Startup Co-Founder, Board Director, Writer, Investor, MS Clinical Mental Health (current)
ABOUT
About Benjamin Tan
Benjamin Tan is the co-founder of Psyntel, a mental health tech startup, and a board member of P.E.A.C.E., a non-profit promoting mental health within Georgia's Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
An accomplished investor with a substantial portfolio in real estate and equity holdings in the consumer and technology sectors, Benjamin previously held senior investment banking roles at Credit Suisse and UBS in Singapore before relocating to London and the United States...
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He graduated with first-class honors in Accounting and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Raised in a humble household in Singapore, Benjamin overcame numerous childhood challenges to achieve financial independence, reflecting his personality evolution from an introverted, risk-averse individual into a confident and calculated investor. His deep understanding of finance and psychology forms the foundation of his debut book, Suit Yourself, where he guides readers in discovering their unique investing styles.
How Suit Yourself Came to Life
Suit Yourself was born out of Benjamin's unique intersection of expertise in personal finance, psychology, and the Enneagram. As someone who has evolved from an introverted, risk-averse individual into a confident investor, Benjamin found that understanding personality types—his own and others—was the key to unlocking better investment strategies. He combined this personal journey with his knowledge of human psychology and years of observing how different personalities approach risk-taking throughout the writing process. Beyond financial advice, Benjamin wanted to honor readers' individuality and infuse his book with humor and pop culture references.
The result is Suit Yourself, a book that offers personalized roadmaps aligned with the inherent strengths of each personality type and helps readers overcome the pitfalls created by unconscious biases.
My Type Five Personality: An Ongoing Evolution
A Note from the Author
Growing up in Singapore, I learned early on the importance of independence and self-reliance. Raised by my paternal grandmother and extended family, I developed a strong Type 5 personality—what the Enneagram calls "The Investigator." This made me naturally curious, analytical, and intensely focused on understanding the world through knowledge and careful observation.
As a Type Five, my instinct was always to gather information and minimize risks before making decisions. I played it incredibly safe when I started investing, focusing exclusively on government treasuries. There was a real fear of taking risks, and I found comfort in the predictability of low-yield investments. My analytical nature sometimes kept me from seeing the potential rewards of taking calculated risks. But over the years, I have evolved.
My journey in personal investing has directly reflected my growth as an individual. As I gained more experience and confidence, I embraced new perspectives. I slowly expanded my portfolio beyond treasuries, seeking a balance between new learnings, higher returns, and measured prudence. This was not an overnight change but a gradual pivot towards being more open-minded. Looking back, I adopted traits from other Enneagram types, particularly Type Seven (The Enthusiast) and Type Eight (The Challenger), as predicted by the Enneagram model. Like a Type Seven, I started to embrace the joy of exploring new investment opportunities, and like a Type Eight, I became bolder and more assertive in my decision-making. My portfolio reflects this personal evolution—I still value careful analysis but am much more comfortable taking calculated risks.
Suit Yourself grew out of this personal journey. I realize the importance of understanding one's inherent strengths and weaknesses when investing. Knowing my Type Five tendencies has helped me develop a strategy that leans into my natural strengths and mitigates blind spots while developing new traits when necessary. In the book, I explore how each Enneagram type can find its unique path to financial success, just as I have.
Podcast Interview: June 2023
Check out Benjamin's interview on The Investing for Beginners Podcast. Host Dave Ahern and Benjamin talk about their respective Enneagram types and how personality traits have influenced their investing behaviors in the past.