1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I am Matt. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: Yes he is. And this episode today, all we're talking 3 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: about is Matt. We're covering Matt's money origin story. Okay, 4 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,319 Speaker 1: So my desire to do this episode or not, is 5 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: that a reflection of my own vanity, whether I'm willing 6 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: to talk about myself for anywhere between thirty and forty 7 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: five minutes. Yeah, we'll see, We'll see how long this goes. 8 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: But now I am looking forward to this though, because 9 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: like I'm in the hot seat a little bit. Actually, 10 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 1: I started to perspire a little bit. I feel like 11 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: you've turned the tables, You've turned the microphone on me. 12 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: Even though I do talk into the microphone every week, 13 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: it does feel a little bit different here Spotlight specifically. Yeah, well, 14 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: I think it's I think it's gonna be fun. We're 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: gonna we're gonna dive into my money origin story next week, 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: and so the tables will be turned. I will feel 17 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: the heat then, But but I think this is this 18 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: is gonna be good at It's, you know, still the 19 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 1: beginning of a new year, and there are a lot 20 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: of How the Money listeners who know quite a lot 21 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: about you and I at this point, we divulge a 22 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: fair amount of information about how we live our own 23 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: lives and how we handle our personal finances on the show, 24 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,960 Speaker 1: but we've never really done a deep dive into either 25 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: of our money origin stories. And anybody's been listening, some 26 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: people from back in the day episode, you know, the 27 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: single digit episodes, they they will find some of these 28 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: things familiar, but they will also unearthed new territory about 29 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: the man, the myth, the legend, how the money. Matt. Yeah, 30 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: we're gonna weave it all together because I do think that, Yeah, 31 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: if you've been listening for years now, you probably have 32 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: maybe a loose understanding of my past of your past 33 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: as well, because we you know, we sprinkle in a 34 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: little bits of our history into every single episode. We 35 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: try to find ways where it relates to our listeners. 36 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: But this will be fun to kind of play it 37 00:01:57,760 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: all together and for folks to have a clear understating. 38 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: Will be a kind of a more conversational episode as 39 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: opposed to one world word diving into specific topics are 40 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: teaching something, Yeah, this is maybe truly what it's actually 41 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,839 Speaker 1: like if you're having a beer with us and kicked back, 42 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: but dude. Okay, before we launched into this, though, I 43 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: wanted to share with you Kate got me an amazing 44 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: Christmas gift to spend a couple of weeks now since Christmas, 45 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: and uh, you might remember back we had Marshall Allen on. 46 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: We talked about healthcare, crazy high costs of still one 47 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: of my favorite interview episodes that we've done. Fantastic episode, 48 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: and his splurge was coffee, specifically, he roasts his own coffee. Uh, 49 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: and I kind of nerded out. I started to ask 50 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: him a bunch of questions, realized that we couldn't include 51 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: all that in the episode, dialed it back. Um, but 52 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: I was really interested in his ability to roast his 53 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: own coffee really nice, like world class, high end coffee 54 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: for a fraction of the price, and to get it, 55 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: you know, for super cheap, super fresh at home. Yeah. 56 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: That's the thing. Is like the best of both worlds, right, 57 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,640 Speaker 1: it costs less money and it's better the best stuff exactly. 58 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: So I meant, you know, after that interview I mentioned 59 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: that the Kate didn't think much of it. Well, sure enough, 60 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: Kate got me basically a coffee roasting kit for Christmas, 61 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: and uh, the best part is one of the easiest 62 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: and cheapest methods of like an easy bake oven for adults. Yes, seriously, 63 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: the one of the easiest and cheapest ways to actually 64 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: roast the coffee are is to use a popcorn air popper. 65 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: You know. It's it's like this little appliance and you 66 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,920 Speaker 1: kind of got the spoon of corns, kernels or whatever. 67 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: You you drop down in there. You flip the thing 68 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: on it and it starts popping popcorn. Well, you do 69 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: basically you do that exact same thing with the coffee beans. 70 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: You do it outside because it creates a big mess 71 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 1: in the you know, and it's still there's a decent 72 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: amount of smoke um. But you do that, you keep 73 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: an eye on it. You get it to the color 74 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: the roast you know that you want, whether you're looking 75 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: for like a lighter medium, darker medium, or darker roast. 76 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: And dude, it was phenomenal. I was surprised at how 77 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: easy it was to make really good coffee at home. 78 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: I've got to get you some. Yes, I would love 79 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: to try it. It's just like, like like we said, the 80 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: ability to buy a pound of raw coffee. I guess 81 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: that's what you call it raw. I'm still working on 82 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: the kit beans that Kate Kake got me, four different samples. Basically, 83 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: we're kind of cycling through them right now. But it 84 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: is definitely more affordable than buying the really nice stuff 85 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: at the store. How much more affordable, I'm not totally sure. 86 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: I will report back as I kind of dial in 87 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: my coffee roasting escapades there we go. But but yeah, 88 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: I'll definitely rist them up for you. I look forward 89 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: to trying it, and yeah, I think it's cool. I 90 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: was kind of fascinated by the fact that Marshall Allen 91 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: revealed that he roasted his own beans. I didn't know 92 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: that was a thing. As soon as he said that, 93 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 1: I was like, Okay, this is gonna be a problem 94 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: for me. All Right, we gotta reach back out to him. Dude, 95 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 1: we're doing it. You're doing it. But anyway, maybe i'll 96 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: link to the air popper. It's just a standard like 97 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: popcorn air popper that kid got me. But that plus 98 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,359 Speaker 1: this book she got me in, plus some sample coffees, 99 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: that's all you need. But yeah, I'll keep you posted. 100 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: Sounds good. Looking forward to hearing more about your coffee roasting. 101 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: It's so good actually once I'm right now, even though 102 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: we're drinking beer, we should like instagram live you roasting 103 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: your own coffee beans. It's it's really boring, but in 104 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: there turn it on and watch it turned around. We 105 00:04:58,120 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: could like turn the camera around and you're smiling like 106 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: a giddy schoolboy. It's that great. Well, let's move on. Matt. 107 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: Let's mentioned quickly the beer that we're having on this episode. 108 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: This is Athena Paradiso with BlackBerry, black current and ambrosia. 109 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: This is my Creature Comforts, which is just an awesome 110 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: brewery out of Athens, Georgia. Will give our thoughts on 111 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: this beer at the end of this episode, but uh, 112 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: for now, Matt, let's get onto the subject matter at hand. 113 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: And the subject matter is is you, Like we're talking 114 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 1: about your money orgin story. It is all about you today, 115 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: and so yeah, I've kind of um come up with 116 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: some questions like kind of the things I want to 117 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: ask you about your money history so that our listeners 118 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: can learn more about you, but then also just learn 119 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: more about kind of how you've grown with money, how 120 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,359 Speaker 1: you've handled it. Hopefully there are not not just human 121 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: interests here, but also actual money tips and takes takeaways totally, 122 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:47,919 Speaker 1: but like we said, it is I think helpful for 123 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: you to get to know us better as people early 124 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: on in the new year year And and Matt, January 125 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: tends to be a month where how the Money gets 126 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,040 Speaker 1: more downloads than usual because people are like, I'm kind 127 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: of new Year's resolution, I want to do better with 128 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: my money, and so they're seeking out a podcast, uh, 129 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: some similar to ours or ours in particular, and they're 130 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: hoping that it will help and hopefully hearing Matt's story 131 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: will provide some inspiration along with yeah, some of those tactical, 132 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,480 Speaker 1: practical takeaways. But yeah, let's let's get to it. Matt, 133 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: I want to kind of like start start young, and 134 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,040 Speaker 1: not like baby young, like when you came home from 135 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,280 Speaker 1: the hospital or anything like that. But I do want 136 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: to hear about my first dollar. Is it your parents 137 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: started that allowance really early? But yeah, let's talk about maybe, um, 138 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: when you the first conversations you remember about money in 139 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: your household, And what always sticks out to me is 140 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: and we'll get into this next week, but coming from 141 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: a house where money either just wasn't talked about, or 142 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: when it was, it was always in like a frustrated 143 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: way or uh, there just wasn't a whole lot of 144 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: like practical helpful talk when it came to the subject 145 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 1: of money. You come from a household that has a 146 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: pretty healthy relationship with it, it seems like totally man. Yeah, 147 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: I I so I credit a lot of that to 148 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: my dad. He grew up in the Midwest, and I 149 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: feel like he brought over, you know, from the Midwest 150 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: to the South, like a lot of that Midwestern like 151 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,279 Speaker 1: work ethic, and I think he sort of translated a 152 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: lot of that towards handling your money. Uh well. Also, 153 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: but as early as I remember, always had an allowance. 