Co-founders of Feel Good Factory and fitness ambassadors, Jess and Rebecca returned to Hong Kong after college to inspire people to feel good through body movements. Here, they get candid about their college days, the high life in Hong Kong, and growing their pockets. 

 

Tell us about yourself.

 

Jess: Hi! I’m a fitness instructor at XYZ and Lights Out. I do PTs as well, and I work with Rebecca at Feel Good Factory. When I’m not doing those things, I am sitting at home eating and playing video games.

 

Rebecca: And I’m a yoga teacher. At Feel Good Factory, we teach movements that make your body feel good, whether it’s yoga or fitness, whatever it is. During my free time nowadays, I like to stay at home because I like to hang out with my two cats that look like bats - I call them my bats. 

 

(Shared by Feel Good Factory (@feelgoodfactoryhk) on Instagram) 

 

When was your money moment?

 

Jess: My dad would always give me a $10 coin to put in my old-fashioned gold piggy bank after hotpot every Sunday when I was a kid. That was always the highlight of my week - I get rewarded for stuffing my face. And that was kind of like the first idea of saving for me.

 

Rebecca: I just really liked working, not so much for the money, but the idea of just having something to do after school. I used to work at this little vintage clothing store in Hawaii and would pick up extra hours whenever I could. To me, that was my first concept of having money - I get to earn, do something I enjoy and get rewarded for it.

 

When was the first time you guys had to make a big expenditure? 

 

Jess: Sorry Mom and Dad (laughs), but I dated a guy who lived in DC when I was in college in Boston. Plane tickets were ridiculously expensive for college students - they could cost up to $350. It was a lot for me considering the allowance I had was for school. So I had to think to myself: how do I gauge and budget to try to see this person every month or so? It’s easier to gauge during the off-season when tickets were cheaper. Other times, I just told myself I could do without an extra cup of coffee. 

 

Rebecca: For me, it was paying off my student loans. I spent the first few years at a private university but decided to transfer. Once you leave the school, you suddenly get all these papers asking you to pay your student loans. I panicked when I saw the bill - it’s like a hundred dollars and that’s a lot of money for a 19, 20 year old. So I just hustle to pay off my student loans, and put as much money away as I could for a rainy day fund. 

 

(Shared by Rebecca Jean Wong (@reebiesw) on Instagram)

 

What’s your relationship with money? How is your view of money different from that of your peers? 

 

Jess: Most of my friends lived at home for a while after college so they had the spare cash to splurge. But for me, I value practicality; I don’t see the point of shelling out so much money for a new bag that I know I’d damage. 

 

I was getting quite sick of the idea that you need a new thing every single time you see someone. So if I’m going to invest in something, I want something that’s going to be with me for a long time, rather than getting something that’s in season.

 

Rebecca: I think about practicality too. I guess I was never really drawn to spending on luxury just to blend in with the people around me who’re living a different lifestyle than I do. In a way, we [Feel Good Factory] are the product that people like to spend the luxury spending on. 

 

In this very tumultuous climate that we’re living in right now, with studio closures, things on lockdown and us really dependent on people gathering for us, you have to kind of find different priorities of what to do with the money. Maybe I’ll be spending a little less, but it doesn’t necessarily mean my relationship [with money] has changed in how I work, how I earn and what I keep. I didn’t become a yoga teacher to be rich or to overfill my pot - as long as I have enough of my pot, I feel safe. 

 

Do you invest? What is investment to you?

 

Jess: Frankly, I don’t invest. I know nothing about investments - I don’t know why one of them is better or riskier than the other. I work hard to have as much money in the bank, but I haven’t spent enough time to educate myself on investing. 

 

Rebecca: I have insurance that gives me a bit of a dividend back but I find investing overwhelming. I guess I don’t like the risk nor do I know how to play the game. I never made it a big priority to think about investments every day - I focus on other things in life.

 

(Shared by Jess Shih (@jeshih) on Instagram)

 

Who do you think you can trust your money with? 

 

Jess: I think I can trust someone who has the same money view as I do. I would need relatability, ability and stability from someone who can give me tangible examples of how this [investment] can be useful for me, as opposed to outlandish examples or things that I don’t value. 

 

Rebecca: I didn’t take time to learn about investing nor do I live and breathe the finance life like my mum does - she does advisory and consulting for high net worth individuals. So I trusted her and someone else to handle my finances. Personally, I find it less overwhelming if I’m not making the transaction myself. 

 

 

What are your money goals?

 

Jess: Because I’m engaged, I have to also think of my finances from my fiance’s perspective in terms of what’s reasonable for both of us because we’re on different salary brackets. There’re obviously other things to worry about Do I want to raise my kids in Hong Kong? Or buy a  property here? Hong Kong is so expensive. Before you make the right investments, it just continues to suck away at your financial ability. It’s scary to think about it, but it’s definitely in the back of my mind - how what I’m doing now is going to translate to myself in the future. And I don’t have an answer yet.

 

Rebecca: I think I have enough for now but that might not necessarily be enough for later. I’d like to depend less on people to make money moves for me and eventually have something bigger than I own in the long term. Maybe not in Hong Kong because this place sucks all money out of your pocket, even though it can also grow quickly. 

 

 

 

 

 

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