Our Story
How Lyonell Came to Be
Lyonell grew out of a simple observation: adults navigating the questions of mid-life — when to reshape a household budget, how to read an LPA document, how to begin a conversation with adult children about shared finances — often had nowhere to start. The existing resources were either too general or too sales-adjacent.
We started by convening small reading groups in Singapore's CBD, distributing curated reading material, and facilitating discussion with no agenda beyond the material itself. Those early circles were modest and deliberate. The format worked because it made no promises and respected participants' intelligence.
Today, Lyonell runs three distinct programmes — each addressing a different set of questions, each structured around reading, reflection, and peer discussion. Our venue at Samsung Hub provides a calm, well-lit space suited to the pace we cultivate.
Our Mission
What We Are Here to Do
Our mission is to make household financial vocabulary accessible to adults who are ready to engage with it thoughtfully. We do this through structured reading programmes — not courses, not seminars, not advisory sessions.
Each Lyonell programme is designed so that participants leave with a clearer sense of the language and frameworks relevant to their stage of life. What they do with that understanding — the conversations they have, the professionals they consult — is entirely their own.
"We do not advise. We read together, discuss carefully, and trust that clarity on the vocabulary is itself a form of preparation."
— Lyonell Programme Principles
The People
Who Designs and Runs Each Programme
Ng Li Shan
Programme Director
Li Shan oversees programme design and cohort facilitation at Lyonell. She has spent twelve years working in adult education and corporate learning, with a particular interest in how adults read and process unfamiliar material.
Rajan Balasubramaniam
Reading Materials Editor
Rajan writes and curates the reading material used across all three Lyonell programmes. His background is in financial journalism and plain-language communication, ensuring that complex vocabulary is presented accessibly and without distortion.
Chen Tze Ling
Cohort Coordinator
Tze Ling manages enrolment, scheduling, and participant support across all Lyonell cohorts. She ensures that the administrative side of each programme runs smoothly so that facilitators and participants can focus entirely on the reading material.
Standards
How We Approach Our Work
Accurate Reading Material
All programme reading materials are reviewed for factual accuracy against current Singapore regulatory frameworks — CPF, MAS, and related bodies — before each cohort season.
Participant Privacy
Participant information is held in accordance with Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act. We do not share enrolment details or correspondence with third parties.
Clear Scope Boundaries
Lyonell programmes are educational reading programmes only. No regulated financial advice is offered or implied, and facilitators are trained to maintain that boundary consistently across all sessions.
Cohort Size Management
Cohort sizes are controlled to maintain the quality of peer discussion. No programme accepts more participants than its designated maximum, regardless of demand.
Materials Quality
Physical materials are produced to a considered standard — clothbound workbooks, printed glossary cards, and discussion notebooks — because well-made materials invite sustained engagement.
Regular Programme Review
Each programme is reviewed after every cohort season. Participant feedback shapes content updates, ensuring that what we cover stays relevant to the actual questions adults in Singapore are navigating.
Our Values and Expertise
What Reading Together Means at Lyonell
Lyonell occupies a deliberate position in Singapore's adult education landscape. We do not offer coaching, counselling, or regulated financial planning. We offer reading programmes — structured, facilitated, and designed around the specific vocabulary that adults in mid-life find themselves needing.
The three programmes we run — Pre-Retirement Reflection, Estate Reading, and Family Money Reading Circle — address distinct but related sets of questions. A person who has attended all three would have a thorough reading foundation across household cashflow, estate documentation, and intergenerational money conversations. That foundation does not replace professional advice; it makes professional advice more productive.
Our venue at Samsung Hub in Singapore's financial district reflects the context in which our participants live and work. We are not a community centre and we are not a financial institution. We are a reading room, organised around the idea that adults deserve well-designed educational material on topics that matter to their households.
Small cohort sizes are a deliberate part of our model. When eight to twelve people read the same material and discuss it together, the conversation has texture and depth. Questions surface that would not arise in a lecture setting. Participants recognise their own situations in what others describe. That recognition is, in our view, where the value of the programme actually lies.
Join a Cohort
A Place at the Reading Table
If you have questions about our programmes or would like to know when the next cohort opens, we are glad to hear from you.
Send an Enquiry