Insurance...work...and pms

Today, I came across someone's blog, where the writer suggested that readers reconsider buying critical illness insurance since the probability of critical illness happening to 25-50 year olds is less than 1%.

And since the probability is so low, writer suggested that readers invest the money instead, which will give them the same returns / payout at age 50.

Okay...I don't know where the writer gets the statistics...but it seems to me that more than 1% of the people I know have some form of critical illness.

Even if the writer above is somehow prophetic on how many people get critically ill...

Think about it...1% of 4.8million people, which is the population of Singapore, that's 48,000 people who'll get critically ill. Which means big big medical bills.

How confident would someone be, that he/she is not that 48,000? And it happens before the so-called investments grow to the desired payout at the distant age of 50? And cross fingers a repeat of 2008 doesn't happen just as you reach 50?

Definitely not me.

Insurance is all about peace of mind. You can't put a value on peace of mind.

Investments is investments. Savings is savings. Insurance is insurance. Don't mix them together.

People are so obsessed over investments these days. They think that it's something you can ace once you read enough papers, magazines, how-to books.

Let me share a piece of bad news. They're wrong.

If you think you have the market in a bag, the market will kick you, bite you and sting you to death before you can even say 'Warren Buffet'.

Anyway....it's 8:20pm...why am I getting involved with money matters after work?
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Speaking of work, I getting frustrated of work. Yes, you read right. Of work. Not at work. Specifically, frustrated at what I call the 'I don't know' mentality.

I used to think my former assistant was an exception...at being exceptionally #$@%^&. Now I know she's the rule. They're all the same.

One piece of instructions, they only read the first line, and come back to ask me one question, for each line, over the next 4 days.

How come like that one?

Read, ask what you need to ask, and be done with it. Within the day. Shouldn't that be the way?

And these are graduates!!!!!!!

They can actually ask me, 'so now how?'...sometimes I wonder if I'm assisting them, or they're assisting me.

No idea how to fire fight. No idea how to solve problems. No idea how to get answers. Not resourceful. No time management. Not customer focus (hello? we're in the service industry!)

Eg. Customer said she's coming to pick up cash @ 11:30am. Didn't turn up at 11:30am. Assistant decided to go off for lunch. Customer called @ 12:15pm to say she's arrived.

Everybody started asking around on what's the status on the cash. Client was kept waiting, colleagues were left running around to get information.

Yes, I know it's your lunch hour. Yes, I know the client was late. But, if a service person had the customer in mind, wouldn't they call up the client FIRST to find out if she was delayed and what time might she be here BEFORE simply walking off to have their lunch?

Hey! You're not an over-the-counter teller. You're in private banking!

Someone tell me again, why are we paying so much for @#$%^$# staff?
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It's not just a problem with assistants. Middle office is worse. Legal and Compliance are not-to-be-communicated with. Credit is only there on org chart but not in spirit nor reality. Helpdesk is only there to pick up your call for help. That's all. They'll try to get someone to solve your problem. Which takes, if you're lucky, 7 days. Business days.

And despite having more than 1,000 people on the IT payroll, our server's always crashing, our frontend interface is frequently down, statements need to be checked by frontend(!?!?) before Ops send them out...the list goes on.

On top of that, you have to deal with clients who think they're Li Ka Shing in the level of service and time demanded, spreadsheet management boss, and politiking colleagues.

And then there are the genuine ones who want to discuss about the markets, the stocks, the outlook.

But how to handle all the above in 8 hours?

I think I'm having PMS.