Invest the rest.
I'm just an average Singaporean with a day job, a love for good food, a weakness for watches, and a genuine belief that life is too short to save every single cent.
This blog is about finding that balance — enjoying the present without wrecking the future.
Let's be honest
I've read all the personal finance advice. Save 20%. Invest early. Compound interest. Skip the avocado toast. And look — most of it is true. But here's what they leave out: you are a human being, not a spreadsheet. And human beings need dopamine.
We need the satisfaction of a really good meal after a long week. The excitement of booking a flight somewhere new. The small joy of wearing something you saved up for and genuinely love. The simple pleasure of a slow Saturday morning walk through a neighbourhood you've never explored. These things are not luxuries. They are what makes the rest of it — the work, the saving, the discipline — actually worth doing.
I started WealthfulWanderer because I got tired of content that made me choose sides. Either you're the person who spends freely and has nothing saved, or you're the person who pinches every cent and lives a grey, joyless existence. I refuse to be either of those people.
So this is my honest, real-life attempt to do both. Invest consistently. Grow my portfolio. But also — eat well, travel when I can, appreciate good things, and not spend the next 30 years waiting for "someday" to start living.
ETFs, REITs, CPF top-ups, brokerages — the boring-but-powerful stuff that quietly builds your future. You don't need to be a finance expert. You just need to start and stay consistent.
A really good bowl of noodles. A meal that makes you close your eyes. Food that reminds you why you work hard. Budget hawker or splurge dining — if it brings you joy, it belongs here.
Not every trip needs to be a five-star holiday. But some trips do. Weekend escapes, slow walks through new cities, that destination you've been putting off — go. Life doesn't pause while you save.
The watch you've been eyeing. The concert you keep talking yourself out of. The upgrade you never book. Spending on things that genuinely matter to you is not a failure of discipline — it's the whole point.
The version of "financial freedom" worth working towards is one where you get to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. A life where the numbers in your portfolio grow — and so does the list of things you've done, eaten, seen and experienced.
That's what I'm figuring out, one post at a time. Come figure it out with me.
Honest takes on ETFs, REITs, brokerages and CPF — written for normal people, not finance professors.
From SGD 4 hawker bowls to memorable splurge dinners. Good food is non-negotiable wherever you are.
Weekend trips from Singapore, slow walks through new cities, and how to do it without destroying your savings.
The occasional splurge, done thoughtfully. Credit card perks, hotel upgrades and the things actually worth paying for.
My quiet obsession. Reviews, where to buy in Asia, and the case for why a good watch is worth every cent.
Singapore's hidden trails, food walks, and the underrated joy of exploring a city on foot — completely free.
K-drama filming spots you can visit, films worth watching before a trip, and streaming picks for a lazy Sunday.
Because the best days are when a good walk leads to a good meal, funded by a dividend that landed last month.
What I actually believe
You will not enjoy retirement if you hated getting there. The point of financial planning isn't to suffer for 30 years and then relax. It's to build a life that feels good now and stays stable later.
Dopamine is not your enemy. The joy you get from a good meal, a new place, a thing you love — that's not weakness. That's being human. The goal is to fund that joy sustainably, not eliminate it.
Being average is fine. I'm not a millionaire. I don't have a finance degree. I'm a regular person with a regular salary trying to do regular things well. If that sounds like you — welcome.
Small, consistent steps beat dramatic ones. Investing a little every month. Walking a new route on weekends. Cooking at home four days and eating out three. The balance is built slowly, not overnight.
Nobody else gets to define what "enough" looks like for you. Your version of a good life might look different from mine. This blog is about finding yours — not copying someone else's.
— Written by someone still figuring it out, one good meal at a time.
The posts that explain who I am and what this blog is actually about.
Tiger Brokers, moomoo and Syfe — honestly compared by someone who actually opened all three accounts.
Read it →My favourite places to eat well without spending a fortune, and the investing habit that quietly funds them.
Read it →Real numbers. How I actually split my salary so I can invest for the future and still enjoy right now.
Read it →