Francis Tan Mern Hau Financial Consultant

14/06/2026

“Buy the cheapest health insurance you can afford.”

That might be the most dangerous financial advice people are blindly 🧑‍🦯following today.

—

Because when a medical 🏥 crisis hits,
your premium doesn’t save you.

Speed does.
Access does.
The right doctor ⚕️does.

Yet almost every article, every “expert”, every discussion is obsessed with:

Premiums.
Co-payment.
Cost control.

We are solving the wrong problem.

—

Let me show you what the REAL problem looks like.

In 2011, my father-in-law was diagnosed with a brain 🧠 tumour at TTSH.

• Tuesday: Diagnosis
• Thursday: Follow-up (overloaded system)
• Outcome: Late-stage lung cancer

Doctor said:
👉 6 months to live untreated
👉 2 months before treatment could even begin

Read that again.

2 months… just to START treatment.

We didn’t ask about premiums.

We left.

Next day, Mount Elizabeth.
Same afternoon — treatment started.

Yes, it cost us.
$15,000+ upfront.
Eventually close to six figures out-of-pocket.

But here’s what that decision bought:

👉 Time
👉 Options
👉 2.5 more years of life

Enough to witness his daughter’s marriage.
Enough to create memories that pricing models will never capture.

—

8 months later, my mother-in-law had a spinal tumour.

Most doctors rejected the case.
Too risky. Low survival odds.

We kept searching, government & private.

Until one doctor said:
👉 “I can do this.”

She went through surgery.

Today, she is alive.
She has watched BOTH my daughters grow up.

—

So let’s stop pretending this is about cost optimisation.

Health insurance is not a budgeting exercise.

It is a decision about:

👉 How fast you get treated
👉 Who gets to treat you
👉 Whether you even get a fighting chance

Because when the moment comes—

You are not comparing premiums.

You are negotiating with time.

—

If your insurance planning starts with:
“How much can I save?”

You’ve already lost the plot.

The better question is:
“What kind of healthcare access am I locking in today?”

Everything else is secondary.

—

As a financial planner and CPF advocate, I’ll say this bluntly:

Finance should NEVER be the starting point of healthcare planning.

It should be the enabler.

Because at the end of the day,

You are not buying insurance.

You are buying:

• Time
• Probability
• A second chance

When is the last time you are as thoughtful with your health insurance as your data plan and next iPhone. 📱

When reviewing your health insurance, experts warned not to focus only on premiums, but also to consider that healthcare needs can change with age.

10/06/2026

💬 “Financial planning is not just about numbers — it’s about awareness, knowledge, and conversations.”

Recently, I had the privilege of volunteering as a CPF Volunteer at Fei Yue Active Ageing Centre, sharing on “CPF & My Healthcare” with our seniors 👴👵

It was a meaningful session — not just about policies, but about peace of mind ❤️

We spoke about the 3 key pillars CPF is designed for:
🏠 A fully paid home
🏥 Healthcare protection
💰 Lifelong retirement income

Simple in concept, but powerful in impact.

⸻

But beyond the schemes, one thing became very clear:

👉 Many people don’t lack solutions — they lack awareness
👉 Many don’t take action — they lack understanding
👉 And families often don’t talk — until it’s too late

⸻

⚠️ In today’s world, this gap is risky.

Scams are evolving.
Misinformation spreads fast.
Fear replaces clarity.

That’s why I always emphasise:

🧠 Awareness is your first line of defence
📚 Knowledge is your best financial tool
🗣️ Communication is your strongest protection

⸻

We also shared practical steps to safeguard CPF savings:

🔒 Activate CPF Withdrawal Lock
📱 Update your contact details
🚨 Always verify before you act

Because sometimes, protecting what you have matters more than chasing more.

⸻

What touched me most was the engagement from the seniors — their curiosity, honesty, and willingness to learn.

It reminded me why I do what I do.

As a financial planner and CPF advocate,
this is more than a profession — it’s a responsibility:

💡 To simplify
💡 To educate
💡 To empower

⸻

✨ Start the conversation today.

Talk to your parents.
Talk to your spouse.
Talk to your children.

Because financial planning doesn’t start with products —
it starts with understanding and trust.

⸻

🙏 Grateful for the opportunity to give back, and I look forward to continuing this journey of making CPF knowledge accessible to all.

25/04/2026

Yesterday felt like a full-circle moment 🇸🇬✈️

I returned to Sembawang Airbase — a place I once served in uniform…
But this time, I stood in front of the room not as a serviceman, but as a CPF Volunteer speaker.

