Beyond Profits: Leen Jason’s Path to Building a Legacy at 22 

While most teenagers are drawn to video games or sports, Leen Jason’s interests took him in a different direction. From as young as 13 years old, Jason was deeply captivated by the world of finance and investing. This captivation has led him to a promising career in investment analysis, not even 10 years later! At 22 years old, Jason works at an asset management firm, analysing equities and managing client funds.

To Jason, investing is more than just a matter of handling numbers; it’s about understanding the world and the people who live in it; it’s about gaining perspectives and, ultimately, about creating a legacy that extends far beyond financial gain.

The Early Spark: A Teenage Curiosity in Finance

Jason’s fascination with finance sprouted like many people; he wanted to learn how to make money. “I would regularly go to the bookstore to read finance books for free, I did my fair share of ripping books out of their plastic packaging” Jason admitted with a laugh. “Initially, I just wanted to know how to make money or profits, but soon, I realised there was an art to it that I fell in love with. It’s really about learning how everything works together,” he said. The more he read about finance, the more Jason’s curiosity grew. He found that investing offered him a unique way to explore how the world operates, one company at a time. 

Soon enough, finance became less about money to Jason and more about satisfying a deeper thirst for knowledge about the industries, people, and global systems that shape the world.

Educational Journey: From Curiosity to Academia

After completing his IGCSEs at Nobel International School, Jason decided on Sunway College for his pre-university education. He pursued a Foundation in Arts, a seemingly unconventional start for someone heading into a math-intensive career in actuarial science. “My Foundation experience really helped me broaden my horizons and understand people from other fields. I took the science stream during high school, and I didn’t really get exposed to people on the more creative side of things.”, he reflected.  His time in Foundation helped him develop his ability to communicate with people from all walks of life, an invaluable asset to his career and life. 

Jason decided to make his transition to an actuarial science degree at Sunway University, where he was met with academic challenges of an entirely new level. Being surrounded by exceedingly bright mathematical minds, an area of study Jason has always felt confident in, made for a humbling experience that reshaped his understanding of his own strengths. “I thought I was good at math, but my classmates were on another level,” he recalled. Despite the challenges, he valued this exposure to advanced math and this lesson in humility has remained with him ever since.

A project that encapsulated the dynamics Jason had with classmates involved creating an insurance product, complete with marketing strategies and pricing models. “Naturally, I took the more ‘people-facing’ side of things, while my teammates did the intricate math,” Jason reflected. This assignment reminded Jason that while technical skills are important, his strengths in communication were just as valuable.

Starting His Career: Entering the World of Asset Management

Entering asset management was a natural next step for Jason, where he would put his financial knowledge into action and even travel internationally to assess companies firsthand. But breaking into the field wasn’t easy. “In investment, firms usually look for people with experience, an overseas degree, or strong connections,” he explained. With only a degree in Actuarial Science at a local university to his name, Jason knew he had to find a way to separate himself from the crowd.

Inspired by artists or programmers who would showcase their abilities and experience through their portfolios, Jason decided to put his deep knowledge of finance and investing to use. “I connected with people on LinkedIn and wrote research reports on stocks.” Taking such initiative was essential in displaying to employers not only his expertise but also his willingness to think outside the box and go the actual mile. It was this approach that caught the attention of abrdn, a global investment company, who, like him, valued substance over titles or university names.

Now, as an investment analyst at abrdn, Jason not only evaluates stocks and market trends but also meets with CEOs and founders from many countries, gaining a unique perspective on each company’s potential. “Meeting the people who run these businesses and seeing their work environments, it’s all part of understanding their true potential.” 

Managing clients’ money is no light task, and Jason takes this responsibility seriously. “We’re reminded every day that it’s someone else’s money,” he shared, noting the weight that comes with his role. This accountability drives him to maintain a careful yet confident approach, balancing caution with determination as he navigates market shifts.

Jason’s investment philosophy centres on a ‘business owner’ mindset, viewing each investment as a stake in a company rather than just a stock. “Think of it like owning a piece of a business; it’s about trusting the leadership and understanding the fundamentals.” Inspired by the principle that ‘genius lies in making the complex simple’, he believes that the best investments are often straightforward yet thoroughly researched.

Future Goals and Personal Philosophy: Building a Legacy and Living Simply

As committed as Jason is to his career in investment analysis, his ultimate goal goes beyond finance. Jason is inspired by the concept of ‘inclusive business’ and aims to start a venture that both supports disadvantaged communities and generates sustainable profit. “I want to build a business that helps people sustainably so it can keep running even after I’m gone.” For Jason, profit isn’t inherently negative; it’s simply a means to create lasting, positive change for those who need it most.

This long-term vision drives him daily, motivating him to absorb everything he can about business operations and impact. Jason hopes to merge the insights he’s gained from asset management with a mission-driven approach, building an enterprise that balances profit with social good.

With the rigours of a fast-paced and exhausting job, Jason’s outlook on life is refreshing. He believes in focusing on the essentials and cutting out unnecessary complications, both at work and in life. “I just want to live a simple, happy life,” he shared. Jason uses simplicities as a guiding principle, keeping his head clear amid all the complexities of this field, and it’s a mindset that he feels is getting increasingly lost in the current day and age. “When you think about it, a lot of us don’t really have as much to worry about as we think we do. Sometimes, we worry about what we believe are overwhelming problems, but they don’t even exist.”

For those looking to enter the world of investing and finance, Jason has one key piece of advice: stay curious, prioritise learning and remember that investing is more than numbers. “I highly recommend One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch and Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip Fisher for beginners. These books helped me dive into the qualitative aspects of investment that have definitely shaped my approach.”

For Jason, success comes from balancing curiosity with simplicity and embracing a grounded approach in both career and life. He also emphasised humility, encouraging newcomers to acknowledge what they don’t know and always to keep an open mind.