Thursday, May 04, 2017

Fraud involving E Pass

Is the government aware about the fraud involving E Pass? This abuse was quite rampant a few years ago. Has it been curbed?
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1334

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Buying life insurance with an averse medical history

Hi Mr Tan
I would like to seek your opinion on this insurance matter. I have a past history of high blood pressure and trying to get a term insurance with CI, TPD and death or even an early CI if possible for around 10 years. However those companies who I went to either don't cover me or just propose a term insurance only covering death. In your opinion, what is my best option to be covered as there are so many different kinds of insurance available.

The answer can be found here:
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=472

TKL Speech - Finding a job

Mr Tan

Your speech on Labour Day 2017 is very informative and practical. Singaporeans will benefit from it. The link is here.

Labour Day 2017 (Tan Kin Lian) - Jobs for Singaporeans First
https://youtu.be/30bGzHvNqiY

Have a good day
Chee Meng

Tuesday, May 02, 2017

Improve productivity with Visa Paywave

I had dinner at a restaurant at Aperia Mall in Kallang Bahru. I went to pay by credit card.

I asked the cashier if I could pay by Visa Paywave. They do not provide this facility.

The cashier told me that she had used Visa Paywave before as a customer, but it took a long time to print the receipt. She does not know why her restaurant did not want to introduce Visa PayWave.

My son said that he frequently paid by Visa Paywave, but there was no delay in getting the receipt.

Visa had introduce PayWave for a few years already. The adoption was very slow.

Most people are still paying by cash or credit card. The credit card had to be connected to the bank (for credit approval) and the customer have to sign the receipt. This is time consuming.

Visa Paywave would have reduced the time and increased the productivity of the cashier. But it is not widely implemented.

This is sad. There is the facility to improve our productivity and reduce our cost. But the business community is not responding to it.

Time for us to learn from China

When I first visited China in 1987, they were very poor and backward. Singapore was way ahead.

30 years later, China became very advanced. In many areas, they are ahead of Singapore.

Singapore has also progressed but not to the same extent. In fact, we continued with many unproductive and wasteful practices that make us high cost and uncompetitive.

PM Lee blame the Singaporeans. I think he and his ministers shoulder the greater share of the blame.

We need to have the energy and innovation that now characterized China. It is time for us to wake up and realize that we are far behind.

We cannot continue to think that we are "the best". We have slipped a few notches. We now have to learn from China.

Giving some excuse

My server in the Cloud was not responding. I logged into their website to reboot the server. It did not accept my password. I had encountered a similar problem before. At that time, it was due to some problem in their Cloud software. Coud it have happened again?

I called Starhub to report the situation. The staff asked me to hold the line.

A while later, the server was restored and started working well. When the staff came back, I told him that the service is now okay.

Starhub - Thank you. Is there anything else that I can do for you?
TKL - Can you ask your backend to check if the there was a disruption of the Cloud service earlier and they had to reboot their software to restore it?
Starhub - (gave some excuse why this could not be done).
TKL - You asked me if there is anything that you can do for me. I asked you to check what had happened. If you are not willing to do so, it is okay with me. Bye.

It would have been better for him to take my message and conveyed it, rather than give some excuse to block my request.

Structural obstacles to employ Singaporeans

Instead of asking Singaporeans to "steal another person's lunch", the PM should look into what are the structural obstacles that make it difficult for Singaporeans to get a job and to stay employed.

I like to pass the following points to him. I hope that one of his loyalists will help to convey this message.

http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1333

Accident claim rejected due to Parkinson's disease

My father in-law purchased an accident plan with reimbursements from two insurance companies. Later on in life, he was diagnosed with mild Parkinson's. Late last year, he had a fall while trying to open his house door. He was hospitalised for hip replacement surgery. In his two policies, he is entitled to claim for reimbursement for the accident and there are specific percentages specified for various fractures or injuries. One insurance company has replied that they cannot pay the claim because of Parkinson's.

Can I ask for your opinion? Is the insurer right in rejecting the claim?

Answer
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=471

Monday, May 01, 2017

Should I buy long term care insurance (supplement to Eldershield)

A consumer asked me - I am covered under permant total disability under a term insurance policy. Should I buy long term care insurance (i.e. private eldershield)?

He is asking the wrong question. The correct question should be - do I need to buy long term care insurance? Am I paying a fair premium? What is the chance of making a claim? Should I be insured, or self-insured?

The anser can be found in this article in the FISCA website - should I buy a supplement to Eldershield?

http://www.fisca.sg/Article.aspx?Keyword=eldershield

My view on the FAS saga

I wish to share my observation on the saga involving the Football Assocation of Singapore and the donation of $500,000 for the development of the football management system under the FAS?

Was there some irregularities or even fraud? Who were the parties involved?

My views can be read here:
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1332

Difference between long term care and permanent total disability

A consumer bought a term insurance policy (which also covers permanent total disability) and a private Eldershield policy. He asked me if there is redundant coverage.

It is difficult to answer his question. Actually, he is asking the wrong question - most consumers ask the wrong question anyway.

Here is an explanation of the issue and the answer to his complicated and wrong question:
http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=470




Issues with longer term impact on Government policies

Some of the issues voted in the Wisdom of the Crowd have longer term impact on the government policies for Singapore. You can read the voting on these selected issues at
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/selected_issue.aspx

PM Lee - how about creating jobs for Singaporeans?

To PM Lee,
Sure, the economy is picking up, but jobs are going to foreigners, right?
http://www.straitstimes.com/…/economy-picking-up-but-jobs-r…

Why don't you get your manpower minister to find ways to create jobs for locals? He can take some tips from my article here. He does not have to pay any $$$ to me for these tips, okay?
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx…

Sentence meted out in the City Harvest Church case

The majority of the Crowd wants to original sentence meted to the accused in the City Harvest Church case to be increased. Another significant proportion wants it to be maintained. A small percentage agree with the reduced sentence given out by the court of appear. This is bad news for the accused. You can view the detailed vote in www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/result.aspx


GST is killing Singapore.

GST has been very bad for Singapore. We have been going down a slippery slope for the past three decades since the introduction of GST. During this time, the cost of doing business has increased and Singapore has become uncompetitive globally. While GST is not the only cause of this decline, as there are other factors, it does play a major part.

I blame Lee HL and Teo CH for introducing this disease to Singapore three decades ago.

Here are my reasons:
http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1331

Sunday, April 30, 2017

May Day Talk - how to find a job

I have been asked by Gilbert Goh to give a speech on May Day. It will be held at an indoor venue - not Hong Lim Park. The audience are mainly people who have lost their jobs and have problem in getting a similar job.

I am giving the points in this article. I will be asking them to realize the facts of the case and to make a change.

They can drive a taxi or Uber car, or they can accept any of the jobs that are in demand, although these do not pay well now and the working conditions are not good. The pay and work conditions can improve.

http://www.tankinlian.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1330

Are you satisfied with the MRT system?

Slightly more than 50% of the voters, i.e. the Crowd, are dissatisfied with the MRT system. See the chart below.

You can view more details of the voting on this issue and on other issues at www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/result.aspx

You can also submit your vote and win a prize after every 10 votes. Details of the prizes can be found at:
www.wisdomofthecrowd/page/115













You can vote at www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg