His Mr. Suave moustache is iconic not only to his Sun Life branch but in all of the company’s awarding events. You see, “suave” translates to “charming, confident and elegant,” which 67-year-old Roberto dela Cruz, continues to radiate among his colleagues, clients and prospects.
Also known as Ah Thao or Duck Head to his close friends—because of his specialty food, duck misua—Robert has been a crowd favorite even before he joined the insurance industry 33 years ago.
“I do not feel that old! But in my younger years, I used to be a singer and party host. So, I spent and invested a lot on clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry as I always wanted to look and feel good, especially during my performances. But over the years, I have changed, and it is thanks to Sun Life,” he shares.
Sun Life taught him that real investments are assets that substantially appreciate in value through the years. Jewelry is one of them, but alongside insurance, real estate, and stocks.
He learned that smart financial choices and proper investments can create ripples on one’s financial state in the future, which he has fortunately experienced firsthand. These are lessons that he is committed to share to other Filipinos as long as he can, together with his wife, Lilian, who is also with Sun Life.
“When people ask me why they need more than one insurance product, I always tell them that buying more is a hedge or protection against time, inflation and taxes,” the award-winning financial advisor says.
“It is this belief in the value of life insurance policies as a real investment that I personally hold several of my own. If I have the luxury of time and money, I will not hesitate to buy more.”
His personal favorite among Sun Life products is the endowment plan because of its guaranteed features. This covers insurance plans with endowment benefits, perfect for the risk-averse who prefer fixed income from their investments.
And there are clients who have high appetite for variable-linked insurance (VUL), mostly the younger ones, like the millennials and zoomers (or Generation Z).
“The most important thing about investment, which I learned from Sun Life, is that in investing, there is no way to predict the future,” dela Cruz tells.
After all, investing is a long-term commitment. Should market crash, investors should stay on the course, and not feel unnerved or frightened.
“We should never make an investment decision based on emotions. There are two major emotional investment behaviors to avoid, and these are fear and greed. It is critical that we should develop discipline to stick with one’s investment goal. When you let fear and greed take control over you, your sense of direction will be turned upside down and your plans will all go wrong,” he cautions.
Learning and experiencing are never-ending processes, he comments. And every nugget of financial wisdom that he gets, Mr. Suave will always share to everyone.
“I am sure I still have a lot to learn and experience. Here is to more years of learning and experiencing with Sun Life!”
Roberto Dela Cruz is a Gold Macaulay Club Qualifier.
For more information and inquiries, visit the Sun Life website at https://www.sunlife.com.ph/en/.
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