Paying it forward...
The average American has the same response to personal finance conversations as they do after taking a prescription sleeping pill. I can assume any personal finance author talking about himself would be more comparable to getting hit with a horse tranquilizer. I’ll be brief. I am a healthcare worker (CT tech) who has been investing since I was 18 years old. I have used retirement accounts, personal brokerage accounts, and investment real estate together to create an efficient path towards critical mass (when you no longer depend on a job).
The odds were stacked against me being able to build enough assets to retire comfortably. I grew up in a stable home but just enough money for the basics. No financial education in public school like everyone else. Growing up without much money was great motivation to be willing to work hard and be frugal. Unfortunately, my family and I were completely ignorant regarding what to do with the little money we had. Fortunately for us, my mom stumbled onto a radio show about money that followed a local gardening show she listened to. His name was Bob Brinker and his radio show was called Moneytalk.
I was 14 years old when I joined my mom listening to Marketimer in 1990. His show was geared towards teaching average people how to be their own financial manager and avoid being bit by any “shark attacks” which were high commissions/expenses salespeople trying to take a bite out of your wallet or retirement. At age 16, I began working at a hotel restaurant. I lived off the tips and invested the paychecks with mom’s help inspired by Brinker’s Moneytalk program. At 19, I took over the family’s finances when my mom passed from cancer. In 1999, at age 23, I graduated college with $40,000 in my investment brokerage account, no student loans, and a CT job at a hospital. I purchased my first rental (a 4-plex) in 2003 and have owned investment real estate ever since.
I have been inspired to share my experiences with others to illuminate strategies toward financial well-being for over twenty years. Bob Brinker’s free Marketimer radio show changed my life forever for the better. Maybe I can do something similar for others in my own simple way. That is my purpose for this site and the numerous financial conversations I have had with countless friends and coworkers working towards a prosperous tomorrow.