Same ground. Different uniform. Same mission — to serve.

“Once a serviceman, always in service.”

Together with a CPF officer, we spoke about something far bigger than retirement numbers.

Because let’s be honest…

💭 “Will my savings last long enough?”
💭 “What if I live too long… or not long enough?”
💭 “Am I doing the right things with my CPF?”

These are not financial questions.
These are life questions.

And in many ways, planning for retirement is no different from military training:

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations.
We fall to the level of our preparation.”

CPF is not just a scheme.
It’s a system designed to support your entire life journey — from housing, to healthcare, to income for life through CPF LIFE.

But knowing CPF… is very different from understanding how to use it well.

That’s where I come in.

As a CPF Volunteer, and as a Financial Advisor,
I translate policies into real-life strategies — simple, practical, and personalised.

Because retirement planning should not feel confusing.
It should feel empowering.

“The best time to prepare was yesterday.
The next best time is today.”

💡 Whether you are:
• A company looking after your employees
• A community group creating awareness
• A business owner planning ahead
• Or someone who knows, deep down, “I should do something about this…”

I’m always ready to step forward, contribute, and serve.

Let’s start the conversation. 🤝

25/04/2026

“Should I buy another property?”

Sounds like a property question.
But it rarely is.

Just attended a session on Talking Real Estate with Clients — and one idea stood out:

👉 Before structure… before strategy…
find the true objective.

Because the same property decision can mean very different things:

🏠 Wealth accumulation?
🏠 Legacy transfer to children?
🏠 Retirement income?
🏠 Asset protection?
🏠 Or simply… emotional security?

Miss the objective…
and you risk recommending the right structure for the wrong purpose.

One case shared:
A client wanted to buy a property to pass to his son.
But the ownership structure involved his younger spouse.

⚠️ Without clarity of intent, this could lead to unintended estate and legal consequences.

That’s when it clicked again for me:

As financial advisers, we are not here to jump into solutions.
We are here to slow the conversation down.

Ask better questions:
✔️ “What is this property meant to do for you?”
✔️ “When should it achieve this?”
✔️ “Who ultimately benefits?”

Because property decisions are never standalone —
they are deeply tied to life events, estate planning, and family dynamics.

You don’t need to know everything.
But you must know what you’re solving for.

Only then can we truly connect property…
to a client’s bigger financial story.

22/04/2026

First it was the Strait of Hormuz.
Now it’s the Strait of Malacca.

Don’t be surprised… if your hospital becomes the next chokepoint.

Iran is exploring charging ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Now Indonesia is floating the idea of a levy on vessels passing through the Strait of Malacca — one of the world’s busiest trade routes.

Same logic, repeated globally:
👉 “We control the passage… so we should charge for it.”

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

These are not just shipping lanes.
They are chokepoints.

And once you normalise monetising chokepoints…
you start seeing it everywhere.

⸻

👀 Including… my imaginary HDB corridor.

ERP gantry at your lift lobby.
Neighbour visiting? Beep.
Going downstairs? Beep.
Throw rubbish? Premium hour surcharge.

Ridiculous?

Let me push it further.

⸻

💉 Healthcare is already a chokepoint economy.

You don’t control when you fall sick.
You don’t control when you need surgery.
You don’t negotiate when you’re on the hospital bed.

👉 Access becomes urgency
👉 Urgency removes choice
👉 No choice… becomes pricing power

And that’s when:

• Bills escalate
• Premiums rise
• Coverage shrinks
• Co-payments expand

⸻

This is exactly what Minister Ong Ye Kung warned:

Insurance is no longer a small cost solving a big problem…
It’s becoming a big cost chasing an even bigger one.

⸻

🌍 Here’s the pattern most people miss:

When the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted → oil prices move
When the Strait of Malacca is questioned → trade costs shift

When healthcare costs spiral →
👉 your premiums rise
👉 your savings get drained
👉 your retirement gets delayed

⸻

💥 The real provocation:

We are moving into a world where:

👉 Geography becomes monetised
👉 Infrastructure becomes monetised
👉 Eventually… vulnerability becomes monetised

⸻

💼 From a financial advisory standpoint:

This is no longer about “buying insurance.”

