My encounters with two lady financial advisors

I had encounters with 4 insurance agents from the time I bought my first policy. 

The first agent would pick me up from my workplace and take me to restaurants to have meals a few times. Then I bought my first policy from the lady and she even gave me vouchers for my birthday. Guess what? I never heard from her again. The meals and vouchers are nice gestures but I was hoping she would follow up as I bought many policies a couple of years later. This time from a different agent. 

The second agent was apparently the top agent in the whole company. She showed me photographs and certificates. I also received letters from the company saying she was the top producer and so on. I was impressed when she personally came over to deliver the documents in a nice folio. I was an easy customer and did not use up too much of her time. She was very busy with the number of clients she was serving and hired personal assistants. The following year on there was no more news from this agent who simply vanished into thin air but I know she is still with the company due to the award letters I receive from time to time. Very experienced, great sales, nice presentation but no follow up and genuine interest in me at least. I can't say for the rest of her customers. Again I wished she kept in touch as I had another child and needed to purchase more plans. 

Buy Health insurance when you are healthy

Do you know that buying health insurance can save you alot of money? 

Health insurance is best purchased when you are healthy as it will be based on your health status at the start of the coverage. Meaning to say that if you are young (not necessarily) and have no complaints or ailments and have not undergone surgery etc, you can be assured that you are covered for most health expenses except for some exclusions relating to cosmetics or pregnancy-related ones etc

Why save money then? Firstly you use medisave to buy health insurance if you are a Singaporean or PR and the amount to pay isn't very high. If you do not have enough coverage when the need arises, be it minor or major, you may have to fork out alot of cash to pay the medical bills. 

There are riders which are like add on services that you can purchase to cover the cash portion.

Your financial advisor will be able to advise you if you are on the integrated health plans already. Likewise you can login to CPF website with your Singpass to check. However a good financial advisor will be able to advise you if you have the right plan for your needs and expectations.

Getting the right financial advisor AKA insurance agent can save you tons of money too. 

Read my upcoming post on getting the right financial advisor.

Leave your comments below if any

Buy Health insurance when you are healthy

Do you know that buying health insurance can save you alot of money? 

Health insurance is best purchased when you are healthy as it will be based on your health status at the start of the coverage. Meaning to say that if you are young (not necessarily) and have no complaints or ailments and have not undergone surgery etc, you can be assured that you are covered for most health expenses except for some exclusions relating to cosmetics or pregnancy-related ones etc

Why save money then? Firstly you use medisave to buy health insurance if you are a Singaporean or PR and the amount to pay isn't very high. If you do not have enough coverage when the need arises, be it minor or major, you may have to fork out alot of cash to pay the medical bills. 

There are riders which are like add on services that you can purchase to cover the cash portion.

Your financial advisor will be able to advise you if you are on the integrated health plans already. Likewise you can login to CPF website with your Singpass to check. However a good financial advisor will be able to advise you if you have the right plan for your needs and expectations.

Getting the right financial advisor AKA insurance agent can save you tons of money too. 

Read my upcoming post on getting the right financial advisor.

Leave your comments below if any

Journal Idea for 8th May

Write about problems or concerns in your neighbourhood or estate. What can you do to solve these problems?

It could be widespread of Dengue Fever, pets' waste on pavements, vandalised walls and public property, cluttered items along corridor which pose a fire hazard etc

Leave a comment below or suggest a topic for today's journal!

Energy Saving Tips Part 1

One great way to save your pockets is to start with energy saving at home and office!

You might think that you don't pay for the electricity at your office, but it is a great way to cultivate energy saving habits. With loads of practice energy saving, it will come naturally wherever you are! Hence saving you and earns you more!

Secondly energy saving is part of a bigger plan of saving the earth! Our environment faces many threats today and each and every one of us can do our part to reduce our carbon footprint.

Here's some ways we can save energy:

1) Use electrical appliances with lower energy consumption. In Singapore you can look out for the number of ticks for energy efficiency. The more the number of ticks, the lower the consumption is. Appliances such as the refrigerator and the washing machine are used frequently on a daily basis hence the energy ratings is extremely important. With such humid and hot weather in Singapore, air-conditioners have become an inevitable part of our daily lives. You should also look out for ratings on air-conditioners we use them very frequently.

2) Turn off the shower while soaping. This will save you $$ per shower per day. That can work out to a substantial amount in a full year!

Every cent saved is every cent earned

You can never underestimate the power of saving!

This is a very simple concept. Most of us has a fixed amount of income being salaried workers and students get a fixed amount of allowance from their parents. For example, if you have set aside $100 for personal purchases but you have only used $50. You will have $50 brought forward to the next month. You just earned yourself $50 for the new month! Every cent, no matter how much, can contribute significantly to your earnings.

