I started this personal finance blog to share my experience while I work to achieve financial independence (FI). Growing up, I didn’t have the resources available to teach me how to stay out of debt and grow my investments. So, I hope documenting the personal finance lessons I learn will benefit many of you out there. Let me share how this all began.
The Great Recession started shortly after my mom purchased our first home. Given the high mortgage payments, my family struggled to make ends meet. While I watched my family struggle financially, the topic of financial independence crossed my mind while I perused the personal finance subreddit in my early 20’s. I learned how others make their money work by purchasing duplexes and rental properties or by investing large percentages of their income into the stock market. I listened to the Dave Ramsey podcast and learned that consumer debt prevents people from achieving financial freedom and stability. Finally, I remember searching Google for the most stable and high paying jobs. Ultimately, I wanted to position myself for peace of mind. I spent a lot of time reading about personal finance and researching jobs that offered financial stability.
Then, our house foreclosed.
Fortunately, my mom is savvy, and we found a cheap apartment, but the need for financial stability and a debt free lifestyle ingrained itself in my brain.
After the loss, I became hyper-focused on my schooling and career development. While the financial lessons from the recession lingered, I didn’t consider starting the path of FI until my late 20s. However, I strongly believe that you can start this path at any moment by reading, asking questions, and applying the FI principles that we’ll discuss on my blog. If you are in your early 20’s, I encourage you to invest your time learning about personal finance. Likewise, if you’re older, there is still time to learn to save, budget, and invest your money.
So, let’s explore this path together.
