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  • World Finance: Hong Kong's mortality protection gap is now more than $500bn,

  • according to reinsurer Swiss Re. How can this gap be closed?

  • Joining me is Candy Yuen from HSBC Insurance Hong Kong.

  • Candy, it's a big question, but what can be done?

  • Candy Yuen: Yes indeed.

  • The mortality gap in Hong Kong per working person with dependents is ranked the second

  • highest in Asia.

  • According to our own study, more than three in five people with self-paid cover do not

  • know the actual pay-out from the policies, or they don't think that it's enough.

  • The coverage is not only about protecting your loved ones when you die; we also need

  • to consider coverage for critical illness, or outliving your savings at retirement.

  • So we also have to think about protection in a holistic manner.

  • At HSBC, we're committed to address this mortality gap issue, by creating the awareness

  • and also offering the right products.

  • We launched the HSBC Retirement Monitor last year, to help people plan for retirement,

  • and we also launched, for example, a comprehensive critical illness plan, and a term online product

  • what we call the HSBC Term Protector.

  • A very simple term online that you can buy within five minutes, without any need for

  • medical underwriting.

  • World Finance: As you say, you have launched this retirement planning toolan award

  • winning retirement planning tooltell me more; how does it work?

  • Candy Yuen: So it's basically to answer the fundamental question: how much do I need,

  • when I retire in Hong Kong?

  • And we try to give how much you need for basic retirement life, comfortable, and affluent

  • retirement life.

  • Based on real data, statistics, and analytics on retirees' consumption behaviours.

  • So a single person retiring needs about $3,000 per month, as their expenditure for a comfortable

  • retirement.

  • So: think about that.

  • The average woman's life expectancy is about 86 years.

  • So if you want to retire at 60 years old, you have 26 years needing $3,000 per month:

  • even if you exclude inflation you're talking about a million US dollars that you have to plan.

  • When you start having these conversations, then you start to understand: wow, you know,

  • I do need to start planning, perhaps now in my 30s, rather than in my 50s.

  • So having this awareness, to start planning

  • or at least having the conversation earlierdefinitely helps.

  • World Finance: But is consumer behaviour changing?

  • Are people saving more?

  • Candy Yuen: I think people start to at least be aware that this is a problem, or a challenge that

  • they can’t just hide from.

  • Because people in Hong Kong do care deeply about savings for retirement.

  • The last thing they want is to create a financial burden for their kids or their loved ones.

  • However, not every one of us knows exactly how to prepare for retirement, and exactly

  • how much we need to save for retirement and starting from when.

  • So those are the questions that people are struggling with.

  • Because you either start saving earlier, and more disciplined.

  • Or you have to adjust your realistic assumption,

  • what kind of retirement lifestyle youll be having.

  • World Finance: What particular challenges do you face understanding and communicating

  • with modern consumers?

  • Candy Yuen: Nowadays I think digital becomes an integral part of our daily lives.

  • Absolute relevance is the only entry point.

  • Because if you think about it, how many irrelevant messages do you get every day?

  • So, getting a better understanding in terms of how people behave, and how people think.

  • What clicks with them.

  • It's absolutely critical.

  • At HSBC we invest heavily in customer analytics, big data, customer insight.

  • We regularly commission a study on understanding online behaviours of our target segments,

  • and also the broader market segments as well.

  • Because through this we can actually develop products that are most relevant, and also

  • create and add value to our customers.

  • And in this way we aim to develop the right products, and provide them at the right time,

  • and via the right channel, as well.

  • Because nowadays with digital technology advancement we have new media,

  • new platforms to interact with our customers.

  • And so that's why we are crazy and passionate about this customer-centricity approach.

  • Because only then we can win the hearts and the minds of our customers.

  • World Finance: Candy; thank you.

  • Candy Yuen: Thank you.

  • Thanks for watching.

  • You can find out more about effective retirement planning at www.worldfinance.com.

  • And please subscribe for more pensions and insurance news, as well as all the latest

  • insights from World Finance.

World Finance: Hong Kong's mortality protection gap is now more than $500bn,

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