Start saving today. Better still, set a reasonable budget for your expenses each month or week. Then try to use only a portion of your budget, not the whole budget and you will see your savings grow.

Remember, savings equal to earnings!

Leave your comment below on how you can start saving. More tips coming up!

Journal idea for 23rd April

Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history


William Shakespeare is borned this date in year 1564.

Who is Shakespeare and what is your favourite Shakespeare quote and why? Write all about it in your journal/blog.

Have another great journal idea? Leave your comments below

How to write an ad for selling items

Thanks for hanging around!

It's important to have enough information for your buyers when you want to sell an item. 

First and foremost, a picture speaks a thousand words. Regardless of how good your description of the item is, a picture is essential and speeds up the process of selling.

If possible, take more than one picture of your item. It can be in different views e.g. side view, top view

Take the picture in good lighting. A dark and blurry picture will not be able to show the buyer the actual colour of your item.

Be honest! List out the defects, missing parts if any, tears in the fabric, cracks, stains, fading of colour.. Anything visually defective should be stated.

State your selling price. This can help your buyers who have a budget. This also saves you time from replying to the same question over and over again.

State the condition. Some items you sell may be brand new in box, brand new without box, brand new but washed, brand new with tags, brand new without tags.. These are just for brand new items! Used items have more specific description so take some time to describe the condition. There may be working or defective lights and sounds or functions.

State the place of collection. It can be your workplace if it is convenient or your home or a public area like the train station or shopping mall. It'll be great if you can also state your timing for collection.

Where collection is not possible, you can include the price of the postage or delivery of the item. 

Last but not least leave your contact details. For those who are not comfortable sharing your personal contact, you can create an email account just for this purpose of selling.

Mode of payment can be discussed. Local bank transfers are very common these days, Paypal is also a good option. Else meeting up in person and doing a cash transaction is the next best option. 

CAUTION: Never 

In short:

1) Have pictures

2) List defects if any

3) State selling price

4) State condition

5) State collection or postage

6) Leave contact details

7) Discuss mode of payment

Like my post? Leave a comment below. Hang around for more tips on where you can sell your items.

Rent out your spare room

Another money making tips for home owners out there..

This option isn't for everyone but it is perfect for those who wish to consider this extra income.

If you have a spare room and you find that you using it for storage, it is the perfect time to clean out the spare room. Some families may be uncomfortable living with strangers in the home. Before you make a decision, do discuss with your family members and I'll list out three reasons why it's a great money making idea to rent out that spare room.

1) Extra income of a few hundred a month, depending on the agreed rent. 

2) Your tenant can be a great help esp. if there is an emergency

3) You learn to live with others better

How to get started:

Search for local rental websites and post an ad for your spare room

In Singapore a room may be rented from $300 up to $1500 depending on the home type, size, furnishings, number of persons, facilities. 

Look out for my next post on how to place an ad for your room. Leave your comments below!

Selling terms & abbreviations

Here's a follow up from our previous money making tip - Sell unwanted stuff

You may have seen other sellers using such terms in their posts. Know 'em and use 'em!


WTS = want to sell

Preloved = used

Mint condition = well maintained like in original condition

Price neg = price can be lowered

Smoke free pet free = From non smoking environment with no pets being kept

No stains no tears = applies to clothing and fabric on items. Having zero stain marks and no holes.

Self collect = buyer to collect item from seller's stated location

Mailed = price includes postage

Courier = delivery service from seller to buyer

Condition = usually sellers give a score out of 10. The higher the score, the better the condition.

Not for fussies = usually applies to items with age and lots of wear and tear. Buyers who are very particular should stay away from items with this description.

Fast deal = Seller is usually able to meet or sell within a very short period of time and complete the transaction. Usually within a day or two

Shipping = delivery


Need more help with other terms I may have missed out? Leave your comments below!

Sell unwanted stuff

Here's the first money making tip!

Sell your unwanted stuff. Instead of throwing them away or storing till eternity... You sell them!

What you need:
A camera to take pics of the items
Internet access
A computer

Use your search engines to find local websites where you can post items for sale free. There are many online classified
websites, local forums, even facebook groups!

Most websites require an account in order to post an ad or create a thread.

That's enough to set you thinking! More related posts will be up!

Self Introduction

Thanks for coming by my new blog. This must be my tenth attempt to write and maintain a blog.

My students have inspired me to start a blog and here I am!

My close friends call me Jas and my students know me as Teacher Jas. I work at a school for the physically disabled, mainly children with Cerebral Palsy. The staff and students here are amazing and touch my heart each and every single day.

Beside work, I have three sweet and loving children with my husband of six years. We reside in the far eastern part of Singapore - Pasir Ris.

Through this blog, I hope to interact with more people especially the youth and netizens and welcome comments that you would love to read about in your own webspaces.

Peace Out!