession has been known as part of entertainment. I sing, I act, I host, I perform in concerts, I make records. My income from show business I have been able to grow, I won’t say [how much] exactly, but let’s say between five to ten times more because of my investments,” revealed Sharon, who has been the brand ambassador and dream weaver of Insurance Life or InLife.
2. Investing in real estate? Check the location and ask the right questions.
“The important thing to remember is location, location, location,” shared the multi-awarded actress, who revealed that she has been a real estate investor for years and even bought several properties during her younger years.
Aside from choosing a good location, Ate Shawie makes sure to ask the right questions before buying a property: “My question to myself before I buy a property would be: Will I live in it? [And then I also ask:] May tubig ba rito? Nagbabaha ba rito? All these things that you are afraid of, list it down,” she said. Other factors to include in the list would be the width of the road and the property’s accessibility to other establishments or institutions like markets, churches, schools, and hospitals, among others.
Also, know your developer. With several real estate developers in the Philippines, the Megastar reminds us to “Always make sure ‘pag bumibili ka ng bago (property), okay ba ang developer nito? Ano’ng track record nito?”
To find out if the property you are eyeing is worth investing in, do your research on the developer’s background, the history of the project and its location, property rates or prices, the hidden charges and other expenses you might need to pay later on, and honest reviews from their clients or community residents.
Need an Ate Shawie film reference? Check out her movie Minsan, Minahal Kita with Richard Gomez, whose character is a real estate businessman.
3. Invest in what you know.
“Another thing is, people would say, [invest in] stocks. But my warning to everyone as well as myself is: Do not invest in anything you do not understand,” Sharon advised. “If you know someone good in stocks, then you ask for advice,” she added.
The Megastar suggests you start investing in stocks with a small amount first and on companies that you are familiar with. “When you buy stocks and you have little money, you can start investing in things that you are aware of. What do you use? Do you have PLDT? Do you have Meralco? Do you go to SM? How is SM doing? Is it developing many residential properties? Did it have mall after mall after mall? Is Aboitiz as a company still doing great? Yes, it is. We don’t have the SuperFerry (Ed’s note: which she used to endorse) anymore, but they’re one of the richest, one of the best companies. It’s companies na everyday, nakikita mo. Invest in what you know and do not go overboard. Try mo muna. It’s always a hit or miss in the beginning, then after a while matututo ka na.”
Speaking of SuperFerry, from the iconic line “Sakay na!” to “Lipad na,” Sharon’s unforgettable ferry ad was recreated by Netflix last June to showcase their latest film additions on the streaming platform. Watch it here:
View this post on Instagram
4. “Invest in yourself.”
“Find out what your gifts are,” Sharon added, urging everyone to discover, develop, and nurture one’s gifts. “You find gifts that God gave you when you were born. You know they are gifts that are meant for you when you love them, you are happy doing them, and you are good at them. And when you find these gifts…you nurture them, develop, and then use them so you can earn from them, be happy while working, and be able to help other people.”
She continued, “If you are a writer, let’s say you write for a newspaper, but there are other areas. In YouTube, you will find so many ways to make money. You can write self-published books to make money, you can write a thousand words per day. You will always come up with something and always write what you know.”
For more on what she thinks about investing, watch her own video:
5. Make your investments work.
Sharon admitted that she earned her first million pesos at age 15. “I did my first movie at 15 and my dad (the late Pasay City Mayor Pablo Cuneta) gave that price (PHP1 million) to Sining Silangan for Dear Heart,” recalled Sharon. She said the ridiculous price, which was the salary of a superstar at that time, was what her dad gave, in the hopes that the film outfit would decide not to hire her, but to her surprise, Sining Silangan still sealed the deal.
Sharon also shared that she made her first million dollars when she was 24 and recorded her first billion pesos in her early or mid-30s. But despite all her wealth, the Megastar also experienced having debts and had to find ways to pay them off. “My debts are all good debts. At one point I had a big contract and because of my contract and how big it was, I invested, bought, and put a downpayment on four properties. So they were utang na properties,” explained the veteran actress.
“Then the contract got renegotiated and I got back to ABS-CBN. So naiwan sa akin ‘yung mga inutang kong properties na hindi naman ako uutang nang ganoon kung wala akong [pambayad],” Ate Shawie said. As for how she resolved it, she revealed, “Dahan-dahan, nabayaran ko ‘yun. How? Nakabenta ako ng ibang bayad ko nang [property].”
Sharon admitted she was also affected by the pandemic. Without any new projects, she sold two properties to get through the outbreak and even helped some people who lost jobs put up their own businesses.
Which of Ate Shawie’s investment tips did you find most helpful? And what’s your favorite Sharon film? Tell us in the comments section of this post on Facebook or Instagram!
