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Book review: An old classic becomes a new book on finances

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-28 10:39

From the popular Chinese classic Honglou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) comes a reinvented tale about financial literacy and wealth preservation, with the original characters and their personalities transported into modern times.

In this new version, Tan Chun goes to Harvard to become a wealth management expert. Wang Xi Feng fails in her investments in bonds and securities.

Li Wan is pleased with her son Jia Lan when he displays a good "financial quotient". Bao Yu's funds are tied up in stocks, and he sacrifices for Dai Yu's poetry series.

Honglou Fortune: Wealth for Generations places the abstract concepts of investment and wealth management well within the readers' reach, skillfully weaving these lessons into an enjoyable story.

Author Rena He Hanxi is marketing director at HSBC Jintrust Fund Management. A graduate of Fudan University's School of Economics, she brings valuable insights to investment and financial schools of thought.

Unchanging principles of wealth management and investment are narrated through the overlapping of ancient and modern times.

With a fresh perspective and a few new principles, Honglou Fortune sheds light on how one can effectively manage family finances and balance risks.

The book also provides pointers on which investment combinations one should undertake at different life stages, how to build an investment portfolio and how to balance investment values.

Each chapter closes with tips from HSBC Jintrust investment advisors, rounded off with a comic illustration at the end of the list of recommendations.

The reader will discover that investing can be a straightforward and even lighthearted affair. This book is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in financial planning.