18 May 2021

SOURCE: CPF Board

Growing up, we have all had moments where our parents would guide us on what to do, and how to behave. In fact, our parents are often our first sources of information throughout our lives, imparting their knowledge to us in the hopes of helping us grow. Since they are older and wiser, it makes sense that this teaching process is typically skewed one way. But is that always the case?

It starts with family

As it turns out, there are times where the younger generation can become the pioneers of change for the older generation. There is no better demonstration of this than Ms. Chin Zan Xin, who – remarkably – coaches her parents on planning for retirement. It’s not as far-fetched as it may seem!

Change hardly comes easy, as can be seen from the process through which Ms. Chin convinced her parents of the benefits of CPF. While initially a sceptic herself, Ms. Chin managed to learn more about CPF through research and attending the talks held by the CPF Board, as well as via the 1M65 movement. With a better understanding of how CPF works, Ms. Chin came to appreciate the importance of managing her CPF savings in order to secure her desired retirement lifestyle. Armed with this knowledge, she sought to teach her family as well, so that they also work towards a better retirement themselves. But this was  not an easy feat , since her family had reservations about CPF just like she used to.

Knowing that simply telling her parents about CPF would be futile, Ms. Chin chose to lead by example, topping up her own CPF account on a regular basis to demonstrate the benefits of doing so. After a year, she showed her parents the growth in her savings thanks to the attractive interest rate, and the rest is history. Ever since then, the Chin household has embraced the idea of regularly topping up their CPF accounts. But Ms. Chin’s educational journey did not stop there; whenever her parents share with her any mistaken information they’d heard from elsewhere, she would take it upon herself to do the proper research by looking up the official CPF webpages and correcting any misconceptions. Truly a teacher at heart!

The more the merrier

Naturally, Ms. Chin’s goodwill was not restricted to just her parents. In addition to her boyfriend, whom she has brought to several talks and seminars about maximising one’s CPF savings, she has also introduced her friends to the benefits of CPF. 

According to Ms. Chin, while it may have been easier to stay apathetic, she felt that she should instead spread the know-how with others as a CPF volunteer. Why? Because in her own words, “for all you know, this small act might actually have a huge impact in navigating the person to a better retirement. So the question was more of ‘why not?’.”

Now, Ms. Chin looks forward to meeting new friends at talks and events, as well as sharing her knowledge of financial planning and CPF with more people. As someone who has made the journey from not believing in it to appreciating the benefits of CPF, Ms. Chin understands well why people might be reluctant to change their stance on the matter. However, her experiences have also taught her more effective methods of convincing them, such as giving them bits of information at a time instead of overwhelming them all at once. Thanks to the efforts of Ms. Chin in giving back to the community, more people have benefitted and are actively working towards securing their desired retirement lifestyle!

Inspired by Ms. Chin’s actions and giving spirit? You too can become a CPF Volunteer like her! The Community Paying it Forward movement allows everyday heroes like Ms. Chin to help others in their social circles better understand CPF schemes and make informed decisions on using their CPF savings! ​Find out ​more about the movement here​, and take the first step to becoming a CPF Volunteer today!