1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I am 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: Matt and today we're talking paying off a million dollars 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: of debt with Nissima McElroy That's right. Yeah, our guest 4 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: today is Nissima McElroy. I Seema. She is a registered nurse, 5 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,159 Speaker 1: She's got a master's in healthcare administration, and she founded 6 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: the website Financially Intentional and launched the podcast Nurses on Fire, 7 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: both of which exists to help nursing professionals achieve a 8 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: sense of financial freedom in their lives. It seems like 9 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: there was a ton of career opportunities there for folks, 10 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: so we're excited to touch on that later on. But Nisima, 11 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: she also wrote the book Smart Money to give folks 12 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: a step by step plan to crush their debt. But 13 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: most impressively, as the tie all of this episode revealed, 14 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: and Seema, she's pay it off over one million dollars 15 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: of debt And yeah, you thought that you had debt problems, 16 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: Sema got after it. We're excited to have her share 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: her story with us today. Soncinema, thank you for joining 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: us today on How the Money. Thank you for having me. Guys. 19 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 1: I'm excited to be here. We're excited to have you, 20 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: ne Sema. And the first question we ask anybody who 21 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: comes on the show is about what they like to 22 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: splore John, Because Matt and I one of our main 23 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: things that we like splore John is good beer. We 24 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: don't hold back and we're drinking a really good one 25 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: right now. Someone say we spend too much money on that, 26 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: and we would laugh in their face. So, uh, what 27 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: what would you say? What's your craftier equipment? What do 28 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: you like to explore John, even while you're saving money 29 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: and investing for the future. My splurred, my biggest flur 30 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: is going to have to be my Tesla, Like I 31 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: can't give it up, Like that's my thing, Like I 32 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: love Tesla's and so when I paid off my debt, 33 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: that was like my first thing, Like I'm getting my Tesla. 34 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: That's it. I have a little car envy now. Matt 35 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: and I we we talk a lot about the Ribbans. 36 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: We joke about the review are nice. It's a joke, 37 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: but not really. I really want one someday. And we 38 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,399 Speaker 1: actually might get a new ribbyan plant potentially like forty 39 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: five minutes away from our house, not even just a yeah, 40 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: just a females down the roads expecting to see those 41 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: trucks on the road all over the place here. And 42 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: we've joked that like maybe in ten years, getting usual 43 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: will get with us like seven years old. Yeah, but 44 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: those things are sweet. But I'd like to get the 45 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: appeal of man some of these new sweet electric vehicles. 46 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: I just want to say one thing, It's not just 47 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: electric cars are not just cars right now, seem like, 48 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: tell everybody why why driving a Tesla feels so different. 49 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: It's a totally different experience, like you are in like 50 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: advanced machine. It's not just a car. Like people don't 51 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: get it until they drive it, Like it's it's totally 52 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: different maneuvering, it's everything is different. You don't turn it on, 53 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: you just get in. It's ready to go. And the 54 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: best thing right now is that you don't have the 55 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: paper gas and face, especially you're in California. You are 56 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: coming out. You're making out like a bandit with six 57 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: dollars a gallon right now. Gosh, yeah, I cannot imagine. Yeah, 58 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: it's like, uh, I feel like, yeah, Tesla's evs, especially 59 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: some of those nicer ones like that. It's sort of 60 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 1: like what we expected, you know, like on your phone. 61 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:21,919 Speaker 1: Obviously phones are awesome, right, but like you switch to 62 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: airplane mode, but like it doesn't do what you think 63 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: it does, Like when it says airplane mode, all it 64 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: does is just like turn your phone off. I feel 65 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: like Tesla's that's kind of like what we expected in 66 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: the future. As we're looking forward into two it's like, Okay, 67 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: what our cars going to be like? Like, that's what 68 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,119 Speaker 1: we expected cars to be like. And then the thing 69 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: is it constantly updates, so it's always changing. It's not 70 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: like a standard yeah, exactly, just over WiFi. So you 71 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: you're getting your car in the morning, it's all charged 72 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: it up, and you're like, oh, look at these new 73 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: updates I have. It's great. Oh my gosh. You gotta 74 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: slowly rolled I see over there thinking about how you're 75 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: gonna spend your money that you don't have yet, that 76 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: doesn't exist yet. But all right, um, let's see if 77 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: let's let's talk, let's just dive right into your story. 78 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: Because you ended up with close to a million dollars 79 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: in debt. That's the number most of us can barely fathom. 80 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: And so yeah, how in the world did you end 81 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: up in that position and specifically to you gotta share 82 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: what kind of debt we're talking about here? But yeah, 83 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,359 Speaker 1: can you share your story with us? You know what, 84 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: every time I shared the story, we were like, what, 85 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: like really, Okay? So I live in the San Francisco 86 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: Bay area, so let's start there. So a huge part 87 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 1: of that debt was my house that I paid off 88 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: towards the end of my journey. Um it was two 89 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars in student loans and then just like 90 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 1: normal za, you know, the things that we acquire because 91 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: we're supposed to. It was a car. It was alone 92 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: against my four or three b to put it down 93 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,359 Speaker 1: payment on my house. Um, it was just little things. 94 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: It was debt from um, my ex husband, just you know, 95 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 1: a normal lifestyle inflation. So it wasn't like I was 96 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: like out here just being irresponsible. I was doing everything 97 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: I was supposed to do by the house, went to 98 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 1: the good schools, bought the house, all those things. So 99 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: I wasn't living outside of what was expected of me. 100 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: So I was wired. What made you kind of come 101 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: to the realization that will wait a second, Um, Like 102 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: you know you said, you're living this kind of normal lifestyle, 103 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: like other people around you doing the same things. This 104 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: is it didn't feel out of the ordinary. What made 105 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: you kind of conra grips and say like, whoa, whoa, whoa, 106 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: I'm in over my head. This is too much. I 107 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: have to do something about this. Was there like a 108 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: specific turning point that led you to kind of have 109 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: a completely different view of your debt. Definitely, I found 110 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: myself being a single mom. I had just bought this 111 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: big old house and pregnancy psychosis, Like I just needed 112 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: a big, five bedroom, five and a half bath house 113 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 1: for me and my daughter because security and um, everything 114 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: had closed and things had kind of settled down, Like 115 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: I just spent money on it was a brand new house, 116 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: so I had to buy blinds and get the backyard 117 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:04,600 Speaker 1: landscaped and all those things, and mortgage. It's all the 118 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: other stuff that comes with it, right, yeah, it's all 119 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: of that stuff. And I realized I had no money, 120 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: I had no savings. As a matter of fact, I 121 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: actually had to borrow money for my sister to pay 122 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: for the blinds. So I was kind of at a 123 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 1: low point, like if something were to happen to me, 124 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: what was gonna happen to this little girl, and I 125 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: was like, Okay, I'm not work like I usually like 126 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: work two jobs, go to school full time. And I 127 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: was like, finally I have some time. I need to 128 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 1: figure out my money. And I figured I didn't have 129 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: any money because I didn't know how to invest. And 130 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: then I started to take a look at my finances 131 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: and I was like, mm, maybe it's like this nineteen 132 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,479 Speaker 1: hundred dollars a month I'm paying towards my student moans, 133 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: Like maybe it's only these things that I'm paying for 134 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: and I don't really know where my money is going. 