It’s about not becoming the one trapped at the chokepoint:

✔ Structuring coverage that doesn’t collapse under inflation
✔ Understanding where insurers are shifting cost back to you
✔ Planning for premium sustainability (not just today’s affordability)
✔ Integrating CPF, private coverage, and cashflow strategy
✔ Protecting business owners from healthcare-driven cost shocks

⸻

Because whether it’s:

🚢 A ship passing through Hormuz
🚢 A container crossing Malacca
🏥 Or you walking into a hospital…

👉 The system doesn’t ask if you’re ready.
👉 It only asks if you can pay.

⸻

The ERP gantry is already here.
Just that in healthcare… it doesn’t beep.
It bills.



https://shorturl.at/oWc0x

01/04/2026

🚨 “Insurance used to be a small problem taking care of a big problem…
Today, it’s becoming a BIG problem taking care of an even BIGGER problem.”

That was one of the most striking takeaways from Ong Ye Kung during the recent IFPAS AGM.

After sitting through nearly 90 minutes of candid dialogue, one thing is clear:

👉 Singapore’s healthcare system is entering a critical reset phase.

⸻

💡 What’s really happening?

• Health insurance is becoming unsustainable — especially riders
• Premiums are rising sharply (some doubling within a decade)
• Claims behaviour is changing — when “someone else pays,” consumption increases
• Insurers are barely breaking even (or losing money)
• Public hospitals are ~95% full, while private hospitals remain underutilised

And perhaps the most honest line of the day:

👉 “The part that is really not sustainable… is the rider.”

⸻

💭 The uncomfortable truth many clients don’t realise:

We’ve been sold the idea of 100% peace of mind.

But as the Minister said:

👉 “Total peace of mind is very expensive.”

In reality:
✔ 80–90% coverage is often financially sustainable
❌ 100% coverage may quietly become financially dangerous

⸻

⚠️ This is where many people get it wrong:

Insurance is NOT meant to pay for everything.
It is meant to protect you from what you cannot afford.

Not:
• Small bills
• Convenience upgrades
• Over-consumption

But:
• ICU stays
• Major surgeries
• Catastrophic events

⸻

🤝 Why professional advice matters more than ever

Another key point raised:

👉 Financial advisors are NOT the cost drivers
(Commissions ~0–5%, sometimes negligible)

Instead:

✔ We help clients right-size coverage
✔ Balance premium vs sustainability
✔ Navigate MediShield Life, Medisave, IP & riders
✔ Avoid overpaying for “peace of mind” they don’t need

Because the real risk today is not under-insuring…

👉 It is overpaying for the wrong structure.

⸻

📊 My takeaway after 15 years in this profession:

The conversation is shifting from:
➡️ “How much coverage can I get?”

To:
➡️ “What is sustainable for me long-term?”

⸻

💬 If you currently have:
• An Integrated Shield Plan
• A rider (especially older ones)
• Or rising premiums you don’t fully understand

It may be time for a serious review.

⸻

📩 I’m happy to walk through your structure with you —
No jargon. No pressure. Just clarity.

Because in today’s environment:

👉 Good advice is no longer optional. It’s essential.

⸻

07/02/2026

A Trustee, as the name suggests, should be someone who is trustworthy.

However, human nature is inherently fragile.

That's why I do not fully trust my future self when it comes to my Estate planning .

There are currently 65 registered Trustee with MAS in Singapore.
Some even offered investment options or via their subsidiary such as:
Ifast Corporation, Philip Capital and Metis Global Singapore.

He did not inform his wife and sons about the trust fund for over 10 years.

26/11/2025

I have spoken about these for many years.

Predicting either an increase in co-pay percentage from 5% to 10% (Income Shield used to implement 10%).
Or
An increase in the annual cap from $3000 to $5000.
CPF eventually increases to $6000.
(I am almost exactly right.)

As Ong Ye Kung said: “羊毛长在羊身上”.
We need to pay eventually.

As a father (with four children and two ageing parents).
My best advice is to decide WHEN to pay, and WHAT to pay.

I either:
1) Pay now to the insurer, with less payment to healthcare providers in the future.
In exchange for more liberty in healthcare decision-making during a health crisis.
Or
2) Pay later to healthcare providers, and save some cash now.
With heavy consideration of future healthcare options.

Meanwhile, if you are seeking people with experience on healthcare and insurance.
Speak to people that had prior healthcare episodes with bill payments.

Otherwise, you will only get preferred opinions. Everyone prefer to stay healthy, not ward C.

As part of efforts to rein in rising healthcare costs, new riders will no longer cover minimum deductibles and must set a higher minimum co-payment cap of S$6,000 a year.

30/10/2025

Healthcare Insurance 101: Pt 01

30/10/2025

Healthcare Insurance 101: Pt 02