Life's Most Important Resource (Not Money) feat. Aaron Tang | EZ On The Money #2

The Ezra Zaid Project

Financial writer Aaron Tang, explains why we never seem to have enough time - and why your time, and not wealth, is your most precious resource. If you’re someone who has money (and less time), Aaron reveals the formula of how to live a more meaningful life. Also, how do we rewire our lives to stay regret-free? Learn how you could ultimately make more money, and waste less time in the long-run, putting it aside for the things in life that make us happiest.

Bio

Aaron Tang has worked in the oil and gas industry for 9 years, under the national oil company Petronas, and multinational oil company Weatherford. He now works as the country manager of Luno, an international cryptocurrency exchange, and also Malaysia’s largest cryptocurrency exchange market.

Due to his interest in cryptocurrency and bitcoin, he began writing about financial matters in his blog Mr-stingy, which has now become one of Malaysia’s top finance blogs. He has also contributed to multiple other finance-related websites, both locally and internationally, such as SAYS, iMoney, The Huffington Post, and The Good Men Project.

Aaron Tang (Mr-stingy): Blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram

Episode Structure

• 00:00 - Would Warren Buffet give up his wealth for more time?
• 01:56 - Time, Money, or Love? Aaron's article, explained
• 06:15 - Seeing your life in the number of weeks left: the 'memento mori'
• 12:50 - 'How many hours do I have to work to buy that RM 100 item?'
• 20:52 - 'Hope' is not a very good strategy to reach your aspirations
• 23:30 - Aaron's early memories about money
• 25:20 - Getting better with money: Small Steps
• 30:10 - Relying on Money Advice figureheads can't solve all your problems
• 32:37 - Aaron's experience living paycheck to paycheck - and how he got out of it
• 39:51 - How can the 'love variable' improve your life?
• 45:02 - 'If you don't have ... then you are a failure'
• 47:45 - Aaron's starter-kit on changing your life's current direction
• 54:30 - DISCLAIMER: these things might not apply to everyone
• 56:24 - It's never to early or late to turn things around
• 59:30 - Outro and credits

Links

https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html - The article where the concept of the ‘memento mori’ was derived from.

https://www.mr-stingy.com/time-money-love-most-important/ - Aaron Tang, or Mr-stingy’s article about time, money and love that this interview is based on.

Terms

'Dua Kerja' -- A malay phrase for 'working two jobs' or 'working a part-time job alongside one's main occupation.

Tithe -- A portion of one's earning, normally 10% of one's earnings, that was formally taken as tax for the support of the Church and clergy.

Zakat -- an Islamic finance term referring to the obligation that an individual has to donate a certain proportion of wealth each year to charitable causes.

‘Sikit sikit, lama lama jadi bukit’ -- A malay idiom that describes how a little goes a long way - the rough translation in English is, ‘Little by little, over a long period of time, something will turn from a molehill into a mountain’.

'YOLO’ -- an acronym standing for 'You Only Live Once', used to express the view that one should make the most of the present moment without worrying about the future.

EPF -- Employees' Provident Fund (EPF; Malay: Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja, KWSP), a federal statutory body under the purview of the Ministry of Finance. It manages the compulsory savings plan and retirement planning for private sector workers in Malaysia.

'Skim Cepat Kaya' -- A 'Get Rich Quick' scheme, a plan that typically offers a high or unrealistic rates of return for a small amount of investment and at the same time promises that the investment is simple and free from any risk.

'Syok sendiri' -- Malay slang to describe being full of oneself

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