A chat with Teri
We sat down with Teri Lee, Senior Financial Advisor of Life First Advisory, to find out how she got started in her career and what made her stay.
For Teri, being a financial advisor was a personal calling.
After graduating, Teri worked as a marketer in General Insurance. To further enrich her experience and knowledge within the industry quickly and thoroughly, she decided to do what she felt was the best way possible - to embark on a journey as a Life Insurance Advisor.
Three months into her stint, Teri got into a horrible motorcycle accident. The accident resulted in multiple injuries including a fracture in her left femur that resulted in her being in a wheelchair for seven months. She also broke her cheekbone, lost the entire front row of teeth and suffered a deep laceration under her lip.
The surgeries took four long years to be completed, with the recovery taking even longer. Teri had to be hospitalised, and then wheelchair-bound.
“The surgeries took very long because some procedures needed to be repeated. For example, after the doctors put up titanium plates on my cheekbones, they needed to give it about two months to see if it can hold well. Otherwise, the whole process had to be repeated.”, Teri shared.
Beyond the physical and mental trauma, she faced financial problems.
Teri had been relying on her corporate insurance all these while. As she was planning to go for a short stint as a life insurance agent before going back to her marketing job, she did not think to get a hospitalisation or personal accident insurance in the meantime.
Since Teri was considered self-employed as an agent, she did not have any company insurance during the accident.
The years of payment were arduous.
“I had no hospitalisation plans or medical insurance. While recovering, I had to pay whatever bills that came. My parents were not working and I was one of the breadwinners. It was a really difficult period for me and my family.”
“I’m not sure how I got the energy but I continued selling insurance while in my wheelchair. As my set of front teeth was gone, it was difficult to talk as I couldn’t pronounce well.”, Teri recounts tearfully.
The accident made Teri realise the importance of having insurance - something that her old self did not even think much about. With insurance, she would have been better able to focus on recuperating and healing.
Teri chose to stay as a life insurance agent despite objections.
Following the road traffic accident, Teri truly understood and further strengthened her belief in the importance and value of life insurance. She was driven by a want to share her knowledge and expertise on developing proper financial planning for her loved ones and friends . Her family and relatives all discouraged her from being an agent as they attributed the accident to her career switch.
However, Teri was insistent with her renewed faith.
“There was never a time I considered leaving. I don’t want anyone to go through the same thing as me.”, Teri said.
Since then, Teri has further enhanced her focus beyond insurance and is also providing investment advice to give clients a more holistic financial plan, especially towards the area of Retirement Planning.
Be Ready In Life
Sharing her personal experiences with clients and educating them on various aspects of Financial Planning has proven to be something close to Teri’s heart.
She feels a deep sense of responsibility and pride when clients share their deepest fears and financial goals, showing the trust that they place on her. To be able to help them achieve their goals and set their minds at ease brings Teri a great sense of satisfaction and peace.
Always there for clients
When asked about what clients think of her, Teri shared that they found her dependable and trustworthy.
“My clients will call me when they need help in a certain situations because they feel that I am able to provide them with the necessary details to make an informed decision. For example, what should they do when their child is hospitalised? What should they do if they need a will? I’ll walk them through these uncertain periods while answering their questions, or refer them to my network of partners for their various concerns and needs.”, Teri said.
Teri would do regular financial reviews to ensure that changes in concerns and goals are reflected in their financial plans. At the same time, she would educate and remind clients on the ‘why’ behind her recommended strategies so that they have a sound understanding on how their goals can be met.
By walking alongside them throughout the financial planning journey not only do clients understand how to achieve their goals better, they also feel assured that Teri is there for whatever life throws at them.
Find your strength
‘Give me this mountain’ is a quote that spoke to Teri.
“When you survive tough times, you have more faith that you can go through any challenges. We need to find strength to reap our fruits of labour.”, Teri shared.
A people’s person, Teri also finds strength and joy from meeting up with family and friends. On her off day, you will likely catch her hanging out with siblings or friends, laughing and soaking in the love and friendship.