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Entry level financial education books frequently even if not always highlight Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad series of books. Yet the Rich Dad series by Robert Kiyosaki are widely described as brash, unconventional, and even confrontational. Its confrontational posture, often striking a stark contrast between the author's two fathers (the rich dad and poor dad) lead to allegations and insinuations that the author was being unfair in his description of the poor dad. The original

Come war, oil supply shocks or a change in hegemony in the global economy, the belief is the Government is capable of and will take care of you. Inflation, interest rate, money supply, credit supply and even food on the table will all be taken care off to perfection by the Government of the day? Indeed, there are people who may even believe that water finds its level - that wealth will be redistributed from the rich to the poor! More taxes will be paid by the rich, and that

Again, die With Zero came highly recommended to me, perhaps for its insistence of shocking the average person (in this part of the world) into considering their 'autopilot' and deciding what to live their life for. If, according to the book, you are of a certain decent amount of income and assets, then you could spend your money on a designer latte or cappucino, or you could spend your wealth in a faraway beach somewhere, as long as it is a conscious decision. After all, mem

Die With Zero came highly recommended to me, perhaps for its insistence of shocking the average person (in this part of the world) into considering their 'autopilot' and deciding what to live their life for. If, according to the book, you are of a certain decent amount of income and assets, then you could spend your money on a designer latte or cappucino, or you could spend your wealth in a faraway beach somewhere, as long as it is a conscious decision. After all, memories,

One of the frustrations of investing from this part of the world is the seeming emphasis on investing in the USA, a jurisdiction which is extremely liquid and therefore easy to enter and exit as an investor. Most investors invest in this faraway jurisdiction that they may or may not understand. For the average person on the street, they may not have seen or experienced life in the this country half way across the world. Is there any way that you can support local industries,

This blog post is admittedly pre-reading thoughts on the book Die with Zero, which this blogger will read soon. The book is a subject of great local word of mouth, and, it is understood, indirectly only, suggests a certain budgetting for fun and leisure based on an individual’s age - an individual’s idea of fun in their twenties is different from an individual’s idea of fun in their seventies. An individual shouldn’t have to wait till retirement before experiencing fun and

It's still holiday season for some people, I know. Hari Raya, for some people, is pretty much now. Its an occasion for some to go on an excursion. An outing. Or spend some time away from home. Attention goes towards the loved ones. Or friends and family. Who wants to read a book? In other words, we're a quarter of the way into the year and some feel they already need a deserved break. There is no time to read about new literature. The Education of a Value Investor Of all t

It's still holiday season for some people. Hari Raya, for example, is around the corner. Its an occasion for some to go on an excursion. An outing. Or spend some time away from home. Attention goes towards the loved ones. Or friends and family. Who wants to read a book? In other words, we're a quarter of the way into the year and some feel they already need a deserved break. There is no time to read about new literature. Warren Buffett's Ground Rules Of all the possibiliti

What's there not to like if one is, for example, raking it in as a professional in engineering, or any other profession? Engineering in particular, as an example, is one of the highest paid jobs possible in this part of the world. As construction of infrastructure or other developments continues to take flight, those in such related professions have nothing to complain about. Life is good, after all. And one is therefore worried about complacency and reaching a plateau in l

For some readers, businss may already be good. Revenues are coming in and your net worth may be increasing, modestly. You're already jetsetting through Asia or even holidaying in the Maldives. There is not much else that you could ask for! Is there anything more you could hope for? It is not to say that one is complacent, but you are already committed to a steady business and the business is taking up your efforts as it is. In that context, your time is already money and t

Investing is an entirely different world. If you're an employee or working professional, nothing from school or higher education prepares you for the world of investing in the stock market. Are you seriously ready to critically analyse a prosectus, circular or annual report? What are all the stock exchange filings that you need to know about? Even if you have come across them at work, relying on such information to grow your money is something else entirely. For this reason,

Many people find investing difficult. Just the very idea of it is a put-off. It's always hard to get the ball rolling. Between a day-job, house chores and family commitments, it is hard to imagine finding the time to fix your financial situation, immediately. Everybody's situation is different and there is no one-size-fits-all for getting out of or improving your financial situation. Nobody can really give you straight answers for your predicament. Re-Read The Book One way o

It is easy to regard investing in public international markets as some sort of validation and confirmation of your abilities and aptitudes. How in tune are you with the latest artificial intelligence and technological breakthroughs. How in tune are you to any of the other latest fads and trends to grip the world (such as blind box labubu dolls)? Are you on top of the latest global developments to the extent that you can invest and make money in them? Are you better than ev

Everybody wants to be Warren Buffett. The grandmaster of investing has plenty to offer, with a comprehensive record of shareholder letters and other materials, spun off to elaborate on his investing philosophy. Yet Buffett himself had suggested that there were a couple of ways to take after him - his previous cigar butt investing approach and the current wonderful company investing approach. He has hinted in lesser words that new investors may obtain better returns by invest

Reports are rife that recent trade and tariff wars, disruptive politics and a charge towards the latest artificial intelligence technology is created an extremely volatile investing environment. Commodity prices have recently skyrocketed, whilst there has been a receeding of prices of big tech in the latest weeks. Is it safe to invest in such a condition? Do you risk losing everything because of the turbulent prices? How do you stay patient and calm in everyday life in such

If you were in the rat race working your tails off for years or decades, you could be forgiven for not knowing what to do with yourself post-retirement. For this reason, many well-off professionals decline to opt for early retirement, preferring instead to collect a steady paycheque, working at a steady pace. Not everybody opts to subscribe for the concept of Financial Independence, Retire Early (also known as FI/RE). Not everybody who reads about the concept buys the idea t

You would be forgiven, understood even, if you said you believed in long time employment service and therefore job security. Job security encourages a better performance at work, it is argued, and employees enjoy financial security that comes in return. Nothing beats the feeling of being wanted in your job, and contributing to the financial success of a successful enterprise. Conversely, you fear the lack of job security. How will you pay your bills and mortgages if you did

You would be forgiven, understood even if you were to say that your home is an asset. The roof over your head gives you a sense of shelter, security and safety that cannot be replaced. Indeed, can you imagine, touch wood, what life would be like if you were homeless? Nothing can replace the emotional bonds that are built out with loved ones in the privacy of one’s home as well. The home is a safe space from which partnerships are formed and children find the ability to expr

There is a general tendency amongst some to exaggerate problems or otherwise to exaggerate the potential of certain investments to turn out badly. Yours truly can also be guilty in certain circumstances of being overly pessimistic. It is a habitual, factual tendency amongst some. Pessimism bias, skepticism or a tendency to see the downside in any transaction, with less or no consideration of the upside or the returns , can be a good defence mechanism in terms of everyday out

There is a general tendency amongst some to exaggerate returns or otherwise to exaggerate the potential of certain expectations to turn out well. Yours truly is also guilty of being overly optimistic. It is a habitual, factual tendency amongst some. Optimism bias, or a tendency to see the upside in any transaction, with less or no consideration of the downside or the risks, can be a boon in terms of everyday outlook in life. It can also be detrimental when trying to anticipa