#05. Timothy Ho and his Values, Passion and Purpose

Wantedly’s mission is to create a world where work drives passion, and whether you are a founder or creator, a leader or a gig worker, a consultant or a teacher, discovering and aligning your values, passion, and purpose will give you the best chance at having a fulfilling career, and more importantly, a meaningful life. On top of that, organisations can achieve their mission, and society and beyond will benefit in the long run.

Values are your non-negotiable foundation, passion is about what excites and motivates you, and purpose is your deeper reason for existence.
- Harvard Business Review

This year, Singapore celebrates our 60th birthday, and to honour this momentous occasion, we are launching a year-long content series featuring 60 individuals (or couples and groups) who have become who they are today because of Singapore, and who are making a difference in Singapore.

SG60’s theme is a refreshed spirit, and by celebrating Singapore’s journey to date, Wantedly also wants to spotlight some of those who have contributed to the past, and will be shaping the next chapter of the Singapore story. And as a nation, we reflect on our shared values of multiculturalism, boldness, resilience and openness, which allowed us to prosper… This series aims to be a platform for individual reflection on what our own values are, and how we discover our passion and strive towards our purpose.

Introducing Timothy

Timothy Ho is the Co-founder and Managing Editor of DollarsAndSense (D&S), a leading finance publication based in Singapore. Since starting in 2012, Timothy has penned over 1,000 finance articles covering diverse financial topics such as investing, insurance, real estate, entrepreneurship and public policies. He also hosts the DollarsAndSense Podcast show.

Beyond his business, Timothy is a huge real estate person and he would love to develop his own properties in the future.

1. What are your top 3 values?

For me, the three key ingredients for success are passion, hard work and integrity.

No matter what you're pursuing—whether it's building a career, starting a business, excelling in school, or even staying consistent at the gym—being truly passionate about what you do makes all the difference.

Hard work is equally important; success rarely comes without effort and dedication.

And above all, integrity is essential. Staying true to your values and doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, builds trust and long-term success.

2. Coming from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), a private university with degrees that are sometimes less recognised or regarded by employers, did you feel back then that you were disadvantaged in terms of career opportunities compared to local university graduates?

Growing up, I never really worried too much about what others thought. I think it’s unfortunate when people let their academic results shape their sense of self-worth because, in the end, grades are just one small part of who we are.

It was in SIM that we (me and my co-founder) discovered our passion for financial content writing and that’s how DollarsAndSense started.

In my opinion, the only disadvantage you can have is when you don’t make it a point to pursue your passion and instead, let other people tell you what you can and can’t achieve, just because you care about what others are saying. To me, that’s a real disadvantage.

3. Why did you pursue Entrepreneurship, and what does success look like for you?

Throughout my student years, I never imagined I would be self-employed, let alone run a business. No one in my family had ever started a business and I always thought we should aim to find a stable, well-paying job (ideally one you enjoy).

DollarsAndSense began because we were incredibly passionate about finance, and decided that we wanted to share that passion with more people. Today, that same drive remains, and I’m grateful that finance has become such a big part of not just my life, but also the lives of many others in Singapore. For me, this is success.

4. What is it like working together with your wife? (Timothy's wife, Deanna, is the Head of Commercial, Social Media Lead at Dollars and Sense.)

It can be fun though with some challenges at times.

Let’s start with the fun part—I’m an extrovert, and I love that we get to work together, grab lunch, and attend events whenever we can carve out time away from the kids. Both of us are great with people, so attending work events often feels like an extension of our social life, as we get to connect with like-minded professionals. We embrace and enjoy this work-life experience that we currently have in our lives. We’re also both ambitious, and even if we weren’t working together at DollarsAndSense, we’d still be driven to achieve success in our careers.

Of course, challenges come with the territory. As two different individuals, we sometimes have different reactions and solutions to work-related problems. I tend to be impatient and have no issue expressing dissatisfaction when something isn’t up to standard. Deanna, on the other hand, is much more patient and nurturing—so while we may tackle the same challenge, our approaches can be quite different.

Timothy and Deanna at the Singapore FinTech Festival, 2024

5. How do you approach parenting together?

We share similar hopes for how we want to raise our kids, which makes things easier. Beyond that, we divide our responsibilities and step in to help each other whenever needed. For example, I take the lead on outdoor activities like cycling and swimming, while my wife focuses more on their academic subjects. But we’re always there to support each other when necessary.

Since we have the flexibility to work from home on some days, we also try to plan our schedules so that our work-from-home days are slightly different. This way, we can increase the amount of days that one of us is at home.

Timothy, Deanna and their oldest daughter at a DollarsAndSense Podcast on site recording

6. Please leave us with your advice for working parents.

Think of your career not just as a means to an end. Whenever possible, we try to help our kids understand why our work is important and what our weekly routines look like. As working parents, we believe it’s essential to involve them in the conversation about what we do.

When I work from home, I explain to them that it’s similar to them doing their homework—it requires focus and discipline, both of which I also hope they apply to their own schoolwork. For example, on Saturday mornings, when I need to get some work done, my wife encourages the kids to do their revision at the same time. The goal is for everyone to finish by noon so we can head out for a family lunch.

Not everyone will have the same experience as us, but there could be a version of sharing with your kids more about your job that works for you and them.

Let's connect on LinkedIn, and you can stay updated and informed too by following D&S on whichever is your preferred Social Media. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, YouTube, and TikTok!

This series was brought to you by Wantedly Hire - an application tracking system optimised for modern hiring practices. Experience seamless hiring with tailored workflows designed to align with your recruitment structure, automated interview scheduling, and actionable insights to optimise hiring performance!

Once again, in celebration of SG60, let us strive to be bolder and kinder to one another, for Singapore and ourselves.