154 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: I mean, like some of my earliest memories regarding money 155 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: were receiving a bunch of dimes and then being taught 156 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: how to save a portion of it, how to give 157 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: a portion of it away, how to you know, have it, 158 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: you know, the rest of it for spending. But that 159 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: plus like a piggy bank made out of like a 160 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: two leader coke modle. That also, I will say, my 161 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: dad like he taped over it so you couldn't see 162 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: the money, which always like even now looking back, I'm like, well, 163 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: isn't the ability to see it kind of like yeah, 164 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: like kind of getting you excited about but he was 165 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: just like no, no, no, like you We're gonna not 166 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: We're gonna pretend that doesn't exist. Uh. And So I 167 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: don't know, maybe there's a lesson there that he was 168 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: trying to teach me, But a lot of my early 169 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 1: memories around money had to do with just not only 170 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: the responsibility of handling my money well, but also doing 171 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: the chores I needed to do around the house, because 172 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: it wasn't just an allowance that I received, no matter 173 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: what it was, because there were certain jobs that I 174 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: had that I had to perform in order to receive 175 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: that money. Uh. And so in that way, it was 176 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: less I guess, like an allowance that I was entitled 177 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: to and more like something that I did have to earn. 178 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: And you've really taken that sort of idea about money 179 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: into how you teach your kids about it. We'll get 180 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: to that later, but you really do you value you think? 181 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: And and this is just true in the real world, 182 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: right that when we work, we get money, and those 183 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: two things are just highly correlated exactly. I think that's 184 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: my biggest problem with calling it an allowance, because it 185 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: just feels like it's something that you get no matter what. 186 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: It's like a stipend or something. As as as long as 187 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: you're breathing, you get some money. It's like, well, I 188 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: don't know. I really do like the idea that you 189 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: receive money when you perform a job or do a job, 190 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,599 Speaker 1: or you know, perform a task. I do think like 191 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: a lot of folks will argue that, well, no, there 192 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: should be certain chores that your kids do no matter what. 193 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:52,839 Speaker 1: And I agree, like, there are certain things that my 194 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: kids will never get paid for because you're not gonna 195 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: get paid for being you know, listening to mom and 196 00:08:57,720 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: I are making your bed, Like yeah, like these are 197 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: things that you you should be doing no matter what. 198 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: But for me, you know, the allowance that was huge 199 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,439 Speaker 1: another sort of lesson. And this is I guess as 200 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: I got a little bit older, but I remember getting 201 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:10,839 Speaker 1: my first credit card, Like I remember showing up in 202 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: the mail. I was still living at home, and this 203 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: is you know, this is years ago, and I swear 204 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: I was like I was either eighteen or even younger, 205 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: and I may have been sixteen years old. And it 206 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: was a card and it, I mean, it's a prequalified letter. 207 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:23,679 Speaker 1: I had my name on it, and I remember showing 208 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,200 Speaker 1: it to dad and be like, hey, this is my 209 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 1: credit card now, right, and he's like, yeah, it is. 210 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: And I thought, wait, what it's like, Well, as long 211 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: as you whatever you use it for, as long as 212 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: you pay it off every month, there's no reason that 213 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: you can't use this credit card. Uh. And and so 214 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: I think that stands up in my mind as well, 215 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: and that might be part of my affinity towards credit 216 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,680 Speaker 1: cards even today, because I mean he was taking advantage 217 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: of cash back bonuses and different things like that starting 218 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: back in the eighties. But I think that that that 219 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: also had a pretty large impact on my ability to 220 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 1: think about finances, maybe in a different way than other 221 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: kids were. Yeah, well it sounds like to what your 222 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 1: dad was instilling was a sense of tomomy right where 223 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: we're like your sixteen and your dad's like, sure, it's 224 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 1: your credit card. Uh. And we've talked about how how 225 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 1: helping your kids, allowing your kids some of that leash 226 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: to make mistakes while they're still under your roof is 227 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: actually the best time for them to make mistakes and 228 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: to learn while you're there to protect him while the 229 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 1: mistakes can be minor, and it seems like your dad 230 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 1: was kind of setting you up for that that ability 231 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: to Yeah, absolutely, they were all about allowing me to 232 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: make the mistakes with like tens and hundreds of dollars 233 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: as opposed to like thousands and ten thousands of dollars 234 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: that oftentimes those are the lessons we learned further down 235 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 1: the road, right. But also I do want to mention 236 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: my mom because even though like more the day to 237 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: day you know, nuts and bolts of handling money, well 238 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: came down to dad and what he taught me. But 239 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:45,959 Speaker 1: I think my one of the things my mom instilled 240 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: in me. I mean, of course, like she's Asian and 241 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,560 Speaker 1: so like all Asian parents, she wanted me to be 242 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 1: a doctor or a lawyer. But one of the things 243 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: that always stood out to me because I knew what 244 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:56,679 Speaker 1: a doctor was and I knew what a lawyer was. 245 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: But she would also always mentioned entrepreneurship, like in your 246 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: own business, and that really does as I think back, 247 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 1: that stands out to me because at the time you 248 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: didn't really know what that meant, right, Like all you 249 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: knew was at there are stores and then I guess 250 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 1: there's a business owner and so. And specifically mom had 251 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: and she still does have a lot of friends who 252 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: own their own businesses, but a lot of them were 253 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: like brick and mortar shops and so. But even then, 254 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: I mean, I didn't necessarily want to be like the 255 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 1: owner of a Korean food store, like, but the idea time, buddy, 256 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: if you want, hey, I could man uh or your 257 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: own coffee roasting company maybe so uh. But the idea 258 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: of being able to do whatever it is that I 259 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,319 Speaker 1: wanted to do with my time, for me to be 260 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 1: able to set my own rules, I think, even at 261 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: a very young age, that that kind of turned something 262 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: onto my head, right, like it flipped the switch. Oh, 263 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:47,960 Speaker 1: I don't have to go work for somebody else, I 264 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,679 Speaker 1: can create my own product. Yeah. And I think that 265 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:52,440 Speaker 1: had a lot to do with too. Just how I mean, 266 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 1: I literally only lasted like a year and a half, 267 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: two years in the corporate world right after college before 268 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:00,079 Speaker 1: I started my own business, before doing other things is 269 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: that were a little less traditional. And and as I 270 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: think back, I mean, there weren't many influences in my 271 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: life to owning your own business except for some of 272 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: those early conversations we had and thinking that I might 273 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: own a food store. Yeah, alright, So, uh so, I 274 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: feel like, you know, we talked about how your your 275 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: dad in particular, was such a great influence your mom 276 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 1: in regards to pushing you towards entrepreneurship at least opening 277 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: your eyes to the reality that that is a legitimate 278 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: way to move forward in this world, to start your 279 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: own business. But what about like maybe the biggest money 280 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 1: fail or something like that, like our biggest money struggle 281 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: early on, because you know, even today, it's not like 282 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 1: you're rolling in the dough. But but where where I'm sitting, 283 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,839 Speaker 1: from where I'm sitting, you've been just so incredibly intentional 284 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 1: for a lot of years with your money and and 285 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: that's paid off, like you we mentioned in this on 286 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: the show, but you have your budget down to the penny, 287 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,200 Speaker 1: like what you've spent dating back fifteen years. Like so, 288 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: so it's not without like a lot of effort and 289 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: intentionality that you've gotten here. But I'd love to hear 290 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: what my robotic friend Matt like that you're a real 291 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: human being who potentially occasionally also screws up so totally. 