135 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: And so initially, UM, I just sat off on this 136 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: quest to learn how to invest. And then I realized like, hey, 137 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 1: I need to probably tackle this debt, which led me 138 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: to the debt free community, which led me Todave Ramsey, 139 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: and so UM I started kind of following his methodology 140 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: and did zero based budgeting and the Death Snowball and 141 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: like just really, in all honesty, I didn't work more 142 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: or anythning, Like I didn't like create this big gap 143 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: between my spending and my UM and my earnings. It 144 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: was just that I just got really intentional about how 145 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,239 Speaker 1: I spent every single one of my dollars, and month 146 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: after month, I was able to put thousands of dollars 147 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: towards my debt just because of paying attention, and that 148 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: led me to be able to pay off nearly a 149 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: million dollars in debt in under three years. You know, 150 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: So what stood out to me there is you're talking 151 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: about just your student loans alone, right, Like you're talking 152 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: about close to a two thousand dollar payment every single month. 153 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: Were you stressed at all about the amount of debt 154 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: that you had on or was it just not until 155 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: you actually had your baby and you're sitting there and 156 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: you're kind of thinking through your life situation, what you've 157 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: got going on, Like what was the tipping point? Was 158 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: that you realizing that you were running out of money? 159 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: Or was it the change life stage that you were 160 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: realizing What it was was, um, it was having her 161 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: and then um just having a sense of wanting to 162 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: be more responsible. But you know what, I didn't trip 163 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: off the amount of debt I had. I didn't ever 164 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: even thought about debt like that because all the debt 165 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: that I was acquiring was good debt according to how 166 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: I was raised. Yeah, I never even thought about it 167 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: like that. It wasn't until I really started exploring. But 168 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: at that point, at that period where I was, I 169 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: just knew I was broke and I made too much 170 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: money to be broke. At that point, I was working 171 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: two jobs as a nurse, so in the Bay Area, 172 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: I was making like over two hundred thousand dollars and 173 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: I did not have anything in my savings, like nothing, 174 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: like it just didn't make sense, and so I had 175 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: to make it make sense for me, like, we gotta 176 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,240 Speaker 1: do better. So that's where I was at at that point. 177 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 1: So I'm curious to know kind of how you viewed 178 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 1: debt now because you've got this Tessa. Now, I guarantee you, 179 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: after what you've been through, you don't have a payment 180 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: on that Tesla. Am I right? I actually do have 181 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: a payment, yeah, and only because it's a one percent 182 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: So I was I did not buy the Tesla until 183 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: um I had enough money in the bank to pay 184 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,199 Speaker 1: for a cant See, that's a wise use of debt 185 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: as opposed to So I was curious to know kind 186 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: of your overall take on debt now because I don't 187 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: think of these things because they were good debt. But now, 188 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: how do you feel about debt? In general, I think 189 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: I needed to have an awareness of what my own 190 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: definition of good debt was, and I didn't. I was 191 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: just taking on other people's standards of what good debt was. 192 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: And so to me, using debt to your advantage is 193 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: if you have debt under three percent and you're still 194 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: making sure that you're maxing out all of your other investments, 195 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: you're not having debt in lieu of you know, these 196 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: other things that you need to do for yourself. And 197 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: so for me, it made sense to instead of pay 198 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: cash for this Tesla, to invest that money, so that 199 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:59,840 Speaker 1: money got invested in brokerage account for me into funding 200 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: UM maxing my um our, superfunding, my daughter's UM college fund, 201 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: and all those things which have um paid double digit 202 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: returns over the last couple of years since I've gotten 203 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:14,719 Speaker 1: that car. And like I said, I have like a 204 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: one point five percent interest rate on my Tesla. And 205 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: so then I talked about that too, because some people 206 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: like if you boil it down to like just saying 207 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:26,680 Speaker 1: debt is dumb, there's a lot of nuance when it 208 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,120 Speaker 1: comes to debt that we take on. There's some debt 209 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: that's that's pushing us towards a better future of high 210 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: higher income and some debt that gives us a place 211 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: a roof of our heads. And there's some debt too, 212 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: like similar to you. I had a Nissan Leaf for 213 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: a bunch of years. I sold recently when we became 214 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: a one car family. I took out a loan on 215 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: that because it was a zero percent interest rate offer. 216 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 1: And even though I mean that was years ago when 217 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: interest rates were like ridiculously low and they're still low, 218 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: but it's one of those things where, yeah, okay, do 219 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: I have the cash on hand, do I want to 220 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: use it? When you're gonna let me say it with 221 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: no you know, no penalty over the next six years, 222 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: I'll take that. And I'll take the free money any day. 223 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,680 Speaker 1: And I want to just not ignore the fact that 224 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: a lot of times, especially for my community, we're told 225 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 1: not to take on debt. But debt is what has 226 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: built like the middle class and has made a lot 227 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:20,560 Speaker 1: of families wealthy and has created like a lot of 228 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: the wealth divide in the community. And so I don't 229 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: take that lightly that, you know, having access to low 230 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 1: interest debt has been like something that has been used 231 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 1: as a wealth building tool historically. UM and it hasn't 232 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 1: been available for everybody. And so now that you know, 233 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: a lot of financial tools are more readily accessible, I 234 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:42,959 Speaker 1: think that we should be taking advantage of. Then that's 235 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: absolutely true. Uh So, Okay, you mentioned here like you 236 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: were holding down two jobs. You know you're able to 237 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: knock out this debt in less than three years even Still, 238 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: like that's insane, right, Like this is almost it sounds 239 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,320 Speaker 1: nearly impossible, and so like, can you give us a 240 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: rundown of all the different things in your life that 241 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: you changed? Like said that, Like it didn't sound like 242 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: you made some massive change and you're spending per se 243 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: like where you made this gulf? Like where there there's 244 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: this massive gap between your earning and your spending, and 245 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: so like what did you actually do? Like how were 246 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: you able to climb your way out of that much debt? 247 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 1: That it was really interesting. It's because I just didn't 248 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 1: know how I was spending my money. And so you know, 249 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,880 Speaker 1: I would spend some money here at Target, spend some 250 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: money on my kids shopping, you know, things like that, 251 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: and I just didn't know where my money was going. 