I organised a collective protest against the bonus cut made by NTUC Income earlier this year. I reached a settlement as follows:
http://tankinlian.blogspot.com/search?q=collective+protest+settlement
I promised policyholders that I would monitor the situation and give an update.
Recently, I decided to surrender my Living policy, which was affected by the bonus cut. I received a surrender value that included the special bonus to compensate for the bonus cut. In this case, I was slightly better off (with the special bonus included).
During the past six months, there has been turmoil in the financial market resulting in a large markdown of asset prices. I do not know whether the "compensating" special bonus will be withdrawn or reduced in the next few years of the global financial crisis.
Earlier, I wanted to press for the bonus cuts in past years to be restored due to the good financial results up to 2007. With the large drop in asset price in 2008, it will now be difficult to press for this measure. It is also likely that future bonus will remain at a low level, until after the global economy has recovered.
On the bright side, the cash value of a life insurance policy remain largely protection (although the yield is low) during a bad period. It does not suffer the capital loss that comes from shares and other investments.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
An apology to Chee Soon Juan and his sister
I refer to this posting:
http://tankinlian.blogspot.com/2008/10/protest-outside-dbs-headquarters.html
The posting in my blog was written by somebody else in CNA forum. I reproduced the mesaage in my blog but overlooked to mention the author. It gave the wrong impression that the message was written by me.
I wish to apologise to Chee Soon Juan and his sister for the damage that is caused to them by the statement, “what many stupid and selfish politicians in Singapore have done and seek self destruction.” This statement came from the original posting (by someone else).
I do not personally share this sentiment and wish to acknowledge their personal sacrifice in fighting for what they believe in.
http://tankinlian.blogspot.com/2008/10/protest-outside-dbs-headquarters.html
The posting in my blog was written by somebody else in CNA forum. I reproduced the mesaage in my blog but overlooked to mention the author. It gave the wrong impression that the message was written by me.
I wish to apologise to Chee Soon Juan and his sister for the damage that is caused to them by the statement, “what many stupid and selfish politicians in Singapore have done and seek self destruction.” This statement came from the original posting (by someone else).
I do not personally share this sentiment and wish to acknowledge their personal sacrifice in fighting for what they believe in.
A sense of responsibility: Obama
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/392333/1/.html
WASHINGTON: President-elect Barack Obama has chastised US auto executives for being "tone deaf" for flying on corporate jets to Washington to beg for bailout money, and said he believed bank executives should forgo their end-of-year bonuses.
In the advanced excerpt of an interview to be broadcast Wednesday and released by ABC News late Tuesday, the president elect focused on responsibility.
Bank executives forgoing bonuses is "an example of taking responsibility," Obama said.
"If you are already worth tens of millions of dollars, and you are having to lay off workers, the least you can do is say, 'I'm willing to make some sacrifice as well', because I recognize that there are people who are a lot less well off, who are going through some pretty tough times ," Obama told ABC News.
As for the incident in which the heads of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors flew their private jets to Washington last week to ask Congress for bailout money, Obama said: "I thought maybe they're a little tone deaf to what's happening in America right now."
He described it as "a chronic problem, not just for the auto industry ... (but) for the captains of industry generally.
"When people are pulling down hundred million dollar bonuses on Wall Street, and taking enormous risks with other people's money, that indicates a sense that you don't have any perspective on what's happening to ordinary Americans," Obama said.
And when the "auto makers are getting paid far more than their counterparts at Toyota, or at Honda, and yet they're losing money a lot faster than Japanese auto makers are, that tells me that they're not seeing what's going on out there."
Obama said he hoped his presidency will help "usher in ... a return to an ethic of responsibility. That if you're placed in a position of power, then you've got responsibilities to your workers. You've got a responsibility to your community. Your shareholders."
He added: "And that's true ... for members of Congress, that's true for the president, that's true for cabinet members, that's true for parents.
"I want all of us to start thinking a little bit more, not just about what's good for me, but let's start thinking about what's good for our children, what's good for our country. The more we do that, the better off we're going to be," he said.
WASHINGTON: President-elect Barack Obama has chastised US auto executives for being "tone deaf" for flying on corporate jets to Washington to beg for bailout money, and said he believed bank executives should forgo their end-of-year bonuses.
In the advanced excerpt of an interview to be broadcast Wednesday and released by ABC News late Tuesday, the president elect focused on responsibility.
Bank executives forgoing bonuses is "an example of taking responsibility," Obama said.
