Learn about insurance
Guides and explainers from our verified advisors. Understand what you're buying — then ask our assistant about specific products.
Invest starter explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Invest starter opens an investment-linked plan from S$100 a month, with a charge refund for leaving it untouched. Here is how the low entry point and its riders actually work.
Ben Ong
Invest Smart Vista explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Invest Smart Vista is a regular premium ILP from S$200 a month with a start-up bonus of up to 60%. Here is what the bonus means in practice and what to check.
Priya
Essential whole life cover explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Essential whole life cover lets you multiply your sum insured up to 400% for a period, then pay premiums for as little as five years. Here is how that structure works.
Alice
Essential term life cover explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Essential term life cover runs in flexible terms to age 86 or 100, with conversion options built in. Here is what the product page states and what to check.
Ben
Are ILPs suitable for retirement income? What to check first
Investment-linked policies are often pitched as a retirement vehicle. They can play a role, but only if you understand the charges, the rising cost of insurance and the absence of guarantees. Here is what to check first.
Ben
ILP surrender charges: the schedule that catches early leavers
Investment-linked policies recover their upfront costs from anyone who leaves early. This guide explains where the charges sit, how the schedule typically tapers, and how to read the product summary before you commit.
Priya
Reading an ILP fund fact sheet
An investment-linked policy's fund fact sheet tells you where your premiums are actually invested and what it costs. Here is what to look for before you sign.
Ben
Switching funds inside an ILP: what it costs and when it makes sense
Investment-linked policies let you move your money between sub-funds. Here is how fund switching actually works, what it costs, and when it is worth doing.
Priya
Premium holidays and partial withdrawals on an ILP
An investment-linked policy can sometimes cover its own charges without a fresh premium, and its units can often be tapped early. Here is how both features actually work, and where they run out.
Ben
What "sustainability" of an ILP means and why cover can lapse when markets fall
An investment-linked policy can lose its life cover even while premiums are paid on time, if the sub-fund underperforms. Here is the mechanism, and how to check your own policy.
Priya
ILP vs term plus index fund: running the numbers honestly
An investment-linked policy bundles cover and investing into one premium. Separating them into term insurance and a low-cost fund is the usual alternative. Here is how to compare the two without fooling yourself.
Ben
How an investment-linked policy is priced: units, charges and the protection cost
An ILP turns your premium into fund units, then sells some of them back to pay for insurance and fees. Understanding that mechanism is the key to reading any ILP illustration.
Priya
Policy loans: borrowing against your own cash value
A whole life or endowment policy with cash value can double as a source of credit. Here is how a policy loan works, what it costs, and why it can quietly shrink the payout your family expects.
Priya
Using a whole life policy as a legacy: pros, cons and alternatives
Whole life cover pays out whenever you die, which makes it a tempting way to leave money behind. Here is how it works as a legacy tool, where it falls short, and what else does the same job.
Alice
Whole life cash value: when does it actually exceed what you paid?
A whole life policy's cash value starts below the premiums you have paid in and can stay there for years. Here is what drives the crossover point.
Priya
Essential lifetime secure explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Etiqa's Essential lifetime secure is a limited-pay whole life plan with a multiplier of up to five times sum insured. Here is how that multiplier works, and what it does not extend to.
Priya
Limited-pay whole life: paying for 15 years to be covered for life
A limited-pay whole life plan compresses a lifetime of premiums into 5 to 30 years. This guide explains how the arithmetic works, what is guaranteed and what is not, and the questions to ask before committing.
Alice
Whole life with a multiplier: how "cover until 70, then reduce" plans work
Multiplier whole life plans boost the sum assured several times over during your working years, then fall back to the basic amount plus bonuses. Here is the mechanism, the trade-off against term cover, and what to check.
Priya
Direct purchase term insurance (DPI): buying without commission
DPI is a class of standardised term and whole life products sold without advice and therefore without commission. Here is what the standard features are, who it suits, and how to buy it properly.
Marcus
Term insurance for couples: joint policies vs two single policies
Couples buying term life can choose one joint policy or two single ones. The two structures pay out differently and the difference matters most at the worst possible time.
Ben
Decreasing term for a mortgage vs level term for income replacement
Both are term life insurance, but they shrink differently. Here is why a mortgage usually calls for a decreasing sum assured while income replacement calls for a level one.
Alice
How much does SGD 1 million of term cover cost? Reading the price drivers
Insurers advertise S$1 million of term cover for well under a dollar a day, but that headline hides a long list of assumptions. This guide explains what moves the premium and how to compare quotes properly.
Marcus
Guaranteed renewable term and rising premiums at renewal
Renewable term promises you can keep the cover without a fresh medical check. It does not promise the price. Here is how renewal premiums are set, what is and is not guaranteed, and when level term is the better buy.
Ben
Term to age 65 vs term to age 99: which end date to choose
Term plans in Singapore now run anywhere from five years to age 99. The end date you pick changes the premium, the purpose of the cover and what happens when it expires.
Alice