My Book List​

Michael Lewis tackles the unbelievable story of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried with his signature deep-dive style. For anyone involved in the markets, it’s a crucial read, but for me, it resonated on a deeply personal level. I had the chance to work briefly on a project for FTX back in June 2020, getting a glimpse via Slack of their lean setup even then. A friend joining them led me to move my own significant trading volume from Huobi, and like many, I considered FTX the best platform available – right up until the collapse, which unfortunately cost me substantially (over $1M USD in trapped funds).

Reading “Going Infinite” filled in so many blanks and provided fascinating, sometimes chilling, context to things I only saw from the periphery (including a brief 10-minute meeting where I saw SBF in person in Hong Kong). Lewis captures the dizzying rise and the shocking implosion. While rooted in crypto, the book offers essential lessons for all investors and traders about due diligence, counterparty risk, governance, and the difference between genius and recklessness. If you want to understand one of the biggest financial dramas of our time from a unique perspective, I highly recommend this.

This is a seminal work on negotiation strategy, recommended during my postgraduate diploma in Arbitration & Mediation at HKU. Based on the Harvard Negotiation Project, “Getting to Yes” provides a clear, actionable method for reaching agreements collaboratively and effectively, applicable to virtually any situation. It focuses on principled negotiation – understanding interests, exploring mutual gains, and using objective standards – rather than a battle of wills. It’s about achieving your goals without damaging relationships or feeling like you’ve been taken advantage of. While the applications go far beyond finance, the structured thinking and problem-solving skills it teaches are essential in any professional environment, including navigating the business world that underlies the stock market. A highly recommended read for sharpening critical life and business skills.

When deciding to move my family to Singapore from Hong Kong, seeking both a conducive environment and new opportunities in SEA, I knew understanding Lee Kuan Yew’s perspective was key. This book delivers exactly that – a direct look into his strategic worldview. Through interviews and commentary, LKY shares his sharp analysis of global players like China and the US, the situation in Europe, the Middle East, and critically, his vision and concerns for Southeast Asia. Reading his assessments, grounded in decades of leadership and often proving prescient, helped me understand the underlying factors contributing to Singapore’s stability and economic positioning. For anyone living, working, or investing here, grasping LKY’s insights into regional and global dynamics provides invaluable context. It’s a worthwhile read to understand the foundations upon which modern Singapore was built.

Stepping away from market reports and financial statements, this Hugo Award-winning science fiction masterpiece offers a truly mind-expanding journey. It might seem unrelated, but I recommend it for its incredible exploration of strategic thinking, game theory, and human behaviour under extreme, world-altering pressure – themes surprisingly relevant to understanding the complex systems and psychology driving our markets. Cixin Liu masterfully crafts a centuries-spanning narrative triggered by first contact, forcing characters and civilizations to make impossible choices with long-term consequences. Concepts like the “Dark Forest” hypothesis are chillingly logical explorations of game theory on a cosmic scale. Reading this trilogy challenges your perspective on long-term planning, risk assessment, and the often unpredictable nature of collective action. It’s a profound, unforgettable story that offers a unique, fictional lens to contemplate humanity’s response to crisis and uncertainty.

As someone who has DCA into the ES3 and VOO ETFfor years, I know the theory of consistent investing is simple, but putting it into practice during volatile times (like the recent tariff impacts) takes real conviction. Nick Maggiulli’s ‘Just Keep Buying’ was a timely reminder for me of the power of this approach, backed by rigorous data analysis. He argues convincingly that for most people, the act of continuously buying diversified assets matters more than when you buy, what specific price you get, or even trying to pick individual winners. This data scientist systematically tests common financial advice, offering clear takeaways on saving, investing, and managing spending. It’s less about complex strategies and more about building robust, sustainable habits supported by evidence. If you’re looking for a logical framework to simplify your wealth-building journey and stay consistent, this book provides practical, data-driven insights.