By day, Ms Farhanah Zamri is a financial representative, crafting tailored financial plans for her clients. By night, she becomes an entrepreneur, putting in the hours to grow her own cosmetics brand. 

“Night time is my favourite time to work on the business – whether it’s creating marketing content for Instagram, or testing the formulation and colouring for my lip balms,” she says.

Anassentials, which she started in late 2021, is the 26-year-old’s pride and joy. It is also an achievement she credits her day job as a financial representative with Prudential Singapore (Prudential). 

Finding the flexibility and freedom to pursue her passions

When Ms Farhanah first joined her agency three years ago, Prudential helped her ease into the job through its Management Associate Programme (MAP). Under the in-house programme, new financial representatives are given a monthly allowance while undergoing on-the-job training to develop the skills necessary for advising clients and managing portfolios, as well as gain knowledge about Prudential’s solutions.

Ms Farhanah says having the monthly allowance gave her the confidence to start her business about a year into her job.

“I had to buy a double boiler and make repeat purchases of ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter to experiment with and make the lip products, so having a stable job that could support this investment gave me peace of mind,” she explains. 

Besides the MAP, Ms Farhanah also underwent rigorous training through Prudential’s Financial Consultant Induction Programme to become IBF (Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore)-certified (Level 1). Through e-learning, in-person lectures and role-playing, the programme equipped Ms Farhanah with knowledge on topics like compliance guidelines and client advisory. 

Taking the initiative, she also learned to develop budgeting and cash flow management skills, as well as risk assessment techniques, all of which gave her the know-how to do business planning for Anassentials.

Additionally, the supportive work culture within her agency, where mentors freely shared their experiences on engaging customers effectively, managing their time well and navigating challenging situations, enabled her to develop interpersonal skills.   

The flexible lifestyle has always appealed to Ms Farhanah, who knew since she was a teenager that a deskbound, 9-to-5 job was not for her. Following a stint as a cabin crew member, she decided to make the leap into insurance, as she sought a career that was “more fulfilling” and would give her full control over her hours. 

Being a financial representative allows her the freedom to choose her workspace and work hours. She can work on her business between appointments, pop by her parents’ place for lunch or dinner, and attend Pilates classes regularly. 

Even as she is focused on supporting her clients, Ms Farhanah has plans to scale her business – a dream she is confident to pursue thanks to the financial freedom and job independence she enjoys, and the skills she has picked up in her day job.

“I used to be very shy, but I have since learned to come out of my shell and improve my conversational skills, which in turn has helped me communicate better with both sets of clients. I’m very proud of the person that I have become.”

Growing into her potential

Like Ms Farhanah, Ms Jocelyn Woo was in her early 20s too when she joined Prudential as a financial representative. 

A graphic designer by training, the 34-year-old was initially apprehensive about joining the insurance industry. 

However, her desire to step out of her comfort zone and be able to make a direct impact on people’s lives, as well as the positive culture in her team at Prudential, inspired her to make the move.

“I thrive on the dynamic nature of this role – getting to assist clients with their real-life crises, being able to make a positive impact on their long-term financial well-being and helping them to pursue their goals with peace of mind,” she says.

For example, when a long-time client was diagnosed with breast cancer in her late 30s, the financial planning that Ms Woo had done with her earlier on to address her protection gaps was crucial in helping her cover her medical expenses and provide much-needed financial support during recovery. 

“By educating my clients on the importance of future planning for themselves and their financial dependents, I can also help safeguard their families’ financial well-being,” she says.

From rookie to financial adviser leader-in-training

With guidance and motivation from her financial adviser (FA) leader and mentor, Ms Woo relentlessly sought out opportunities to better herself. 

Early in her career, the monthly allowance from the MAP provided the financial stability to invest in growing her customer base. She also dedicated time to courses on interpersonal skills and financial knowledge. 

Now a senior wealth manager at Prudential Financial Advisers Singapore, Prudential’s financial advisory arm launched in April 2023, Ms Woo relishes the freedom to carve out her career and live out her purpose throughout her 11-year journey in the industry.

She is a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), an independent global association of insurance and financial services professionals, where she gets to learn and gain insights from MDRT members from around the world to enhance the way she supports her clients.

Ms Woo also values the diverse career and educational opportunities at Prudential (see “Helping new financial representatives shape their own success” above) – such as financial and legacy planning, and leadership roles.

Her current mission is to change public perceptions of proper financial planning, helping people safeguard against rising inflation and life’s uncertainties. She aims to start by perpetuating a positive team culture and becoming an FA leader to nurture more wealth managers. 

“Financial representatives play an important role in helping our clients achieve their life goals more effectively. Proper and holistic financial planning is not simply about selling insurance products,” says Ms Woo.

“I want to inspire more financial representatives to make a real difference in their clients' lives, so that they can help more people tackle rising costs, and pursue both their personal and professional goals with confidence.”

Visit this website to learn more about a career as a financial representative with Prudential.