AT 25, Mahia Alfereti admits she was never naturally wired to think far ahead.
“When I was younger, I didn’t deal with uncertainty well. I was usually the type to put things off until I absolutely had to deal with it. I still tend to sit on big decisions for a while to think about all the possible outcomes and weigh out the pros and cons before I commit to anything.”
From Oinafa, Rotuma with maternal links to Vanuabalavu, Lau, Mahia now works as a graduate actuarial analyst at BSP Life.
Long-term financial planning, she says, was not always front of mind.
“Planning ahead does not come naturally to me at all. In some ways, I still am of the mindset to just focus on one thing at a time and deal with what’s in front of me right now.”
Facing the doubts
Life insurance only became real when she entered the workforce.
“I hadn’t considered life insurance as a realistic option until I started working at BSP Life. At the time, my attention was focused on shifting from study mode to a corporate lifestyle and getting serious about building my life as a young professional.”
She says that meant figuring out how to balance financial independence, office life and other obligations as a working adult.
“The major doubt I had was affordability. As a recent graduate and young professional, I was still in the very early stages of building my savings and wasn’t sure if life insurance was viable for me.”
Even after receiving her quotation, she paused.
“I took a good while to go through scenarios on what my finances would look like if I committed to a life insurance policy. For the first time, I was seriously looking ahead long term to picture how the benefits could help me with goals down the line such buying a home, potentially supporting my future children and retirement.”
It takes a village
The first people she turned to for advice were her parents.
“When I told them I was considering getting covered, they were very encouraging. I didn’t know until then that they were BSP Life customers or that my dad had multiple life insurance policies. I felt reassured that I was making a good decision and decided to go for it. It took me about a month from getting a quotation to finally signing my policy terms.”
Her decision was also shaped by communal values.
“The ‘it takes a village’ culture does influence how I see my place in my family and community. It doesn’t feel obligatory but more about wanting to be someone that others can lean on.
“I want to put myself in a position to support my community in their times of need because at some point, I know I’ll face my own challenges. When that time does come, I hope that my ‘village’ will lift me up in the same way.”
A psychological shift
The shift, she says, was less about money and more about mindset.
“Taking on a life insurance policy was one of the first major financial choices that I made and paid for completely independently. It felt exciting to reach that milestone and opened my eyes to more opportunities to secure my finances in the future.”
Her message to other young people is simple.
“Say yes and just get started. I find that lingering too long on the what ifs and the minute details is more harmful than useful.”