292 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't make the always make the wisest decisions, 293 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: and I will say I mean I've become more methodical 294 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: and responsible as I've gotten older, but especially dude, I 295 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:15,199 Speaker 1: mean in high school and college. You know, I wouldn't 296 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: say that these were struggles at the time. Like at 297 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,320 Speaker 1: the time, I thought I was just living my life 298 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: and making great decisions. But the amount of money that 299 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: I spent on cars specifically, and we've kind of hinted 300 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: at this before, but early on I had this old Jeep, 301 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:30,839 Speaker 1: this old Jeep Cherokee that actually was pretty great. It 302 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: was a pretty great car, was well maintained. We bought 303 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:35,319 Speaker 1: it from some folks we knew. But then I saved 304 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: up some more money, sold that Jeep. Took that money 305 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: that I, you know, earned from that sale, and plus 306 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: the additional money, and I bought a nicer Jeep, like 307 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: a newer Grand not just regular Cherokee, a Grand Cherokee, 308 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: did the upgrade and fancy and uh. And then in 309 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:51,679 Speaker 1: college I actually sold sold that, sold that one and 310 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: got an older Range Rover, which was also a very sweet, 311 00:13:55,679 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: sweet ride that was very expensive to maintain, terrible gas mileage. 312 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,719 Speaker 1: Obviously didn't check the Consumer Reports reliability ratings before you 313 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: bought that, But I mean I did this multiple times 314 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: over the course of a number of years, and just 315 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: every time you do that, there's just transaction costs involved, 316 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 1: not to mention just getting it to a level of running, 317 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,040 Speaker 1: you know, like a level of dependability. Plus I would 318 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:19,880 Speaker 1: also put a decent stereo, and I wasn't like going 319 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: around blast and music, but I liked having a you know, 320 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: some base. I liked having a sub back there. But 321 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 1: I would do that every single time. And so it 322 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,520 Speaker 1: was just this money that was just essentially hemorrhaging towards 323 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: transportation that just wasn't all that necessary in my life. 324 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: Like I look back now in retrospect and I kind 325 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 1: of cringe at what I could have done with that 326 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 1: money had I invested it. Say, you know, like we 327 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: give these examples all the time, how if a teenager 328 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: when they are sixteen or eighteen years old, if they 329 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: started investing that money early on, what that money could 330 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: turn into. And I couldn't imagine, uh, the fortune, the 331 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: amount of wealth that I would have had I done that. 332 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: But those are lessons though, that I learned along the way. 333 00:14:57,840 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 1: Because after that period of time I was able to 334 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: look back, I can think, oh man, that was kind 335 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 1: of dumb, Like it was fun but it was it 336 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: was very expensive fun, you know. And and again these 337 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: weren't really nice, brand new, fancy sports cars or anything 338 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: like that. These were old, old cars relatively not an 339 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 1: expensive car relatively speaking. But for you, it's still just 340 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: like a misplacement of fund. Absolutely for me, it was 341 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: just the most definitely was the most amount of money 342 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 1: that was spending on anything. And so yeah, I don't know. 343 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: On one hand, I see that as a massive mistake, 344 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: But on the other hand, I see that as just 345 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: a learning opportunity. And it's something that I've kind of 346 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: carried into today. As to you know who I am now? Okay, 347 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: all right, well who you are now? We're going to 348 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 1: get to that in just a second. But I've got 349 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,479 Speaker 1: some some more questions about as like you enter early adulthood, 350 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: and in particular, I want to ask you about a 351 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: moment that you point to at your light bulb moment, 352 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,400 Speaker 1: and it it's about the show down to an abbey. 353 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 1: So we're gonna get some more questions about your origin 354 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: story and what makes you who you are and how 355 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: you are with money. We'll get to some more of 356 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: those right after this. All right, we're back from the 357 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: break and now slow down. This is my I can 358 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: take it the lead here, I get to bring it back. 359 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 1: I got the reins. You just sit back and handle 360 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: the questions. I'm just gonna kick back and you rob 361 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: my feet. No, we're not doing that. But let's let's 362 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: get to you all. Let's get dive more further into 363 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 1: your origin story, mat because yeah, there's um does it 364 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,680 Speaker 1: feel like that the guests just welcomed the show back 365 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: from the best because you're kind of interviewing me. It 366 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: felt wrong, But uh, I want to know too, Like, 367 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 1: as you're okay, so you're in college, you're spending money 368 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: on cars that you should really shouldn't be because you 369 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: could be saying, you could even start to get into investing, 370 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: and because your dad had taught you some important principles 371 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 1: about how to handle money, giving you actual money as 372 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: a kid to save and invest and so yeah, like 373 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: as you left the nest, like, as you're out on 374 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 1: your own basically at college, where did you turn for 375 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 1: help figuring out the bigger money issues that you started 376 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: to face because your your dad had been such help. 377 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: Would you just call him when you have questions or 378 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:05,120 Speaker 1: or yeah, what direction did you start to go in 379 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:08,400 Speaker 1: um with yeah, your your money beliefs. Yeah, I should 380 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: have called my dad. So I mean my personality, I'm 381 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: just prone to do things on my own and to 382 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: learn on my own and make my own mistakes. And 383 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:17,159 Speaker 1: so I'm sure I could have called dad uh and 384 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: ask him some very specific and I'm sure I did. Actually. 385 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,239 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, you talk to your parents all 386 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: the time, like when you're when you're younger, and I 387 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: can't necessarily remember, like, you know, some important phone call. 388 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:29,399 Speaker 1: But I also know my personality though, and I do 389 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: tend to not ask for help. I tend to try 390 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:33,440 Speaker 1: to figure things out on my own. I make my 391 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: own mistakes, which can be a good thing because once 392 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 1: you learn a lesson, I think you learn it really 393 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 1: well when when you've learned it the hard way, as 394 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 1: opposed it being something that somebody else has told you. 395 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:45,200 Speaker 1: And plus at that time, I think Dad was investing 396 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:47,159 Speaker 1: a lot in single stocks, and so you may have 397 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:49,400 Speaker 1: pointed me in the wrong direction. It's still a debate 398 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:52,239 Speaker 1: that him and I have often where it's just like, 399 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: so tell me about your portfolio. How much better is 400 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:58,439 Speaker 1: it doing than the SMP which turned last year? But 401 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,680 Speaker 1: it wasn't until actually I graduated college and I got 402 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 1: my first It was a post college job, but it 403 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:06,400 Speaker 1: wasn't a job with my profession. I was just living 404 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,640 Speaker 1: up in North Carolina with a friend and I first 405 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: learned about the roth ira A. I was a friend 406 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: of mine who was a few years older, and he 407 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: was telling me all about the magic of compound returns 408 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: and how I needed to get investing, uh specifically within 409 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:25,040 Speaker 1: a roth ira as soon as possible, and I said, cool, done, 410 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,240 Speaker 1: I'll do that, and I totally like, literally, I think 411 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 1: I can. Also, I need you to jump off a bridge, 412 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: and you're like, cool about that, Dan, But I invested 413 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 1: my money. I opened a roth ira A. But the 414 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: thing is, I have things out of order, right, and 415 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,720 Speaker 1: so even though you do want to get investing, you 416 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 1: do want to make sure you've got some money in 417 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 1: the bank, And unfortunately I didn't. Really, I wasn't well versed, 418 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: I wasn't well rounded. I just didn't have that fund started. No, 419 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,200 Speaker 1: I didn't. And that was the problem. That was money 420 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: that I actually had to take out of that accounts 421 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 1: um a number of months later because I didn't. I 422 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 1: didn't have any margin in my life, and I was 423 00:18:57,119 --> 00:18:59,000 Speaker 1: looking for some money to help me with my move 424 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 1: to at once I got my first what I called 425 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: my first big boy job. But nor was I actually 426 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:08,159 Speaker 1: invested in a low cost index fund either. I was 427 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 1: invested in a fund that he had recommended and he 428 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: had seen good results over the you know, a few 429 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 1: years that he was invested, But it was a really 430 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:19,360 Speaker 1: expensive mutual fund that was managed by like this rock 431 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 1: star fund manager. And so what that meant was that 432 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: as soon as I started investing in it, it didn't 433 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:26,920 Speaker 1: do so great. Uh. And then on top of that, 434 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: any returns that I was receiving was getting eaten away 435 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:32,560 Speaker 1: my fees. And so that's why not because of that 436 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 1: one