Seeking Independence: Joining the Financial Advisory Industry

Alvin spent the first half of his career in an operational role for a well-known international financial advisory firm. As someone who has always been savvy about the financial markets, he had many friends coming to him for advice.

He found that he enjoyed the professional consulting process — speaking to them, understanding their needs and tailoring his advice accordingly. He also realised that many people lack the financial literacy and ability to do proper financial planning during the different stages of their life and this meant they were missing out on the opportunity to secure their retirement and elevate their lifestyle. Becoming an independent financial advisor representative would allow him to help them while having more control over his own work-life balance.

So, in 2012, Alvin made the career shift to become an independent financial advisor representative. In the eight years since, he has been entrusted with over $1 million in client assets.

In 2017, while looking for a financial advisory firm with a great environment support system, Alvin met Ang Kok Chin. He learnt about Soul Wealthy’s financial planning philosophy, found alignment with his own values of filial piety, responsibility, trust and integrity, and decided to join the group.

Sharing Knowledge: Imparting Financial Literacy

Alvin believes that low financial literacy is common because it is not taught in schools despite an important and unavoidable aspect of life. As the standard of living and life expectancy increases, he hopes more people will realise that financial planning is now a must-have, no longer a nice-to-have.

He also understands that, in addition to knowledge, financial planning requires careful monitoring and periodical reviews that many people do not have time for. He encourages his clients stay close to the financial blueprint he has customised for them, based on their financial needs, while he takes on the responsibility of sense-checking this as they progress in life. Alvin’s approach is very partnership-based, where clients are encouraged to be transparent about their needs so that he can co-create the best advice for them.

Alvin works with many young families and understands how young parents can be overwhelmed by a wave of expenses that comes with raising children. The knee-jerk reaction is to put their own retirement planning on hold but Alvin disagrees. Retirement planning benefits from a longer time horizon, so starting early puts his clients in a better position to achieve financial freedom during retirement. This means that they will not be dependent on their children in their golden years, which relieves their children of additional financial burdens.

Making the Effort: A Rewarding Sense of Satisfaction

While some people think of financial planning as a ‘get rich’ scheme, Alvin’s priorities start with protection. He enjoys educating his clients on the importance of insurance, explaining to them how wealth generation and accumulation can only happen after their basic financial needs are taken care of. In the long term, his goal is to equip his clients with the flexibility to choose when they want to retire.

He prides himself on being readily available. His commitment to his clients is that he will always be around for them, especially in times of need.

Finacial Advisor Singapore

As financial planning requires transparency between the independent financial advisor representative and client and building trust and rapport does take time, Alvin feels the greatest sense of satisfaction when he earns new referrals from existing clients.

“Trust is very important to me. A good indication that I have earned my clients’ trust is when they have the confidence to refer their friends and family to me. Knowing that my clients appreciate the work I’m putting in for them validates what I do for a living. ”

If you would like an obligation-free consultation with Alvin, contact us now.