Sandy’s late-father, an immigrant from China, taught her to never buy things you can’t afford. And that it’s not how much you earn, but how much you save. As a teenager, Sandy worked several part-time jobs which, after scholarships, paid for university.
Upon graduating, during a recession, Sandy entered the corporate world and started saving. Her big bank, high-fee, high-risk mutual funds soon lost thousands of dollars. Frustrated to see her hard earned money disappearing, Sandy decided to learn how to manage her money herself. Starting with the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, Sandy discovered and devoured personal finance books in the years to come, which lead to success in self-directed financial and real estate investments.
Professionally, Sandy conducted presentations, but knew there was room for improvement. Then she met her now-husband, Albert Ho,ACB, ALB, Area Director, who introduced her to Toastmasters. That first Toastmasters meeting opened her eyes to the possibilities of becoming a better speaker and she joined.
In 2018, Albert made a new year’s resolution to write a book. They attended a book writing seminar and Sandy had an “aha” moment. She discovered that with the knowledge gained from her much reading and personal experience, she had the potential to teach others to become financially independent.
The fa
ct that most people live cheque-to-cheque and struggle to save for retirement both irritated and inspired Sandy, who wants people to feel empowered, not intimidated, about money. Moved to act, she wrote The Money Master, due to be published in winter 2019. Sandy says “I could see there was a real need for financial literacy……[and was] inspired to make a change in people’s lives. I realized that I could combine my passion of personal finance with public speaking.”
The Money Master covers finance, real estate and entrepreneurship. Plus $2 from each book sold will be donated to the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Sandy knows of CAMH through her volunteer and advocacy work for Bell Let’s Talk Day.
With a vision of making people feel comfortable about money and mental health, both touchy subjects that impact our daily lives, and thanks to Toastmasters, Sandy now speaks at financial literacy conferences and workshops. She says “I truly hope to make an impact and help people overcome their fears and failures and get back on track to achieve financial success. “
Sandy was featured in May Toastmaster Magazine. Find out more about Sandy’s speaking journey at www.sandyyong.com.
