Don't Forget Those who've loved you.

Singapore Budget 2012

http://app.singaporebudget.gov.sg/budget_2012/default.aspx
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/02/budget-toc-calls-for-a-stronger-community-and-robust-economic-performance/

So much news on the upcoming use of the National Budget!!

CONCLUSION

G.1. Mr Speaker Sir, at the Opening of Parliament in October, PM spoke of building an inclusive society, and sketched the Government’s vision for a stronger Singapore and better home.

 

G.2. Budget 2012 sets out our directions and takes significant steps towards achieving this vision. We are restructuring and upgrading our economy, so that workers can enjoy higher incomes and every Singaporean family can aspire to move up. We are also introducing new initiatives, and deploying more resources to uplift and support lower- and middle-income Singaporeans.

 

G.3. But we all know that building an inclusive society is not just about government redistributing resources to help the poor. It is about building a society where at its heart, people retain a deep sense of responsibility for their families and seek every opportunity to improve themselves and do better. Where employers treat workers with respect, value their contributions and reward them fairly. Where the more successful step forward to help others in the community, because they feel for their fellow citizens. And where Singaporeans actively participate in causes that will make this a better society. An inclusive society will only blossom if we grow this spirit of responsibility and community

 

G.4. It has to be about how we go about our lives as Singaporeans, like the people in this video.

 

G.5. [Tan Ai Li, 11. Sani Rosmani, 45. Mumtaz Begum, 40. John Forbes, 92. Mrs Goh Kah Tian, 55.]

 

G.6. Opportunity, improving ourselves, compassion. They define the character of the society we are building, and must be our common purpose as Singaporeans.

 

G.7. Mr Speaker Sir, I beg to move.

Slower growth for Singapore life insurance industry in Q4

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_766115.html
"Despite the slower growth, Life Insurance Association president Tan Hak Leh said that the industry is still in a strong position.

'We owe this to a combination of the resourcefulness of our industry in delivering pertinent products and quality servicing and consumer confidence in life insurance solutions for their financial plans,' he said."

that's our CEO! :D

so proud of him and the initiatives he's brought to AIA so far. Even with the economy slowing down, i shall push on!

"He also shared that the first person he called was his insurance agent..."

http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/dj-rod-monteiro-hospital-suspected-mild-stroke-035702787.html  
His colleague, Gerald Koh who goes by Boy Thunder on air also told Yahoo! Singapore that the news of Monteiro's hospitalisation came as a "shocking" pieces of news.

"He is really a very healthy who runs and does a lot of sports. I will definitely visit him later and find out more," said Koh.

Monteiro is a keen golfer, cyclist and long-distance runner. In the recent Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon which took place in December, he finished a 12km run in one hour and 56 minutes.

i have not been busy

i have just NOT had any access to a PC for the longest time. so sorry about that.

anywho, i wanted to talk a little bit about paying premiums.

a while back i spoke about how i needed to hit some targets in order to receive allowances from my company. i still haven't hit them yet.

the criteria for hitting these targets is the amount of commission you would received for the plans that you sell. in that particular month ONLY.

but what's interesting is that i WOULD have hit my targets, if the plans' premium payments were annualized.

there are actually quite a number of choices when it comes to premium payment (monthly, semi-annually, quarterly, annually) so it really depends on the client's perspectives.

many people in their 20s to 30s still have to master their cash flow and build up their savings in their bank accounts. if their bank accounts are anything like mine, any extra in there, quickly gets spent on SOMETHING. i really don't know what, but SOMETHING. therefore, it's always more practical to look at a monthly deductible premium.

as they get older and savings start to build up, people can START to consider paying bigger amounts, and consequently look at paying at the less frequent modes in order to save money. paying by a less frequent mode means that administrative costs are lowered - i.e. instead of processing 12 times a year, it's reduced to once. and also that the company is able to utilize the whole amount quicker to the benefit of the value of the policy. savings are hence transferred also to the client.

but it doesn't matter which way you choose really, as long as you are able to monitor how much you are spending on your insurance. and the golden rule is 10 - 20% depending on how flexi your income and how important you think insurance is.

keep in mind how much insurance you buy over the years and try to fix the premium deductions together. it will help you to monitor your expenditure and also make it easier for you to decide if you an afford to pick up more plans.

be savy with your money!
Jessica

Something to think about from another new agent..

http://www.investmentmoats.com/budgeting/insurance/words-from-an-actual-insurance-agentthe-industry-is-flawed/
"A scary amount of middle aged adults still believe themselves immortal and that they cannot possibly get hospitalized or worse, affecting their ability to provide for their family. Most young working adults simply go from paycheck to paycheck, saving $0 every month and heading straight for disaster the moment a situation calls for usage of emergency funds which do not exist, or they just dump a token amount into their bank account every month that dissapears into the newest xbox or ipod the moment they get enough. Most young working adults do not even have a clue what medishield or medisave is, other than that it is something CPF related.

I feel like im constantly rolling dice and seeing if I can get a lucky combination just to find a single interested person. I would like to continue on in this line of advising people on financial planning, but I do not see how as most people simply want to go through life without any financial planning or insurance protection at all. And actually I don’t even know whether what im doing can be considered financial planning anyway."

i guess that feeling of apprehension never changes. as much as business is picking up after the new year, that constanat nagging feeling of "is this right for me?" doesn't go away.

Must continue to strive on,
Jessica

i feel so bad!

That i haven't really been posting very much. I've been running around more or less like a headless chicken during Chinese New Year! many people to visit = many opportunities to be had.

I will get down to writing a really long post soon but just wanted to share a short article on Singapore's golden boy Fandi Ahmad and the woes of rejection.

Even the greatest soccer talent in our history has to concede to the penchant for foreigners and end up making a living in JB where his tremendous talent is appreciated. After contributing to Singapore soccer for decades and so many extraordinary achievements, they simply cast him aside in favor of a foreigner who is highly paid but has failed to restore the morale and glory of the Singapore team. Fandi's plight mirrors that of Singapore workers who held the title of number one workforce in the world for decades. The same workforce now has been replaced by a massive influx of foreign workers.

Fandi's problem is compounded by his wife getting sick. Not only sick but she fell through the cracks of our healthcare system for a common but serious ailment, seizure:

"The medical bills are mounting for me and made worse by the fact that her condition is not covered by insurance." - Fandi, Today [Link]

That being said, please please don't wait until it's too late to make sure that you have a fallback plan!

Please alos have regular healthchecks to make sure that you are in tip top shape. and for the ladies:
http://www.worldwidebreastcancer.com/what-does-breast-cancer-look-like/

Be Protected Everyone!