There isn’t anything special to me about the New Year. Getting better doesn’t happen with one statement you make once a year. Getting better is a campaign of discipline.
Jocko Willink
Disclaimer: This isn’t a typical post of mine, aimed at providing insights and value on a personal finance topic. It’s more of a self-serving reflection on my own personal finances, and an affirmation of what I’m trying to achieve at TheWealthMeta. Read at your own discretion
2025 has been a year of affirmations and enjoying the fruits of my labour. Executing plans and exercising money with less care for penny pinching, even for the largest purchases of my life. Doubling down on TheWealthMeta. Meeting new people within the industry.
I’m not one to usually share the more personal aspects of my life and my plans for TheWealthMeta, but allow me to indulge on this rare occasion. For you, this might serve two purposes:
- Some disclosures and perspectives about my own personal finances (which some people have reached out to me requesting me to disclose more about myself), and
- Further clarity (and a minor update) on the principles of TheWealthMeta, how it will operate, and the type of content it will have moving forward
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2025
Net worth appreciation: I likely will end 2025 with a 9% higher net worth. The beauty of the simple and boring portfolio is that I grow my net worth with almost zero effort. Overall market movements and FX fluctuations dictate my portfolio significantly more than improving my savings rate or optimising investment decisions.
Home purchase: I’ve been renting for a long time, and 2025 was the year I was ready to pull the trigger. It’s not a “rational” financial decision. But I decided it was time to establish a home. I deployed the exact strategies I wrote about in my post that everyone should purchase a subsale property; From renting within that development, to hiring an independent property inspector to assess the property. In case you’re wondering, I paid quite a hefty premium compared to previous transactions in that development. More on that later.
Started therapy: Going for therapy has been one of the best things I’ve ever done, and an excellent way to build mental health and strength. I was looking to improve my mental frame, challenge my core (limiting) beliefs, face my fears, and gain mental clarity, and also to become a better person, at home, at work, and with the communities I’m in. I even use sessions to unpack my Personal Finance psychology and understand why I make certain financial decisions (or rather, indecisions when it comes to spending on myself).
Personal Finance networking: I’ve been reaching out to others more experienced in the Personal Finance content creation game. Many of them inspire me; I want to hear their stories, learn from them, and perhaps lend a helping hand to some of them. And perhaps, in kind, I may be one step closer to understanding my Social Impact mission. To those who have met me, I’m grateful that you’re willing to give me your time and share with me your wisdom. To those interested in connecting, do reach out.
Operated from a position of strength: Having a strong foundation allows you the space and flexibility to make decisions that serve you and your needs. When it comes to the strength of my financial position, it allowed me to spend in ways that most would question, such as
- Paying a premium to get a specific property I wanted: As I was buying subsale, in some ways, there was time on my side. Especially since property prices (in the area I’m in) haven’t appreciated in the past 10 years. And I had no commitments or need to buy urgently. I could have waited it out for a “bargain” or a desperate seller. However, I found a property that I liked. The buyer wasn’t in a rush to sell. But it best met my criteria vs other comparable properties. So, I was willing to pay ~10%-15% higher than what the previous 10 property prices were transacted at.
- Incurred sizeable FX losses when moving funds back into Malaysia: You would know that most of my investments are overseas from my previous article. My upcoming large expenses (down payment, renovation, etc) required a significant withdrawal from my investments. And, the Ringgit appreciated significantly this year. The AUDMYR has been down ~1.5%-2%. It might not seem like much, but at the sums I was transferring, well, let’s just say the incurred losses could have paid for an entire master bathroom major renovation, and more. But I didn’t mull over it as much. It’s all in servitude of my goals and what I want.
- Paid for “out of pocket” expenses during a flight delay: A flight I was on was rerouted away from landing in KLIA to land in Johor International Airport due to a thunderstorm. All passengers had to stay the night in Johor, and the flight was scheduled to resume the next day. So the airline was preparing hotel rooms and transportation for everyone. But, I wasn’t willing to wait for their logistics with tired and hungry kids, when we’ve been travelling for almost 18 hours already. Without hesitation, I booked a 5-star hotel closeby. The airline is not going to reimburse those costs. That’s fine, I valued convenience and comfort over airline-arranged accommodation.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IN 2025?
Of course, not everything was perfect. There are still areas to learn, improve, and discover myself. What am I looking to do better next year?
Writing frequency: I was hoping to write a few more articles this year. But my personal life and my full-time job are a priority. In addition, sometimes I might get a bit of writer’s block (too many half-written/researched topics).
Stretching the spending muscle: I have no problem spending when it comes to my family and others. Sometimes to obscene amounts. But I still have difficulty spending on myself. Following Ramit Sethi’s suggestion, I allocated some money to splurge on anything I wanted. I visited watch shops and luxury fashion stores, but I barely spent any of the money. Morgan Housel, in his new book, talks about spending on new things quickly, but it’s still hard to pull the trigger and just splurge. This is likely an understanding and expressing wants issue and not a frugality issue.
Social Impact goals: I’m happy that I’m making an impact (still small) and immersing myself more in the industry. My purpose is clear: to elevate personal finance literacy standards in Malaysia. However, what it looks like and how I will do it is something I’m still searching for. As of now, I’m not sure if online content creation is the endgame. Is it a book? Is it being a keynote speaker? Starting a non-profit? Maybe all of the above? Hopefully, doubling down in my commitment will give me exposure and, subsequently, clarity.
REFLECTIONS AND AFFIRMATIONS
We only become better and grow through failure and reflection, not repetition. I’ve been thinking a lot in the past year about things I’ve done, things I’m currently doing, and things I want to do.
Here are some reflections of mine, but in a way, they actually are affirmations that I’m on the right track.