lesson, but since that was my first lesson, the 437 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: first time I learned that low cost in next funds 438 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: were the way to go. But we have just seen 439 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 1: over years and decades that widely diversified funds that cost 440 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,879 Speaker 1: virtually nothing is what you and I are currently invested in. 441 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: It's what we recommend for everybody who's in the wealth 442 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: building stage of their life. But that was that was 443 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: a lesson I learned. Yeah, maybe the hard way. Well 444 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 1: that's a that's a couple of lessons which funds you 445 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: are are are smart to invest in you. You also 446 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,880 Speaker 1: learned about timing of things. Order of operations is important, 447 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,359 Speaker 1: and we talk about that in our seven money Gears 448 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 1: and how there is there is a weight route in 449 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:12,360 Speaker 1: which you should go and investing before you have any 450 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:14,440 Speaker 1: savings on hand is a bad idea because yeah, you 451 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: might need to pull that money out and that is 452 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,679 Speaker 1: not an ideal situation. You gotta have that margin. Uh. 453 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 1: Something else I mentioned too, that same friend who had 454 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: told me about opening my first you know, opening my 455 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: wrath Ira. Interestingly, he had purchased a home that my 456 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: friend and I were renting from, and so this was 457 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: my first introduction to investment properties. Uh. And he made 458 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:36,640 Speaker 1: it look so fun and so great because he owned 459 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,479 Speaker 1: the place that we're friends with them anyway, right, and 460 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:40,920 Speaker 1: so he would come by and hang out. This is 461 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: up in North Carolina. It's kind of cold up there, 462 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: so we'd have like like guys chili nights, and uh, 463 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: we'd have some friends over. That's actually coincidentally, that's when 464 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,879 Speaker 1: I first started drinking nicer craft beer. So that was 465 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: a very formational period of my life when I learned 466 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: a lot. But looking back, I I realized that was 467 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 1: my first introduction into understanding the fact that oh, you 468 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: could invest in real estate. You can you can buy 469 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,640 Speaker 1: a property, uh that can generate income for you, and 470 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:09,640 Speaker 1: you can do that like with a good conscience. It's 471 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: not like this evil landlord who is trying to extract 472 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: as much value out of the tenant as possible. It's 473 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 1: not like this massive imbalance of power. You can do 474 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: it in a way that provides good for a lot 475 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 1: of people. And I think that was really important when 476 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: it came to sort of planning those initial seeds of 477 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:29,200 Speaker 1: real estate investing. So it's interesting, Uh, my eight year 478 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 1: old Selma, she got Monopoly Junior for Christmas, and so 479 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: we've been playing the one with the with the with 480 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: the cards or is it actually the game board? Is 481 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:39,119 Speaker 1: actually the game board? And it is. It's a lot 482 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:42,400 Speaker 1: of fun. And she's getting understanding real estate investing more 483 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,360 Speaker 1: where she's like, I buy this thing and then when 484 00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: people land on it, they have to pay me money. 485 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,119 Speaker 1: And it's like she's like this is this sounds like 486 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: a lot of the way. Yeah, And so yeah, trying 487 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:56,600 Speaker 1: to expound on the nuance behind a brental property or 488 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: even just starting a business with her. And it's interesting 489 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 1: how something as small as Monopoly Junior has been kind 490 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: of a way to do that. And yeah, I real 491 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,399 Speaker 1: estate investing, you know. You know, I've talked about it 492 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:07,439 Speaker 1: a bunch on the show. It's been great for you 493 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,159 Speaker 1: and I overall. And and yeah, I think do think 494 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,800 Speaker 1: of it as a service in a capitalistic economy, where 495 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: you can offer something good to somebody that they need, 496 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:17,400 Speaker 1: uh and at the same time make money. But talk 497 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,200 Speaker 1: to me about your Downtown Abbey epiphany, because this is 498 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 1: one of those things. Actually on the about us page 499 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:23,680 Speaker 1: on how the Money dot com, you and I both 500 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: have written just a little bit about our personal lives, 501 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:28,240 Speaker 1: and this is one of the things that you mentioned 502 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,680 Speaker 1: in there. It's this conversation with your wife Kate back 503 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:31,879 Speaker 1: in the day. Have we ever talked about it on 504 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:33,199 Speaker 1: the show? I don't think so. Okay, so I know 505 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: I've talked about it on other shows. I guess, Yeah, 506 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:36,879 Speaker 1: this is a great time, I guess to share it 507 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: now when you're on the Today Show or uh r, 508 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: so before I mean, that was a great moment because 509 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:44,920 Speaker 1: it was a time when Kate and I were getting 510 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,439 Speaker 1: on the same page, uh, specifically about like a higher 511 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:50,640 Speaker 1: level goal. But that wasn't always the case. And even 512 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 1: before before the Downtown story. I want to I'll mention 513 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: Dave Ramsey because Kate and I like when we were dating, 514 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,200 Speaker 1: uh and and even when we were engaged that entire 515 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,639 Speaker 1: period of time, Kate was still in school, was in college. 516 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,280 Speaker 1: She was a full time student, taking a full load. 517 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: She was graduating early, so she was taking so many hours. 518 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 1: She was ready to, you know, to move to Atlanta 519 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:09,440 Speaker 1: live with me. But I was a little bit concerned 520 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,840 Speaker 1: because we had never essentially earned money. We hadn't lived 521 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: lives together while we had careers while we had earned 522 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:17,680 Speaker 1: money where we're spending real amounts of money, and there's 523 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 1: no sort of set path on how to talk about that. 524 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: And so before we we got married, actually I wanted 525 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 1: us to have more conversations around that. And actually, so 526 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: I got his tickets to Dave Ramsey. He had one 527 00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: by I guess he still doesn't. I don't I've heard 528 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:31,879 Speaker 1: of this. Yeah, yeah, you've heard of this guy, this 529 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: this hill billy from from Tennessee. But he had these 530 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 1: live events and it's where he you know, he covers 531 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: the basics of personal finance basically, and he kind of 532 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: takes you through his brand of personal finance, a lot 533 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: of which we disagree with here on how the money 534 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,400 Speaker 1: we've talked a good start for a lot of great start, 535 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: especially if you have a lot of debts. Uh, And 536 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: so I mean anybody who is looking for some motivation 537 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: to get out of debt, I think that's a great 538 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 1: place to start. Sometimes it's not even the principles that 539 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: we didn't disagree with that it's the approach, although some 540 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: of the some of the principles we definitely disagree with, 541 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: but yeah, and just his attitude, his approach. But regardless, 542 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 1: that was I didn't know if anybody else, anybody else 543 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: to turn to any other sort of way for us 544 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: to get on the same page. And so we went 545 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 1: to this thing and it was great because it allowed 546 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: Kate and I to have a shared vocabulary. It allowed 547 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,680 Speaker 1: us to talk about our money in a way that 548 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 1: was constructive as opposed to only talking about it when 549 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:23,800 Speaker 1: when when we had arguments. He's like, he's like the 550 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:26,159 Speaker 1: unbiased third party that entered into your relationship to give 551 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 1: you some advice that you sorely needed and to give 552 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,400 Speaker 1: me the ability to then talk about it while exactly yeah, 553 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: And so I wanted to mention that because that was 554 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 1: helpful for us early on. It was good for us 555 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: as we started to basically build our life together, and 556 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:39,720 Speaker 1: so that was sort of like the initial sort of 557 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,480 Speaker 1: building block. And then you mentioned the Downton Abbey story, 558 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 1: and that was another sort of moment where it felt 559 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:47,399 Speaker 1: like that we were becoming even more aligned with our goals. 