Favorite (inspirational) quote:

“You must gain control over your money, or the lack of it will forever control you.” - Dave Ramsey
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What does being "financially healthy" mean to you?

Being financially healthy means having control over my finances. It is the ability to meet my current and future financial obligations. Financial health includes stable income and cash flow, emergency savings, smart spending and budgeting, ability for long term investments - for which knowledge of personal finance management is required. Many young people around the world are still dependent on family incomes due to the current competitive job market and continuous high-cost of living which affects their decision making power often about their own life matters. As the saying goes, money is not just for buying luxury items but for enabling us to leave situations in which we do not want to be. There are also other dimensions of being financially healthy, for example, ability to travel, ability to spend time in social works – which can be a source of happiness and fullfilment leading to achieve a good mental health.
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What motivates you to be financially healthy?

As an adult, I strive to keep complete authority over every aspect of my life and make decisions independently without any external intervention from other family members. Coming from the Asian region, the complex family dynamics often obstruct our personal goals, such as higher education, marriage, or passions, especially when we are reliant on parental income. Moreover, I do not want to become a burden to both my family and society to any extent. Rather, I aspire to become someone who meaningfully contributes towards a sound and prosperous economy, because poor financial health at an individual level can ripple through the economic functions, much like a butterfly effect.
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What is one of your main financial goals right now, and why?

As I have just started out my career, I am navigating certain lifestyle constraints, such as continuing to live in my parental house. The typical Asian society expects my home to automatically become my spouse's after marriage — a notion I disagree with. Relying on others for the basic needs, such as shelter diminishes my social identity. I believe that every individual, regardless of gender, should be able to afford living independently, whether they decide to pursue that choice or not. So, the ability to live independently by renting my own apartment is one of my main financial goals right now.
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