What if financial planning isn’t about products you buy, but about designing a life that holds you—no matter what storms come?

When Someone Asks, “What Products Do You Have?”

I hear this question often: “What products do you have?”

And here’s my honest response: Planning, to me, means a different thing.

You see, I spent 12 years as an architect before life handed me a brain stem tumour that rewrote everything I thought I knew about planning. In architectural planning, we don’t start with materials—we start with understanding. We study the site context, the users’ needs, the available resources. Only then do we explore different ways to design, execute, and implement the plan.

In architectural space planning, it’s the same dance: study the context, understand the users’ needs, discover what resources are available, then explore how to design and bring the space to life.

So in financial planning, I approach it the same way: I study your circumstances, your current needs, and the resources you have. Then together, we explore different ways to design, execute, and implement your financial plan.

It’s not about what I have to sell you. It’s about what you need to build.

What if your financial plan could be as uniquely designed as your fingerprint, rather than a collection of products everyone else has too?

Planning With the Future in Mind

Here’s something most people miss: when we plan, we plan with the future in mind. The “need” isn’t to address the present moment—it’s to prepare for a future event that hasn’t happened yet.

It’s just like… when you plan for holidays, you plan for it in advance, right? You don’t wait until you’re standing at the airport without a ticket to start planning your trip.

So what are the categories of common needs that responsible individuals would plan for?

After 12 years of building earthquake-resistant buildings and 15 years of rebuilding my own life after my health crisis, I’ve discovered that financial planning isn’t complicated—it just needs the right foundation.

Think of your financial life as a house. Not just any house, but your family’s home—the structure that shelters your dreams, protects what matters most, and stands strong through whatever weather comes.

Every house needs three essential pillars to remain standing:

🏗️ Pillar 1: GROW – Building Your Wealth

How will you continue building resources to support your life and dreams?

Just as a house needs walls that can expand and adapt as your family grows, your financial house needs wealth-building strategies that create abundance over time.

What This Pillar Addresses:

Building income streams that support your current lifestyle
Creating investment growth that outpaces inflation
Accumulating resources for major life goals (education, housing, retirement)
Developing assets that work for you while you focus on living

The Questions This Pillar Answers:

With ongoing inflation, how will you ensure you don’t outlive the financial resources you saved?
How can your money work as hard for your future as you work in your present?
What wealth-building strategies align with your values and risk comfort?

Real-World Application: Think about it like this: If you stop working tomorrow due to health challenges or life changes, what income streams would continue flowing? Your GROW pillar is about creating financial momentum that doesn’t depend entirely on your daily labor.

What would financial growth that feels aligned and sustainable look like in your life?

🛡️ Pillar 2: PROTECT – Safeguarding What Matters

How will you shield your family and wealth from life’s unexpected storms?

Every well-built house needs a strong roof and solid protection against the elements. Your financial house needs the same—protection strategies that activate precisely when you need them most.

What This Pillar Addresses:

Income protection if you become unable to work
Family financial security if something happens to you
Healthcare coverage for medical emergencies and treatments
Asset protection from creditors, lawsuits, and unexpected liabilities

The Questions This Pillar Answers:

In the event of inability to work and provide an active income, how will you continue to pay for your daily expenses?
When you’re no longer around, how will the expenses you currently bear for your dependents be taken care of?
How do you ensure unexpected medical costs don’t destroy decades of wealth building?

Real-World Application: I learned this firsthand when my brain tumour struck. My income stopped, but my expenses didn’t. Medical bills arrived. Daily life continued. The question isn’t “Will unexpected events happen?” but “When they happen, will you be protected or exposed?”

What level of protection would let you sleep peacefully, knowing your family is secure no matter what?

🏛️ Pillar 3: PRESERVE – Securing Your Legacy

How will you ensure your life’s work continues serving those you love after you’re gone?

The most beautifully designed house needs a plan for the future—what happens to it when you’re no longer there to maintain it? Your financial house deserves the same thoughtful consideration.

