Samsung Financial Networks joins Money Festa
Visitors from their 20s to their 60s seek financial advice
Retirement planning, tax savings and care coverage reviewed
Job seekers eye careers while watching advisers at work
"I didn't even know how much the insurance premium was — my parents had signed me up for it."
The Samsung Financial Networks booth at Herald Money Festa 2026, held Friday and Saturday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, drew visitors at every stage of life — from people in their 20s and 30s looking to review policies their parents had taken out for them, to middle-aged attendees weighing the cost of long-term care in retirement. On the first day of the event alone, about 200 people received consultations — 130 at Samsung Life Insurance and 70 at Samsung Fire.
Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire began each session by reviewing a visitor's income type and financial goals. Attendees filled out a questionnaire covering their date of birth, employer and job title, as well as their income type and average annual earnings. Advisers then used that information as a springboard for more detailed questions.
Consultations covered not only assets of interest — savings, securities products, real estate and public pensions — but also the specific financial goals behind them. Particularly popular were sessions reviewing the coverage scope and expiration dates of existing indemnity insurance policies, along with explanations of how coverage differs across generations and what gaps may need to be filled.
"We start by looking at monthly income, but also at goals like marriage or plans for children," one Samsung Life Insurance adviser said. "We then work out how much will be needed at each stage of life and advise on how to divide that across investment products, tax-exempt instruments and pension plans."
Young visitors stood out for their active engagement. Many took careful notes during consultations or photographed the informational materials on display. One visitor in her 20s from Seoul said she had been told that the policy her parents took out for her was weighted toward one-time coverage and that she should consider restructuring it to focus more on treatment costs.
Middle-aged visitors were largely focused on retirement planning and tax-saving strategies. Even those who already held multiple insurance policies used the opportunity to check whether their post-retirement coverage would be sufficient. Long-term care costs — expenses that could eventually fall on their children — drew particular attention.
A visitor in her 50s from Seongbuk-gu in Seoul said that after reviewing her policies on Saturday, she found her care coverage was lacking. "I'd like to look into long-term care insurance so I don't become a burden on my children later on," she said.
Self-employed visitors received tailored advice covering everything from appropriate executive salaries and dividend and severance structures to inheritance and gift planning for their children. Consultations were divided between sole proprietors and incorporated business owners. Sole proprietors focused on personal asset management and retirement preparation, while incorporated business owners showed greater interest in managing corporate retirement pension plans and strategies for building severance funds for both executives and employees.
For those hoping to break into the financial sector, the booth offered a rare chance to observe industry professionals up close. Kim Kyung-min, 25, said he enjoyed watching advisers from a company he hopes to join explain products to customers and was able to ask them about recent business developments. "It made me want to join the company and meet visitors at a booth like this myself someday," he said.
At one corner of the booth, visitors rolled a pair of oversized dice to enter a prize draw, cheering when their target number came up. Prizes varied by number and included travel-size shower sets, wet wipes, paper towels, exfoliating towels and bandages.
Nearby, a pinball event invited visitors to drop a ball down a standing game board and watch where it landed. Those whose ball stopped in a winning zone were rewarded with charging cables or a spin on a roulette wheel.
forest@heraldcorp.com
kyoung@heraldcorp.com
snsd@heraldcorp.com
