This Article is for the Men

As I go through this first year of marriage, the topic of healthy diet and house chores/decorations comes up very naturally in the daily conversations between my wife and I. It all revolves around getting ourselves ready for our first kid, and we really look forward to building a healthy and happy family for ourselves! I believe health and happiness are among the top priority/ideal of every newlyweds like ourselves. 

If you are like me, after a long week, I like to let loose on the weekends.. y'know?
I'd like to do "me" on the weekend. Some coffee and donuts... fried chicken, satay.... basically the Ramadan bazaar is where I want to be! I love it all! I want to be personal with the offerings at every stall! 

But that is all me willingly exposing myself to certain risks that we consciously know we should avoid, how to avoid, and exactly why we should avoid them! (But oh-so-delicious, apa mau buat?) 

Over the last year, just among my friends on my Facebook Timeline shows accidental injuries, lifelong diseases, somebody gets a shocking big "C"... Some friends even left me too early (I'm not even 30 yet). 

Every time such Facebook updates come up on the Timeline, the mention of not having (enough) insurance always pops up. It is either by some opportunist insurance salesmen, or among family and close friends...
"If only he/she had (enough) insurance.." 

Because whats immediately facing them, are the bills, funeral charges, loan payments, and living expenses.

But there's much more to just money. Life Insurance is a foundation of my family's happiness. 

SO WHAT DOES LIFE INSURANCE HAS TO DO WITH MY FAMILY'S HAPPINESS? 

Here is what Life Insurance meant to me: 

1. It gives me a sense of security to move forward.

In my finances, Life Insurance is the only way I could secure my assets under loans. It is the only way that I could secure my net worth for my wife, that she will not only be free from my debt obligations, those assets will be paid-up in full! We both worked hard for all this, it only makes sense to want to keep them from the banks. Right? 

I didn't clean these for the banks to come clean me out y'know

2. It gives my family and I some dignity in my absence. 

My family was never rich. We have always had what we needed, we had enough for ourselves, but we were never rich. Whats fortunate was my father is shrewd with our family finances, especially with health insurance. Every now and then I would notice some of my peers just stop attending our boy scout activities, badminton & Taekwondo classes, there were a handful throughout the years that just dropped out of school altogether. It is always because a parent passed away, or some medical bills that crippled their family finances.

Now I am in no way saying that because they have no money they are undignified. My message is that such situations can be easily prevented! Not the premature death of the breadwinner, but the financial impact of their absence! A Life Insurance policy is more than just money, it is whatever that money is used to finance! It can be an education, it can be fulfilling promises made! 

3. Life Insurance Protects My Wife

It is the foundation that my wedding vow is built on. It goes without saying that my wife and I will take care of each other in the unfortunate times, in sickness and in health, in the good and the bad times. Some of you may have heard it from me a few times in person about the problem with wedding vows. For those of you who would like to know, you may read it here.

At the heart of it, how Life Insurance can protect my wife is to keep everything that belong to us. Our house, our cars, things of monetary value as well as things of sentimental value. My Life Insurance will shield her from any financial impact in my absence, and continue to provide for her as if I never left.
My wife will never have to downsize, but also to maintain her current lifestyle that we created together for ourselves.

Some of you may say "Wow, Jiuhwei, that's a tall order. Do you really have to go that far?"
That's a fair statement to make. There's many things that we can compromise or negotiate with.
But, that's the lady that I love. She left her parents to be with me, and took on my name.
I don't think there's room for compromise or negotiation. For as long as she lives, I will love on her regardless of my presence and status. 

4. Insurance Preserves My Circle of Friends

Just last year, one of our clients passed on, survived by his wife, and 3 daughters. While I was present at the funeral, I only introduced myself as a family friend. I got to know the deceased friends, business partners, and some of his other acquaintances. Everybody spoke well of the deceased, and that he was a good and honest man.
A couple weeks passed and I received a phone call from his wife, asking for help.
"His so called partners are telling me stories that do not tally with his emails. Some are even chasing for money owed to them from 10 years ago! Can you help me?"
Long story short, his so called partners are now denying any of her late husband's involvement in any of their projects and ventures. Not only that, some were even demanding for things with no documentation or record of any kind. Needless to say, their ties are now severed. Now all this happened even without his wife chasing them for payments owed to him. It was by far the worst I had to witness.
What if his wife and daughters needed some assistance financially? Could the situation be more awkward or uglier than it already is?

In today's materialistic society genuine friendships are rare. Such bonds between women are hard to come by, what more among men? In situations such as the one mentioned above, how far can your immediate circles journey with your remaining family members? And it is only in such situations that society reveals its true nature and that's when friendships are put to the test and for most it is only a matter of time before it fails.

With adequate Insurance, these unnecessary pain can all be avoided. 


So there's my 20 cents worth with regard to how Life Insurance facilitates my family's well-being!
It's not for now because it is never about now. It is never about you either! You're the life insured!
Your family will not be ecstatic about your passing either. But while they mourn your absence, their home is paid-up, things that remind them of you are preserved, their dreams and aspirations are secured.