When I was two and a half, my parents and I moved from Hong Kong to Australia. They worked incredibly hard. What they didn't have was financial knowledge - and I watched that gap cost them.

I did what a lot of kids from immigrant families do: studied hard, selective school, university, six-figure corporate job. Then I started noticing that some people around me weren't just earning well - they were building something. Quietly. Without drama or high-risk bets.

I got obsessed with understanding the difference. It turned out to be unglamorous: superannuation optimisation, tax strategies, fee reduction, smart gearing. The boring stuff. The stuff that actually works.

I implemented it in my own life. I built a financial foundation that means if I fell off the perch tomorrow, my wife Elise and our three kids would be genuinely okay. That's not a boast - it's the standard I hold my client advice to.

Today I run Tandem Financial from Sydney, working with a small number of clients who want exactly that: a trusted partner, keeps things clear, and is in it for the long run.