560 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: And we'd been kind of watching it Downton Abbey earlier 561 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,280 Speaker 1: that week We're driving to usn't at that point in time, 562 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: it was a hot show. It he was like the 563 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 1: squid Game of its time, especially, Like I mean, they 564 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,520 Speaker 1: were just living this life of leisure and they're just 565 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 1: in this you know this gi and English countryside castle 566 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: and Kate ash She's like, well, how how do they 567 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: do that? Like was that actually real life? And we 568 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 1: got to talking about wealth and the ability for your 569 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,639 Speaker 1: money to you know, do the heavy lifting for you, 570 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: Like when you have enough wealth, uh, that money is 571 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: when you put it to use uh in certain ways, 572 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: when you invested that that money is able to then 573 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: grow uh and then you have options. And that was 574 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 1: essentially our first conversation about financial independence, which is something 575 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:27,879 Speaker 1: that was in the back of my mind. Like I 576 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 1: remember my dad literally telling me that story. He's like, 577 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,440 Speaker 1: there's this it's like picture that's sort of like a 578 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 1: roller coaster and like once you kind of reach that 579 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: peak and your money starts making more money than you do, well, 580 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: then if you want to, you can just kick back 581 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,120 Speaker 1: and you'll be cruising. Then then then you two can 582 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 1: be become a member of the British Aristotle exactly. Uh, 583 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,880 Speaker 1: just avoid cruises on brain new ships. Uh that might 584 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:53,160 Speaker 1: sink in the freezing ocean. But anyway, that like that's 585 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: what got us talking about financial independence. And for us 586 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:58,120 Speaker 1: that was really cool because it helped us to realize 587 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 1: that there might be these high, these sort of longer 588 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,959 Speaker 1: term goals that we're working towards as opposed to us 589 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,440 Speaker 1: continuing to trade our time for money, uh, instead putting 590 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 1: our money to use in ways that would allow our 591 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 1: money to grow. And and that is I think as 592 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 1: people start to kind of wrestle with different personal finance topics, 593 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 1: as you start to learn more, when you find out 594 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:20,200 Speaker 1: what compounding returns do, how they work, and how much 595 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 1: how much your money can work for you over over 596 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: the long haul, over decades. It's kind of one of 597 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:27,959 Speaker 1: those like epiphany moments, and then you realize the concept 598 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 1: of financial independence and that it can be broken down 599 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,680 Speaker 1: even into a simple math problem, but the reality that 600 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:36,119 Speaker 1: you can all they are all these steps along the 601 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: way that provide different amounts of financial independence in your life. 602 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: And then that ultimate reality where you have enough money 603 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 1: in the bank account that you don't have to work 604 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: if you don't want to, is is pretty incredible. But 605 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: they are all these little mind blowing things along the way, 606 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 1: these dominoes at fall I think in your personal finance education, 607 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: but that is one of them, right, and and that 608 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 1: is one of the biggest ones. I remember I was 609 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: already like investing, well, I knew a lot of the 610 00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,679 Speaker 1: basics of personal finance. But then when I kind of 611 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,680 Speaker 1: start to get into and read some of the smarter 612 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: folks in the financial independence movement, and I was like, oh, 613 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:06,919 Speaker 1: I didn't know money could do that, and like that 614 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,639 Speaker 1: is that is mind blowing? Right? It's it's pretty life changing. Yeah, yeah, no, 615 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,399 Speaker 1: it truly is. Another funny note too, is that we 616 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 1: had that conversation while we were in this crazy, old, 617 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 1: crusty Honda. Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that, 618 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:20,000 Speaker 1: had you at that point like you said, yeah, you're 619 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:21,840 Speaker 1: right about your your in this like nasty car at 620 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 1: this point prioritize vehicles before, because I mean, honest, I 621 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 1: think did I think you did? So? So is is this? 622 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:30,679 Speaker 1: Is this? This look back at that car with so 623 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:33,719 Speaker 1: much respect, like I almost wish we still got it 624 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: was amazing. It was an amazing car. And so we 625 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:38,679 Speaker 1: didn't have to do that. And what's interesting is like 626 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 1: that was one of the first more quote unquote extreme 627 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:45,280 Speaker 1: steps that we had taken in order to save money faster, 628 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: in order to to minimize our expenses. At that point 629 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 1: in time, we weren't driving a ton. We were working 630 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: from home because we had we'd started our business, and 631 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:55,440 Speaker 1: so we realized at that point in time we could 632 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,399 Speaker 1: why not just try just having one car? And so 633 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: for us that was like four years ago fi years 634 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:06,120 Speaker 1: ago where we have only had one vehicle in our family. 635 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: But the reason we were doing that, though, is because 636 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: we had the goal to be able to put down 637 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: on the first house that we're saving up for. We're 638 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:17,040 Speaker 1: saving up our first down payment. And the thing is too, 639 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: like I had a nicer, newer grand Cherokee, and we 640 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:24,000 Speaker 1: sold that vehicle because we were being smart. You downgraded 641 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: the purpose we did because we knew we could get 642 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: more for that vehicle. Let's get that off to somebody else, 643 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: and we're going to continue to drive the car that 644 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: gave us the best gas mileage, that old Honda Accord. 645 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:36,119 Speaker 1: It was a fantastic car. When you you and I 646 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: we still share that same philosophy about cars. You have 647 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 1: one car minivan. I have one car minivan, and they're 648 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 1: both pretty inexpensive. Mind was literally five thousand dollars. That 649 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 1: is the only car that our family owns. And it's 650 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: not because we can't afford to buy a nicer car. 651 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 1: It is a purposeful choice. And I think like once 652 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 1: that epiphany hits you, uh, you become willing almost to 653 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 1: make more oddball choices that most people aren't willing to make, 654 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 1: because it's propelling you more in that direction that you 655 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,360 Speaker 1: want to go, Like you realize what financial independence can 656 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: do for you, that you can kind of get to 657 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: the top of that roller coaster through by making a 658 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: few smaller choices that to most people they're unwilling to make. 659 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 1: But in in your new reality, it's not that big 660 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: of a deal because it allows you to get where 661 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: you want to go a whole lot quicker. Absolutely, Yeah, 662 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:20,480 Speaker 1: And a lot of folks will say, well, this car, 663 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 1: it's paid off. It's like, well, first of all, you 664 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,680 Speaker 1: shouldn't have had a payment on that car anyway. But 665 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:28,480 Speaker 1: then secondly they're like insurance, it's not all that much money. 666 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: But yeah, sure, maybe for you know, one year, it's 667 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:32,960 Speaker 1: not that big of a deal, but over multiple years, 668 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: after ten, fifteen years, like that money really does add 669 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: up and it can have a big impact appreciation. You 670 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,240 Speaker 1: got that general car, think about how much it is 671 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:41,840 Speaker 1: going to appreciate in the next three to five years. 672 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:43,720 Speaker 1: And absolutely we're not telling everyone they have to live 673 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 1: the way we live, but it is it's interesting when 674 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,240 Speaker 1: we go back to some similar patterns. Yeah, yeah, but 675 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,040 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously we'll get to your story next week. 676 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: But I mean there's some there's definitely some over like 677 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: we're very different in a lot of ways, but there's 678 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 1: a lot of core fundamentals that are the same. Because 679 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: to a certain extent, there's a certain formula that you 680 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: can easily follow that's going to allow you to achieve 681 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,080 Speaker 1: financial freedom and financial independence. A lot faster. I wanted 682 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:07,320 Speaker 1: to mention the car thing too, because you're asking about 683 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: like my money struggles and how that's sort of essentially 684 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: my my biggest mistake that I think of when I 685 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: look back, and I wonder if if I've essentially overcompensated 686 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,239 Speaker 1: for those past errors. But you know, like I've got 687 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:24,760 Speaker 1: all these SUVs, these expensive to maintain, terrible gas mileage 688 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 1: suv is haunting me from my past, and so I'm 689 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:32,560 Speaker 1: only driving very fuel efficient Honda's economical choice aside from 690 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:34,560 Speaker 1: like Toyota and Lexus or whatever. I get it, I 691 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: get it. All right, Well, we got we got. I 692 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 1: got a few more questions to get to me. I 693 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 1: want to talk about your formation of your first small business. 694 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:41,720 Speaker 1: We can talk even about the podcast a little bit 695 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: and how we got started here, but uh yeah, let's 696 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: get to some more of your story right after this. 697 00:30:55,720 --> 00:31:00,280 Speaker 1: All right, we're back and special guest on Today's my host, 698 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: my best friend, and we started Matt we can you 699 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: believe we started How the Money four years ago and 700 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: it's been a whole lot of fun there. We've developed 701 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: this incredible community of people who listen, who care about 702 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: the show, who have learned a lot and made a 703 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 1: lot of changes in their lives. And so this is 704 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: but this is not the first small business you started. 705 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 1: I want to talk about the first one that you began, 706 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 1: and it was not too long after you graduated from college. 707 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,280 Speaker 1: You mentioned kind of being like a beauty school dropout. Basically, 708 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 1: you were in the corporate world for a hot minute, 709 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: and then you were gone and you decided to start 710 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:35,400 Speaker 1: start your own photography business. What what made you feel 711 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 1: like you could you could jump ship and start frown business? 