252 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,080 Speaker 1: But the crazy part about it is is that when 253 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: I really started sitting down and planning out every single 254 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:39,199 Speaker 1: one of my dollars actually like enjoyed what I was 255 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: spending my money on, and so I like made sure 256 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: that I incorporated things like Disney trips for my daughter 257 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,199 Speaker 1: because that was super important for us, and we live 258 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: in northern California, so we have to fly. That's like 259 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: a flight, hotel Disney tickets, which ain't cheap. But I 260 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,080 Speaker 1: was able to incorporate that in our budget. But just 261 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: because I was being intentional, So it's not like I 262 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: just was like beans and rice, and I love beans 263 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:03,439 Speaker 1: and rice, but I'm not about to live off of 264 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: beans and rice. I don't believe in deprivation. I believe 265 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: it's spending on things that sparked joy. But the only 266 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: the shift was literally that I just planned where my 267 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: money was going, because if you don't pay attention to 268 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: where your money goes, it's just gonna disappear. You're not 269 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: gonna know where it goes. And so having that control 270 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 1: it was like a lightning bowl moment, like oh my god, 271 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 1: like this is crazy, Like I can tell my money 272 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:32,000 Speaker 1: where to go, Like I can make my money work 273 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: for me, and it doesn't have to be about, you know, 274 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: waiting until I get to a certain place or make 275 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:39,680 Speaker 1: a certain amount of money. It was where I was 276 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: at right now and taking that control back. Yeah. Yeah, Well, 277 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 1: I mean it sounds like you did create a gap. 278 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: Like it wasn't something that was it was drastic, right, 279 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 1: Like it wasn't some severe like you're saying. It wasn't 280 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,040 Speaker 1: you know, you cutting back in serious ways. You were 281 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 1: still able to prize and the things that you valued, 282 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: that the things that meant the most of you. But 283 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,559 Speaker 1: it sounds like overtime by just like your site says, 284 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: financially intentional, Like by being intentional, you were able to 285 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: increase the that that difference between what you're earning and 286 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: what you're spending, and you know, all of those little 287 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: expenses do add up, and there's like you've got to 288 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 1: find that money somewhere and so right, and so because 289 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:16,319 Speaker 1: a billion dollars of debt, people are gonna hear that 290 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: and they're gonna be like, oh my god, you have 291 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: to do Yeah, there's gotta be a difference there between 292 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: half expenses versus what you're making. And so what I'm 293 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 1: hearing you say though, is that you did create, uh, 294 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: you know, a significant gap between what you're spending and 295 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: what you used to spend at least, and then you're 296 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: just funneling those additional dollars towards your debt. Is that 297 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: basically how it went down. That's how I went down. 298 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: And then, like I want to clarify, I went a 299 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 1: million dollars, so I sold my house, right, So I 300 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: always want to tell people like I did send my house, 301 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: like that was like the big caveat. But people are like, oh, whoop, 302 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: do do you just sold your house and pay off 303 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: paid off all your debt. That's not what happened. I 304 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: got to a point where I was almost debt free, 305 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: like twenty dollars away from being debt free. Um. In 306 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: this process, this whole process from the beginn any got 307 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: married was an abusive marriage. You got a divorce. Then 308 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: during the divorce settlement, UM both had to pay my 309 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 1: ex husband. And then because I had to file married 310 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: filing separate, I got a thirty thousand dollar tax bill, 311 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: so on top of the debt that I had already 312 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: paid off. UM, So now instead of owing twenty tho dollars, 313 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 1: old closer to sixty tho dollars. And so that was 314 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,040 Speaker 1: the end of my dead journey and because of the 315 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: trauma associated with my house, that's why I decided to 316 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 1: sell my house and therefore made it a million. But 317 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: it was only that fifty five tho dollars a debt 318 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: left when I decided to pay my house off. And 319 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: so I just want to clear clear that up because 320 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: a lot of people are just like, oh my god, 321 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: you just sold your house. You live in California, like whatever. No, 322 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: it wasn't that. It was a journey, and it was 323 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: that last step that allowed me to be financially free. 324 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: Got you. Yeah, well, yeah, that sounds sounds like you 325 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: had setbacks along the way too, because that's a that's 326 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: a really really hard thing. Well one to be in 327 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: an abusive relationship like and then to get out of it, right, 328 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: but then to uh, on top of that, You're like, 329 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: I'm getting close to paying off my debt and then boom, 330 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,040 Speaker 1: thirty tax bill. How did you like mentally handle that? 331 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: Because that is um yeah, I can't imagine kind of 332 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 1: being so close, so much closer to your goal, making 333 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 1: all that progress, and then there's a wrench stowing in 334 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: your plans. Literally, my goal was to be debt free 335 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 1: by thirty six my divorce hearing was on in May, 336 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: where you're my thirty six birthday was supposed to hit. 337 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: You know. I had just paid that I R S bill, like, 338 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: you know, the month before in April. But when that 339 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: when I got that thirty thousand dollar UM I R 340 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 1: S bill, I actually felt empowered because I had been 341 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: on this journey and for the first time I knew 342 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: what to do. First of all, I don't play with 343 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 1: the I R S. And I was just like, okay, like, 344 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 1: I obviously don't have the cash because I've been throwing 345 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: all this extra cash towards, you know, my loans, and 346 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 1: my tax prepair was like, you're gonna have to pay 347 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: a thousand dollar a month penalty on top of this 348 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: if you do a tax plan with I R S. 349 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: I did not want to do that, and so I 350 00:16:57,600 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: went to my credit you and who I had a 351 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: great relationship with, and I was like, what is the 352 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: lowest cost debt? Basically I