This week, I met up with a few of my clients who have been with me since I started in the financial services business in 2002. It set me thinking what am I most proud of having devoted almost 8 years of my life into the financial services business. The first thing that came to my mind was that I have stayed in the same company and industry a long time. When I first entered the industry, my vision was simple. To be a financial planner helping people in 2 areas, protecting their family and business as well as preparing for retirement.
My hope is just as simple, that is to last a long time so that I can deliver those promises I made to my clients about "being there" when they need me in the future. However, being able to "endure" so long is not what gives me most pride. I read somewhere that says, "Life on earth takes a very short time and a lot of relationships". I have made many friends in the course of the 8 years and they have given me lessons, happiness and meaning. I now can go to almost any estate in Singapore, make a call and pay a visit to someone who I care about and who also care about me in return. They have been so many clients who have become good friends that I constantly feel blessed to be surrounded by so many nice people. These beautiful memories are perhaps the biggest legacy I can take away when I eventually leave this world.
Yet in the final reckoning, there is something I take even more pride in, beyond the time and the relationships. People are motivated by different things and my biggest motivation is in being able to make a difference. In my work, I have the opportunity to help impact people’s lives directly and literally. In the past 8 years, I have personally arranged hundreds of plans in the form of insurance, savings or investment. The amount of money created is now into many millions of dollars. What I do know is that the moment the client thinks of the policy money, that is the moment they are most vulnerable and need money the most. Nowadays, I make an average of 5 to 7 hospitalization claims every year and to date, I have made 2 critical illness claims. In the current recession, I have already helped some clients to cash out money from the policies to "tide things over". Every single time, I learn perhaps the simplest but most powerful lesson we can ever learn…"When you fail to plan, you plan to fail".
That’s it, my proudest achievement, I helped create millions of dollars for hundreds of people and it’s a matter of time before the millions will be paid out! This is the tangible difference I feel I have made, building and creating assets. Of course, none of what I do would have been possible if I didn’t have the support of my clients! =)
