Learn about insurance
Guides and explainers from our verified advisors. Understand what you're buying — then ask our assistant about specific products.
The real cost of an investment-linked policy
ILPs bundle insurance and investment. Understanding the fee layers is the difference between a useful tool and an expensive one.
Priya Nair
Term vs whole life: which one actually fits you?
The two most common life insurance types solve different problems. Here is a plain-language guide to choosing.
Alice
Five questions to ask before buying any policy
A checklist I wish every customer brought to their first meeting with an advisor.
Alice
Emergency fund first, insurance second? Sequencing your safety net
Savings and insurance solve different problems, and the order you build them in matters less than people argue about online.
Priya
How much life cover do you actually need?
A practical method for sizing your sum assured without overpaying: income replacement plus liabilities minus assets.
Ben
How much life insurance does a Singapore family actually need in 2026?
There is no single right multiple of salary. Work out what your dependants would need, subtract what is already in place, and buy the difference in the cheapest form that fits the years it has to cover.
Ben
Invest Prime Purpose explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Invest Prime Purpose is a Shariah-compliant investment-linked plan that lets you pause contributions. Here is what its 37-condition critical illness cover includes.
Priya
DIRECT – Etiqa Whole Life explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
A DIRECT plan skips the intermediary and the commission that comes with one. Here is what Etiqa's DIRECT whole life plan actually covers, and what buying it yourself means.
Priya
Invest Wealth Purpose explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Invest Wealth Purpose is a Shariah-compliant investment-linked plan carrying a start-up bonus of up to 75%. Here is what that bonus actually means, and what it does not.
Ben
Invest smart flex II explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Invest smart flex II is a regular premium investment-linked plan from S$200 a month, with a start-up bonus of up to 60% and a special bonus from year six. Here is what governs it.
Priya
Invest flex pro explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's entry-level investment-linked plan starts from S$200 a month and adds start-up bonus units. Here is what the published material says, and what a bonus really means.
Ben
Insurance jargon explained: 40 terms every policyholder should know
Deductibles, riders, pro-ration, cash value: policy documents are full of terms that quietly change what you actually get paid. Here is a plain-English run-through of the ones that matter most.
Ben
What an underwriter looks at: the medical and financial questions
An underwriter's decision rests entirely on what you disclose in your application. Here is what the medical and financial questions are actually checking for, and why leaving something out is riskier than answering honestly.
Alice
Premium financing: borrowing to pay large policies, and the risks
Borrowing to fund a large life policy's premiums can free up cash today, but the loan still has to be repaid with interest. Here is what that trade-off actually involves.
Marcus
Coverage gap check: the protection gaps most Singaporeans have
Most protection gaps in Singapore are not about having zero insurance, but about having some in each category without checking whether any of it is actually enough.
Priya
Insurance for new parents: the first three policies to review
A new baby changes what your existing life, health and income protection actually need to do. These are the three policies to check first, and what each one is meant to cover for your family.
Ben
Insurance and divorce: updating beneficiaries and ownership
Divorce does not automatically remove an ex-spouse as your insurance beneficiary or CPF nominee. Here is what actually changes on its own, and what you need to update yourself.
Alice
Replacing a policy: the switching risks the LIA warns about
Cancelling an old life policy to buy a new one can look like an upgrade and still leave you worse off. Here is what to check before you switch.
Marcus
Financial needs analysis: what a proper fact-find should cover
A financial needs analysis is meant to size your actual protection gap, not just introduce a product. Here is what a thorough fact-find should ask and why.
Priya
Checking an advisor's licence on the MAS register
Before you take advice on a policy, it is worth confirming who is actually allowed to give it. Here is how Singapore's licensing structure for insurance advisors and agents works.
Ben
How insurance advisors are paid in Singapore: commissions and the Balanced Scorecard
Commission has always paid most advisors, but Singapore also ties part of how representatives are managed to conduct measures known as the Balanced Scorecard. Here is how the two fit together.
Alice
How to file a complaint about an insurer: FIDReC and the dispute process
If your insurer will not resolve a dispute, FIDReC offers a free mediation and adjudication process. Here is how it works, and what it can and cannot decide.
Marcus
Tiq Term Life Insurance (ePROTECT term life / DIRECT - Etiqa term life II) explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's digital term life plan starts from S$0.09 a day. Here is what that buys, how the two underlying variants differ, and what the disclosure sheets actually cover.
Marcus
Invest vista explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Shariah-compliant investment-linked plan pairs wealth accumulation with a start-up bonus of up to 55%. Here is how that bonus, and the underlying structure, actually work.
Priya