About Hassanuddin Bin Mohamed
Hassanuddin Bin Mohamed
Financial Advisory Director SingCapital Pte Ltd |
Mortgage planning and beyond… Fresh from National Service (NS) at the age of 24, young Hassanuddin was looking around in a career fair. A particular booth attracted his attention. A sincere and motherly-looking lady was standing there; she was a manager representing an insurance company. Hassanuddin approached the booth and the lady started introducing him to a career as an insurance agent. What she described was almost similar to his dream job… Hassanuddin had always wanted a flexible career which would allow him to bring home a steady monthly paycheque, and also one which could give him enough time for his own lifestyle. He wanted to have the freedom to enjoy mountain biking in the morning, attend weekday classes in the afternoon, and spend time with his family in the evenings. He also wanted a career which would allow him a week’s or a month’s break whenever he desired. All these, while having an income comparable to a regular job. The lady at the booth told him that he could achieve all of that through hard work and dedication in the insurance industry. With that, Hassanuddin told himself that there was nothing wrong with giving a career in the insurance industry a shot. But like many others who ventured in the same move, Hassanuddin received many objections at the start of his career. Comments like, “Go get a proper job!” and “What a waste – study so hard and end up as a salesman!” came from all over. His parents were also worried about the job’s uncertain income, and his own siblings were not impressed with his career choice. To make things worse, insurance sales was not as easy as he thought it would be. The income that he desired was definitely far from his reach. To bridge the gap, he worked closely with his manager, who patiently taught him the ropes of the industry. As time progressed, those around him saw how serious he was in his job. His family overcame their own objections and soon began supporting him in what he did. It took him 3 years before Hassanuddin managed to stabilise his career and close to 7 years before it took off successfully. Throughout this time, Hassanuddin highlights his wife, Serlynna Fong, as his source of strength and inspiration. “The fact that I am now a husband and a father gave me so much positive stress to work harder,” he says. In 2005, the highly-driven individual wanted to take one step further in his career. After years of matching his clients to the right insurance, he wanted to do more for them. Something that is more holistic. He started looking at the different financial advisory firms, but realised that most of them were restricted to just selling insurance. One day, he came across SingCapital, and found out that the company has a more dynamic approach to financial planning for its Consultants and clients, providing mortgage, investment, protection and estate planning. For Hassanuddin, the opportunity to work with clients and their mortgages was particularly attractive. He shares, “A mortgage loan is a person’s biggest liability in his lifetime. Under- or over-budgeting can bring undesirable financial consequences in the future. And this would definitely affect the whole family – from the spouse to their children.” Having vowed to advise his clients to the best of his ability, Hassanuddin has come a long way since his days in the insurance industry. Excelling in SingCapital, he is now a private property and HDB mortgage expert who leads his clients to the best fit mortgage. Hassanuddin had the opportunity to present on mortgage planning in front of a 150-strong crowd in an auditorium in 2011. The numerous queries after the presentation gave the Financial Consultant the validation that his presentation had been impactful enough for people to come forward, question, and find out more. Being able to empower consumers with knowledge makes Hassanuddin certain that he is in the right industry, able to lead individuals to their financial freedom.
Achieving 20% upside in both his revenue and sales every single year since 2008, Hassanuddin is further motivated to maintain his growth for more years to come. Amidst all his success, he has never forgotten the importance of contentment and continual improvement in his life. Whether it’s his personality, his income, or the relationship he has with his clients and colleagues, Hassanuddin continually strives to be better every passing day of the year.
“While we should always be thankful to God that we are provided with all the right tools to survive, we should also use our contentment to push ourselves to be better than before,” he says. Apart from God and his wife, Hassanuddin is thankful to his two mentors, Alfred Chia and Alson Kong, who have continually encouraged him throughout his career as a Financial Consultant with SingCapital. |