Our Company
Built for people who want to understand their finances, not just manage them
Padi Finance started with a simple observation: most financial education isn't built for people in their forties. We changed that.
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A course built from a conversation that kept repeating itself
Padi Finance was established in 2019 by a group of financial educators who had each spent years conducting workshops and seminars across Singapore. During those years, a pattern emerged: participants in their forties and fifties consistently arrived with the same set of concerns — CPF decisions they hadn't fully thought through, household finances that hadn't been properly reviewed since a life event, and an awareness that retirement was approaching without a clear picture of what they would need.
The existing options — mass seminars, online courses designed for younger audiences, one-on-one advice tied to product sales — weren't addressing this. So we built something more deliberate. Small groups, materials written specifically for the Singapore context, and a pace that allows participants to think rather than just listen.
The name is a nod to the patience required in both rice cultivation and financial preparation. Neither produces results quickly, and both reward sustained, careful attention over time.
Our Mission
"To give people in their forties and beyond the knowledge, frameworks, and confidence to make considered financial decisions — at a pace that respects their experience and complexity of their lives."
We operate as an education provider only. We hold no financial advisory licence, sell no investment products, and receive no referral fees from any product provider. This separation is deliberate and important to us.
Every course we design is reviewed for accuracy against current CPF rules, MAS guidelines, and Singapore tax legislation. Where rules change, materials are updated before the next cohort.
6
YEARS OPERATING
480+
PARTICIPANTS
3
CORE PROGRAMMES
The People Behind Padi
A small team with depth in their respective areas
Tan Li Mei
LEAD EDUCATOR
Fifteen years in continuing financial education before co-founding Padi Finance. Specialises in CPF planning and household balance sheet construction.
Ramesh Krishnan
INVESTING CURRICULUM
Background in equity research and portfolio analysis. Developed the investing programme with a focus on SGX instruments and behavioural considerations for mid-life learners.
Chen Wei Ling
RETIREMENT PLANNING
Former CPF board programme facilitator. Designed the Retirement Readiness Review course and keeps the content current with changes to CPF LIFE and SRS regulations.
Standards We Hold Ourselves To
How we maintain quality across every programme
Annual curriculum review
Every programme is reviewed before the new calendar year to reflect changes in CPF policies, tax legislation, and investment regulations.
Participant feedback loop
We collect written feedback at the end of every cohort and use it directly in the next version of course materials.
No product affiliation
We have no financial relationships with any investment, insurance, or banking product provider. Our content cannot be influenced by commercial interests.
Data and privacy protection
Participant information is held in accordance with the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act. Workbook materials contain no personal financial data beyond what participants choose to share.
Clear scope boundaries
Every session includes a reminder of what financial education covers and what it does not. We are explicit that our programmes do not constitute financial advice.
Singapore regulatory alignment
Our programmes are designed to operate within MAS guidelines for financial education providers. We do not hold nor require a financial advisory licence.
Our Approach
Financial education built for a specific stage of life
The financial questions facing a person in their mid-forties differ substantially from those relevant to someone in their twenties. CPF decisions, household insurance reviews, the construction of a drawdown plan, and the documentation required for household coordination during retirement — these are not topics that generic financial literacy courses address with adequate depth.
Padi Finance programmes are written with this specific audience in mind. The examples use Singapore figures. The frameworks account for CPF structures. The pace accommodates people who are working full-time and attending in evenings or on Saturday mornings.
We believe that education delivered in a small group, with time for questions and honest discussion, produces better outcomes than a seminar with a hundred attendees or a self-paced online course completed in isolation. Learning alongside peers who share a similar context — similar age, similar concerns about CPF, similar proximity to retirement — changes the quality of the conversation.
Every participant leaves with printed workbook materials and a personal summary document. These are designed to remain useful long after the course concludes — as a reference, as a starting point for family conversations, and as a record of the thinking done during the programme.
Take the Next Step
Interested in joining a cohort?
We are happy to answer questions about any of our three programmes before you decide to enrol. Send us a message or call during office hours.
Get in Touch