Welcome to the fifth episode of our miniseries on Finding Your Ikigai, where we invite a series of guests to explore what it truly means to live a good life, incorporating the concept of Ikigai alongside Providend’s Philosophy of Sufficiency. 

As trusted advisers to affluent clients for over two decades, we’ve always advocated that clients prioritise life decisions before financial ones. These life decisions are what we refer to as “Ikigai” decisions. 

In this episode, our Founder and CEO, Christopher Tan, sits down with two of his long time friends and army buddies, Han Kiat, an Associate Professor, and Maurice, an Accountant, to talk about all things ikigai and the role it plays in their lives. 

For Han Kiat and Maurice, choosing to serve in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) beyond the mandatory ten years was not just a commitment, it became their ikigai, a purpose they held closely for much of their early adult lives. Now as fathers, they reflect on their shared experiences, even as their sons serve in different vocations during their National Service. Does a different path diminish the value of their own ikigai? And how did they bridge the gap between those differences with their sons?

They reflected on how simple, ordinary moments, and being there for one another over the years, can become something deeply meaningful and also part of their ikigai.

You may find Han Kiat's full letter mentioned in the podcast here: https://providend.com/finding-ikigai-saf-fatherhood/

Through deep conversations with our advisers, you will gain clarity on what matters most in life and what needs to be done to live a good life, both financially and non-financially—with your Ikigai goals at the forefront of your wealth plan.

Music courtesy of ItsWatR.

The host of this episode, Christopher Tan, is Chief Executive Officer of Providend, Singapore’s first fee-only wealth advisory firm and author of the book “Money Wisdom: Simple Truths for Financial Wellness”.

The full list of Providend’s Money Wisdom podcast episodes from Season 4 can be found here.

Did you know that our Providend’s Money Wisdom podcast is now available in video format on YouTube? Follow us on our YouTube channel for new episode on Thursday at 8pm.

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Get Our Money Wisdom II Book Today!

Some long-time listeners might know that the inspiration behind this entire podcast was our CEO, Chris’s book. We're proud to announce that we have launched our second edition of the book titled Money Wisdom II: More Simple Truths for Financial Wellness.