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Guides and explainers from our verified advisors. Understand what you're buying — then ask our assistant about specific products.
Maternity insurance: what prenatal plans do and do not cover
MediShield Life leaves routine pregnancy and delivery largely uncovered. Here is what that gap looks like and what a private maternity or prenatal plan is designed to fill.
Alice Tan
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
Health insurance when you leave your employer: portability and gaps
Group hospitalisation and outpatient cover from your job usually ends the day you leave. Here is what keeps going, what stops, and how to close the gap before it opens.
Marcus
Waiting periods across insurance types: 30 days, 90 days and two years
A waiting period means nothing is payable even for a covered event, for a stretch of time after the policy starts. The length varies a lot by product, and it is worth checking before you assume you are covered.
Chitra
Mental health cover in Singapore insurance plans
MediShield Life pays toward psychiatric admissions and MediSave covers some outpatient mental health treatment. Here is where those schemes end and private cover matters.
Chitra
Cancer drug list and your Shield plan: how the 2022 changes work
MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans pay for outpatient cancer drugs against a defined Cancer Drug List rather than the full bill. Here is how the limits work.
Alice
Reading an exclusion list: the clauses that decide most rejected claims
Most claim disputes trace back to an exclusion clause the policyholder never read closely. Here is how to read one properly before you buy, not after you claim.
Alice
Protection Plus (Gold) explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
MSIG's mid-tier personal accident plan pays S$150,000 on accidental death and covers up to three children free. Here is what Gold covers and where its ceiling sits.
Daniel
Outpatient cover: why most Shield plans exclude GP visits
Integrated Shield Plans are built to cover hospital bills, not a trip to the GP. Here is why routine outpatient care sits outside these plans and what actually covers it.
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
PA Assurance (Prestige) explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Income Insurance's top personal accident tier pays up to S$1,000,000 on accidental death and S$1,500,000 on permanent disability. Here is what sits behind those headline figures.
Marcus
Health insurance for children: what a Shield plan covers from birth
MediShield Life covers a Singaporean child from birth, and an Integrated Shield Plan can be added early. Here is what each layer covers, and when parents typically add a plan.
Chitra
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
MediSave, MediShield and MediFund: the 3Ms explained
MediSave, MediShield Life and MediFund cover different gaps in the same medical bill. Here is what each one actually pays for, and the order in which they apply.
Alice
PA Assurance (Classic) explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
Income Insurance's PA Assurance Classic pays $200,000 on accidental death and up to $300,000 for permanent disability, with motorcycling covered at no extra cost. Here is what sits above and below it.
Daniel
ElderShield vs CareShield Life: what changed for those born before 1980
If you were born before 1980, you may still be on ElderShield rather than CareShield Life. Here is how the two schemes differ and what to consider before switching.
Marcus
Personal Accident Insurance (500K limit) explained: benefits, limits and the fine print
FWD's highest personal accident tier adds daily hospital income and weekly disability income as standard. Here is what the S$500,000 limit actually covers.
Marcus
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
CareShield Life: severe disability cover and how to add supplements
CareShield Life pays out once an assessor confirms severe disability. Here is exactly how that assessment works, and how a private supplement fits alongside it.
Chitra
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
Hospital cash plans: daily payouts that fill the income gap
A hospital cash plan pays a fixed sum for each day you are admitted, regardless of the bill. It is not a substitute for a Shield plan, but it can replace lost earnings and cover the costs nobody invoices.
Alice
Panel doctors and pre-authorisation: how Shield plan claims are approved
Whether your Integrated Shield Plan claim goes smoothly often comes down to two things decided before you are admitted: your doctor's panel status and pre-authorisation.
Marcus