39-year old Tim Wright was thrilled when he was called for a meeting with several senior executives to discuss his future. Various rumours had been circulating around the office, linking him with an attractive-sounding vacancy over in the Far East. Much to his excitement, these suspicions proved to be correct and he was delighted to accept the opportunity to occupy a role as a Financial Controller in Singapore.
The big move came around incredibly quickly and before long, Tim and the family were sat in an aeroplane, soaring towards their new life. Of course, such a significant move had not been taken lightly, with Marie, his wife, expressing doubts over such a substantial upheaval. In contrast, though, their 9-year old twin daughters, Molly and Becky, seemed ecstatic, thrilled at the idea of living in the sun.
Inevitably, the weeks leading up to the departure had been something of a whirlwind, but in amongst the teary leaving parties and endless paperwork, Tim was pleased to have remembered to take out William Russell’s Global Income Protection plan, alongside the Global Health and Global Life plans arranged through his company. The plan offered him an insured benefit of $120,000, representing 75% of his annual salary. It proved to be an important decision.
The first few weeks flew by, and to Tim’s delight, the family settled into their new lives fairly effortlessly. The children were elated with their new school, much to Tim and Marie’s relief. However, it slowly became apparent that Tim’s new job was quite a bit more demanding than he had originally anticipated. Of course, he was well aware that the role would be challenging, but he became somewhat overwhelmed by the grueling working hours, extensive international travel and the stressful, highly pressurised environment.
Several months later, whilst away on a business trip to Thailand, disaster struck. Tim explains, ‘I hadn’t felt great for a few days, but I started to suffer severe chest pains and breathlessness. It was mid-way through a client meeting that I started to feel really faint and before I knew it, I was being rushed to hospital.’ Suffering with a suspected heart attack, Tim underwent triple heart bypass surgery, which rendered him unable to return to work.
Three months later, with no income, Tim claimed from his Global Income Protection plan. The monthly amounts of $10,000 that were paid to him were a great help, as was the high standard of customer care. A year later, with Tim still unable to return to work, the monthly payments he received increased to $10,200 per month, as a result of the 2% compound interest benefit.
He says, ‘Obviously it was a hugely stressful time, particularly for Marie, but William Russell were absolutely fantastic throughout. They were always helpful and courteous, dealing with our queries quickly and efficiently. I especially appreciated that they made a couple of unprompted courtesy calls, just to enquire as to how I was doing. We found their support very reassuring.’
After 24 months, Tim was medically assessed by an independent doctor to see whether he would be able to return to any occupation for which he is suited by training, education or experience. Thankfully, the doctor confirmed that Tim was fit enough to return, provided he went back to in a much less pressurised role.
Relieved to be able to get back to work, Tim managed to find a suitable job with a different firm. The new job was not dissimilar to the role he had occupied back home and represented an ideal new start. With the onset of this new employment, his benefit payments ceased and his cover was reinstated based on his new lower salary of $60,000, should there be any call for it in the future.
Tim is relishing his new start. He concludes, ‘I’m now really enjoying life out here in Singapore. The new job is brilliant, allowing me to spend much more time with the family. I’m incredibly thankful to William Russell, who were an absolute pleasure to deal with. I’ll definitely be referring them whenever I have the opportunity – I would recommend them to any expatriates unreservedly.’
Reproduced with kind permission Tim Wright.