can take on to pay 353 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 1: the I R S off and one lumpsome and so 354 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:10,880 Speaker 1: they gave me like a two my car was paid off. 355 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 1: They gave me like a two or three percent loan 356 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: on my car. I sent the I R s a 357 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:17,120 Speaker 1: check and then I just put that in my debt 358 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 1: payoff plan and I felt extremely empowered, you know, even 359 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,880 Speaker 1: though I had to pay that, which was stupid. But 360 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 1: the scene is in charge here and you're not making 361 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:28,919 Speaker 1: payments to the I R S. You're making payments to 362 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: the local credit union. You have a great relationship with 363 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: who wants your business and who you are part owner in. 364 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: Because you got that five bucks or whatever it is account, 365 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: that's just another reason to have a relationship with with 366 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: with a credit union. That's something. Yeah, a credit union, 367 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 1: join up and like you might not use them for everything, 368 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: you might have a savings account elsewhere, but like you 369 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:50,679 Speaker 1: want to have a credit union relationship. And now my 370 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: credit unions right across the street, Like I literally go 371 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,439 Speaker 1: there like if ever I was tending anything, and sometimes 372 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: I just even check in with them. I'm just like, hey, 373 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 1: what are the rates looking like right now? Like if 374 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: I wanted to do X, Y and Z with this, 375 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: like you know, and I have that relationship. They know 376 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 1: my name, they know my face, like, and so they'll 377 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: work with me and they'll even give me um back 378 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,960 Speaker 1: in deals that they don't even published, like for example, 379 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,919 Speaker 1: with my Tesla. It's through my crazing in and I 380 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 1: was like, you know, Tesla is offering this interest rate 381 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: and they did not offer that interest rate, and they 382 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: matched the interest rate and it was actually less. Yeah. 383 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 1: So it's those kind of relationships that are super important. 384 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: So yes, I encourage everybody to go to a craze. 385 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: You and I don't really mess with those big banks, 386 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:38,160 Speaker 1: and you know you are about them. I gotta say 387 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 1: to that. I just wish my credit union would host 388 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:41,679 Speaker 1: like a happy hour. I'd go hang out and have 389 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:45,160 Speaker 1: to do. You know, that's a good idea because people 390 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:46,879 Speaker 1: don't go in banks anymore. I go in there and 391 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: I'm like, so, like, who's who comes in here? They're 392 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:53,640 Speaker 1: just like people like you and just talk just like well, 393 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,360 Speaker 1: you know, it's fun to me. That's awesome, awesome. You see, 394 00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 1: We've got a few more questions we want to get 395 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,120 Speaker 1: to you with you. We want to talk more about 396 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: nursing because it's such an interesting career path, uh that 397 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: is open to so many people and it's very lucrative 398 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: right now, and we'll get to that after this break. 399 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,119 Speaker 1: All right, we're back from the break, talking within the 400 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 1: scene the Mcarroy about paying off a million dollars and 401 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 1: you know the see we we kind of just talk 402 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 1: through your story and like Joel said, we're gonna talk 403 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,119 Speaker 1: more about career moves and earning more money, but a 404 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 1: little you know, one other kind of point here on 405 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,959 Speaker 1: your story, Like you confessed like that you didn't go 406 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 1: through this process perfectly, right, Like when it comes to 407 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: like paying off all your all your your debt and 408 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 1: your loans, then you've said that you have some stuff 409 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:46,880 Speaker 1: up along the way. Uh you missed out from you. Uh, 410 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: you did miss out on a good amount of money 411 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,200 Speaker 1: and tax breaks and loan forgiveness, but you still freaking 412 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:54,959 Speaker 1: did it, Like you still paid off all of your loans. 413 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:56,959 Speaker 1: And so I wanted to highlight this because I think 414 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: there's a lesson here, Like what do you think other 415 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: folks could potentially learn from hearing that you didn't necessarily 416 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 1: do things perfectly? I think the whole like a message 417 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: behind this is just get started, Like you're gonna mess up, 418 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: You are going to mess up, but just get started, 419 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 1: Like I messed up royally, but still like my story 420 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:23,879 Speaker 1: is still click bake, Like come on, you exeriously, just 421 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: get started right where you are, right now, stop waiting 422 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: until you make more, stop waiting until you get your 423 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 1: tax return, stop waiting, start today. Yeah, it's that. It's 424 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: that analysis paralysis that I think, especially I can't choose 425 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:39,439 Speaker 1: the perfect route. Then I wanted to begin, Yes like this, 426 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: I swear the smarter my friends, the worst decisions that 427 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: that they make when it comes to just them take 428 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:48,880 Speaker 1: like dragging their feet and taking their time with stuff, 429 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:50,680 Speaker 1: when I'm just like, dude, just pull the trigger out. 430 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,399 Speaker 1: It's like triggonometry man, you know, yeah, definitely, And I 431 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: just want to highlight, like the biggest mistake was not 432 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,359 Speaker 1: investing while I was paying off dead Okay, I don't 433 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,400 Speaker 1: do that, Please don't be like me. And I wouldn't 434 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: have to pay the i R S if I had 435 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,399 Speaker 1: been investing in maxing out my investments like I could have. 436 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: And that cost me eighty thou dollars just in just 437 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: in um retirement savings that I could have had. And 438 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: that's like not including interest. So it's like you can 439 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,199 Speaker 1: walk and chew gum at the same time. That's what 440 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:23,360 Speaker 1: that's what we're doing, both of those is right. Let's 441 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 1: talk about careers, because yeah, there's been a lot of 442 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:29,600 Speaker 1: stories recently written about how much money nurses can make 443 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: these days, and like, I think I told you before 444 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: we started recording. My mom's a nurse. She recently got 445 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 1: like a really lucrative, lucrative offer just to stick around 446 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:39,879 Speaker 1: for one more year. It's like, hey, sign this contract 447 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: saying that you won't leave and we'll pay you a 448 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:44,160 Speaker 1: lump sum. And so how about five figures right? Yeah, 449 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:46,879 Speaker 1: And so nurses are like, okay, great, there's there's money 450 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,119 Speaker 1: all over the place being thrown out for nurses. But 451 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 1: but how do you talk to others if they're considering 452 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: pursuing a career in nursing, or or even if they're not, 453 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:56,560 Speaker 1: are you ever trying to push people into that line 454 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 1: of work? Like, how do you think about always and nursing? 455 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 1: It's a second career from me? So I get it. 456 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: I think nursing it's a cheat code to financial independence. 457 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: I mean, we can make as much money as we want, 458 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,360 Speaker 1: or we can work as little or as much as 459 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:15,280 Speaker 1: we want. It's a perfect career for many retirements. Um, 460 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,920 Speaker 1: it's a perfect career for just like grinding it out 461 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: for ten years and never having to work again. You 462 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 1: it's like a build your own adventure and nursing is 463 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: you can do nursing and in so many different capacities. 