712 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,560 Speaker 1: Was it? Was? It really mostly the inspiration from your 713 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 1: mom and kind of like what you learned growing up 714 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: about entrepreneurship, because it always felt like unapproachable to me 715 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: for a long time, right, I mean literally, it just 716 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 1: came down to crunch in the numbers. I mean, and 717 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: so I've always found I mean, this is why I 718 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 1: have Excel spreadsheets going back to like, yeah, two thousands 719 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:56,760 Speaker 1: and six. But when I sat down and crunched the numbers, 720 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,160 Speaker 1: uh and mapped out the ability for me to make 721 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:03,080 Speaker 1: a living with something else other than my standard job. 722 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,200 Speaker 1: Granted I wasn't making a ton back then, and so 723 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:07,840 Speaker 1: it was it's easier to make anything. Looking once you 724 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: crude the numbers, but that gave me the confidence to 725 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: know that, wow, okay, this is something that not only 726 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 1: can I do and find enjoyment and satisfaction by doing, 727 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,520 Speaker 1: but this is something that can provide for for Kate 728 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: and I in a serious way. And so let me 729 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: that coupled with the fact that neither Kate nor I 730 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 1: had any debt, and by any, I mean like zero, 731 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: Like we didn't a lucky way to start off in 732 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: a lot of ways, absolute especially these days, like that 733 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: is not the case and that is hard to come by. 734 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:36,400 Speaker 1: Any student loans. We both had scholarships like unicorns in 735 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:39,120 Speaker 1: today's yeah, and as as well as small enought some 736 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:42,320 Speaker 1: money that our our parents had dedicated for our college 737 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,880 Speaker 1: as well. But we both also had enough basic financial 738 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:46,960 Speaker 1: knowledge to know that we weren't going to go into 739 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,680 Speaker 1: consumer debt. We you know, I mentioned knowing to pay 740 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:51,880 Speaker 1: off my credit cards literally at the age of like 741 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,680 Speaker 1: sixteen or eighteen years old, I knew that that's how 742 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:57,080 Speaker 1: you approach credit cards, at least in the same thing 743 00:32:57,080 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 1: with Kate. And so that allowed us to take what 744 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 1: seemed like more of a risk, to step away from 745 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 1: jobs that were solid that we're dependable that we're paying us, 746 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 1: you know, the paycheck every two weeks. If you had 747 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 1: had large amounts of debt weighing you down, whether it 748 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 1: was school debt, credit card debt, anything, you would have 749 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:15,960 Speaker 1: probably found it a lot more difficult. It would be 750 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 1: a bigger risk. Yeah, absolutely, And we didn't I mean, 751 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:19,560 Speaker 1: and we didn't even have a mortgage at that point. 752 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:21,840 Speaker 1: We were just renting a place. But and you're like, 753 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,280 Speaker 1: we can always skip down if we can't afford. But 754 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 1: like I wanted to mention to just again, I want 755 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:30,200 Speaker 1: to reiterate crunching the numbers and having that knowledge and 756 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,760 Speaker 1: the comfort that brought, because what I realized too is 757 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 1: that by going through that process, uh and crunching the numbers, 758 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:37,800 Speaker 1: even just on the cost of healthcare, I learned that 759 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: even if I was going to stay with the company 760 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: I was with, it didn't make sense for me to 761 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:45,240 Speaker 1: be a part of the company healthcare plan because it 762 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:47,240 Speaker 1: was so expensive. And so I see that almost as 763 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,520 Speaker 1: like this turning point from thinking that the world's gonna 764 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 1: take care of you, or your employer is gonna take 765 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:54,280 Speaker 1: care of you, as you know, to like, Okay, no, 766 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: now I'm in the driver's seats, and you got a 767 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: question more to make these decisions because nobody else. Here's 768 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:00,320 Speaker 1: the thing, it doesn't matter what in its w you're in, 769 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 1: what company you're with, Nobody's gonna care about you in 770 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: your livelihood and your future as much as you are. 771 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:10,640 Speaker 1: And so I think oftentimes we can get lulled into thinking, oh, 772 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:13,920 Speaker 1: I've got this nice, dependable wage, Oh I've got these benefits, 773 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: but in the end, it comes down to us to 774 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,359 Speaker 1: be able to determine what's going to be best for 775 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:20,080 Speaker 1: for us and for our future. Okay. One one of 776 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:23,440 Speaker 1: the most interesting things about you starting your own photography business. 777 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:25,520 Speaker 1: I remember when I met you, like you guys were 778 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:27,880 Speaker 1: already photographers, Like we we've known each other for I 779 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: don't know, like twelve years now, been good friends. Yeah, 780 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:34,480 Speaker 1: and so you you remember you telling me early on 781 00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:36,839 Speaker 1: that you've turned down a lot of people that reach 782 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,000 Speaker 1: out to and when did you shoot their wedding? Like 783 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: you were consistently turning down business, and I was like 784 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:44,239 Speaker 1: that that would frighten me as a small business owner. 785 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:46,239 Speaker 1: I would be trying to get as much business in 786 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,440 Speaker 1: as I could. And so, yeah, what was your make 787 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,800 Speaker 1: hay While the sunshine right, Yeah, yeah, oftentimes that is 788 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: the mentality what was your ethos behind like turning down gigs? 789 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 1: So it took so we you know, we started the 790 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:58,279 Speaker 1: photography company, and we started out with it as a 791 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,319 Speaker 1: side hustle and it slowly ramped up and then it 792 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,400 Speaker 1: eventually took over and was able to provide all of 793 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:04,759 Speaker 1: our It was the sole source of our income. But 794 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 1: when I say like it took over, like it literally 795 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,319 Speaker 1: took over our lives. And what we learned, especially being 796 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 1: newly married, was that it was really destructive. It was 797 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:17,000 Speaker 1: really difficult for our marriage, and it took a couple 798 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,560 Speaker 1: of years of us living through that for us to 799 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,919 Speaker 1: kind of go through that storm to you know, luckily, 800 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:23,239 Speaker 1: we made it out of that and we were able 801 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:25,800 Speaker 1: to look back and we realized that, man, that sucked. 802 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:28,200 Speaker 1: That was really difficult, and we need to make sure 803 00:35:28,239 --> 00:35:31,600 Speaker 1: that we're not continuing to do that because our relationship 804 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:34,160 Speaker 1: isn't it's not going you know, in a great direction. 805 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,600 Speaker 1: You're valuing or putting too much, too much emphasis on 806 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:39,279 Speaker 1: the business and not enough on your relations And we 807 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 1: I mean we enjoyed it, you know, like it was 808 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:43,640 Speaker 1: literally all we ever talked about. It's all we ever 809 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: thought about. It's all I mean a lot of what 810 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:48,120 Speaker 1: we did, especially this first couple of years after that, 811 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: you know, we were able to, like you said, we 812 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:52,640 Speaker 1: we said no more often in turn down work. But 813 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: as a small business owner, I mean, that was I 814 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:56,839 Speaker 1: think I think that's probably the hardest lesson for any 815 00:35:56,840 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: small business owner to learn, which is that there are 816 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,200 Speaker 1: their things in our lives that we need to prioritize 817 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 1: and need a value, and if you don't, the business 818 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:07,560 Speaker 1: is going to take over, right like if not. There's 819 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,880 Speaker 1: this sort of default way that the world again just 820 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:12,840 Speaker 1: by default, it encourages us to go a certain direction, 821 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:15,759 Speaker 1: and if there are other things that you value more, 822 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:18,359 Speaker 1: you have to fight for those things. And so that's 823 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,360 Speaker 1: when it came down to us literally saying no. And 824 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:21,799 Speaker 1: we you know, we could have. We talked about going 825 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 1: in different directions as well, bringing on additional shooters, and 826 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 1: you know we did, you know, more of that later 827 00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 1: on in the business. But you know, at that point 828 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,799 Speaker 1: in our lives, we were we had enough. We had 829 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:33,440 Speaker 1: always had enough. There are you know, there were some 830 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:35,879 Speaker 1: years that were leaner than others, there are some years 831 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 1: that were really fat, but even still we were lucky 832 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 1: enough to be in a position where we were never wanting, 833 00:36:40,719 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 1: and so for us, that was an important distinction to 834 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:47,080 Speaker 1: make to to draw that line, to say no to income. Yeah, 835 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: I think that's a powerful thing, to say no to 836 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:50,880 Speaker 1: income and to say like, I have enough. And you 837 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:52,920 Speaker 1: know what, drawing some lines because you and I, like, 838 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:55,279 Speaker 1: there's no limit to the amount of things we could 839 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:58,719 Speaker 1: create or produce, or the amount the level to which 840 00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:00,640 Speaker 1: we could grow the small business that you and I 841 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:04,279 Speaker 1: have started together. But to have normal functioning family lives, like, 842 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:06,239 Speaker 1: there has to be a limit, you know, we have 843 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:09,280 Speaker 1: to create an artificial limit. Because we could keep pounding away, 844 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:12,800 Speaker 1: we could write books, and we could be on Instagram 845 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: live like three times a day, Like, there's a million 846 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 1: things we could do to reach more people to grow 847 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,160 Speaker 1: the business. But we have consciously decided to say no 848 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:22,399 Speaker 1: to doing more because it's not healthy and there has 849 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 1: to be a limit, and you have to be able 850 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,439 Speaker 1: to it's it's a wise thing for your own mental health, 851 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 1: for your own relational health. In order to to see 852 00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: that and to say it, yeah, and again it's you know, 853 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: Kate and I we were fortunate enough back then with 854 00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:37,680 Speaker 1: photography to be able to make that decision right like, 855 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:39,799 Speaker 1: we were in a solid position, and the same thing 856 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:41,840 Speaker 1: is true with you and I right now. We are lucky. 