Life is a precious thing, and starting young, we are bound to be more vulnerable to more mistakes, injuries, and some of us, sadly land their faces on the front page of the Metro. Sometimes, it’s the parents that go way before we are ready to step into the working world. Some, while they were in school.

Just like many of the stories, my grand dad passed away when my mom was about 10. He passed away from throat cancer, something quite rare 20 years ago. Now, cancer is more rampant and the need of having proper term life insurance is more dire.

My dad has his own basic coverage, just in case he had an accident or get killed in the line of duty, being a Singaporean, on call at all times in the line of duty, even when he is already not in active service, he is still a soldier. These times, term life insurance does not just cover it. It does not cover Acts of God like Tsunami or Earthquake which plundered the region a few years ago on boxing day. Rather, having a separate insurance to cover the mortgage is just as necessary as a critical illness policy.

Lucky for me, my dad don’t smoke unlike my other grand dad who was a chain smoker. But as it is, his insurance premium has a high load of premium added because of the injuries he had sustained during operations and even SARS. Lucky that in Singapore, the DPS plan is there to cover the roof over my head.

It’s a scary situation but better be prepared than none at all, just like many Malaysians. It just cost a few dollars a month.