464 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,400 Speaker 1: I'm a nurse right now. I still I'm still labor 465 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: delivery nurse, but I also work for a bank, you know, 466 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:35,919 Speaker 1: building their community because it's a bank for nurses. Like 467 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: who would have thought, Like, nurses can do everything. So 468 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:42,160 Speaker 1: if I wanted to be completely remote and just work 469 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 1: on an island for this bank, I could and be 470 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: making a very good living just chilling and making TikTok's 471 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: all day, because that's everybody's dreams, right well specifically you know, 472 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: like over the past couple of years, like we've heard 473 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,360 Speaker 1: stories about like the high demand for travel nurses. So 474 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,399 Speaker 1: first of all, can you share with listeners like what 475 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:04,960 Speaker 1: that's all about? And and then maybe after that, like 476 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: who do you think should consider being a travel nurse? 477 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 1: So yeah, travel nursing has kind of changed the game. 478 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: And travel nursing has been around forever, but because of 479 00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:17,399 Speaker 1: this crisis rates, like travel nurse pay has kind of 480 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: been in the news and the media a lot. So 481 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,680 Speaker 1: travel nurses can make ten twelve thousand dollars a week 482 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:27,199 Speaker 1: in certain contracts. But you have to understand, um, what 483 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: you're getting into because these travel nurses are thrown into um, 484 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: hospitals and situations which can potentially be dangerous fatal. Like, 485 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: there's a lot of risk that is involved with that, 486 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:44,119 Speaker 1: especially if you're not experienced. And so I've I've not 487 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 1: really been a travel nurse. I'm mostly a staff nurse. 488 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:49,640 Speaker 1: And um, a lot of the salaries that travel nurses 489 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,400 Speaker 1: are making. Fortunately, I make that as a staff nurse 490 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: in the San Francisco Bay Area and this is like 491 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: the only place in the world where the rates are 492 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: so high just for staff. But as a partially, I 493 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: mean it's all relative, right, it's all relative, but you know, 494 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: there's ways to make sure that you're not living above 495 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: your means and like spending all your money. But that's 496 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 1: why the test it feels like driving a Honda Chord 497 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: out in the Bay Area because it's relative to us here. 498 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:23,080 Speaker 1: Yeah exactly, like or like if you're in the Bay Area, 499 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: everybody has a test serious, yeah exactly. But um, yeah, 500 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: travel nurses, travel nursing is super lucrative. But you see 501 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 1: a lot of lure to get into traveling, especially before 502 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 1: people are ready. And so what people need to know 503 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: about travel nursing is. It's not something that you should 504 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: just jump into. It's something that you should be UM, 505 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: you should definitely be a competent and proficient nurse before 506 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: you do it, because what happens is you get on 507 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,120 Speaker 1: these assignments, you have little to no orientation. They put 508 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: you on the floor in a hospital. Like you understand, 509 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: people don't understan when nurses do right. We have to 510 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: we have a whole lot of supplies that we use. Um, 511 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:00,280 Speaker 1: we have to know where things are, like the crash 512 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: card if somebody is coding, like we have to know 513 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: how to get to those things. And so imagine you 514 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,639 Speaker 1: being dumped into this environment and five minutes later your 515 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: patient is coding. You have to know how to find 516 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: a crash car, where the supplies are, how to intubate 517 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: this person. Like it's just not simple as like, oh 518 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,200 Speaker 1: I know how to be a nurse. It's like how 519 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,239 Speaker 1: to be a nurse in these kind of situations. And so, 520 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:23,439 Speaker 1: UM competence is super key. Before people travel, and I 521 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 1: mean you you you have to get used to different 522 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,359 Speaker 1: being around different people, around different cultures. A lot of 523 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: travel nurses are dumped on in hospitals. A lot of 524 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 1: travel nurses are being required to take um higher patient loads. 525 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,120 Speaker 1: I know, like for Union hospitals that I work with, 526 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,120 Speaker 1: if there's a travel nurse on the floor, they're typically 527 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,680 Speaker 1: going to get the hardest assignment because you know, they're 528 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: like outsiders and we pay them more supposedly, and I'm 529 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 1: doing air quotes um and so there's a lot of 530 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,919 Speaker 1: things that you need to be able to have to 531 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 1: deal with to be a travel nurse. But they work 532 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: for their money paycheck, right. Well, my my mother in 533 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,119 Speaker 1: law was a travel nurse actually down in St. Thomas 534 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: for about a year. It was I mean, we went 535 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: down to visit her once and it was awesome, and 536 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: I think she had a great experience, but there was 537 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: definitely some some shock the things are done completely differently, 538 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:23,120 Speaker 1: and the there was the hospital that she came from, 539 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:24,760 Speaker 1: there were more people to share the load. There was 540 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: more of like burden placed on the individual nurse at 541 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 1: the you know where she ended up, and so yeah, 542 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: it can be a different ball game. And I know 543 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: she came home more tired from her days as a 544 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 1: travel nurse in St. Thomas than she did, you know, 545 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,399 Speaker 1: at the hospital where she worked in Mississippi. Like it 546 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:42,360 Speaker 1: was just it was a big difference in kind of 547 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 1: quality of life and how she felt. And you know, yeah, 548 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:46,879 Speaker 1: you get to live in paradise, but it comes at 549 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:48,880 Speaker 1: a cost at the same time. But I also want 550 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,359 Speaker 1: to mention that there's alternatives to travel nursing. Like I 551 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: know a lot of nurses that live in Canada that 552 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,920 Speaker 1: worked with me. They live in Canada, they live in Atlanta, 553 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,320 Speaker 1: they live in Florida, and they're actually staff nurses in 554 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:01,840 Speaker 1: California in it so it's Jill, I would protract. So 555 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,120 Speaker 1: they live in lower cost of living places and then 556 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:07,560 Speaker 1: they come here they get perdium jobs, but their staff 557 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:10,919 Speaker 1: meaning that you have access to retire your retirement account 558 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 1: and like say, for example, if my salary is ninety, 559 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: there's gonna be a hundred and ten, a hundred and 560 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: twenty and um, yeah, they only have to give four 561 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: shifts a month. You cater how you want to. You 562 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,400 Speaker 1: can work more, just not less, and then you kind 563 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: of just come A lot of people just come in 564 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:31,920 Speaker 1: and out every couple of weeks or once a month, 565 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,160 Speaker 1: slam out like six shifts and then they're done. Yeah 566 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: that's what are they able to kind of stack those 567 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,640 Speaker 1: shifts back to back essentially, and so you've got a 568 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: thousand mile commute, you're hopping on the plane. But if 569 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: I guess, if you're working all those shifts back to back, 570 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:46,159 Speaker 1: it's not that big of a deal if you're a 571 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: solid week and out. Yeah, is that basically how it works? Yep, 572 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 1: that's how it works. Just come in and out. A 573 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 1: lot of people like I have a room. I always 574 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,880 Speaker 1: rent out of room because I always love to minimize 575 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: my house and costs. I always have a room in 576 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,239 Speaker 1: my house orners to come in and out. Yeah, so 577 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 1: you just find somewhere cheap to crash, you know, and 578 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 1: you come in and do your ships and you're out. Well, 579 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: actually tell us about that when once you tell us 580 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,119 Speaker 1: about running out a room and how that works for 581 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: your lifestyle too, because that is house hacking. Is that 582 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:14,720 Speaker 1: kind of a part of your income game? Is that 583 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,440 Speaker 1: part of um you have multiple streams of income now? 584 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 1: And was that was that kind of part of wanting 585 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:25,320 Speaker 1: to be financially intentional? Was just literally having money coming 586 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,440 Speaker 1: in from a bunch of different sources every single month. 