PuohZhen

Happy Chinese New Year from us! 🧧🧧

4 years later to realise that people at Chijmes take good photos!

Instagram has always been a space I tell stories, share contents and connect with friends I made through the different stages of my life. The past 1 year of actively applying for citizenship, purchasing my house and liaising with different contractors and IDs got me to think about quite a number of things.⁣⁣
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It was an agency retreat in 2018 where the FCs were all sat down and questioned on the “why”, namely why we chose to enter this industry and stayed. I joined this career primarily to clear my school fees as I was unable to secure an education loan. Luckily for me, I managed to clear it within the first few months of joining. This career has opened up so much possibilities and it got me into thinking, even the slightest possibility that I can secure a property before graduating. From there, it was laser focus and I didn’t look back.⁣⁣
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You see, monetary stuff aside, purchasing a place is not just about viewing a property, apply for loan and downpay. For a complete starter like myself, I have to time my application for citizenship (because I was a PR), understanding the whole purchasing process (literally started from 0 knowledge about property in Singapore) and rationalizing why I choose a certain estate based on research. I could stay up all night learning about the different Master Plans the government has and discussing with my brother all night.⁣⁣
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Fast forward to end Q2 2020, I have accumulated sufficient amount based on the progression I set out initially. However, everything tends to work against me. I could not secure a single appointment through cold-calling for a good 2 months (which translates into a slowdown in income earning), finding out that I am not eligible for any housing grants (which could have amounted up to S$50k), while going for my penultimate university examination. I considered myself to have hit the rock-bottom.⁣⁣ [cont’d]

3rd year & starting to develop a preference for stretchable berms (💁🏻‍♂️ not that I cannot fit in my formal pants)

NIGH SAFARI WAS FUN!

🐅🦏🐃🦌🐆🐖🦦 @ Night Safari Singapore

HAPPILY E_______ED FOR 2 YEARS AND 1 MONTH! 🎈🎉🎊










Yes, you guessed it right. The word is “employed”.

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙄𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙨𝙨

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 talk about the concept of “mentorship” today. You guess it, the bossman who shaped my belief/values in many ways unbeknownst to himself! Getting these heartfelt appreciation out of my chest tonight in how, in many ways, his mentorship means to me.

𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 is when he cherishes my goals and dreams in life beyond my career. Mentally, spiritually, and financially. I vividly recalled my first coaching session with him when I entered the industry. Instead of equipping me with the product knowledge at once, he first taught me about the very essence of sales, which followed marketing. To truly understand the varying needs of every unique individual, that the products could be structured but your offerings should differentiate. When people embrace what you sell, you thrive mentally, spiritually, and financially. Talk about ethical leaders!

𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 is when he values my personal growth which extends beyond my sales report card. The business model is such that your direct supervisor has his fair share of your earnings. I see my sales plunging during this challenging period where people are facing retrenchment and/or pay-cut so getting themselves insured may be the last thing on their mind. My boss, however, is evidently more eager readying me to seize this opportunity in midst of market downturn (yes you guess it – buy low sell high). Talk about selfless leaders who build others!

𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 is when he gets involved in your aspirations. During one of the agency meetings, I shared that I would like to purchase my own house in 2021. Since then, he has always been facilitating this process, from educating me on house selection to loan process to other nitty-gritty. Talk about willing leaders who go the extra mile for you!

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 is not a bed of roses, but having a great support system walking through this journey with you can indeed be life-changing. You bet! 🤩

𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞?

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞?

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭?

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞 #𝟐𝟐 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞!

