Jianing Sim

A reflective season as I embark on my 7th year in the business.

I think one of the things I’ve grown to appreciate more over the years as an adviser is how differently people think about money.

I’ve always had my own professional convictions, and I still do. But the more people I meet and conversations I have, the more I realise how much nuance there is behind every financial decision.

What makes perfect sense to one person may not sit quite as comfortably with another.

And sometimes, neither is necessarily wrong.

We all have different experiences, responsibilities, priorities and relationships with money.

Which is why I think planning requires more than just knowing the numbers. It takes discernment to understand the person sitting across from you, to know which questions to ask, which assumptions to challenge, and how to weigh the trade-offs together.

I’m learning that having a strong professional opinion and being open to different perspectives aren’t mutually exclusive. If anything, experience has made me more intentional about how I arrive at my recommendations.

Because ultimately, the goal isn’t just to find a solution that looks good on paper, but one that’s suitable for the person who has to live with that decision.