857 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: We are fortunate to be in a position where we 858 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:47,000 Speaker 1: can say that, oh, well, I don't really want to 859 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: do this aspect that you know of spreading, spreading the 860 00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:52,919 Speaker 1: reach of how to money. A lot of other people 861 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: who are doing this thing. Do you want to do this? 862 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:57,719 Speaker 1: It's like, well maybe, maybe, maybe not. But we're in 863 00:37:57,719 --> 00:38:00,000 Speaker 1: the position to where we don't have to say, oh gosh, 864 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,400 Speaker 1: we have to do this thing, and that might change, 865 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,440 Speaker 1: you know, like like later this year, we might be 866 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:06,440 Speaker 1: in a position to where it's just like, oh gosh, 867 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:08,879 Speaker 1: we we really need to do this thing now. We're 868 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 1: not really excited about it, but when it comes. I mean, 869 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: this is how businesses work. If there's things that you 870 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,400 Speaker 1: aren't excited to do, you get other people to do 871 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:17,279 Speaker 1: these things and hopefully it can scale in a way 872 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,560 Speaker 1: that makes sense. But again, you and I are fortunate 873 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:21,799 Speaker 1: to be in a position to where we can say that, 874 00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: and we understand that not everybody is in that position 875 00:38:25,239 --> 00:38:28,480 Speaker 1: totally so, and I completely agree. I will say part 876 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:30,279 Speaker 1: of it is you put yourself in that position, right 877 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:32,960 Speaker 1: and you you you know, driving a krusty car and 878 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:36,320 Speaker 1: uh and and and having one car and avoiding debt 879 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:38,359 Speaker 1: uh and and you know a lot of credit goes 880 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:41,279 Speaker 1: to being raised well, having good parents too, and and 881 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:44,400 Speaker 1: and then another thing that helps too is having income 882 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,600 Speaker 1: coming from somewhere else, not just from an employer or 883 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:50,280 Speaker 1: from a business that you've started, but in particular for 884 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,759 Speaker 1: for us and and for you is rental real estate. 885 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,320 Speaker 1: And so yeah, you you mentioned earlier your your story 886 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:58,759 Speaker 1: of kind of realizing by that a friend had a 887 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:01,680 Speaker 1: rental property and you're like, oh, that seems like it's 888 00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:04,600 Speaker 1: pretty cool. We're paying him money every single month and 889 00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:07,160 Speaker 1: he's taking that money and scooping some off the top. 890 00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:09,160 Speaker 1: The rest goes to the bank. He's a cool dude. 891 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:10,520 Speaker 1: I guess, I don't know. Was that kind of what 892 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 1: gave me the inspiration to to get into that. Yeah, yeah, 893 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:16,160 Speaker 1: so that was my first foray. Another friend of ours 894 00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:19,480 Speaker 1: up there in North Carolina's as well, Clark. He around 895 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:21,920 Speaker 1: the same time, he had purchased his first home and 896 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:25,520 Speaker 1: it was a triplex. So he was the original house hacker. 897 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:27,760 Speaker 1: He was the first house hacker that I knew because 898 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:30,920 Speaker 1: he moved in the main level and he had uh 899 00:39:31,239 --> 00:39:32,719 Speaker 1: it was a lot where it dropped away and he 900 00:39:32,719 --> 00:39:35,960 Speaker 1: had two levels underneath the main floor. Pretty crazy lot, 901 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,440 Speaker 1: but he had to he inherited two tenants, and so 902 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,359 Speaker 1: I forget, you know, I can't can't remember the numbers today, 903 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:45,040 Speaker 1: but they were covering a substantial, if not all, of 904 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:48,160 Speaker 1: his mortgage. And I was like, holy crap, like like, 905 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:50,800 Speaker 1: so you're living for free, that's possible. And and so 906 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,560 Speaker 1: that was another one of those Yeah, and so just 907 00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:57,640 Speaker 1: you know, rental real estate as an idea was introduced, 908 00:39:57,640 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 1: and then immediately right after that was the idea of 909 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,239 Speaker 1: house packing. Both of those seeds were planted. But I 910 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:03,960 Speaker 1: didn't have any money back then. Remember, like I told 911 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:05,800 Speaker 1: you how I had to take money out of my 912 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:07,960 Speaker 1: roth Ira in order to move move back down to 913 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,760 Speaker 1: Atlanta and to cover a deposit. That kind of stuff. 914 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:13,080 Speaker 1: That's where I was at that point. So those bigger investments, 915 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,560 Speaker 1: we're not on your radar. It was not a possibility 916 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 1: at all. I mean, I was like the guy. I 917 00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:19,560 Speaker 1: was like, I helped Clark. I was something my friend 918 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:21,080 Speaker 1: move into his house, and I was just like the 919 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:24,040 Speaker 1: muscle because he was gonna pay for pizza and beers. 920 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 1: For me, it was a free meal. That's good enough. 921 00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:29,280 Speaker 1: That's where I was, uh, in my life at that point. 922 00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:31,520 Speaker 1: And so I mean it wasn't for another like I 923 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 1: think five or six years before rental real estate was 924 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:38,120 Speaker 1: a possibility, you know. So within that time Kate and 925 00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: I got married, we saved up money for a down 926 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: payment for our first personal home, got a little to one. 927 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:46,200 Speaker 1: But then after that we started saving up some money 928 00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:49,120 Speaker 1: to invest as well, and you know, those seeds that 929 00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:51,880 Speaker 1: had been planted started to germinate a little bit. And 930 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:54,000 Speaker 1: that's actually when you and I met, uh, and you 931 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:56,880 Speaker 1: had purchased your first, you know, your own primary residence, 932 00:40:57,239 --> 00:40:58,759 Speaker 1: and we got to talk and found out that you 933 00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:01,560 Speaker 1: were trying to be wise with your money as I was, 934 00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:03,640 Speaker 1: and I think you had shared that you were thinking 935 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:05,799 Speaker 1: about buying our rental, like because you just had your 936 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:07,560 Speaker 1: own property at that point. I think right right when 937 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:09,680 Speaker 1: we met, I think I literally was on the verge 938 00:41:09,719 --> 00:41:12,160 Speaker 1: of pouncing on property number two and running out the 939 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:14,359 Speaker 1: first one. Yeah, exactly. And so we're like, oh, well, 940 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:16,479 Speaker 1: I don't want to move, but we've got this money 941 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:18,960 Speaker 1: saved up and we should put that towards our property. 942 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:22,319 Speaker 1: So I mean our interactions us talking about it. I 943 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:25,480 Speaker 1: think certainly gave was very encouraging because it would have 944 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,279 Speaker 1: been a lot tougher for me because I didn't know 945 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 1: anybody in Atlanta who was doing that at that point 946 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:31,520 Speaker 1: in time. Right, Like in my mind, I'm like, oh, 947 00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:33,560 Speaker 1: maybe only people in North Carolina do this. I don't know. 948 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:36,040 Speaker 1: And so to have somebody else who was my age 949 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:38,640 Speaker 1: who was thinking that, like, oh yeah, houses right now 950 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:41,160 Speaker 1: are really affordable. This is a really smart move that 951 00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:44,120 Speaker 1: was like the final straw that allowed me to to think, yeah, 952 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:45,560 Speaker 1: like I am going to do this and yeah, I 953 00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:47,680 Speaker 1: mean I think we both got our both of us 954 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:50,360 Speaker 1: got our second properties around the same time. Uh, And 955 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:52,560 Speaker 1: it's like a confidence boost. I think when a friend 956 00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:54,200 Speaker 1: is doing something absolutely and if you can like this 957 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:56,160 Speaker 1: learned from them as a guinea pig, I think sometimes 958 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:59,120 Speaker 1: stuff it feels less foreign, you know, just even talking 959 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:01,200 Speaker 1: about it with somebody else us. Uh, you listen to 960 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:02,759 Speaker 1: a podcast and hear people talk about it, but when 961 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:05,960 Speaker 1: you're talking to someone in person who you're close with 962 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:08,160 Speaker 1: or even just like That's why we encourage people to 963 00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:10,600 Speaker 1: to join like an investor meetup group or something like that, 964 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:12,320 Speaker 1: like learn from the people that are doing it, and 965 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:14,319 Speaker 1: they will like they will help demystify some of those 966 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:15,920 Speaker 1: things that in your mind you have built up to 967 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 1: be these hurdles that you can't surmount, and it is possible, 968 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:21,959 Speaker 1: but uh and and you know, we can talk about 969 00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:23,799 Speaker 1: it until we run out of air in our lungs 970 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:25,880 Speaker 1: and hopefully that will be helpful advice to you. But 971 00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:28,920 Speaker 1: at the same time, meeting individuals where you live who 972 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,000 Speaker 1: are doing it already is like, I think the best 973 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:33,200 Speaker 1: way to go absolutely And plus I mean ten years ago, 974 00:42:33,239 --> 00:42:35,239 Speaker 1: like there weren't I mean, there weren't real estate real 975 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:37,279 Speaker 1: estate podcast. Like the only podcast I've ever heard of 976 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:41,360 Speaker 1: was like this Harry Potter podcast that I gave across. 