Dear H & A, 

Growing up in Singapore, a prosperous and bustling city-state, I was shielded in many ways from the harsher realities of financial burdens. Our family never talked about money when I was your age. Your grandparents, though not rich nor highly educated, always managed to provide for us. They sacrificed silently, ensuring I never felt deprived or limited. 

But here’s the thing: I grew up not fully grasping the true value of money. How to earn it, save it, or invest it wasn’t part of my everyday vernacular. When I ventured out into the world, I was neither reckless nor particularly careful with money. I lived for the present, not feeling the need to save or plan for the future, because the future felt distant and undefined. 

When I met your mum, our shared sense of adventure and easy-going nature didn’t immediately change that perspective. The idea of ‘saving for a rainy day’ seemed abstract when the skies looked perpetually sunny. 

However, the arrival of you two changed everything. The responsibility of providing for a family, combined with the challenges of an increasingly inflated economy, suddenly made those sunny skies seem a little more unpredictable. Looking back, had I been more proactive in planning and understanding the intricacies of financial planning, perhaps we’d stand on slightly different grounds today. 

Now, as a parent, I deeply feel the need to equip you both with the financial literacy that I wish I’d been given. Not to instill in you a sense of fear or scarcity, but to give you the tools to navigate life’s unpredictable currents. Understanding money isn’t just about amassing wealth; it’s about having the freedom to make choices, weather life’s storms, and invest in your passions and dreams. 

Singapore, with its world-class education system, does offer some financial literacy programs. But real understanding comes from conversations at home, from understanding our family’s story, from setting goals, and from learning how to work backwards to achieve them. It’s about being prepared for life’s curveballs and knowing that while money isn’t everything, it’s a tool that can offer security, freedom, and opportunities. 

I promise you both this: we’ll embark on this financial literacy journey together. Because as your dad, I want nothing more than to see you both equipped, empowered, and confident in every aspect of life. 

With all my love, 

Dad

To be continued in Part 2…