This may be a hard pill for most of us to swallow, but good financial management and sound advice form the bedrock of our lives – giving us the freedom to pursue our dreams, and the capacity to live life to the fullest.

No matter the occupation and earning power, each one of us have our own unique financial situation to handle – something that our education system has not equipped us for.

My closest friendships were forged during the times I was in secondary school. I recall those days in Concert Band where I spent most of my time hanging out with my bandmates. Years of going through intensive camps and practices together created many fond memories for me – and naturally spending time together meant going to the cinema, having meals together, and having lots of fun!

But as years went by, the number of opportunities we had to spend time together became fewer and fewer. While surely we became busier with our own individual schedules and lifestyles, but… in hindsight, it always boiled down to the same thing – having enough pocket money to go out together. While I consider myself truly fortunate to have had enough to get by, I knew that not everyone of my closest friends could safely say the same. I remember thinking to myself that I’d be willing to pay first for our meals, just so that everyone was able to spend time together, just like the good old days.

Then came years of entering adulthood where all of us started stumbling into various career paths – some of us experimented with different careers, while some of us found our way to our passions. A close friend in particular, Adam* (not his real name), is one such individual.

Despite a rocky start to his academic journey, he was always the hardest worker in the room; being resourceful and searching for different ways of earning an income.

Eventually, he fought hard past mere survival and supporting his family to drawing a handsome 5-figure salary each month as a young adult. Yet, things weren’t all rosy as he found himself living paycheck to paycheck, spending to an extent that he barely had any savings. I recall nights where Adam would text me about how stressed up he was, so I did what I could to offer him a listening ear.

These experiences reminded me time and again that of how I was in a position of privilege, having experienced the comfort of having the finances to engage in the activities I wanted to. Knowing that my parents spent their working years paving the way for me, I was able to have a peace of mind to save and spend within my means.

Till this day, I have immense gratitude for having the opportunity to build my own identity and perspective towards personal finance. I hold the stories of my growing up years, of my beloved friends, close to my heart.
It is the life stories of those dearest to me, of friends like Adam, of young people similarly navigating through adulthood just like I am. It is stories of struggle and the desire for freedom that drives me to step into financial planning.

Because I know with the right skills and knowledge, I could potentially alleviate someone’s burden, lift the weight of financial planning off their shoulders, and assure them that their futures were well planned out. That I could help someone sleep more soundly at night, knowing that they feel empowered to protect their selves and their own futures.

Today, I have decided to impact the lives of others by walking with them through thick and thin. With everything I have, I will continuously strive to sharpen my knowledge and professional skills to impact as many lives as possible.