I've recently ticked off one more item on my bucket list: to become a Financial planner. Well, i'm not quite there yet but i've started the chapter. Now the journey starts with this first step.

Sat for my CEILI and PCE exam and signed on with Great Eastern (GE). Why GE? Many people ask me this and my only answer is - I always choose to be with the best to be the best. This is one pattern that shows in most of my other choices made in career, life etc. Well, it's not all rosy and perfect but it's WIP (Work In Progress). WIP Bangsar also happens to be another of my fav hangout for Jazz music mainly.
I've partnered up with a team of great people who call themselves as TotalCoverageSolutions (TCS). They offer the entire spectrum of financial planning from motor, life insurances to retirements, stock, public mutual, bonds, etc.

So now, my journey with TCS as a financial planner begins. The first part to it is Life Insurance. For the past 18 years, i've been told to invest in insurance, take on a policy to protect myself as you'll never know when what will happen. I've also always viewed insurance agents as people who just want to sell sell sell and make money out of you. How wrong I was when I came to find out that these people who call themselves agents are supposed to be partners with us, laymen, to educate us about our options in making smart financial decisions in life. I guess this goes back to the experiences we have with our respective agents. As most of them come up to me and present a plan. Efforts of getting to know me is there but for reasons I'm sure relating to sales. Sigh... Now that I'm on the other side of the court, I have come to know some really genuine people who provide advise with no selling involved! I'm convinced that every single living person should invest in a pool of savings called insurance and other portfolios for the benefit of their own lives. You don't necessarily have to buy from me for saying this, take the lesson, find your own agent, google, toggle do whatever it takes. But seriously, DO something. Find out. Speak to someone. Ask about your options. I don't settle easily with a text book answer so I'm always as curious as a cat to find out about my options and it's done me good so far. The reality is, everyone needs an agent of their own, not the other way around. People in general need more genuine advise on their choices when it comes to what to do with their hard earned cash without being treated to a one time policy statement and then MIA. There has to be a continuous relationship between the planner and you. This way, you can be rest assured that your assets are in good hands. It's the same as choosing your own lawyer or doctor to work with. You really won't settle for someone whom you think MAYBE or MAYBE NOT have a chance to help you. You'll do your own due diligence to ensure that they WILL help you. Why must it be any different when it comes to managing your own hard earned cash?

The past 8 years of working in recruitment has met me with people from different myriads of life. But one common thread which runs in all of them is this - desperation from no money, as they live from pay check to pay check. It's even more sad to consult candidates who are around the ages 50 and above who are still keen to work due to depleted saving, no more retirement fund, spent their EPF money to marry of their kids or pay for their education, etc etc.

If there is ONE message I can tell you to summarize the experiences of those people who have walked the earth more years than you and me put together it's this: PLAN! It's not a myth, not just a saying but it's the TRUTH. You have to plan your finances just the way you plan your car service, your journey on a holiday, your wedding, parties etc.

If you are one who is quite happy to cruise about life, just remember that those who have cruised before you have not reached anywhere because they never planned to be somewhere in the first place. I'm not referring to having RM1 million in your bank account. But I'm referring to planning your finances sufficient to enjoy your old age without any dependence or desperation.

Failure to plan is not really planning to fail because I believe no one is a failure in life. We are only results of our own choices. But I do believe that the choices we make will make or break our dreams and goals. If you don't have one yet, start now. Look forward and make things happen. I've been there before, wondering what might be and could have been but now it's all about just doing it and seeing the results in real time. Try it, it's an amazing place to be - Real Time ;)