977 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,239 Speaker 1: It was very much in its infancy, and it was 978 00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:47,080 Speaker 1: just books, you know, like I remember reading The Millionaire 979 00:42:47,160 --> 00:42:49,760 Speaker 1: Real Estate Investor by like one of the Kellor Williams 980 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:54,000 Speaker 1: guys or whatever. But it's there's a big gap between 981 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:57,600 Speaker 1: reading this massive text book basically to actually pulling the 982 00:42:57,600 --> 00:42:59,319 Speaker 1: trigger and doing that in your local town. And like 983 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:01,640 Speaker 1: you said, having somebody there locally who you know is 984 00:43:01,680 --> 00:43:03,880 Speaker 1: also doing it. Uh, it kind of gives you the 985 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:06,840 Speaker 1: confidence it allows you to poke holes in each other's 986 00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:08,360 Speaker 1: sort of plans and be like, oh what about this? 987 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:10,839 Speaker 1: Or or hey, how how are you planning to tackle this? 988 00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:13,759 Speaker 1: That definitely makes it just so much more approachable. Yeah, 989 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 1: all right, Well, so there's no real resolution to this 990 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:19,480 Speaker 1: podcast because your story is not complete, Like there's still 991 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:21,439 Speaker 1: there's still a lot of money moves that we're still 992 00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:23,560 Speaker 1: we're still doing it. Yeah, an't we that you're making 993 00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:25,400 Speaker 1: And that's part of the fun of creating this podcast 994 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:27,200 Speaker 1: is along the way we get to share the things 995 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:29,319 Speaker 1: that we are doing. You know, we're not We're not 996 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:32,200 Speaker 1: seventy year old who have like reach the end. Like 997 00:43:32,239 --> 00:43:35,000 Speaker 1: we're in the middle of this with our listeners, um 998 00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:38,080 Speaker 1: hopefully with wisdom to share. But yeah, is there anything 999 00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:39,960 Speaker 1: else that you want to kind of relate to everybody 1000 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:42,120 Speaker 1: about your story that you think is important? Matt, Before 1001 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:43,840 Speaker 1: we before we kind of end this one out, I 1002 00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:45,359 Speaker 1: think one of the other things that comes to mind. 1003 00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:47,560 Speaker 1: I mean, we're talking about real estate. I think for 1004 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:49,480 Speaker 1: anybody out there who is thinking about going in that 1005 00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:52,360 Speaker 1: direction is just to know that this isn't a completely 1006 00:43:52,440 --> 00:43:56,840 Speaker 1: passive form of income because the rewards can be quite large, 1007 00:43:56,840 --> 00:43:59,680 Speaker 1: but it does require time. Uh, And so I think 1008 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:02,279 Speaker 1: anybody who's thinking about doing this, they need to start 1009 00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:05,120 Speaker 1: thinking about it more as like a small part time job, 1010 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:08,400 Speaker 1: as a side hustle, something that can potentially ramp up 1011 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:10,799 Speaker 1: and consume a lot of your time, potentially the most 1012 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:14,759 Speaker 1: lucrative part time job. Absolutely, yeah, especially it is You're right, 1013 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,640 Speaker 1: it is working. We talked about that when the episode 1014 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:18,719 Speaker 1: we talked about the mists of passive income and how 1015 00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:21,680 Speaker 1: exactly it's not a complete farce, but there is a 1016 00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:23,560 Speaker 1: reality to which if you want passive income, you gotta 1017 00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:25,440 Speaker 1: work for it in in any regard, like it doesn't 1018 00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:27,720 Speaker 1: just kind of you don't like, uh, snap your fingers 1019 00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:29,720 Speaker 1: in the passive income fairy comes along and starts stuffing 1020 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:31,920 Speaker 1: money in your account every month. Yeah, exactly. And so 1021 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:33,200 Speaker 1: just to think about it that way. I mean, I 1022 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:35,640 Speaker 1: was talking with a friend over Christmas break. He had 1023 00:44:35,680 --> 00:44:37,080 Speaker 1: had a good year. He was thinking about what to 1024 00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 1: do with some additional money that he had, and he 1025 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:42,120 Speaker 1: had renovated his own home, and so he's like, you know, 1026 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:45,080 Speaker 1: I've got these like renovation skills. I know how to 1027 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:47,720 Speaker 1: make a house look good. He was thinking about buying 1028 00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:50,719 Speaker 1: another property in his neighborhood, working on it, renting it out, 1029 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:53,759 Speaker 1: and and this is the conversation I had with him. 1030 00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:55,560 Speaker 1: I was like, Hey, that's awesome, you know, like the 1031 00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:58,920 Speaker 1: fact that you like, everybody has their own superhero like power, 1032 00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:01,440 Speaker 1: you know, like, and so for him, his sort of 1033 00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:06,120 Speaker 1: superhero strength is the ability to make a property beautiful himself, 1034 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:08,440 Speaker 1: like without having to hire anybody else. It's just the 1035 00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:12,480 Speaker 1: cost of his tools, the supplies, and his time. But 1036 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:15,440 Speaker 1: what I wanted him to think through was what his 1037 00:45:15,560 --> 00:45:17,920 Speaker 1: life would look like were he to do that. And 1038 00:45:17,960 --> 00:45:19,799 Speaker 1: he has a full time job. I mean, he owns 1039 00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:22,080 Speaker 1: his own business and it's actually growing and expanding and 1040 00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:24,879 Speaker 1: it's going to look potentially very different this coming year. 1041 00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:28,479 Speaker 1: And so I was like, Okay, imagine you know, doing 1042 00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:30,440 Speaker 1: that from eight to six or whatever it is that 1043 00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:31,840 Speaker 1: you get off work, Like, are you going to have 1044 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:33,880 Speaker 1: it in you to come home and then clock in 1045 00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:37,239 Speaker 1: another three or four hours hanging drywall at this new 1046 00:45:37,280 --> 00:45:39,960 Speaker 1: property that you found that you want to flip. And 1047 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,080 Speaker 1: that's what we want folks to think through with, you know, 1048 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:45,479 Speaker 1: with any decision, with any new responsibility, with any way 1049 00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:48,399 Speaker 1: that you're thinking about making additional income, right if it's 1050 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:51,200 Speaker 1: a side hustle, think through what you want your life 1051 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,440 Speaker 1: to look like. Yes, there are oftentimes sacrifices we need 1052 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:56,640 Speaker 1: to make in the short term to achieve a goal, 1053 00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:58,960 Speaker 1: but do make sure that you are aware of what 1054 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:00,520 Speaker 1: that's going to look like, because you want to make 1055 00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:03,120 Speaker 1: those decisions with your eyes open. You want to make 1056 00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:05,400 Speaker 1: sure that you're making those decisions informed. Yeah, yeah, you 1057 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:07,640 Speaker 1: wanted to be a calculated sacrifice because if you can't 1058 00:46:07,640 --> 00:46:10,120 Speaker 1: actually pay the cost you're gonna you might actually lose 1059 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:12,320 Speaker 1: money in their proposition, because yeah, you've got to be 1060 00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:15,440 Speaker 1: willing to follow through for sure. Well, dude, this is 1061 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:17,120 Speaker 1: a lot of fun. I'm glad we got to dive 1062 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:19,840 Speaker 1: into your money story. Hopefully it's just interesting and helpeful 1063 00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:22,799 Speaker 1: for listeners. Quickly, Matt, let's folks know Matt a little 1064 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:25,360 Speaker 1: bit exactly the like I said, the man the myth legend. 1065 00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:27,040 Speaker 1: More on deck for next week by the most, buddy, 1066 00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:29,480 Speaker 1: I'll be ready. But but we had a beer on 1067 00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,439 Speaker 1: this episode. This one was athena parody so BlackBerry, Black 1068 00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:36,400 Speaker 1: Current and Ambrosia by of course, Creature Comforts out of Athens, Georgia, 1069 00:46:36,680 --> 00:46:40,839 Speaker 1: where you went to uh to college Alma monitor. That's right, So, yeah, 1070 00:46:40,840 --> 00:46:42,759 Speaker 1: what we thought. Unfortunately that was not a brewer that 1071 00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:44,799 Speaker 1: was there while I was in school, I know, sadly right. 1072 00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:46,719 Speaker 1: If so, though, like what I've even been able to 1073 00:46:46,719 --> 00:46:49,560 Speaker 1: appreciate it, probably probably not. It took me actually growing 1074 00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:51,439 Speaker 1: up and being out in the real world and talking 1075 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:55,960 Speaker 1: about real estate with my friend enjoying my first uh 1076 00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:57,440 Speaker 1: milk stout. I think that was one of my first 1077 00:46:57,480 --> 00:46:59,840 Speaker 1: craft beers where I was like, oh, this is different 1078 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:02,120 Speaker 1: and all those other beers, but yeah, this is a 1079 00:47:02,160 --> 00:47:05,360 Speaker 1: Berlin of ice. It's a tart German wheat. It poured 1080 00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:09,880 Speaker 1: a dark crimson red, like a very luxurious color. It's 1081 00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:12,359 Speaker 1: just like a purplish hue too. It Yeah, it's really 1082 00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:14,799 Speaker 1: beautiful and I really enjoyed this one. Like the other 1083 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:18,680 Speaker 1: variations of Athena, it's got that nice wheaty backbone. But 1084 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:21,399 Speaker 1: obviously with this one with the added fruit just as 1085 00:47:21,440 --> 00:47:24,080 Speaker 1: that they call it paradiso because it's like you're in paradise. 1086 00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:27,560 Speaker 1: It's like you're surrounded by just all this luxurious fruit. 1087 00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:31,160 Speaker 1: In this case ambrosia as as well is the ambrosia 1088 00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:33,800 Speaker 1: of fruit, Like I know, Ambrosia salad is like uh, 1089 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:36,640 Speaker 1: you know that's where they add marshmallows to various questions. 1090 00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:38,680 Speaker 1: I don't know, I don't know what what's an ambrosia? 1091 00:47:38,680 --> 00:47:41,120 Speaker 1: What's an ambrosia? Like I have to look that up 1092 00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:44,399 Speaker 1: after the episode. But I really enjoyed it. What your thoughts. Yeah, 1093 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:46,759 Speaker 1: I thought it was like rich in velvety and had 1094 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:49,000 Speaker 1: like this medium tartness level going on. It's the first 1095 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:51,360 Speaker 1: time I've had this version. Like you said, they make variants, 1096 00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:56,040 Speaker 1: and I think, don't don't say variant, Joel, variation, Well, 1097 00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:58,719 Speaker 1: I think one of my it's a good point. I think, 1098 00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:02,080 Speaker 1: uh probably my favorite variation is still the one that 1099 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:05,160 Speaker 1: we do with with Tart Cherry's It's delicious. But this 1100 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:07,759 Speaker 1: one was really good, better than this was expected. And 1101 00:48:07,880 --> 00:48:11,319 Speaker 1: so yeah, again another winner from Creature Comforts because they 1102 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:13,200 Speaker 1: don't lose, man, they always make good to do a 1103 00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:16,080 Speaker 1: very good job. Be sure to swing by Creature Comforts 1104 00:48:16,120 --> 00:48:19,520 Speaker 1: if you're ever in Athens, Georgia. But Joel, I feel 1105 00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:21,040 Speaker 1: like I did a lot of talking, but I didn't 1106 00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:23,640 Speaker 1: like direct the show quite as much. But you did 1107 00:48:23,640 --> 00:48:25,640 Speaker 1: a fantastic job. Thank you, my friend. It was fun. 1108 00:48:25,719 --> 00:48:27,960 Speaker 1: It was it was fun. Yeah, and uh yeah, Unfortunately, 1109 00:48:27,960 --> 00:48:29,200 Speaker 1: we can only do these, like, I don't know, like 1110 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:32,520 Speaker 1: once every few years. I guess we interview each other. 1111 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:34,640 Speaker 1: It has to be like a different twist on it 1112 00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:36,480 Speaker 1: next time we do it, that's right. But yeah, all right, 1113 00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:39,040 Speaker 1: well yeah, well, if you are curious about hearing my 1114 00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:41,760 Speaker 1: money story, you'll get to hear that on next Wednesday's episode, 1115 00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:45,520 Speaker 1: But Matt, until next time. Best Friends Out, Best Friends Out,