Antoinette Gruspe-Lozada, Financial Advisor, Sun Life Philippines

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Let’s prepare while we still can. TODAY.

The hardest part wasn’t the diagnosis.

Hindi yung tests.
Hindi yung tawag ng doctor.

It was the Tuesday after.

Yung tahimik na umaga sa kusina.

A friend of mine sat there with HMO card, hospital bill, and yung family budget nila.

Hindi siya umiiyak.

Nagco-compute siya.

“Ilang sessions pa kaya bago maubos coverage?”
“Hanggang kailan aabot savings namin?”
“Makakabayad pa kaya kami ng tuition sa June?”
“Paano pag hindi pa makabalik sa work asawa ko?”
“May maipapadala pa kaya kami kay Lola?”

And honestly… nataahimik lang ako

Because nobody warns you about that table.

That table kung saan mo marerealize na minsan, “covered” doesn’t mean covered enough.

Na oo, malaking tulong ang HMO.
It helps you get inside the hospital.

Pero pag uwi mo?

Doon nagsisimula yung ibang bills.

Yung maintenance meds.
Yung follow-up checkups every few months.
Yung special diet.
Yung Grab kasi hindi na kaya mag-commute or pang gas.
Yung extra help sa bahay.
Yung income na biglang tumigil habang nagpapagaling.

Hindi sila kasama sa HMO booklet.

Pero lahat sila…
kasama sa totoong buhay.

And that’s when I understood the difference.

HMO helps with the hospital bill.

But Critical Illness Insurance helps protect your life outside the hospital too.

Because when illness happens, hindi lang katawan ang naapektuhan.
Pati trabaho.
Pati pamilya.
Pati peace of mind.

One diagnosis can change everything financially in just one moment.

And here’s the painful truth nobody likes talking about:

You can only get this kind of protection habang healthy ka pa.

The moment may diagnosis na, the door quietly closes.

Kaya habang okay ka pa… while life still feels normal…
while you’re just scrolling through your phone right now thinking “okay naman ako”

please don’t wait for fear before you prepare.

Because the version of you who will need protection the most someday…
might no longer qualify for it.

Hoping also nobody you love ever has to sit at that kitchen table,
silently computing kung paano sila babangon after one diagnosis...

Kasi ang hirap..

✅ Peace of mind fund = Life Insurance
✅ Dream continuation fund = Life Insurance
✅ I will get better fund = Health Insurance
✅ I can do whatever I want fund = Lifetime guaranteed pay out plan

Have you noticed how ₱78 per liter for diesel suddenly feels “cheap” just because ₱150 became the worst-case reference?

It’s like we tell ourselves, “At least this is all I’m spending now,” and somehow forget that it used to be ₱57.

That’s how reference points shape perception.

The same thing happens with insurance. Instead of focusing on the premiums we “lose,” what if we shifted our reference point to the 7-digit amount we, or our family, would receive in a time of crisis?

Because in reality, that’s the number that matters most when everything is on the line.

Don’t anchor your thinking on the cost. Anchor it on the protection.

The reality of health care in our country. If you are well and earning income right now, consider critical illness coverage to offset the risk in the future.

If you ask a Filipino making ₱50,000 to ₱80,000 a month if they are wealthy, they will usually say, "No, but I am comfortably middle class."

They have a car loan. They go to cafes on the weekend. They have a nice smartphone.

But from a macroeconomic perspective, the Philippine middle class is an absolute illusion. Why? Because true wealth isn't measured by your car; it is measured by your safety net.

Welcome to the terror of Out-of-Pocket Healthcare.

In first-world countries (like Canada or the UK), if you get cancer or have a massive stroke, the government’s universal healthcare system absorbs the multi-million dollar blow. You get sick, you get treated, and your bank account stays intact.

In the Philippines, an unexpected medical emergency is a financial death sentence.

If a parent suddenly needs a bypass surgery, or a child requires a month in the ICU, PhilHealth only covers a fraction of the cost. The family is suddenly slammed with a ₱2 Million to ₱5 Million hospital bill.

Because we lack comprehensive universal healthcare, the so-called "middle class" is instantly wiped out. They are forced to sell their cars, mortgage their family homes, max out their credit cards, and beg for donations online.

It takes ten years of hard work, overtime, and saving to build a middle-class life in the Philippines. And it takes exactly three weeks in a private hospital ICU to completely erase it, sending the entire family back into generational poverty.

Sun Life Financial Advisor since 2014
Practicing Ob Gyne since 2007
Licensed Medical Doctor since 2002
Different fields, one common purpose.
To serve and protect.

If I don't believe in...

- Savings
- Investments
- Insurance
- Healthcare

Then why did I go to school, get a degree, get a job, get a professional career or get into business?

✅ One purpose of all those years of education is to earn money.

✅ Money is used to sustain and attain a desired level of economic well-being.

✅ Money is a basic need.

What I earn, I can divide into either for present needs/wants and for future needs/wants.

My Savings - Investment - Insurance - Healthcare are all part of my money earned today but set aside for future use or need.

