An earthquake. No one could have predicted that would happen in Bangkok on 28 March 2025.
I was on a short holiday to the Thai capital with my sister. We were just settling down for lunch at the food court on the sixth floor of Platinum Fashion Mall when we felt the tremors.
Lunch of tom yum fried rice and fried morning glory
Mild as it was, there was a distinct swaying. Just for a few seconds. It seemed surreal at first. Having lived in Japan for two years, it was a familiar sensation to me. But this was Thailand, where earthquakes weren’t supposed to happen.
Instinctively, we ditched our tom yum fried rice and grabbed our belongings. In what seemed like a coordinated moment of consciousness, everyone around us started running towards the escalator.
When we descended to street level, there were congestion everywhere. People spilled onto the pavements and roads. Traffic came to a standstill. We didn’t stop running until we arrived at Pathum Wananurak Park.
If Death Do Us Part, You’d Be Okay
We stayed at the park, seated at the pavement, until about 4pm. Back at the hotel, we asked for a room change as there were many cracks in our original room.
Our room at Moxy Bangkok Ratchaprasong after the earthquake
As we tried to settle down for the night, I told my sister that I was ready to die. She gave me a funny look. I explained that I had already sorted out most of my estate related matters. Specifically, I have written my will, made my lasting power of attorney and CPF nomination, and all my “serious” money meant for retirement is parked in Providend’s portfolios.
As I sat on my hotel room bed in Bangkok and reflected on my life, there were no epiphanies. Just a deep sense of peace. And it came from two main sources.
Firstly, if I were to pass on, I would have gone knowing that my family would be fine. In fact, the night before I left for Bangkok, I had hand-written a list of my assets: bank account, credit card details, insurance plans and on-going expenses, subscriptions and account login information. I also told my mum where I will keep the list, along with my will. To be honest, this isn’t something I typically do prior to my trips. Just this time. And I’m glad I did.
Secondly, I’ve had the privilege to experience many peaks and the troughs in life. Personally, I don’t think I’d be able to truly appreciate life’s sweetness without its bitterness. It’s a package deal. My only regret is that I should have travelled more.
Life’s Essentials
That night, we decided to pack our getaway bag, just in case we had to flee in the middle of the night. I even wore my getaway clothes to bed. I realized that every item that I put in my bag must count. I thought about what’s truly essential for my survival. It’s a short list. If I wanted to bring more items with me, it’s going to weigh me down and I may not be able to move as quickly.
Contents of my getaway bag
It’s the same for our lives. If we think deeply about what really matters to us, the list is probably a short one. It will help us prioritize our time, money and effort, and keep things simple. Everything else is a “good to have”.
Never Waste an Earthquake
Upon my return to Singapore, my parents, sister and I went to get our Advance Medical Directive done. I also wasted no time in reminding my friends and family to start on their estate planning.
One of my friends told me: “If I’m dead, I won’t need to worry about what happens to my money and my property”.
That’s true. It’s the living who must deal with it.
Going through bereavement is painful enough. Trying to figure out the intentions of a deceased loved one, tracking down the various bank and investment accounts, settling outstanding bills and scrubbing their digital footprints at the same time, that’s excruciating. And it needn’t be so.
If You Haven’t Started on End-Of-Life Planning and Don’t Know Where to Begin, Here Are Some Resources:
This is probably more important than a will. Having a lasting power of attorney means appointing someone you trust who can help make financial and welfare decisions when you lose mental capacity due to an accident or illness.
Writing a will gives you full control on how your assets will be distributed. If you pass on without a will, intestacy laws determine who will receive your assets and it will also take a longer time for your assets to be distributed.
Your CPF monies are not distributed via your will. Instead, you can nominate who will inherit your CPF savings and how much they will receive. Without a nomination, your CPF funds will be distributed by the Public Trustee’s Office to your family members based on intestacy laws.
Should you suffer a terminal illness and become unconscious, this legal document (signed in advance) will inform the medical professionals treating you that you do not want to prolong your life via any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment.
In the event that you are no longer able to decide and speak for yourself, this document captures your preferences for health and personal care and will guide your loved ones and the attending medical professionals on the quality of life you expect.
If it’s all a little overwhelming for you, you don’t have to navigate this alone. Seek a trusted adviser who will guide and journey with you. Someone who will walk alongside you so you can have clarity to live a good life.
This is an original article written by Annette Lee, Client Adviser at Providend, the first fee-only wealth advisory firm in Southeast Asia and a leading wealth advisory firm in Asia.
For more related resources, check out:
1. 4 LPA Case Studies You Should Know
2. Later-Life Planning: Living Your Later Life with Dignity
3. Assets That Cannot Be Distributed Via A Will | CPF Monies & Joint Assets
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