Author Archives: Tim

About Tim

I'm a Chinese/Taiwanese-American, born in Taiwan, raised on Long Island, went to college in Philadelphia, tried Wall Street and then moved to the California Bay Area to work in high tech in 1990. I'm a recent dad and husband. Other adjectives that describe me include: son, brother, geek, DIYer, manager, teacher, tinkerer, amateur horologist, gay, and occasional couch potato. I write for about 5 different blogs including 8Asians. When not doing anything else, I like to challenge people's preconceived notions of who I should be.

Chinese Americans Tend to Borrow Less

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Tim

A new study by Rui Yao (the same researcher who found that Chinese Americans prefer riskier investments), found that while 72 percent of Chinese-American households hold a mortgage, only five percent of those households have outstanding auto loans, and only … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Business, Real Estate | 2 Comments

Mixed Race Families Still Get a Second Glance

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Tim

Even in an area as progressive as the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s not unusual for my family to get a second look when we’re walking into a restaurant, store, or other public area. My family is both mixed race … Continue reading →

Posted in Discrimination, Family | 42 Comments

The “Asian Effect” Of APAs Outperforming Others Is Not Gene Based

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Tim

There’s no doubt that Asians Americans out perform other races in elementary, middle and high school. We have plenty of test results that show Asian Americans score higher on standardized tests. In 2008, a study found that even as young … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family, Health, Lifestyles | 21 Comments

Talking and Conversing Like An American

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Tim

When I took my daughter to Taiwan when she was four years old, there was one aspect about our relationship that always surprised my relatives. It was the way I talked to my daughter and always asked her opinion on … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family, Lifestyles, Observations | 25 Comments

Less Asian Americans Live In Poverty

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Tim

While it may seem contradictory to the news that more Asian Americans are declaring bankruptcy and had an increase in unemployment rates, it turns out less Asian Americans are at or below the poverty level. Some of the reasoning behind … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Business, Current Events | 3 Comments

More Asian Americans Filing For Bankruptcies

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Tim

A new report from the Institute for Financial Literacy shows that over the last five years (from 2006 to 2010), Asian Americans have had the largest increase in filings for bankruptcies, essentially doubling over the last five years. This is … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Business | Leave a comment

Awareness of Ethnicity Based Stigma Starts Young

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Tim

Researchers from UCLA have determined that children as young as second graders recognize stigma based on their ethnicity, and feel more anxious based on the stigma they receive. I could have told you the same thing based on my experiences … Continue reading →

Posted in Discrimination, Education, Family | 16 Comments

Male Circumcision & Culture Clash: To Cut Or Not To Cut

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Tim

Even before my partner and I started the process of having a child, there were discussions about whether circumcision made sense for any new born male baby. It’s a topic that’s widely debated still, and there’s more of a growing … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Health, LGBT | Tagged , | 46 Comments

Asian Americans Lose Top Income Spot

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Tim

If you look closely enough at the numbers in a new Pew research report, Twenty to One, you’ll find that Asian American households have dropped from having the highest median household wealth in 2005, having lost 54% of their assets … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Current Events, Real Estate | 3 Comments

U.S. News’ Gold Medal High School List & Asian American Students

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Tim

U.S. News and World Report put out their “Gold Medal” list of the top 100 public high schools in the United States. As expected some of the real estate forums in the San Francisco Bay Area picked this up and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family | 7 Comments

Why You Should Not Teach Your Child Chinese

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Tim

With the start of the new school year, the usual topics around which school to send your child, and the extra-curricular activities your child is attending become the common topics of conversation around the water cooler at work. For Asian … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family | 34 Comments

Asian American Senior Citizens Hit Hard By Recession

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Tim

In a roller-coaster week for many American’s finances, there was even worse news for Asian American elders. We already knew that Asian Americans were hit harder by the recession, and a new study from the Greenlining Institute shows that seniors … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Family, Lifestyles | 7 Comments