Learning The Hard Way

She made her first investment when she was 18, and now, aged 33, Seet Shiyan is funding her own company. She tells us how her investment mistakes helped hone her acumen.

- Nicolette Wong

Seet Shiyan, 33, is a tech product manager and entrepreneur with a well-diversified portfolio spread across property, stocks, bonds, precious metals, as well as cryptocurrencies. She has also made inroads into creating her own upcoming art company, in which she has invested 5 per cent of her wealth. The company is still to be launched.

Shiyan believes that having a mindset oriented towards personal finance is incredibly important, as the freedom to live the life you want can only come with financial independence. Much of her ease with investing can be credited to her parents, who are both keen investors themselves.

Here, she gives us a glimpse into her views on investing, as well as her current investment portfolio.

How did your early years shape your view of money and investing?

As my parents are avid investors, they have ingrained in me [the importance of building] multiple income streams, some being passive. When I was only 11 years old, my father would educate me and my two sisters on investing concepts such as value investing, and even gifted us Warren Buffett books. This inspired me to start investing as early as 18 years old.

Does your profession have an impact on your investments?

I started my career in finance, moved to tech, did an MBA, and now I am in the fintech industry. I had many influences throughout my career.