In Singapore, financial advisers are often associated with the insurance industry. My first encounter with a financial advisor was when I was still a student around the age of 19. I was starting to get curious on financial planning and wanted a higher interest rate for the little money I had in my bank account. You see, many years ago, the interest rates the banks gave were already at a low of less than 1%. One day while I was walking on the streets, a financial adviser approached and asked me whether I'm interested in a plan that will give me 3% (more than 3 times higher than the bank interest rates), it naturally got me interested. Throughout the years, I've met more than 10 financial advisers from many different companies. Some were good while some were not so good. Some were so well trained in their sales pitch that ......