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Time waits for no one.
As we grow older, we become wiser. And that is what happened to me. Gone are the days when I would splurge mindlessly on silly things which I thought were "necessities" of life. Things like bags, shoes, make-up, and so on. I guess with age, plus my marriage, and moving to another country made me wake up to the real facts of life.
I started to prioritize things I will spend on. The definition of "necessities" have changed, too. The thinking pattern has moved from "ME, ME, ME" to simply "us". Now, there are new considerations which take some wallet share -- such as life insurance, health insurance and retirement.
What makes it complicated for us, unlike others out there, is because we are expats. Which means we are not sure where we will be months or years from now. Possibly, we may still be living here in Malaysia. Or maybe somewhere else in Asia. Or maybe France. Time will tell.
This makes choosing the right company to sign up insurance and retirement with an important consideration. We were able to get a health insurance for expats, which will follow us to any country we go to. It has a vast network and even covers maternity. This is highly important for me, especially since I have this big fear of childbirth. Blame it on the video which the teachers at my high school -- they showed an actual childbirth video and that sure scared the hell out of us (and a reminder that with sex comes risks... and that risk is getting pregnant at the wrong age).
There were many online expat insurance offers. But I'm traditional. I want to talk to a warm body. I have tons of questions. I was lucky enough to meet this chap who is very experienced with things for expats. His advise and time have shown us which health insurance to take, which retirement package to focus on and so on.
What I am driving at is that for expats out there, please take time to consider these things because it is important. It may not seem important NOW, because things are going well and you are living the moment. But one must sit down and think of these things. And should the day come that you do think about it, do consult an expert. That makes the "trial and error" go away, and believe me you don't want to end up with a wrong company or policy plan.
Thought of sharing this tip as I got a call that my health insurance card is ready. Do think about it!
Hi...found your site while checking out expat stuff in KL. I'm also a Filipino and just moved here from Jakarta 2 days ago. Thanks to you, my husband and I are now talking with your real estate agent... she's very very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the sort of changing of priorities. I've been an expat for almost 7 years and most of my earnings go to shoes, bags and night outs. Recently, with marriage and maturity I started toying with the idea of retirement plans and activating my SSS. I guess, we're not just getting older but more so getting wiser.
Roche
hello!!!
ReplyDeletei am lucky to have read your blog. I am also a Filipina who got married to a Malaysian Chinese but now an expat in Latin America. I would like to know if if it alright to get the name of your Insurance. We are going back to KL this July for a month and I guess its time to set for these things, as you said.
I am not that familiar with Malaysia though as I havent really stayed longer than 2 months ( only when I gave birth).
I wish you are still in Kl when we finally come back and settle there:) I seriously need friends in that country later. I live in Section 16 Li Villas.
Looking forward to your advise re the insurance company in KL.
best regards,
gen
hi there! so nice to hear from you Gen. The Health Insurance company you will want to look at is William Russell. So far we are satisfied with their services. I know where is Li Villas ( i looked at that condo before). Maybe when you come back you can get in touch with me and we can meet up! Always nice to see kababayan. I am sure you will love it here. We have called it home so far -- and it's been 2.5 years. STay in touch.
ReplyDeleteHello there!!! really sorry for the long silence. I went back to Kl last July till August and for some reason I missed checking your blog again. Had I seen your response, I would have called you when I was back there for a holiday. Sayang talaga.
ReplyDeleteI am back here reading your blog because an Argentinian friend of mine here in Colombia is moving to KL and i thought your blog is so informative about everything for someone who will start an expat life there. I love all your entries! Now, she is starting to read all your entries too.
Thanks for the tip about the insurance. Let me get back to you again for your details later when we go back for summer holiday in July. I will keep in touch, okay.
Congratulations for the coming of the new member of your family. Hope everything will go well. I had the confinement too for two months. It helped me a great deal except the no bathing policy..hehehe..
did you drink a lot of soya milk? good for baby's skin daw sabi ng mum-in-law ko.
Sige...take care and God Bless.
regards,
gen
thanks for dropping by and remembering about my blog. happy to help!
ReplyDeleteWill be posting more articles soon.. just starting to recover from my recent delivery.
stay in touch!