I’ve always considered myself ahead of the curve compared to most. At the age of eighteen I openly talked about my financial situation. By 2013 I was enrolled at my local community college. I was very fortunate in having parents willing to help pay for school. With the idea of minimal out of pocket expenses, I knew that a community college would be my best option. I worked full time throughout my college years and I was able to avoid paying interest on credit cards until just after my twenty first birthday. At twenty-two I had my first child and lost my job a few weeks later. Through friends I found part time work at a local Coney Island. My debt and stress began to grow. The owners soon became friends and I found motivation through those around me to press forward looking for a more stable income. I found work as a Customer Service Representative at a local manufacturing company. Along with the job I was looking for cheaper living. With assistance from family I found myself moving into a duplex with my brother as a co-buyer. By the time I was twenty three I was up to my eyeballs in debt. It started slow at first, but as it always does it began to snowball. I was stressing daily about making sure I had enough room on my credit cards to pay for food, gas, and pull-ups all along with a second child on the way. My spouse at the time didn’t work as she was a stay at home mom dealing with depression that she had carried most of her life. I worked all day to come home to a mess of a house and kids craving attention with a spouse who needed support I couldn’t provide. While this stress was overwhelming it was also a drive to push for solutions.

After a few years my brother found himself pursing a business hours away and I took the opportunity to offer him a buyout. Paying him half the equity we had in the home as funding to get him started elsewhere. Little did I know this was a vital first step towards some stability. Though it was not a full reprieve from the weight of my financial issues. In an attempt to make more money from my job I taught myself Excel. From the basic formula to the scripting of macros, this skill set helped me climb the corporate ladder. With the increased income I was able to cut my debt down, but I ended up in a vicious cycle of just paying of the previous months expenses with each paycheck. I thought I was doing it right though. My credit cards were payed down, any spare change I had going into an investment account and picked up a couple shares here and there. The only financial boost I had was at the end of the year in the form of a payout for vacation time I refused to use. The last thing I needed was another expense I couldn’t afford.

The stress of finances, COVID, and other deep seated issues ended my marriage by the beginning of 2023. With the cost of divorce forcing a refinance on my home. I knew now was the time to really make a change or I would just fall back into the same stress filled grind. I watched many YouTube videos, listened to several podcasts, and read article after article trying to find means of making more money. After some deliberation I finally decided to spend a few dollars on a book. One referenced in several videos and podcasts I had tried to learn from. My debate was prolonged because the people I tried to learn from had clearly read the book and were passing on their knowledge. I couldn’t understand why the book would provide anymore insight than those who learned from it. None the less, I felt like I hit a dead end so the purchase was made.

I’m not one to sit and read a book. At this point a single dad, the time was just not available in the day to sit and focus on reading. I purchased Rich Dad Poor Dad 20th Anniversary Edition by Robert T. Kiyosaki narrated by Tom Parks in early February of 2023 and within a week my entire perspective on finances shifted. With this revelation I realized how simplistic the shift was but how glaringly oblivious I was. How I was the cause of my stress and that I could in fact build a path to find my way into financial freedom. That’s what this is intended to be. A chronicle of my findings and plans to make my way from drowning in financial stress to financial bliss.

I promise not all posts will be this long winded, but I will also not skimp out on anything I feel might be valuable to you as the reader. I want my risks, pitfalls and successes too be examples for you to learn from.