I'm 鑫哥 — a licensed financial planner我是鑫哥，一名持牌财务规划师

I didn't set out to become a financial planner. I graduated in Electronic Engineering, majoring in nanotechnology, and became an engineer. That path wasn't a passion — it was a practical choice. In a manufacturing city like Penang, engineering jobs were easy to find and paid relatively well. My father was nearing retirement, so I had to start earning quickly and share the family's financial load.我并非一开始就立志成为财务规划师。大学时毕业于电子工程学系，主修纳米科技，之后成为工程师。选择这条道路，并不是出于热爱，而是现实考量——在槟城这样以制造业为主的城市，工程师不但容易找到工作，起薪也相对优渥。当时我父亲即将退休，我必须尽快投入职场、分担家庭经济责任。

Growing up in a family that wasn't well-off, I saw early how money creates stress and conflict. Even then I understood that how a family manages money shapes its happiness and stability. I didn't yet know what "financial planning" meant, but I knew one thing for certain: I had to learn to manage money.成长于一个经济不宽裕的家庭，我从小耳濡目染金钱带来的压力与纷争。那时我就明白，金钱的管理，决定了一个家庭的幸福与安稳。虽然那时的我还不了解「理财」是什么，但我心里清楚一件事：我必须学会管理金钱。

Through my engineering years I never stopped exploring personal finance. I worked part-time as a Public Mutual unit-trust consultant and a Great Eastern life-insurance agent — gaining hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the products commonly sold in the market. I worked by day, and studied for the CFP qualification at night and on weekends.在当工程师的那几年，我不曾停下对理财的热情探索。我曾兼职担任 Public Mutual 的信托基金顾问，以及 Great Eastern 的寿险代理人，一方面积累实务经验，一方面也更深入了解市面上常见的理财产品。白天努力工作，晚上与周末则进修 CFP 课程。

Along the way I discovered that Malaysia did have independent financial planners who work on the client's side rather than to sell — still uncommon back then, but exactly the role I aspired to.在学习过程中，我才真正发现：原来马来西亚也有不以销售为导向、站在客户立场的中立财务规划师——虽然当时仍不普遍，但这正是我所向往的角色。

Two years later I earned the CFP® qualification and was formally licensed under FAR and CMSRL. I could finally stand on the client's side, independently, and help plan for their future. I found work I genuinely love — and made it my mission to pass on financial knowledge, so that more people from ordinary families like mine can take control of their lives through planning.两年后，我取得 CFP® 专业资格，并正式获得 FAR 及 CMSRL 执照。我终于能够以中立身份，真正站在客户角度，为他们的未来出谋划策。我找到了真正热爱的事业，也立志将理财知识传递出去，让更多像我一样出身普通家庭的人，也能透过财务规划，掌握人生主导权。