Articles
English translations of my articles. The originals are in Traditional Chinese.
Book Notes: Start with Why and the Golden Circle
Why can some leaders inspire everyone around them? After reading Start with Why, I realized the key is the Golden Circle. How I apply it to money and to running FIRE University — and why my only competitor is who I was yesterday.
Digital Nomading in Kanazawa, Japan: How I Fell in Love with Co-living
Do you long for a freer life? At the end of 2025 I joined an Urban Retreat in Kanazawa, Japan — not just a trip, but an experiment in taking back my choices. Getting lost at Kyoto Station, falling for co-living, the digital nomads I met, and the loneliness behind the dream.
Book Notes: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant — A Silicon Valley Investor's Philosophy of Wealth and Life
My notes on The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: his core ideas on wealth, choice, leverage, happiness and wisdom — getting rich without luck, building long-term value, financial freedom and happiness — with my own reflections on putting them into practice.
How to Build an Exercise Habit: The Visual Tracking Method I Tested Over 261 Days
Most people think an exercise habit comes down to self-discipline and willpower. What actually keeps a behavior going is a system you can run. Here's how visual tracking helped me exercise 261 days in 2025 — no extreme training, no willpower challenges.
How to Make a Time Capsule Video: Record a Message for Your Future Self
Record a time capsule video and have a conversation with your future self. Just three steps — and a simple script — to capture who you are right now, as honestly as you can.
My Life Story, Part 3: What I Only Understood About Happiness After Financial Freedom
Only when I actually reached financial freedom did I realize money wasn't the answer. A middle-aged creator's reflections — after poverty, debt and success — on happiness, relationships and the choices that shape a life.
My Life Story, Part 2: From a Million in Debt to Eight Figures — My Decade of Turning Things Around
From leaving the army a million in debt and barely able to get by, to building an eight-figure net worth (in NT dollars), step by step. The most down-to-earth part of my three-part life story: ten years of debt, investing and turning my life around.
My Life Story, Part 1: How a Single-Parent Home and a Poor Childhood Shaped My View of Money
Born into a single-parent family, with a poor childhood, constant moves and little adult care — all of it shaped how I see money and who I became. A story of finding strength in the dark, and the start of my three-part life story.
May You Remember: Walking Slowly Is Also a Kind of Strength (A Listener's Letter)
At an entrepreneurship course, a listener came up to say hello — and later sent me these heartfelt words. It reminded me of a line often attributed to Tagore: live your life as a light, because you never know who will find their way out of the dark by it.
A Practical Guide to a 10-Day Vipassana Course: The Code of Conduct and Daily Life
After reading about my 10-day Vipassana experience, are you eager to sign up? Knowing the practical details in advance will help you settle in. Here's my first-hand guide from the Chiayi center in Taiwan: the rules, the schedule, and what to pack.
Ten Days Without a Phone or a Word, and My Life Woke Up: My 10-Day Vipassana Retreat
Can you imagine ten whole days without a phone, without speaking to anyone, cut off from the outside world, with only your own inner dialogue? It isn't a self-help camp or a mysterious religion. It's a 10-day Vipassana course — a practice in silence.
Mom, I Made the Apple Podcasts Front Page!
I hadn't checked my podcast stats for a while. Today I took a look and saw traffic had suddenly shot up — it turned out Apple Podcasts had featured my show on its front page, and it had climbed to number five in its category!
Course Notes: CFP Certification — Inheritance Under the Civil Code (May 18, 2025)
The Civil Code is the law closest to our daily lives, and its rules on family and inheritance directly affect our rights. Teacher Chi Ming-Yang's class gave me a much deeper understanding — here are three things I learned, from Taiwan's law.
Course Notes: CFP Certification — Trusts (May 18, 2025)
Trusts are part of Module 5 of the CFP program. Even though I already hold Taiwan's trust business license, this class with teacher Chi Ming-Yang gave me many new ideas and cleared up blind spots in my understanding of trusts.
Course Notes: CFP Certification — Business Income Tax, with CPA Lo Tse-Yu
Ever wondered why so many wealthy people set up companies? After this CFP class I realized companies really do pay far less tax than individuals. Here are the three key things I learned.
Notes from Inspiration Village: From Copywriting to Turning Creativity into Income — Little Goldfish, May 7, 2025
In her class, Little Goldfish said that after any event — a spiritual workshop, a growth course, yoga or a workout — you should write down what you learned the same day, even if it's just one sentence or one photo. So here are my notes.
Can You Retire by Investing in 0050 Every Month? Does 30 Years of Saving Really Lead to Financial Freedom?
Can long-term investing in 0050, Taiwan's best-known ETF, really fund your retirement? A historical backtest: invest NT$10,000 a month and after 30 years you could have about NT$22.79 million.
What Is Ikigai? The Japanese Philosophy That Helps You Find Meaning and Direction
Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese philosophy meaning “a reason for being.” It brings together what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. Here's what it means and four steps to explore your own.
How to Calculate Your Real Hourly Wage: You Earn Less Than You Think
What is your real hourly wage? Once you count taxes, commuting time, work-related costs and unpaid hours, your actual income looks very different. Knowing the number helps you make better money and career decisions.
Hedonic Adaptation: Why Happiness Always Returns to Baseline
Hedonic adaptation means that after good or bad events alike, our happiness eventually returns to where it was. Why the joy of a promotion, a raise or a luxury purchase fades — and how to understand this to build lasting satisfaction.
Does More Money Mean More Happiness? What Science Says About How Much Is Enough
Does more money really make us happier? Research from Purdue University and a Nobel-winning economist points to a “happiness threshold.” From Confucius's disciple Yan Hui to modern consumerism, how to escape the endless chase for more.
Does Happiness Have to Cost a Lot? Free Happiness Practices to Feel Good Again
Does happiness really require spending a lot of money? Through the story of Scott Rieckens, this article shows how a simple “happiness list” can reveal where your joy really comes from — and how little of it costs money.
Buying a Car Ten Years Later Could Change Your Life: A Key Choice on the Road to Financial Freedom
Is a car a necessity or a burden? Drawing on my own experience, this article looks at a car as a liability, the true cost of owning one, and how much the same money could grow if invested instead.
What Is FIRE? How to Reach Financial Independence and Retire Early
“What is FIRE?” I've been asked this countless times. FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The idea comes from the 1990s classic Your Money or Your Life — and it isn't about never working again.