My financial plan, mindset and behaviours are heading in the right direction
- As expected, my 21 principles of personal finance remain unchanged and unwavering. They are the core beliefs that continue to serve me well and still stand the test of time
- The core tenets of my financial plan remain the same. I appear to be on the right course; I’m at or above forecasts. It’s pretty much “Coast” until retirement. All the upside in my career will be gravy to take my life to the next level and give back to society
- As I predicted, there was a lot of noise and very few clear signals for long-term investors. Tariffs, bitcoin decline, S&P dip and recovery, MYR appreciation, a lot of things happened. But the reality is, none of it really matters in a 40-year investing time period. Stay the course, time in the market beats timing the market
Writing is the conduit between my brain and the value I create
- I enjoy writing about personal finance and related topics that I think deeply about, that almost no one else thinks deeply about, which have value and long-term relevance
- There is interest in long-form content consumption that goes deeper into personal finance, even as the majority has migrated to short-form, bite-sized content. I hypothesised that a small segment of Malaysians exists that is looking for more advanced content on finances, career and personal development
- I never want to be pressured to spam content for the sake of gaining views, or filter and massage my content to monetise. I highly value both the financial independence and literary independence that I currently enjoy
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THEWEALTHMETA
In the back of my mind, for the past year, I’ve been wondering if TheWealthMeta is the right style and approach. Would anyone read it? Can others understand what I’m writing, and even understand some of the deeper concepts and implications?
In some ways, it’s too early to tell what its lasting impact will be.
In the meantime, the experiences and reflection I gained from my writing have increased not only my commitment, but also my clarity on TheWealthMeta’s editorial principles. They are reaffirmed and refined, as below:
Principle 1: TheWealthMeta will cover personal finance and adjacent topics.
- The primary focus of TheWealthMeta is personal finance, mostly on topics relevant to those with above-average financial literacy or net worth. My content, after all, is about advanced concepts and different “next-level” metas
- At times, I will cover topics that are tangential yet relevant to personal finance. I also enjoy talking and thinking about career, personal development, business, and the broader economy
Principle 2: TheWealthMeta will apply analytical rigour, deep insights and practical applications to all content.
- Content will remain long-form as a priority. Instagram posts remain, not for primary consumption, but as teasers to entice readers to read long-form posts
- Posts will be infrequent. On average, once a month. This is because TheWealthMeta is a team of one individual with personal commitments and a full-time career (that I love). More importantly, long-form posts with depth and analytical rigour take relatively more time and effort
- As a result, target readers will likely remain a niche. It won’t appeal to the masses, as it serves a specific “segment” that wants more than the basics, and is looking to elevate their finances, career and life
Principle 3: TheWealthMeta will focus on topics, concepts and ideas that endure.
- Regardless of whether it’s 1 year, 3 years, 10 years and hopefully even 20 years later, the content should remain relevant and useful. Aging just like fine whisky
- Content must be value-additive to the personal finance community, or at least, bring a unique perspective to an existing topic. It would be a waste of my strengths to rehash/repeat existing topics that are common, easily researched or likely to create noise
- Content will not cover topics such as financial product reviews, tutorials, net worth reporting, trends or fads
Principle 4: TheWealthMeta will not be monetised or receive any benefits.
- This blog serves as my way of giving back. I’m happy to help others out as much as possible without any financial benefits
- I’m free from the pressure to churn out content quickly for mass engagement. Quality in-depth, analytical content requires significant effort of time, research and thinking deeply. I believe this differentiation of style and quality is missing in the personal finance space, especially in Malaysia
- I value independence, which is sacrificed with a monetised content creation model. Anyone who monetises will ALWAYS be constrained and/or biased in content creation (with the exception of subscription models, see Stratechery in the next section). It’s an undeniable fact. For example, I can write about never buying PRS (in its current state) and not worry about fund managers pulling their marketing spend. (Note: This is not to put down any content creators who monetise. It serves a definite purpose, and I’m all for capitalism as the catalyst for innovation and competition)
CREATORS THAT INSPIRE ME
I’m not the first person to counter-position their content creation. I’m inspired by others who create deep, long-form and enduring content. Some of these content creators, whom I follow religiously, are below. Perhaps you might also find their content amazing, and some of the highest-quality online content.
- Acquired: 4-6 hour podcasts about enduring companies and their amazing stories? In-depth analysis of their strategies and what made them successful? Yes please! Fans of the podcast include Jamie Dimon, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Lewis, Daniel Ek, and Charlie Munger; the list goes on
- Stratechery: As content creation monetisation moved to social media and YouTube via advertisements, sponsored content, referrals and partnerships, Ben Thompson had a hypothesis; That there is a market that is willing to pay direct subscription fees for high-quality online content. 13 years later, he’s still going strong. His business model gave birth to the concept of a paid newsletter. Similar to Acquired, top tech CEOs and VCs subscribe to his content. If you have an interest in tech or strategy, his analysis and content are next level
- Morgan Housel: Not his books. His blog. Everyone knows his books. But if you read his blog, you would have already read ~80% of the content in his books. He writes whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He thinks deeply about personal finance topics, using a unique perspective and great storytelling. A great writer who creates enduring personal finance content
- Farnham Street: This website is all about elevating your reading, thinking, writing, and reflecting to your fullest potential. Applying deep thinking skills and reflection into all that I write about, creating a lasting impact, not quick impressions. As you familiarise yourself with the frameworks and concepts on this site, you’ll start to understand the way I think and operate in the world
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2026
I’m pretty excited for the year ahead. I have a lot planned to execute and achieve.
Expect some refinements in the visuals and look of TheWealthMeta.
Expect more quality content.
And perhaps, expect some in-person engagements.
Stay tuned!