587 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 1: What it was more or less like trying to decrease 588 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,040 Speaker 1: how much I spend on things because I am in 589 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 1: the Bay Area. Like you said, it's all it's all relative, right, 590 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: And so my housing costs is going to be my 591 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:41,000 Speaker 1: biggest expense. So how do you decrease your housing costs? 592 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,120 Speaker 1: You have to be very creative. And for me, I 593 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:46,000 Speaker 1: always have a place even when I'm renting, um, I 594 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,320 Speaker 1: always have a place where I can reduce mine how 595 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: much I have to pay towards my mortgage, are towards 596 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 1: my living expenses by having someone else absorbed some of 597 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: those costs. And so that's always a part of my plan. 598 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: And also, like your set and highest cost is going 599 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: to be your transportation. So it was a point where 600 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: my family wanted to get a second car and we're like, well, 601 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: how can we do this economically? How can we justify 602 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 1: this cost? And so we got Toyota Highlander and in 603 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: seventh seater because we needed the extra space because we'd 604 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: like to travel down the coast with my family. And 605 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,080 Speaker 1: we were just like, okay, like when we're not using it, 606 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna listen on Toro and that actually paid for 607 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: the car. And so those are things that you know, 608 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 1: instead of increasing our expenses, we look for creative ways 609 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: to decrease them and it's not about like it's about 610 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: like having the lifestyle that you want to live, but 611 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: not buying into that lifestyle inflation. It's like having your 612 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: cake and eating eating it too, right, And it's just like, um, 613 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:44,960 Speaker 1: I remember my my former boss was selling his old 614 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: Tesla speaking of Tesla's and I consider buying it and 615 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:48,880 Speaker 1: my wife was like, I don't know, and I was like, 616 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 1: we can run it out on Toro when we're not 617 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: using it. Crush. We ended up not doing it, and 618 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: I'm so bummed, especially right now, that we didn't do that, 619 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 1: because I'm like, oh my god, Yeah, that would have 620 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:03,440 Speaker 1: been a great deal, but hold their value. So actually 621 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: I did have a Tesla on Touro that I got 622 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: um totaled unfortunately, and I actually got twelve thousand dollars 623 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:13,440 Speaker 1: on top of it being paid for every month I 624 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 1: got paid twelve thousand dollars, so that worked out with 625 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,240 Speaker 1: the So I mean obviously that was covered with through 626 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: Touro's insurance. How to was that smooth? Like like were 627 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: there a lot of hiccups? Yeah? It was. It was 628 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 1: a headache either way. You don't yeah, you don't wish 629 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: it to happen. You don't want it to happen, but 630 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 1: either way it did come up come out on top. 631 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: I definitely did. Yeah. So I mean, what I love 632 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: about what you're saying here about these ways that you're 633 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,080 Speaker 1: just decreasing your expenses is that it doesn't necessarily mean 634 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,360 Speaker 1: that you are, you know, working another shift, uh, you know, 635 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: or like working another job or something like that where 636 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:51,880 Speaker 1: all of a sudden your kids can't see you. You're 637 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 1: just finding ways to optimize what you have, like Joel said, 638 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,200 Speaker 1: having your cake and you know eating it too. That 639 00:30:57,240 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: makes me think about like side hustles because like I 640 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 1: feel like, like just the general hustle culture. It was 641 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,520 Speaker 1: popular for a bit, but yeah, I think that like 642 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:06,720 Speaker 1: now it feels like it kind of gets demonized a bit. 643 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,200 Speaker 1: I think that hustles that like, they pay off, but 644 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: there's also the reality that you can just go too 645 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: hard when it comes to some of those things. So like, like, 646 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:16,959 Speaker 1: I'm curious to hear your philosophy on that, you know. 647 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 1: I I like hustles. I think hustles should be seasonal 648 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: and they shouldn't take over your life. I think that 649 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: they should have a specific goal. A lot of people 650 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: get hustles and then they just inflate their lives down 651 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:31,719 Speaker 1: to the money, the extra money that they're making. So 652 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 1: as long as it's seasonal and it has a reason 653 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 1: for me, like the quickest way you can make more money, 654 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,120 Speaker 1: like you said, pick up another shift, stay over time, 655 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,160 Speaker 1: Like I don't want to take on necessarily an extra job. 656 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,480 Speaker 1: Now you're talking to a nurse said does have two jobs, 657 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:48,440 Speaker 1: but but I make it work for me and it 658 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:50,640 Speaker 1: doesn't increase the time that I've spend with my family 659 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 1: as a single mom with two girls, Like it's super 660 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:56,520 Speaker 1: important that I have that time with them, especially while 661 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 1: they're so young. So that's something that I don't want 662 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: to sacrifice. Yeah, I appreciate that, and I think that's 663 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,960 Speaker 1: actually really good advice seasonal with a specifical because I 664 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,840 Speaker 1: think we can get in that perpetual training time for money, 665 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 1: and that is at some point a losing game, and 666 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: you can't do it forever, that's for sure. We've got 667 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:16,040 Speaker 1: more questions to get to with you, no, Seema, including 668 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,240 Speaker 1: you mentioned the bank that you work for, the bank 669 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 1: that you kind of help start. We want to talk 670 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 1: about that and more right after this. All right, we 671 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 1: are back talking with the Siema McElroy and they. You know, 672 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 1: we've talked about some of the great decisions you've made 673 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:41,320 Speaker 1: over time over the years, and one of the great 674 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,239 Speaker 1: things about where your life is now is that you 675 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:46,719 Speaker 1: have you've got so much more autonomy over what your 676 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 1: day to day looks like. Like you still work, you know, 677 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:50,640 Speaker 1: you touched on this. You still have got two jobs, 678 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:53,240 Speaker 1: but it looks vastly different than what it used to. 679 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:55,120 Speaker 1: You've got the number of days that you have to 680 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:57,360 Speaker 1: keep on the calendar to you know, maintain I guess, 681 00:32:57,360 --> 00:32:59,720 Speaker 1: your license or whatever the hospital requires there for you 682 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: to be a staff nurse. And so the reason I 683 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,520 Speaker 1: mention this is because as folks begin to enter into 684 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,560 Speaker 1: some sort of financial freedom, like how would you recommend 685 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:12,720 Speaker 1: that they transition away from sort of like that hustle 686 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:15,280 Speaker 1: mentality because I think so oftentimes we can kind of 687 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: get trapped into achievement and earning more money and you know, 688 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: more and more and more. But at a certain point, 689 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 1: like you've got to flip the switch a little bit 690 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:26,680 Speaker 1: and start to consider some of the other things. How 691 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:28,480 Speaker 1: do you recommend for folks to to think about that. 692 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 1: I think you have to really assess, like what you 693 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: really need and what's super important to you and what 694 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,960 Speaker 1: you're willing to sacrifice and what you aren't willing to sacrifice, 695 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: and then it becomes uh like just about like what 696 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:43,560 Speaker 1: you get to do so you kind of are able 697 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:46,680 Speaker 1: to shift into that, like, you know what, I don't 698 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 1: have to do these things. I'm doing them solely because 699 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:52,200 Speaker 1: I want to, because these are important to me. I mean, 700 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: but there's baby I mean, there's baby steps to get there. 