BACK TO BASICS

After months of partying senselessly, I am back on the money hunting track. The workaholic is back in action.

I hold 3 jobs. One full time job and two part time jobs. Yes – you are right. I do some direct selling also. But I am not the annoying type. You know, for example, you haven’t seen this friend for so long or even talk to him/her. Out of the blue, he so happened to appear at your door step, acting overly concern over your well being and wanted to be your best friend on earth.

Once a former classmate whom I have lost touch with, called me after 5 years of silence…

Friend: Hey. Gina! How are you?

Self: Who is this?

Friend: I am XYZ. Remember?

Self: Oh.. how are you?

Friend: I am fine.. thanks… listen, we should meet up some day and catch up….

Before he even had the chance to continue talking…

Self: Hold it right there, buddy. What makes you call me after 5 years of absence?

Friend: … errrr….

Self: I will give you the options. There will be only 3 reasons for you to call me after so many years.

1. You are selling insurance
2. You are doing direct selling
3. You are getting married

Which one is your reason? All of the above?

Friend: Hahhahah! You are so unbelievable….

Self: Come on. Be real. You don’t bother to check if I am dead or alive after all these years. Which one is your excuse?

Friend: See.. I have this business presentation….

Self: So, it is direct selling lah? Amway is it? Sorry lah. I am not interested. My dad is also in Amway.

After exchanging some pleasantries, wishing him good luck in his new business, we hung up and never call each other again.

Pathetic right? And yes - I am a bitch.

For me, I don’t do all those shit. Come to think of it, I am always the one trying to keep in touch (for the heck of it, without hidden intentions) with everybody else, till I have grown weary of my own initiative. A friend once commented that I have super memory about certain things – like I remember people’s birthdays, full names and humiliating events which eventually becoming funny when we talked about it again. She commented I should be in the insurance business.

Since my full time job do not require much of my time, I have fixed working hours much to the envy of my pilot friend, I have plenty of time on my hands to do other stuffs.

The irony is, most of my friends do not know I am in insurance line. The moment I mentioned I am an agent, most of them would either jumped off their seats, giving the look “don’t come looking for me” or get away from me, as if I am a leper. I don’t force them though. After they finish mocking me, they will ask for advice.

I think most of us are educated enough to understand the mechanics of insurance. Yes – no doubt, those insurance companies are blood suckers, no thanks to the uncontrollable inflation, sky rocketing medical fees, contracting serious illnesses at earlier age due to stress environment, food intake, etc, one cannot deny the importance of insurance.

My human resource manager is so envious of the elderly Europeans, capable of traveling at their own expense, leaving their grown children to fend for themselves. They are just out here to enjoy their golden age retirement.

I was told that, the Europeans have a strong insurance knowledge way earlier compared to us. When they were children, their parents already prepared them for their future. They started young. That is why they can afford their holidays. Compound interest is indeed one of the wonders of the world. The Japanese has an average of 7 policies each when they were merely a month old.

Like I am fed up with the answer “God works in His own mysterious ways”, and many of you fed up with “Buy insurance. It is for your peace of mind”. Think. We cannot comprehend God, and certain people cannot comprehend the need of having insurance. But one fine day, when disaster strikes, we will pray to God to help us even if we are pagans or atheists. As a mortal, all of us believe in divinity.

What you need to understand is, when your surrounding friends cannot afford to help you, insurance would help you in times of crisis. Insurance in fact, should be included in your financial planning aspects. Some of us think that we pay so much money for a piece of paper and will only get to utilize the benefits when shit happens. Nobody wants to contract disease. No one would hope to get into an accident. No one would want the untoward events happening to them. But who are we to predict?