He was insured for S$620,000. His family found out one policy at a time.
Insurance does not pay automatically. The insurer will not call your family. Policies bought through employers, old advisors, or mobile apps are invisible — unless you leave a record.
The situation
Hamid
52, Singaporean, senior manager, married with two teenage children
Hamid has accumulated life insurance over 20 years through different channels: an AIA whole life policy from his 30s, a Great Eastern term life policy bought through a financial advisor who has since changed firms, an employer group term life policy he forgot to tell Siti about when he changed jobs, and an NTUC Income personal accident policy purchased through a mobile app during COVID.
Total coverage: S$620,000. His wife Siti knows about one policy — the AIA whole life (S$200,000), because the GIRO comes from their joint account. She believes the employer policy lapsed when he changed jobs four years ago. She has never heard of the other two.
Hamid has always meant to compile a list. The policies are in different files, different apps, different email inboxes. He assumes Siti will 'figure it out' when the time comes. She nearly does not.
What happened
Hamid dies of a heart attack
Siti and their two children are in shock. She knows she needs to contact the insurer but can only think of AIA.
AIA whole life claimed — S$200,000
Siti contacts AIA with the death certificate. The policy is found immediately — she knows the policy number and the GIRO reference. Payment within 30 days.
HR department calls — there was a group policy
Hamid's former employer HR contacts Siti to inform her of the group term life insurance. She did not know it was transferred when he changed jobs. Prudential: S$100,000.
Home office cleared — mysterious file found
Siti clears Hamid's home office. In a folder labeled 'Car Insurance' she finds a Great Eastern policy document dated 2013. She nearly throws it away with the old car papers.
Great Eastern contacted — policy is active
The GE term life policy is valid. Hamid's original financial advisor changed firms 8 years ago — Siti has to contact GE directly. Claim submitted after gathering documentation.
Great Eastern pays out — S$300,000
After six months of documentation and verification, GE pays the claim. Total recovered: S$600,000. But only because of a lucky find in a mislabelled folder.
NTUC Income personal accident policy — never found
The S$20,000 PA policy was bought via the Income app during COVID. No paper trail, no email visible in Hamid's locked phone. Siti never knew it existed. It is never claimed.
The damage
Total financial impact
S$20,000
Time lost
6 months
How Keepsafe changes this
The legal procedures still take time. What changes is how quickly they start — and how much damage is prevented.
Without a plan
What actually happened
- 1Siti knows about 1 of 4 policies — discovers the rest by luck over 6 months
- 2NTUC Income PA policy (S$20,000) bought via app — never found, never claimed
- 3GE policy almost discarded in a mislabelled folder
- 4Original financial advisor changed firms — no direct contact for the GE claim
- 56 months to assemble the full picture
With Keepsafe
How it could have gone
- 1All 4 policies listed in Keepsafe asset inventory with insurer, policy number, and sum assured — Siti has the complete picture on day one
- 2Policy added to asset inventory at purchase — Siti contacts Income on week one
- 3Policy document uploaded to Keepsafe vault — no physical search required
- 4Vault stores insurer contact details and policy numbers — Siti goes directly to GE without hunting for the advisor
- 5Complete insurance inventory available to executor on day one — all claims initiated within the first week
“Insurance is only as good as the claim. The insurer will not call your family when you die. Policies bought through employers, old advisors, or mobile apps are completely invisible to your family unless you record them. An asset list with insurer name, policy number, and sum assured is all it takes.”
If you're a insured professional, family unaware, your plan starts here.
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