When it comes to phone covers, my husband always felt it was alright to go without one since he is a careful person by nature. For years, all was fine with his phone.. until last weekend.

Our nephews were playing games on his phone in the kitchen when we heard a loud thud, followed by sounds of exclamation. When we rushed in, we saw the shattered phone screen and the shocked and apologetic look on the boys’ faces.. Ouch!!

I can totally relate to the pain my husband felt at that point, because just a few weeks ago, my phone screen shattered too after I accidentally dropped it . That not only created a huge inconvenience, it also cost me $200 bucks to replace the LCD and screen.

The very next morning, we went straight to Sim Lim to get his phone repaired, followed by a “protection exercise” to secure both our phones, including getting the tempered glass screen protector and heavy duty anti shock phone and bumper cover. This experience reminded me of several lessons, particularly in the context of insurance protection. (occupational habit.. ;P)

Lessons from a cracked phone screen (make it 2 cracked phone screens)

1) Accidents do happen – despite our best intentions and attempt to take care of ourselves and our belongings.

We may not have caused an accident to happen, but still it can negatively impact our lives. From simple incidents like my nephews accidentally dropping my husband’s phone to more unfortunate cases like the Ferrari car accident at Bugis when an innocent taxi driver and passenger lost their lives due to no fault of theirs.

2) Things are fragile, Life is fragile, and increasingly so

Remember the early generation phones like Nokia 3300 (during my uni days that was like the iPhone of the population) with the plastic casing and number press pads? Those sturdy phones are so much more resilient to drops, scratches than the current smart phones with delicate screens that shatter oh so easily!

Our health also seem to be getting more and more fragile, with news of illness like cancer becoming more and more prevalent (statistics show that 1 in 3 singaporeans get cancer) and illnesses can hit without warning at times, even children at young ages.

Which is why all the more we need to take precautions and secure ourselves where possible.

3)  Safer to protect ourselves then leave ourselves vulnerable

After getting our sturdy phone casings, both of us feel so much more secured. As my husband says “I should have done this long ago, maybe we could have even saved the extra money on repairs!”

Similarly when it comes to our health and family, it pays to insure ourselves so that in the event of any unfortunate events like premature death, disability or illness, there is a layer of financial cushion. And at least the family don’t have to worry about the cost of treatment. Of course there is also the need to take care of our health so we minimise the risk of falling ill.

4) Do it early, don’t wait till triggers happen

It’s human nature to delay things that don’t seem to be urgent even though we understand intellectually that it’s important…until things actually happen and we get a wake up call.

Before my husband’s phone accident, we did talk about buying ourselves more protective phone covers just in case, but somehow we were “too busy” to get down to it and put the matter off since it was not urgent. But the moment the phone was damaged, it became a top priority for us to hunt for the best protection and get it right away.

When it comes to insurance, sometimes I encounter cases when people scramble to get insurance coverage after seeing a family member or friend chalk up a huge medical debt due to insufficient medical insurance. Those who are healthy may still be in time to secure proper insurance protection for themselves. Unfortunately not everyone gets a second chance. Some people may have already developed certain existing medical conditions by that time, which makes it harder for them to get covered.

Often we only realise how important things are when we lose them. So moral of the story – Protect ourselves while we have the chance.

5) Get the right coverage

I actually did have a phone cover on when I dropped my phone, but still the screen shattered and the cover didn’t help at all.. that was when I realised that not all covers are the same. I had a fancy flip cover that didn’t protect the corners that were the vulnerable spots. This incident taught me the importance of getting the right protection, not just any protection.

Just like when it comes to buying insurance, some people have the misconception that if they have many policies then they should be well covered. However different plans serve different purposes. What’s important is to know exactly what the plan covers and what it does not cover.

I recall a case when a friend once told me confidently that he has 3 insurance plans and that he was well covered for any hospital bills. Upon reviewing his policies in detail, it turned out that all 3 plan were actually personal accident policies. This meant that he was only covered for hospitalisation if it was due to accidents and he has no coverage if he was admitted to hospital due to an illness.

I often hear people telling me that they have purchased many different insurance policies over the years but don’t really understand or have forgotten what they are covered for. That’s why I focus on helping people to review their current insurance portfolios so they get clarity and can make informed decisions to secure a greater peace of mind for themselves and their family.

“Don’t use a new phone if it’s not protected!”

This is the philosophy of a client of mine. Whenever she buys a new phone, she wouldn’t start using it until she has gotten the necessary screen and phone casings. In her own words, she wouldn’t bring her phone out “naked”.

Interestingly, when it comes to insurance, she is also very responsible and makes sure she and her family are well covered in term of insurance protection.

So for those of us who have yet to get the right phone and/or insurance coverage, I urge you to look for the right coverage to give yourself greater peace of mind.

To Your Success and Happiness,

Yong Hui