So thru saving, investing, insurance and healthcare - I don't lose money, instead, I assure myself of future access of basic needs.

Your profession is just a tool to earn.

People may care less about your professional know-how, income/fee...

But how you manage and divide your earnings in a way that your future is assured - that's the best talent, skill and profession. 😊🤗

When Diesel Hits ₱100:

What Financial Advisers Should Expect

There are numbers that quietly pass through the news cycle. And then there are numbers that change the entire rhythm of an economy. For the Philippines, ₱100 diesel is one of those numbers.
Just three weeks ago diesel hovered around ₱53 per liter. Within a matter of days from now, it may reach ₱100 to ₱105 per liter if the next round of price increases pushes through next week. That is not simply a price increase. That is a structural shock.

The coming oil shock will not just affect transportation, food, and inflation. It will also affect financial advisory sales. Whenever the cost of energy rises sharply, especially diesel, the entire economy feels the strain. Diesel powers the trucks that move food, the buses that move workers, and the ships that move goods between islands. When diesel doubles in price, it quietly raises the cost of almost everything.

For financial advisers, this means something very predictable. Sales will not stop. But sales behavior will change.

Understanding where the pressure will appear, and where resilience will remain, will determine which advisers continue to grow even in difficult economic environments.

The First Impact: Slower Discretionary Decisions

The earliest effect of economic shocks is hesitation. Clients do not immediately stop spending. They simply become more cautious.

Large discretionary financial decisions, especially those that feel optional, tend to slow first.

Examples include:

• investment-linked insurance products
• long-term wealth accumulation plans
• discretionary real estate investments
• speculative investments

Clients begin asking themselves a simple question: "Should I wait until things stabilize?"

This is where many advisers experience temporary sales slowdowns. Not because clients lack money, but because uncertainty delays decisions.

The Markets That Usually Slow First

Historically, three segments tend to soften during economic shocks.

1. Young Professionals

Young earners often carry tighter budgets. Rising transportation and food costs quickly squeeze their disposable income.

Their response is usually simple:

They postpone financial commitments.

Insurance purchases may be delayed. Investment plans may be reduced.

2. Small Business Owners

Entrepreneurs are often the first to feel rising fuel costs because logistics expenses increase immediately.

Margins shrink.

Cash flow tightens.

And new financial commitments temporarily pause until business conditions stabilize.

3. Highly Leveraged Consumers

Individuals carrying significant debt, housing loans, car loans, or business borrowings, become more cautious as inflation rises. Their priority shifts toward protecting liquidity rather than adding financial commitments.

Meanwhile, there are markets that remain surprisingly resilient. Every crisis also reveals something remarkable.

Some client segments become more active, not less.

1. Established Professionals

Doctors, executives, lawyers, and senior corporate leaders often become more aware of risk during uncertain times.

Their thinking changes from:

"Should I invest?"

to

"How do I protect what I already have?"

Protection-oriented products often perform well in these environments.

2. High-Net-Worth Families

Wealthier clients tend to view economic disruptions differently.

Volatility creates strategic opportunities.

They become more interested in:

• asset protection
• liquidity planning
• estate planning
• capital repositioning

These clients are less affected by rising costs and more focused on long-term wealth preservation.

3. Clients with Families

Economic shocks heighten awareness of responsibility.

Parents often become more sensitive to questions such as:

• What happens to my family if something happens to me?
• Are my financial safeguards sufficient?

Protection conversations become more powerful during uncertain times.

While some advisers fear economic turbulence, experienced advisers recognize something else.
Uncertainty increases the value of advice.
When conditions are stable, clients often believe they can manage their finances alone.

But when the world becomes uncertain , when oil prices spike, currencies weaken, and inflation rises, people begin looking for guidance. They begin asking deeper questions.
And those questions lead to deeper financial conversations. Yes, certain types of sales may slow temporarily. But the role of the adviser becomes more important, not less.

The advisers who succeed in these environments do three things well:

• They educate clients calmly about what is happening.
• They help clients protect financial stability.
• They guide decisions rather than push products.

In difficult economic seasons, clients remember the advisers who provided clarity.

The months ahead may bring volatility. Fuel prices may rise. Inflation may stir again. But the role of the financial adviser has never been about selling in easy times. It has always been about guiding people through uncertainty. And in uncertain times, calm guidance becomes more valuable than ever.

Insurance = love and responsibility.

INSURANCE PANG MAYAMAN LANG DAW?

Hindi.

Meet my client — Sir Alvie.
Isang tricycle driver.
A husband. A father.
A man who dearly loves his family.

Alam niya isang sakit lang.
Isang aksidente lang.
Isang emergency lang —

Pwedeng mabura lahat ng pinaghirapan.

Ang totoo kasi nyan:

Insurance is not about status.
It’s about responsibility.

It’s protection.
It’s preparation.
It’s love in action.

Sabi nga nya during our meeting, "isa sa ultimate goal ko eh yung maparamdam ko sa pamilya ko yung pagmamahal ko kahit mawala man ako."

Insurance isn’t for the rich.
It’s for the responsible.