"If you are already worth tens of millions of dollars, and you are having to lay off workers, the least you can do is say, 'I'm willing to make some sacrifice as well', because I recognize that there are people who are a lot less well off, who are going through some pretty tough times ," Obama told ABC News.
As for the incident in which the heads of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors flew their private jets to Washington last week to ask Congress for bailout money, Obama said: "I thought maybe they're a little tone deaf to what's happening in America right now."
He described it as "a chronic problem, not just for the auto industry ... (but) for the captains of industry generally.
"When people are pulling down hundred million dollar bonuses on Wall Street, and taking enormous risks with other people's money, that indicates a sense that you don't have any perspective on what's happening to ordinary Americans," Obama said.
And when the "auto makers are getting paid far more than their counterparts at Toyota, or at Honda, and yet they're losing money a lot faster than Japanese auto makers are, that tells me that they're not seeing what's going on out there."
Obama said he hoped his presidency will help "usher in ... a return to an ethic of responsibility. That if you're placed in a position of power, then you've got responsibilities to your workers. You've got a responsibility to your community. Your shareholders."
He added: "And that's true ... for members of Congress, that's true for the president, that's true for cabinet members, that's true for parents.
"I want all of us to start thinking a little bit more, not just about what's good for me, but let's start thinking about what's good for our children, what's good for our country. The more we do that, the better off we're going to be," he said.
No reply from financial institution after four weeks
Hi Mr. Tan,
I think you should bring attention to the investers that under Step 3 outlined by MAS, the financial institution is required to give a reply within 4 weeks:
http://www.mas.gov.sg/consumer/structured_products/fidrec_3_step_process.html has
I have not received a reply after 4 weeks. Why doesn't MAS take action against the FI?
REPLY
I suggest that you should lodge a complaint directly with MAS on this matter.
I think you should bring attention to the investers that under Step 3 outlined by MAS, the financial institution is required to give a reply within 4 weeks:
http://www.mas.gov.sg/consumer/structured_products/fidrec_3_step_process.html has
I have not received a reply after 4 weeks. Why doesn't MAS take action against the FI?
REPLY
I suggest that you should lodge a complaint directly with MAS on this matter.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
End of Free Financial Advice
The FSA of UK (equivalent to MAS) is introducing this new measure in 2012. It will have great impact on how financial products are sold. Our approach in Singapore is modelled on the UK - so I expect that similar measures will be introduced here. It will prevent the sale of financial products that are bad for customers.
From the Telegraph in UK, 25 Nov 2008
The days of consumers getting "free" financial advice look numbered under new regulatory guidelines which are aimed at improving the way financial products are sold.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has outlined new guidelines that effectively outlaw commission payments, which have been seen by many consumers as a way of getting "free" advice.
The FSA has made it clear that it is concerned that these payments are used to disguise the cost of financial products, and may create bias in an adviser's recommendations.
A spokesman for the FSA said it hoped its proposals would restore consumers' trust in the financial services industry at a time when many "need real help and advice with their retirement and savings planning". The changes are due to come into force in 2012.
The regulator's review contains three key proposals. Probably the biggest change is to the way advisers are remunerated.
For the first time all advisers, whether they are independent financial advisers or sales agents, will have to declare and agree with the customer in advance exactly what the advice costs. Consumers will then have the option of paying for it in advance or opting for the cost to be taken from their savings over a period of time.
A spokesman for the FSA said: "Commission as we know it will disappear for ever. We want to sever the providers' involvement with the advisers' fees." The FSA has not ruled out banning commission completely at a later date.
Another major change is that all advisers will now have to take advanced qualifications, equivalent to the first year of a degree course, if they are offering full advice to consumers. At present 80pc of advisers do not have these qualifications.
Andrew Fisher, the chief executive of Towry Law, a firm of financial advisers, said: "This is brilliant news for consumers. The smoke and mirrors, lies and obfuscation that have been used to disguise consumer fees will be stopped.
"Individuals thought that commission meant 'free' advice but it was always paid for, either by raising product charges or by reducing the value of a consumer's investment. For the first time, any commission charge will now explicitly be linked to consumers' savings and will have to be agreed upfront."
The FSA said its framework would provide a mix of services, so "less sophisticated" investors who could not afford to pay for full advice were not excluded. Many companies are expected to offer "guided sales", where consumers are given basic financial information.