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 “𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠”. ⁣
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𝐈𝐭 is commonly used by the financial practitioners, be it insurance agents, bankers, realtors, etc as part of their sales pitch. As such, it is often perceived by the mass public that having a session of Financial Planning would mean that you would end up walking away 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴. ⁣
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𝐈 beg to differ.⁣
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𝐒𝐨 what is financial planning exactly?⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 is my 2 cents’ worth. When you are doing Financial Planning, you are making conscious and meticulous financial decision. Such decisions can be choosing a high-interest rate savings account, purchasing insurance, comparing loan services to name a few. ⁣
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𝐀 more in-depth financial planning can take form of insurance/tax/estate planning, enterprise business solutions, etc. The list goes on endlessly as finance has always been a huge topic and it simply concerns everything that has to do with money. It is then obvious that financial planning is a mandatory process for every adult across different stages of life, in one way or another.⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐬 a financial consultant, insurance planning forms the core of our business model. That being said, I personally practice 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. While I may not be able to provide professional advice on different financial products simply because I am not a representative of the respective companies, I ensure that my community of friends and clients are constantly updated with the finance news through the different initiatives that I have put in place such as my WhatsApp Broadcast, Telegram Channel and Instagram Feeds Update.⁣
⁣
𝐈 would like to bridge the gap in financial literacy. As seen on episode #20, most young adults (currently students/fresh graduates who have just started working) understand the needs for financial planning early. However, as the survey results have shown, less than half would actually take actions. @ Singapore

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 “𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠”. ⁣
⁣
𝐈𝐭 is commonly used by the financial practitioners, be it insurance agents, bankers, realtors, etc as part of their sales pitch. As such, it is often perceived by the mass public that having a session of Financial Planning would mean that you would end up walking away 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴. ⁣
⁣
𝐈 beg to differ.⁣
⁣
𝐒𝐨 what is financial planning exactly?⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 is my 2 cents’ worth. When you are doing Financial Planning, you are making conscious and meticulous financial decision. Such decisions can be choosing a high-interest rate savings account, purchasing insurance, comparing loan services to name a few. ⁣
⁣
𝐀 more in-depth financial planning can take form of insurance/tax/estate planning, enterprise business solutions, etc. The list goes on endlessly as finance has always been a huge topic and it simply concerns everything that has to do with money. It is then obvious that financial planning is a mandatory process for every adult across different stages of life, in one way or another.⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐬 a financial consultant, insurance planning forms the core of our business model. That being said, I personally practice 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. While I may not be able to provide professional advice on different financial products simply because I am not a representative of the respective companies, I ensure that my community of friends and clients are constantly updated with the finance news through the different initiatives that I have put in place such as my WhatsApp Broadcast, Telegram Channel and Instagram Feeds Update.⁣
⁣
𝐈 would like to bridge the gap in financial literacy. As seen on episode #20, most young adults (currently students/fresh graduates who have just started working) understand the needs for financial planning early. However, as the survey results have shown, less than half would actually take actions. This is mostly attributed to the fact that finance has always been a huge topic to them and they do not know where (or how) to start.

I wish to be the catalyst that helps to heighten the community’s financial awareness and soundness through these initiatives.

I would like to end my sharing with my deep-rooted belief on how financial planning should be conducted. We have to understand that these products are not uniquely designed for individual consumers, as much as you have the freedom to alter the different components within a financial product. They are designed to cater to the need of the mass public. And because of that, I do not believe in a “one-size fits all” approach.��At the same time, we would all agree that life is ever-changing. Your financial planning is done based on your desired advancement in life stages. And simply for the fact that life is ever-changing, you would need to review these financial products constantly to ensure that they are still aligned to serve your changing needs.

“Financial Planning is like navigation. If you know where you are & where you are heading, navigation isn’t much of an issue. It is when you don’t know the two points that it’s difficult”

Take your first step today! 😊

Looking back, I have always been grateful for the opportunities afforded to me. It is then important for us to seize them and rise.

Similarly in today's context, instead of waiting for the economy to reopen and grow, let's seize the day and engage in self-improvement activities which improves our productivity and skill set required in our day-to-day work.

What Happened Over The Weekend? I GOT PROMOTED TO SENIOR FINANCIAL CONSULTANT At 24 years old, it felt surreal that I have been in the workforce for close to 2 years now. I hope that I have left behind a professional imprint on people that I crossed paths with.