They say to “do what you love and love what you do”. For Tim Fung, creative consultant and this week’s guest, this adage certainly holds true. In this episode of Money Talks, Tim reveals how he balances his personal passions and money. 

 

 

1) Tell us a bit about yourself! 

 

Hi everyone! I’m Tim. I’m originally from Canada but have been living in Hong Kong for 10 years now. I’m a creative consultant and have been in the creative industry for over seven and a half years.. I then got into the freelance business, when I gained more clients outside of work and started doing my own thing.  Now I'm pretty much running my own company and working for different clients across Asia Pacific.

 

 

2) What are some challenges you face doing freelance and creative consultancy work?

 

I think in my line of work as a freelance creative consultant, you never feel like you have enough money because you're always doing different pitches. You're always trying to grab new clients. So I think that could be really, really tough. So even if you have time, a lot of projects are going on at once and someone asks you to do more, you're like, “I'm gonna do it” because time is money, and you're gonna try to make as much as you can now. It's never enough.

 

3) What does money mean to you?

 

For me, definitely money is the freedom of choice. Having the freedom to go travel, to go eat at amazing restaurants, or to just do the things I love!

 

 

4) Has your family background and upbringing influenced your views on money?

 

Having grown up in Canada with two Asian parents, my family taught me that money is very, very important and that we should always be saving. When we were very young, if we went to the grocery store or toy store, our parents would always remind us to check the sales rack first. So I check the sales section first before anything else. I don’t feel like I’m frugal or anything, but I think money is very important though. 

 

5) Did your parents teach you anything about investing?

 

I think with my parents, they always taught me that I should be investing in property over stocks since stocks are very volatile. So when growing up, I realized that I should save for the big-ticket items. While some university students would spend all the money they earned at part time jobs, I would actually be saving it up for, hopefully, a car or a home. 

 

6) When was your “money moment”?

 

After college, you go work in the real world and realize that you can't just blow all your money. You’ve got to be able to save. You have to make sure you have enough money to eat and pay rent. So yeah, that's something that I had to learn early when I came to Hong Kong at the age of 21.  I’ve been learning through AQUMON about how to save and it has been very helpful. 

 

 

7) What are your personal financial goals?

 

Like I said, money is the freedom of choice. Specifically, it means being able to say no to jobs I don't want to do. For me, my career has always been about passion and about working on projects that I really, really love and resonate with. Ultimately, I want to be financially free at 45. I want to be able to say: “You know what? I'm good. I might not take on this project because I want to do projects that I really do enjoy.”

 

8) If we gave you HK$10 million, what would you do with it? 

 

If you gave me 10 million dollars right now? I would definitely invest half of it and probably donate the other half.  I would love to start my own charity someday and give back, especially to the homeless in Hong Kong. That's the goal. That's what I want to do in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About us

AQUMON is a Hong Kong based award-winning financial technology company. Our mission is to leverage smart technology to make next-generation investment services affordable, transparent and accessible to both institutional clients and the general public. Through its proprietary algorithms and scalable, technical infrastructure, AQUMON’s automated platform empowers anyone to invest and maximise their returns. AQUMON has partnered with more than 100 financial institutions in Hong Kong and beyond, including AIA, CMB Wing Lung Bank, ChinaAMC, and Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, affiliate of BOC International Holdings Limited, Zheng He Capital Management and Cyberport are among AQUMON's investors. 

 

The brand is held under Magnum Research Limited and is licensed with Type 1, 4 and 9 under the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong. AQUMON is also licensed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC).

 

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