How I Became a Financial Advisor

My father died when I was young. it was a random accident. No insurance. No estate plan. Nothing.

My mom became the sole breadwinner overnight. Single parent, one child, no financial cushion. We survived, but barely. Everything became about scrimping and saving. Most things other kids had, I couldn’t afford.

That’s how I learned what happens when you don’t plan.

Thirteen years ago, I became a financial advisor because I didn’t want other families to go through what mine did. I wanted to make sure that when something happens (because it will), families have options. Not just survival mode.

This is how I got here.

Growing Up Without a Safety Net

When my father passed, there was chaos. Not just emotional chaos, but financial chaos.

My mom had to figure out how to keep us housed, fed, and functioning on one income. Extended family helped where they could, but they had their own families to support. There was no insurance payout. No inheritance. No plan B.

I was a kid. I didn’t understand the financial stress at the time. I just knew we couldn’t afford things. School trips, tuition classes, new shoes. Everything became a calculation. Can we afford this? Do we really need it? Maybe next time.

As I got older, I realized what the real problem was. It wasn’t that my dad died. Death happens. The problem was that he died without leaving anything behind to protect us. No insurance. No plan. Just sudden absence and financial scramble.

That shaped how I think about money. It’s not about getting rich. It’s about making sure your family doesn’t have to scramble when you can’t provide anymore.

The Lesson I Learned Early

I grew up in the church. Christianity was introduced to me early. One of the principles I absorbed was stewardship. Taking care of what you’ve been given, being responsible for the people who depend on you.

That made sense to me, especially after watching my mom carry the entire financial burden alone. If my dad had been a better steward (if he’d planned, if he’d insured, if he’d left something behind), my mom’s life would’ve been different. Ours would’ve been different.

I didn’t have language for it as a kid, but I knew: adults are supposed to protect their families. My dad didn’t get the chance to. But the lack of planning made it worse.

That stuck with me.

University: Where It Started Making Sense

I made it to ACJC despite our financial situation. Played rugby, even though I wasn’t the biggest guy on the field. I was scrappy. Had to be. That same mentality carried me through university.

My major was finance. Not surprising, given everything I’d seen growing up. I wanted to understand how money actually works. Not just how to survive on limited income, but how to build something that lasts.

In university, I met someone who changed how I saw financial planning.

My close friend’s brother was already working as a financial advisor. He was young, but he was doing well. More importantly, he understood what I’d been through. He sat me down one day and explained what proper financial planning looked like.

Not just budgeting. Not just saving. But structuring your finances so that if something happens to you, your family is protected. So that your income doesn’t disappear when you can’t work. So that medical bills don’t wipe you out.

He showed me his own setup. Insurance, investments, estate planning. All of it. He wasn’t rich. He was methodical. And it worked.

That’s when I realized: this is what my family needed. This is what every family needs.

I wanted to learn how to do this. Not just for myself, but for others.

Why I Chose This Career

I became a financial advisor because I knew what happens when families don’t plan.

I didn’t want to be the person who sells products. I wanted to be the person who prevents the chaos I watched my mom go through. The financial scramble. The stress. The impossible decisions.

Thirteen years ago, I started. I joined Financial Alliance. I got licensed. I learned the technical side: insurance structures, investment products, estate planning, CPF strategies. All of it.

But the real learning happened with clients.

What I Thought This Job Would Be vs What It Actually Is

I thought financial advisory was about helping people grow their money. Build wealth. Retire comfortably.

It’s not.

It’s about making sure people don’t lose everything when life goes wrong.

Most of my clients don’t come to me because they want to get rich. They come because something happened, or almost happened, and they realized they’re not protected.

A colleague got diagnosed with cancer. A friend’s father had a stroke. A family member’s medical bills wiped out their savings. That’s when people start asking: “Am I covered? What happens if this happens to me?”

The job isn’t about selling the most policies. It’s about making sure the right coverage exists before the crisis hits.

I learned that early. And it’s kept me grounded for 13 years.

The Clients Who Remind Me Why I’m Here

A few years ago, I sat with a client who’d just been diagnosed with early stage cancer. He had hospital coverage. Treatment was covered. But he didn’t have critical illness coverage. No lump sum payout to replace income while he went through chemo.

He had to keep working through treatment because he couldn’t afford not to. His family needed his income. He couldn’t take time off. He couldn’t focus on recovery.

That shouldn’t happen.

I can’t rewrite his story. But I made sure every client after him understood what CI coverage actually does. It’s not just about paying medical bills. It’s about replacing income so you can actually focus on getting better.

Another client (single mom, two kids) came to me after her ex husband died suddenly. No insurance. No estate plan. No child support anymore. She was scrambling, just like my mom did.

I helped her structure her own plan so her kids would never face what she was facing. We set up term insurance, CI coverage, a proper will. If something happens to her, her kids are covered.

That’s the work that matters.

What I’ve Learned in 13 Years

This job has taught me things I didn’t expect.

People delay until it’s too late. Most people know they need insurance. They know they should plan. But they assume they have time. Then something happens (diagnosis, accident, sudden death) and the window closes. You can’t insure a burning house.

Financial planning isn’t about products. It’s about outcomes. I don’t care if you buy from me or someone else. I care that you’re actually covered. That if something happens, your family doesn’t have to scramble.

The best plans are boring. High returns, complex structures, fancy products. Those aren’t what protect families. Term insurance, hospital plans, CI coverage, a proper will. Boring. Effective. That’s what works.

Most people underestimate how much disability costs. Medical bills get covered by insurance. But lost income? That’s what breaks families. If you can’t work for six months, a year, longer, how do you pay rent? Feed your kids? That’s where disability income and CI coverage matter.

Estate planning isn’t just for rich people. My dad didn’t have an estate. Most people don’t. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need a will. If you have dependents (kids, aging parents, a spouse), you need a plan for what happens to your assets and your dependents if you die.

What My Family Has Now

I’m married now. I’ve made sure every aspect of our financial plan is structured to protect my family.

We have term insurance. If I die, they’re covered. We have hospital coverage. If either of us gets sick, bills are handled. We have CI coverage. If I can’t work, there’s a lump sum to replace income. We have a will. If something happens, there’s no chaos.

This isn’t about being wealthy. It’s about being prepared.

My mom didn’t have that option when my dad died. My family does.

That’s why I do this.

What I Want for My Clients

I don’t want your family to experience what mine did.

I don’t want your spouse scrambling to figure out finances while grieving. I don’t want your kids wondering if they can afford university because you didn’t plan. I don’t want you working through cancer treatment because you can’t afford to stop.

That’s preventable. All of it.

Financial planning isn’t about getting rich. It’s about making sure the people who depend on you are protected when you can’t provide anymore.

That’s what I learned growing up. That’s what I do now.

Why I’m Still Here After 13 Years

I could’ve left this field. Thirteen years is long enough to know if something fits or not.

I’m still here because the work matters.

Every client I help set up proper coverage is a family that won’t go through what mine did. Every CI policy I explain is someone who might actually have the option to focus on recovery instead of survival. Every will I help draft is a family that won’t face legal chaos on top of grief.

This isn’t just a job. It’s the work I was supposed to do.

My father’s death taught me what happens when you don’t plan. The last 13 years have been about making sure other families have better outcomes.

That’s why I became a financial advisor. And that’s why I’m still one.