What This Pillar Addresses:

Estate planning ensuring smooth wealth transfer to loved ones
Tax-efficient strategies preserving more wealth for beneficiaries
Trust structures protecting assets across generations
Legacy planning that reflects your values and life philosophy

The Questions This Pillar Answers:

In the event of death, how will you ensure your estate(s) are distributed safely and equitably?
How do you minimize taxes and legal complications for your family during their grieving?
What values and wisdom do you want to pass on alongside financial assets?

Real-World Application: Without proper planning, the wealth you spent a lifetime building can fade away through legal complications, family disputes, taxes, and poor asset management. Your PRESERVE pillar ensures your hard-earned resources continue blessing those you love, in the ways you choose.

What legacy would you want your life’s work to create for future generations?

Why Three Pillars Instead of Four (or More)?

You might notice I’ve simplified what used to be a more complex framework. Here’s why:

GROW encompasses wealth building and accumulation – it’s about creating and multiplying resources.

PROTECT covers both active income protection and dependent care – because protecting your income protects your dependents, and protecting your dependents means ensuring income continues if you can’t provide it.

PRESERVE handles estate distribution and legacy planning – it’s about ensuring everything you’ve built continues serving your intentions.

Three pillars. Simple. Clear. Each one essential. Remove any single pillar, and your financial house becomes unstable.

Which pillar feels strongest in your current financial planning, and which needs more attention?

The Beautiful Truth About Financial Planning

Here’s what I’ve discovered through building buildings and rebuilding lives: You wouldn’t want your financial resources to gradually disappear, and you can prevent that by putting in place these 3 pillars.

To date, no two persons have the same plans, because everyone has different priorities at different times. (Unless, of course, if they’re a husband-wife couple, and they want to implement the same plans at the same time.)

Your financial planning should be as unique as your fingerprint—designed specifically for your life, your dreams, your family, your values.

The products? They’re just the materials we use to build your plan. Just as I wouldn’t choose building materials before understanding what structure you need, I don’t recommend financial products before understanding what financial house you’re building.

Your Financial House Discovery

So when someone asks me “What products do you have?” my response is:

“Let’s first understand what house you’re trying to build. What do you need your financial plan to do for you? What storms do you need it to weather? What dreams do you want it to support?”

Then together, we’ll design the right structure with the right materials—your unique combination of protection, growth, and preservation strategies that serve your specific life.

The three pillars aren’t just concepts—they’re the foundation of every meaningful conversation I have with families about their financial future.

GROW: How will you build wealth that supports your dreams?
PROTECT: How will you shield what matters most from life’s uncertainties?
PRESERVE: How will your life’s work continue blessing those you love?

What would it feel like to have a financial plan designed as intentionally as a beautiful home—one that shelters your dreams and stands strong through any weather?

Ready to Design Your Financial House?

Want to explore how these three pillars might look in your unique situation? Maybe we can help each other discover what your ideal financial structure looks like.

I don’t start with products. I start with understanding—your circumstances, your dreams, your concerns, and your vision for the future. Then together, we design a plan that’s authentically yours.

I invite you to a complimentary 30-minute Financial House Discovery Session where we’ll:

Explore which of the three pillars feels strongest and which needs more support in your current situation
Discover what unique financial house design would serve your family’s specific needs and dreams
Uncover any gaps between the protection you think you have and what you actually need
Discuss how to integrate GROW, PROTECT, and PRESERVE strategies into one cohesive plan
Create a clear next step for building your financial house with intention and confidence

Schedule a Discovery Session here: https://cammietan.com/discovery-session

Because financial planning isn’t about buying products—it’s about designing a life structure that holds you and your loved ones, no matter what comes.

Disclaimer: This content has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any Singapore government agency. References to “Singapore” refer only to the geographical area served. The information is for general knowledge and educational purposes only, is accurate at the time of writing, and may be subject to change. It should not be considered financial or legal advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisory representative or legal advisor for personalised recommendations. E&OE.

About the author: Cammie currently holds a financial advisory license for distribution of insurance and collective investment scheme products, and has an Estate Succession Practitioner certification. Trained as an Architect and being a brain tumor survivor, she identifies herself as The Resilience Planner in Personal Finance. Her approach to financial advisory is consultative – she encourages her clients to be participative and ask questions. She believes that because Personal Finance is personal, she works with clients to create tailored solutions that suit each individual’s unique needs and life goals.