View this email in your browser

Alvin Fong

In Touch

A Monthly Curated Newsletter

As the world enters a recession, the upcoming year can pose a challenge for many due to increasing economic uncertainty, and the natural fears surrounding it. In this issue, we look at some trends and possible actions that can help us become more emotionally and financially resilient to not just ride out the challenges, but rise above them. I hope this gives us hope.

How to Be Happy in a Recession

Recession begets misery, which makes for more economic bad times. You naturally make the pattern worse by following your loss-aversion instincts. Although you probably can’t break the global economy out of this feedback loop, you can break yourself out of it. Start with the following three practices.

 
read more
 

Here are 8 ways to bulletproof your finances ahead of a likely recession in 2023

5 personal finance experts here give tips on how to protect your finances. Their recommendations include building up an emergency fund, trimming your regular spending and up-skilling

 
read more
 

How to Stay Optimistic During Hard Times

 
view video
 
 
Proudly Brought to You
 
I seek to reach out to people who believe in safeguarding the interests of their loved ones. Let me know if I can be of help to someone you know or care about. We can make a difference to lives when it matters most. Cheers.
 
Alvin Fong
 
 
 
WhatsApp Me
-
unsubscribe
You are receiving this email because you're my client, a friend or you've given permission to receive this email. If you'd rather not receive our emails, you can unsubscribe from our mailing list by clicking 'Unsubscribe' above.

© Alvin Fong, All rights reserved.

Testimonials and Referral Notes

View the full list

Danny Koh, CEO

I first knew Alvin when we were classmates in NTU. After graduation, we both worked in different Big 4 accounting firms before he switched career to financial planning. He is loyal and does not push products but rather focuses on what best for me & my family. We have gone through many stages of planning from the time I was single to getting married to starting a family. He is proactive to update me whenever there are new plans that are suitable as well as help me to save money whenever there are opportunities to review and consolidate some of my insurance plans. I have also recommended Alvin to my friends and colleagues whom have found him to be a reliable and responsive adviser.

Louis Tan, Banker

Alvin took over the servicing of my plans when my previous adviser left the industry in 2014. Over the years of working with him, I have found him to be diligent and quick to respond whenever I had queries on my policies. Being a busy private banking professional, I appreciate that Alvin is able to help me & my family in many aspects. He is like a one-stop shop where my financial needs can be taken care of. He is knowledgeable in the area of financial literacy and keeps up-to-date with industry changes. He keeps us updated regularly on news and changes in regulation which might have a financial impact on us. Besides being our financial planner, Alvin also services my parents, aunt & in-laws’ medical insurance plans. With his prompt response to coverage details, we were able to quickly decide on the ward & hospital to seek treatment when my aunt required urgent medical care recently. Due to his ability to handle many aspects of financial planning, I highly recommend Alvin to anyone who is looking for a responsible & competent adviser.

Irene Koh (name redacted)

(picture not provided as the civil servants have restrictions in social media postings) I fully appreciate Alvin's commitment in sharing timely advice with me, without being pushy in products selling. He diagnoses suitable products to align with my needs. In more than 15 years that I started off with Alvin when I was in my 30s for life insurance & critical illness plans, he has journeyed alongside me as I am now in my 50s - to advise me on Estate planning (Trust & LPA) & more suitable insurance products. He shares valuable insights from his experiences.

Jessica Ling, Purchasing Manager

My husband and I got to know Alvin and his wife when we met during an overseas diving trip sometime in 2004/2005. At that time, I had quite a few insurance policies from one of the big insurers but I felt lost as I had questions and didn’t know who to contact. After Alvin reviewed my family’s policies he was able to explain to me what I have and which areas needed to be evaluated. I find him to be very personalised and patient. He has a good understanding of his work and is able to compare plans across different insurers. One thing I like very much is that he response quickly to my queries and is able to advise and guide me on the right choices to ensure that my financial goals are met. I have recommended Alvin to my young adult children as well as my aunt as he is an adviser that they can trust.

Boon Leng, Retired (former Head, Group Operational Risk Management at a bank)

Alvin has been our financial planner since 2014. My wife and I are comfortable working with him and looking forward to his further advice on how to protect our retirement nest and other needs as we embark on our earlier retirement phase of our lives. Alvin has good knowledge of the products he recommends. He is organised and our portfolio information and details are efficiently captured with the technological tools he uses. We are able to view and have an understanding of our portfolio during discussions with Alvin. He has good time management and will make effort to be on time for our meetings and addresses our inquiries promptly. Alvin will put in extra effort to engage with his clients. He curates reading materials and articles for our reading pleasure, allowing us to understand more about financial planning. We would recommend Alvin as he is a certified adviser and he is able to advise on a broad range of services, ranging from investment, insurance to education planning.

Dr Eileen Soon, GP

I first met Alvin back in 2014 through mutual friends. I had just graduated from university and started work then, and was looking to get some medical insurance for myself that would add on to my current basic Medishield plan, as I was no longer covered under my mum’s company insurance. When I first met up with Alvin, I was thankful to find that I was able to comfortably share with him my concerns regarding medical coverage, especially since I had only just started work. Alvin assessed my situation, and subsequently gave me a couple of options and recommendations for insurance policies that he felt would benefit me most. I liked that he was very patient in explaining to me in detail about the intricacies of the policies, answered my numerous questions and was never judging when I repeatedly ask things that he had already mentioned prior. He suggested options that were in line with my financial capabilities, and did not just offer options that were the most “premium” or expensive. I never felt like he pushed me into making any decisions, and he was always willing to give me as much time as I needed to consider my options and discuss with my parents. I’ve never had any past experience with other advisers, but this is very unlike some of the others I’ve met in the past who made me feel very rushed and made me feel cornered and compelled to sign up for policies, some of which may not be very relevant to me. Alvin also sat me down when we initially met, to discuss my long-term financial goals - something that I had not really thought about, but I came to realize that it was an important thing that is commonly missed out in fresh graduates who were often just focused with starting their new job and short-term goals. When my career and income had somewhat stabilized after a few years into starting work, Alvin also recommended me some investments that I could consider looking into, after taking into account my income, monthly expenses, as well as going in line with what my aim and goal was. Being not a very savvy person at these kind of things especially, it was really nice to know that there is someone who is willing to break things down for me, and most importantly, help me monitor the investments and promptly advised me to “jumped ship” if I could, if things weren’t looking good, or if some other investments looked better. I cannot express how thankful I am to Alvin for recommending me the medical insurance policy. Over the past few years, I’ve developed a number of medical conditions that unfortunately raked up huge hospitalization and surgery bills. One of my surgeries even surmounted to around $100k and without insurance, I would definitely not have been able to afford it. Alvin readily answered my numerous texts and emails regarding my policy details, sometimes at odd hours, after helping me clarify with the provider, so that I did not have to struggle to do it myself. I am grateful that through those difficult times, I did not have to worry about my financial limitations, and just needed to concentrate on recuperating. Alvin regularly texted to check on me, encourage me, and even took time off his busy schedule to visit me when I was hospitalized. He shows initiative and passion with his work, which is very admirable. I know that Alvin always has my interest at heart, and that I can trust him with setting my long-term financial goals. It is heartening to know that over the years, Alvin has become more of a friend rather than just an adviser to me. I would definitely recommend Alvin as a financial planner to my family and friends, as I personally have immense faith in him, that he can make a big difference in their lives, after experiencing first-hand how he has been helping me in managing the various aspects of my finances, as I cope with my medical issues and progress in my career this past 8 years.