What the Swiss Army Knife Taught Me About Finance
- James C Foo Leong
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
A Quiet Milestone & the Swiss Army Knife of Finance
Some milestones shout.
Others whisper.
This one folds into place with quiet precision.
Once Upon a Balance Sheet has officially received its ISBN from the National Library Board of Singapore.
It’s a small number.
But one with loud meaning.
Because it marks something real.
Something ready.
Something shaped through years of teaching, rewriting, and refining.
It’s the book’s fingerprint.
Its identity.
Its quiet declaration:
“This work exists. It’s ready to be found.”
And in this small but meaningful moment, I wanted to give you a glimpse behind the scenes—into a chapter that captures the essence of how I approach financial storytelling.
Chapter 2 – The Swiss Army Knife of Finance
There’s a common myth in the way we often talk about assets.
We treat them like trophies.
Proof of success.
Something to display—“Look what I’ve acquired.”
But that’s not how I see them.
Assets aren’t trophies.
They’re tools.
Tools to help you earn, build, and create value.
And liabilities?
They’re not inherently bad.
They’re tools too—just sharper ones.
They require awareness, management, and thoughtful use.
Like a knife in a Swiss Army toolkit:
– Use it well, and it unlocks possibilities.
– Use it carelessly, and it can cut deep.
This is the lens I offer in Chapter 2.
Not finance as a scoreboard.
But finance as a toolkit.
Because once you start seeing your balance sheet through this frame—
You move from tracking to crafting.
From observing to applying.
From confusion to capability.
This chapter is one of my favorites because it invites a quiet transformation.
From passivity to intention.
From uncertainty or ego, to purpose.
It shows that finance isn’t about proving your worth.
It’s about building something worthy.
And in many ways, that’s what this whole book has become for me.
A toolkit of financial clarity.
A collection of insights I’ve sharpened—lesson by lesson, story by story—until they felt ready to hand to others.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Bit by bit, the book is coming together.
And this milestone—the ISBN—makes it feel just a little more real.
Like a structure beginning to hold.
Quiet progress.
But the kind that lasts.
James
The Financial Storyteller
Ready to turn financial confusion into clarity?
👉 If Once Upon a Balance Sheet resonates with you, we can change the way you see numbers.
