You probably know your salary. Do you know this number?

Ask someone in their late twenties what she earns and she'll tell you within a few hundred dollars. Ask how much critical illness coverage she actually needs, and most people have never once worked out the answer.

Here's the number, from research into Singapore's protection gap: the average economically active adult needs about $316,603 in critical illness coverage. The average adult holds $59,776. That's less than a fifth of what's needed, and it's the kind of gap that stays invisible right up until it isn't.

Part of why it exists is a belief a lot of people carry without saying out loud: I have insurance, so I'm covered. A health economist studying this exact mismatch found the opposite is closer to true. Most people assume their coverage handles everything a major illness throws at them, when a large share of that cost is income loss and ongoing expenses a basic policy was never built to absorb.

For someone early in their career, this usually isn't a today problem. There's no diagnosis forcing the question, no scare pushing it up the list. That's precisely why now is the better time to look, not later. Coverage is cheaper and easier to secure while you're young and healthy, and the gap between $59,776 and $316,603 doesn't close on its own just because more years go by.

This isn't a pitch to max out your coverage. It's an invitation to see your actual number, based on your income and what you're already holding, instead of guessing at it.

If you want to find out what your number looks like, we're happy to walk through it with you, no strings attached.