If this led to a recommendation to buy a certain product, however, the sales person would still be required to have the appropriate professional qualifications and be upfront about any product charges. The FSA said: "It must always be made clear at the outset whether consumers are paying for independent advice or a sales service."
Trevor Matthews, the president of the Chartered Insurance Institute said these proposals should "kick-start" the process "of moving to higher levels of competence and and professionalism". He added: "The biggest challenge for the long term future of this industry is to restore trust in financial services, which has been dented for too long." He said today's proposals go some way to addressing this issue.
David Elms, the chief executive of IFA Promotion, said he welcomed the proposals but was awaiting details on how they would be implemented.
He added: "We want to see the same standards applied to all advisers, whether they are recommending products from across the spectrum of providers or selling just one company's products.
"This should enable consumers to understand the choices available to them."
From the Telegraph in UK, 25 Nov 2008
The days of consumers getting "free" financial advice look numbered under new regulatory guidelines which are aimed at improving the way financial products are sold.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has outlined new guidelines that effectively outlaw commission payments, which have been seen by many consumers as a way of getting "free" advice.
The FSA has made it clear that it is concerned that these payments are used to disguise the cost of financial products, and may create bias in an adviser's recommendations.
A spokesman for the FSA said it hoped its proposals would restore consumers' trust in the financial services industry at a time when many "need real help and advice with their retirement and savings planning". The changes are due to come into force in 2012.
The regulator's review contains three key proposals. Probably the biggest change is to the way advisers are remunerated.
For the first time all advisers, whether they are independent financial advisers or sales agents, will have to declare and agree with the customer in advance exactly what the advice costs. Consumers will then have the option of paying for it in advance or opting for the cost to be taken from their savings over a period of time.
A spokesman for the FSA said: "Commission as we know it will disappear for ever. We want to sever the providers' involvement with the advisers' fees." The FSA has not ruled out banning commission completely at a later date.
Another major change is that all advisers will now have to take advanced qualifications, equivalent to the first year of a degree course, if they are offering full advice to consumers. At present 80pc of advisers do not have these qualifications.
Andrew Fisher, the chief executive of Towry Law, a firm of financial advisers, said: "This is brilliant news for consumers. The smoke and mirrors, lies and obfuscation that have been used to disguise consumer fees will be stopped.
"Individuals thought that commission meant 'free' advice but it was always paid for, either by raising product charges or by reducing the value of a consumer's investment. For the first time, any commission charge will now explicitly be linked to consumers' savings and will have to be agreed upfront."
The FSA said its framework would provide a mix of services, so "less sophisticated" investors who could not afford to pay for full advice were not excluded. Many companies are expected to offer "guided sales", where consumers are given basic financial information.
If this led to a recommendation to buy a certain product, however, the sales person would still be required to have the appropriate professional qualifications and be upfront about any product charges. The FSA said: "It must always be made clear at the outset whether consumers are paying for independent advice or a sales service."
Trevor Matthews, the president of the Chartered Insurance Institute said these proposals should "kick-start" the process "of moving to higher levels of competence and and professionalism". He added: "The biggest challenge for the long term future of this industry is to restore trust in financial services, which has been dented for too long." He said today's proposals go some way to addressing this issue.
David Elms, the chief executive of IFA Promotion, said he welcomed the proposals but was awaiting details on how they would be implemented.
He added: "We want to see the same standards applied to all advisers, whether they are recommending products from across the spectrum of providers or selling just one company's products.
"This should enable consumers to understand the choices available to them."
Singapore Dance Theatre performs Nutcracker
Dear Friend,
Singapore Dance Theatre performs Nutcracker
I hope that, in spite of the stress from the credit linked notes, your family is still in the mood to celebrate the December holidays.
I suggest bringing your family to watch the performance of the Nutcracker by the Singapore Dance Theatre. More details (i.e. ticket price, performance dates, booking instructions) are shown in this video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WSo2D-nMjY
Performing nights: Dec 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 29.
I am the deputy chairman of the SDT. If you can support the SDT, it will be much appreciated.
Tan Kin Lian
Singapore Dance Theatre performs Nutcracker
I hope that, in spite of the stress from the credit linked notes, your family is still in the mood to celebrate the December holidays.
I suggest bringing your family to watch the performance of the Nutcracker by the Singapore Dance Theatre. More details (i.e. ticket price, performance dates, booking instructions) are shown in this video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WSo2D-nMjY
Performing nights: Dec 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 29.
I am the deputy chairman of the SDT. If you can support the SDT, it will be much appreciated.
Tan Kin Lian
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