Good morning! I’m with Manulife for the last 6yrs and work with Aviva on shield plans. I saw that there were a couple of misconceptions on some insurers. Not sure if they had been addressed, but if u need clarifications do PM me.

I can answer generic/ general queries, but for own specific needs its better to PM. One reason is bcos I dun want to lose my hard earned MAS approved certificates for giving comments which do not fit the needs

If u r a business owner, u may wanna try including term cover for the family. Orherwise, check if ur company has this option, although its usually "given" only to senior management like Directors & key staff (based on my experiences with SMEs). Do note that this benefit is renwable every yr & subject to u working in the Company.

Am I still in time to try answer ur Qn? Both plans u mentioned are totally different in nature.

Aviva free child cover u spoke of, is a family hospital plan (2 parents are already/ intend to be under Aviva) which gives free cover (which is usually paid with CPF Medisave under the other 4 insurers) for (max of) 4 children under its Plan 2, or government/ restructured ward.
When a child reaches 21, it will automatically be premium paying. No more free. It doesn’t mean no cover or re-declare pre-existing. With the other 4 insurers, premiums for the kid(s) will be deducted as per normal from CPF-MA.
While its relatively cheap, 20yrs premium for a child is abt $2,660 based on today’s calculation. If the parents have cash rider option A too (covering the co-insurance) child gets free too (worth $860 cash).
AIA StarShield Plus is a personal accident plan which includes certain illness like HFMD & hospital stays due to accident. It is not strictly a hospital plan.

Indeed. SA is a good, secure savings retirement plan where u can park ur excess cash. Like any other "purchases", do note the terms: that once u put $ in, u cannot take out even in urgent need. Payout starts only when u reach the official retirement age.

ETFs are good vehicles if u want higher returns and has a relatvely long time frame.
Main reason I come across for endowment plans though is discipline; it "forces" u to save the money which u may otherwise spend on something else. Time frame can be as short as lump sum, 2yrs, 5yrs or the entire savings period depending on ur budget & target amt.

First took my then 3yo boy to KL via plane for couple of days in2010. We had then moved on to staying in displaced Burmese orphanage (at Thailand side) couple of times, excluding those ‘tourist’ trips like HCMC orPhuket.

When he was 5yo, we managed to complete China Yunnan in 40days, starting from HK before picking up our clothing in GuangZhou. Furthest we ever went was to 上雨崩 (Upper Yubeng) somewhere near Tibet. It was memorable for us bcos along the way he had to use a toilet in the villages which had huge flies with the bucket system. For me it was when we were put on 2 different mules riding up the 4hr mountain trail in different groups (not by my choice). It was scary initially bcos its our first experience going up mountain route on mule back, and it’s walking along a 50m drop cliff side on many occasions.
What I’m saying here is, read up the areas u intend to go, take necessary precautions, andhave fun. Its not restricted by countries; rather its the parent’s mindset & what u wanna achieve from the trip… I did all these trips alone with him (single parent here) and so far not much complaints from him!

Finally revisited forum here after son started P1

I’m with Manulife for last 6yrs & we hv ‘new’ guaranteed 100% returns savings plan. I’m told returns is the highest so far in market. Tend to believe the company, bocs my comm for this product is the least compared to industry’s haha.
Seriously though, do look at ur budget & time frame. Whether u separate insurance from savings or lump together really depend on many factors including risk appetite & preference. If anyone need more info, u r welcome to PM me.

Citibank works with Ace Insurance. Will hv regular 40% discounts- good if u need a cheap basic cover. Chartis covered more comprehensively, has better support. There is this online insurer that gives very low rates; but when I needed help looking for hospital overseas they responded like only 1 working day later via email

Travel insurance is not my main core biz, but more of a value add service to my clients. And I dun give discounts, bcos I believe I shd be paid for my work done.
Different insurers hv diff claims terms even for common items. So lookout for fine prints if u intend to get covered without professional help.

Haha… Too lazy to maintain blog. For kids motion pills can buy from pharmacies here.

When we were in 巍山 day trip i found out last bus back to Dali was at 3pm while the festival starts only 5ish. No hotel was willing to take us in as I left the passports in my Dali hostel. Gotta go police station spend half hr checkin our entry records. The in-charge was nice to offer us tea while we waited… But cannot find. In the end he typed a note allowing is to stay one night in any hotel there.
In Shuhe, again I left my medications in my main bag in Lijiang as it was meant to be a day trip. So when we extend last min & my son had food poisoning, he could not take the doctor TCM prescription & I hv to give him local sports drink & bananas. Well good thing it works…

Next trip wanna cover Leshan, Chengdu, Xishuang banna, Guizhou, Xinjiang… So many places so little time.

Saw this thread I thought to share my trip itinerary here for other parents' planning benefits too. Me & my then 5yo son went in Jul'13 for a total of 40dys F&E trip. Covered alot of fun places and we almost extended our trip.

We attended 火把节 in巍山, climbed 玉龙雪山 without oxygen aid to just below 5000m, 5hrs riding in separate mules to 上雨崩 among others.
Any problems with our trip? Yup. Weak stomach like my son need motion sickness pills for Shangri-la to 飞来寺 (found out too late) and never trust atas western food restaurant in Shuhe town (Lijiang) where he had food poisoning in the last leg of our journey. We did not face any other issue throughout the whole trip even when we take street food.
Oh, 2 of us went with a 10kg baggage & returned with a 34kg load. Shd hv planned Guangzhou shopping to the last, but that would not hv fit our route.... Let me know if anyone needs more info.
Gonna plan my next major China trip soon! http://i58.tinypic.com/sy7bl4.jpg\">

Dear all,

my son is gg Pri 1 next yr, and I’m considering ChongZheng, Yumin or Tampines Pri as they are pretty nearby. I’m impressed with CZ website and activities but I heard that teaching standards is gg down, while Yumin is consistent with the teaching from P1-6. However, Yumin website doesn’t show much CCA & their last PSLE placing for Express stream is only 57.1%
The parent support threads are not active too. Wondered if anyone can help me out. Many thanks!!