5 books on personal finance - and financially-savvy people.

LEONG CHAN TEIK was a journalist at The Straits Times for 18 years until he left in 2007.

Between 1995 and 1999, he was concurrently editor of NSman magazine, a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine contract-published by Singapore Press Holdings for over 150,000 SAFRA members.  

In 2002, a few years after switching to writing on personal finance for The Straits Times, he won the Best Financial Journalist of the Year award handed out by the Securities Investors Association of Singapore.  

He has also won several Straits Times in-house awards for excellence. Some of his work was compiled into three books published in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

In a fourth book, which was published in 2003, he documented the development of the S$5-billion North-East Line, a MRT project. The book was commissioned by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore. 

In a fifth book published in 2005, he documented the development of Singapore’s first seawater desalination plant. The book was commissioned by Hyflux, which built the plant.

At the opening of the plant, the book was presented as a memento to the Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, by Hyflux CEO Olivia Lum.  

Chan Teik has co-founded NextInsight, a media portal focusing on equity investing. NextInsight's strategic partner is Financial PR, Singapore's leading investor relations company which won the Singapore Prestige Brand Award 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

In Oct 09, his book for the 10th anniversary of the Securities Investors Association of Singapore was launched. It captures the essence of the association's work
and achievements since its founding.

At the opening of the Hyflux plant, the book 'Making The Right Turn' was presented as a memento to the Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, by Hyflux CEO Olivia Lum.

Outside of work, among other things, he trains in aikido at  Aikido Shinju-kai Singapore which awarded him a black belt in 2008 and shodan in 2011.

Aikido training encompasses armed and unarmed techniques in self-defence.

Book launch in Oct 09. Photo by Sim Kih