#MONEY
The Dinner
About ten years ago, I was invited to a relative’s house for dinner, a large bungalow near Subang, just outside Kuala Lumpur.
I arrived early, so I sat in my car: my beloved but slightly beat-up 1991 Toyota Land Cruiser, which I had bought years earlier.
A few minutes later, the other guests arrived. They rolled up in a BMW 5-Series, a Mercedes E-Class, a Toyota Alphard. The usual choices for wealthy business owners.
I was already in my mid-forties then. But even so, I felt embarrassed. About my car.
Because I knew that the car one drives is a symbol of one’s so-called “station” in life. In other words, how successful you are.
Even though I knew that was nonsense (you can drive a nice car and be eyeball-deep in debt), I still felt embarrassed.
So I waited a few minutes before I went into the house, so that nobody would see me emerge from my beat-up old car.
Today
Today, my skin is much thicker. And my perspective is much wider.
If I’m going to roll up to a wealthy person’s house, I’m 100% going to drive my 23-year-old Toyota Unser. Mileage: 345,000 km.
Why?
Because at the ripe old age of 55, it’s now clear to me that “Success” as we know it does NOT equate to:
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The car that you drive
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The size of your house
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The brand of the clothes you wear
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The school that your kids attend
What success looks like to me
Success is very much a personal thing. One size does not fit all. But to me, it can be measured by questions like these:
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How healthy are we? Can we still play sports, ride motorcycles, hike mountains?
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Do we have friends and family we can confide in, celebrate our ups and downs with, and laugh and spend time with?
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Do we have the freedom to do as we choose, with whom, at what time, and wherever we choose to go?
Work and money still matter
And yes, work and money matter. Because most problems can be solved with money.
But I also ask myself: does my work benefit humanity? Is it meaningful and purposeful?
And the money that I make: is it “clean”? Is it money I can feed and clothe my children with?
Life is too short to waste on trying to impress people, or on work that kills the soul.
Or on making dirty money, which will only come back to haunt me. Karma collects.
I’m still a capitalist through-and-through, though. I still believe in the market economy, and I 100% still think economic security is important. For sure, I don’t want to grow old poor and rely on the government or my family to support me.
Live simply, and learn how markets work
So for most ordinary folk, I am convinced that one can have freedom, choices and happiness. But only if they can live simply.
I also think they need to understand how the financial markets work, so that they won’t have to rely only on their salary for their retirement.
Join us on 28 November
At the end of this month, Anabelle and I are going to talk to experts who know one or two things about investing and living life well: John Huo on stocks, Jonathan Quek on crypto and AI, Peter Kong on Malaysian markets, and Amy Wong Siew Fong on property.
Money in 2027: Earn It. Build It. Live It. Saturday, 28 November 2026, 8:45am to 2pm The Ark Plus, Kuala Lumpur
If you want to join us, please do. I promise you only two things: information you can put to use, and good food to fill your belly.
Carpe Diem, everybody. Happy Sundays.
— Chuang