701 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 1: Like you can't just start off on your journey there. Um, 702 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 1: you gotta put in the work initially. But once you 703 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: get to that point and it's ready to it's time 704 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: to shift, like just prioritize like what your goals are 705 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:09,640 Speaker 1: and really just start working towards like doing what you 706 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:12,120 Speaker 1: need to do to get to where your goal is. 707 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:15,640 Speaker 1: So for me, and my goal is kind of always 708 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 1: my goal post is kind of always moving because I 709 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:20,000 Speaker 1: have little ones and you know, I have other people 710 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 1: involved in their lives, but um, it's really about what 711 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 1: can I do right now to make sure that my 712 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 1: kids are living their life their best lives. I am 713 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:36,239 Speaker 1: saving for their future and I'm saving for myself so 714 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,319 Speaker 1: that in five years or less, I don't have to 715 00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:42,440 Speaker 1: work if I don't want to, and so like everything 716 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:44,799 Speaker 1: that I do, all the money decisions that I make 717 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: surround that, and so it shifts into like, you know, 718 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,800 Speaker 1: just doing you know what you get to do. Yeah, 719 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 1: it's very clear goals that you have, and there's clear 720 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: goals then define what your day to day looks like 721 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 1: where you work, when you work, how you work. Kids 722 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:05,840 Speaker 1: certainly helped provide some of that clarity as well, like 723 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: there are decisions that you decide with you and your 724 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: partner as you start to think through like what do 725 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 1: I want for them? Like five years ago, I never 726 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,080 Speaker 1: would have made this decision, but now I've like his 727 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: and so it just yeah, it changes everything. That's true. Well, 728 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,280 Speaker 1: I want to hear about you know, your work with Loom, 729 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 1: which is a bank specifically built for nurses. I want 730 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,960 Speaker 1: to know kind of like, yeah, what precipitated that, and 731 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,399 Speaker 1: then what makes this bank different? And do you think 732 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:33,720 Speaker 1: that there is a need for a bank specifically designed 733 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:36,279 Speaker 1: for nurses? I found that just like so interesting that 734 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 1: the bank is built for some people, for people in 735 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:43,120 Speaker 1: a specific profession. First of all, I was kind of 736 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:45,520 Speaker 1: piste off initially when I heard about it, because I 737 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,719 Speaker 1: was like why didn't I think of this? And then 738 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 1: I was like who gave these engineers this audacity to 739 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:54,560 Speaker 1: come up with this? Like who thinks that they can 740 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:59,799 Speaker 1: just start a bank financial Nursey, that's me get out 741 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 1: of my territory. But it's wonderful and nurses definitely needed. 742 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 1: So just a little background, like so um and these 743 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 1: these guys are geniuses and I love working with them 744 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:15,920 Speaker 1: and they inspired me alive to think differently. That kind 745 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:19,000 Speaker 1: of just opened up my perspective on what's possible. But 746 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 1: they started like a staffing company initially, and then they 747 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:25,680 Speaker 1: noticed that a nurse staffing company. And then they noticed 748 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: that a lot of nurses were going to you know, 749 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 1: these non traditional banks, and then they were wondering like why, 750 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: and so they kind of did an internal needs assessment 751 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: and saw that you know, nursing is a profession of women, 752 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:41,160 Speaker 1: We have a lot of minorities, and we were getting 753 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:45,120 Speaker 1: underserved still to this day and we are historically underserved. 754 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 1: And nurses like, I mean, banks, I'm sorry, need to 755 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:54,920 Speaker 1: step up like their game. Like banks are super antiquated. Okay, 756 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,080 Speaker 1: Like so now you you see all these fintech banks 757 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,520 Speaker 1: coming out of nowhere, like blowing these banks out of 758 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,960 Speaker 1: the water, because like I feel like banks have this 759 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:07,359 Speaker 1: sense of entitlement like oh, you know, like you need 760 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:09,759 Speaker 1: us instead of the other way around, Like like you 761 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: can't even operate if my money is not in here. 762 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: So what are exactly It's a whole new experience. So 763 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:24,840 Speaker 1: like we have the information technology to make wealth building easy. 764 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: Wealth building doesn't have to be hard and with like 765 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,439 Speaker 1: smart things that we can build in. Okay, you're a nurse. 766 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,880 Speaker 1: Nurse and Sema has her money direct depositing it into 767 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,480 Speaker 1: this bank. Okay, now I know how much you're making. 768 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:40,360 Speaker 1: But it's also built on a platform like a glass 769 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 1: door where we know all the salaries across the country 770 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:47,120 Speaker 1: hanging the seema. We see you making ninety dollars an hour. 771 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,840 Speaker 1: You know this hospital down the road is paying a 772 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,839 Speaker 1: hundred and ten dollars. We have all your information. Click 773 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,440 Speaker 1: this one button to apply. What kind of banking? What 774 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 1: bank you know? Does that? No bank that I know of. 775 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:01,280 Speaker 1: It's trying to make me more money, do you? Because 776 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:04,279 Speaker 1: if you make more money, guess what, more money in 777 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:07,239 Speaker 1: the deposits, right, like more money in the account. I mean, 778 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,839 Speaker 1: come on, it's only it's a no brainer. But that's 779 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:13,040 Speaker 1: what I'm saying, Like these banks are so far behind, 780 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 1: and so a bank specifically for nurses because we have 781 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:20,839 Speaker 1: some back end tools that are specific to nurses that 782 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:23,839 Speaker 1: can you help them build wealth? Can anybody benefit from 783 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:27,120 Speaker 1: this bank? Yes, but we're working with nurses. Nurses is 784 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:30,000 Speaker 1: the nursing is the largest workforce. I mean, there's what 785 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:32,960 Speaker 1: four point three million nurses in the United States. Like, 786 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:36,400 Speaker 1: why wouldn't we tap into these people, who, like I said, 787 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,440 Speaker 1: are women who only got access to banking services in 788 00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:44,040 Speaker 1: the sixties, are largely minorities who are traditionally and still 789 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:47,360 Speaker 1: underserved by banks, Like why wouldn't we provide a service 790 00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:51,000 Speaker 1: for them to make them feel empowered and actually normalize 791 00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:54,520 Speaker 1: wealth building for them. That's so smart And I'm glad 792 00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:57,640 Speaker 1: that some guys and then you as well have are 793 00:38:57,480 --> 00:38:59,920 Speaker 1: are working towards you know, spreading that good word and 794 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,279 Speaker 1: letting folks know that that's out there for them. So 795 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:05,479 Speaker 1: I'm thinking about the different ways that you pay off 796 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:07,880 Speaker 1: debt or achieve whatever financial goals you're trying to achieve. 