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I’m very late to this….

But Happy Lunar New Year! I know it was on Wednesday, but since we chat on Sundays, consider it right on time 😉.

For me, Lunar New Year is all about spending time with family, eating way too much food, and lucky red envelopes.

If you’re not familiar with lucky red envelopes: adults basically give kids money in a red envelope for good fortune. It’s usually like $5, $10, or $20 but that feels like $1,000,000 when you're 8 years old.

In honor of Lunar New Year and family, I wanted to share 3 money lessons my parents taught me that shaped who I am today.

Lesson 1

My mom could teach a master class on stretching every penny.

Eating out? Nope—there was always food at home.

New clothes? Only if my current ones had holes in them.

And she loooves a good deal. My mom scanned the mail every day for coupons.

As a kid, I just wanted to fit in— and my Payless shoes and too-large-for-me clothes weren’t exactly screaming “cool.”

P.S. My mom always bought clothes for me that were 1 or 2 sizes too large to save money because I would “grow into them.”

But when I started working, I realized my parents had taught me the value of money.

I was intentional with every dollar, making sure I had my all my financial priorities covered.

When friends ask how I learned to build an emergency fund and financial foundation before I turned 18, I tell them it was all thanks to my frugal upbringing.

Lesson 2

Financial stability is a privilege.

Everyone in my family had to pitch in to keep the boat afloat, so I grew up fast.

My parents worked long days, so I had to handle chores, homework, and take care of myself.

My parents don’t speak English so when bills, taxes, or other random documents came in the mail, I was the translator. I’ve been chatting with customer service reps since I was 8.

Because I know what it’s like to worry about money, I don’t take financial stability for granted.

And that’s a big reason why I make content like this. My mission is to help people make smarter money moves — not just to build wealth — but to also have freedom and peace of mind.

Lesson 3

Growing up, I couldn’t have everything I wanted, but I had everything that mattered.

We didn’t spend much money on the biggest TVs, trying nice restaurants or fancy things.

Instead, my parents prioritized experiences.

We had a lot of home cooked meals, cousin hang-outs, and just lounging around the dining room table.

Growing up around that, I learned a valuable lesson: stuff comes and goes, but people are what really matter.

That’s why I don’t care much about having the newest or nicest things. I’d rather spend my money on new experiences and moments with friends and family.

PS: You’re pretty awesome if you read up to here. Happy Lunar New Year!

To making smarter money moves,

— Vincent Chan

New Youtube video

In this video, I’ll break down how you can go from $0 to $100K in 2025—without overcomplicating it. Hitting your first $100K is the most important financial milestone. After that, building wealth gets way easier… and honestly, it’s not as hard as you might think.

My favorite things this week

Silo – Apple TV has come up with some really great shows lately. If you like dystopian worlds, you’ll love this. I binged season 2 in a couple of days, and now I’m going down a rabbit hole reading about bunkers… it’s a wild ride.

Texas BBQ – Do you ever have a food you just dream about? That’s Texas BBQ for me. I’m in Houston for a wedding right now, and while I’m excited to see my friends, I might be just as excited for some beef ribs (don’t tell them I said this).

TSA PreCheck & CLEAR – I HATE going through security at airports — scrambling to take off my shoes, pull out my laptop, and rush through while a cranky TSA agent screams at me. Thankfully I have TSA PreCheck and CLEAR through my credit cards so I can zip past this line in just a few minutes. By the way, if y’all are interested, I’ll reveal how I optimize my credit cards so I travel for free in future newsletter issues.

PS: I want to hear from you! Want to see more (or less) of this content? Let me know your feedback here

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