797 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:10,880 Speaker 1: We talked a lot about you know, nursing specifically to 798 00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:15,200 Speaker 1: increase your income, uh and just increasing the size of 799 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:19,000 Speaker 1: that gap. We talked about reducing housing costs uh, and 800 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,319 Speaker 1: and even how you're able to kind of car hat 801 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 1: a little bit. UH. You also talk about how easy 802 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:26,279 Speaker 1: it is, you know that it can be to fall 803 00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:29,239 Speaker 1: victim to lifestyle inflation. So how do you recommend for 804 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:31,960 Speaker 1: listeners out there to sort of fight that temptation to 805 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:34,880 Speaker 1: gradually just spend more and more of their money on 806 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:37,600 Speaker 1: lifestyle instead of taking that money and sticking it in 807 00:39:37,719 --> 00:39:39,799 Speaker 1: whatever bank that they happened to be with or their 808 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,680 Speaker 1: investment in the market. Yeah, grow for their future. We 809 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:44,680 Speaker 1: don't want to say if we want to invest. So 810 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:46,759 Speaker 1: I think a lot of that shift has to come 811 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,279 Speaker 1: with the people that you surround yourself with. And that's 812 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: what happened to me. If you are around people like 813 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:55,600 Speaker 1: I lived in l A. Let me get a harvy example. 814 00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:58,279 Speaker 1: In l A is so materialistic, like everybody wants to 815 00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:00,319 Speaker 1: go to Beverly Hills and top at ooch and all 816 00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. So that's what I was surrounding 817 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:03,839 Speaker 1: myself with. So when I got paid, I was thinking 818 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:07,080 Speaker 1: about what person I could buy. But now I shifted 819 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: the people who I surround myself with with people who 820 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:14,760 Speaker 1: retired in their thirties, people who you know, have over 821 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:18,480 Speaker 1: multiple million dollars in assets and don't work anymore. And 822 00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:22,839 Speaker 1: that's that becomes my normal. So then it's easy for 823 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:25,919 Speaker 1: me to like put all my money in investments, Like, yeah, 824 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:27,840 Speaker 1: why wouldn't not put all my money in investments? Like 825 00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:32,000 Speaker 1: what it does? Everybody is doing it. I mean, like, 826 00:40:32,080 --> 00:40:34,359 Speaker 1: it's so, it's just that you have to change change 827 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,279 Speaker 1: your circle of influence. It's not I'm not saying get 828 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,440 Speaker 1: rid of all your friends, but social media is a 829 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:41,600 Speaker 1: powerful tool and a lot of times we spend hours 830 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:45,319 Speaker 1: and hours scrolling through you know, this mindless content. Why 831 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:48,040 Speaker 1: don't you just change your social media to reflect the 832 00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:50,880 Speaker 1: people who you aspire to and you'll start to see 833 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:54,040 Speaker 1: that your habits will start to change as well. And 834 00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:56,640 Speaker 1: that's why I encourage people to do It's just like, yeah, 835 00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:00,480 Speaker 1: we are taught in society to consume. We are in 836 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:04,520 Speaker 1: a capitalistic society. It's just how it goes down. So 837 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:08,560 Speaker 1: once you shift that for yourself, and you have to 838 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:10,239 Speaker 1: do it for yourself because nobody else is going to 839 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:13,439 Speaker 1: do it for you, then you'll start to normalize building. Well, 840 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,640 Speaker 1: m I like that. I like that, Yeah, and you 841 00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:20,360 Speaker 1: can curate your social media feed right to get information 842 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:22,880 Speaker 1: or to you know, like I've Yeah, I found that 843 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,600 Speaker 1: like the podcast I listened to, our the YouTube videos 844 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,880 Speaker 1: I watch, there's a bunch of mindless stuff that I 845 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:31,160 Speaker 1: just candy basically for my brain that I could be 846 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,480 Speaker 1: consuming or I can be getting smarter. I can I 847 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:35,120 Speaker 1: can be getting better every time I listened to it, 848 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:38,400 Speaker 1: and and those voices continuing to be in my ears, 849 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:40,960 Speaker 1: continue to be the things I watch, like it makes 850 00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:43,759 Speaker 1: a difference in who I'm becoming and um and so yeah, 851 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:46,640 Speaker 1: it's it's the people you follow digitally. It's also you know, 852 00:41:46,719 --> 00:41:49,840 Speaker 1: I think having literally doing this podcast with my best friend, 853 00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:52,640 Speaker 1: the fact that like you know, we share so many 854 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:54,400 Speaker 1: things in common and we spur each other on, Like 855 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:56,000 Speaker 1: if it wasn't if we didn't have each other, like 856 00:41:56,040 --> 00:41:58,799 Speaker 1: where would we be, Like we would not be have 857 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:01,280 Speaker 1: has taken as many steps in the direction of financial independence. 858 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:05,600 Speaker 1: Pretty sure Joe will be in prison. But honestly, like 859 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:08,200 Speaker 1: all those people that I used to follow on social media, 860 00:42:08,239 --> 00:42:10,960 Speaker 1: they're my actual friends, Like we actually like hang out 861 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:15,440 Speaker 1: like that is now my true circle. So yeah, yeah, 862 00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:18,920 Speaker 1: Well the seema because of your intentionality you've created just 863 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:21,520 Speaker 1: an abundance of choices for yourself in the future. So 864 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:23,839 Speaker 1: I'm curious, like, what are the next goals that you have, 865 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:27,480 Speaker 1: Like what are you wanting to achieve? Because I'm pretty 866 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:29,120 Speaker 1: sure the Sema of five years from now is going 867 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:31,279 Speaker 1: to be just in like an amazing place like you're 868 00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:33,759 Speaker 1: already are, but like I can't imagine where you're gonna 869 00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:35,400 Speaker 1: be in five years, Like where do you see yourself? 870 00:42:35,880 --> 00:42:38,759 Speaker 1: Oh my god, in five years, I want to be retired. 871 00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:41,200 Speaker 1: I want to be traveling the world with my girls. 872 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:44,440 Speaker 1: I want to do world schooling with them. UM. But 873 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:48,640 Speaker 1: I also want to create a curriculum around um like 874 00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:51,520 Speaker 1: the diaspora and how African America are Black people have 875 00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:54,400 Speaker 1: been distributed around the world and have effected affected the 876 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:59,120 Speaker 1: culture and the food. But to create a curriculum that's taught, 877 00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:02,880 Speaker 1: UM and that can be purchased, because we aren't taught this. 878 00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:04,799 Speaker 1: We aren't taught a lot about our history. A lot 879 00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:06,960 Speaker 1: of people don't know a lot of Black people don't 880 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:09,279 Speaker 1: know about that history because it's selectively been kept out 881 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:12,759 Speaker 1: of our textbooks. So my goal is to do that, UM. 882 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:15,719 Speaker 1: But it's kind of a selfish goal because it's really 883 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,759 Speaker 1: just for my kids, but um, I also just don't 884 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 1: want to keep it to them, like I want like 885 00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:24,680 Speaker 1: the world to know these things. So um, yeah, that's 886 00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:26,960 Speaker 1: what I really want to do. Like that's like my dreams, 887 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:29,719 Speaker 1: Like it's more from me, just like wanting to be 888 00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:32,160 Speaker 1: an Anthony Bourdain and just like eat because I love 889 00:43:32,239 --> 00:43:34,359 Speaker 1: to eat, like all around the world to like how 890 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:36,680 Speaker 1: can I include my kids and how can I include 891 00:43:36,719 --> 00:43:39,480 Speaker 1: some curriculum and some lessons around it so that I 892 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,360 Speaker 1: can ensure that they're learning and so that that's what 893 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:44,880 Speaker 1: I want to do. It's like kind of dem from 894 00:43:44,960 --> 00:43:48,800 Speaker 1: what I'm doing right now, but like not because it's education. 895 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:53,080 Speaker 1: I love it. I love that we've talked some about 896 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:55,440 Speaker 1: world schooling and we need to get some folks on 897 00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:58,720 Speaker 1: who who do that. I think that's didn't doesn't Vincent 898 00:43:59,239 --> 00:44:01,520 Speaker 1: doesn't he just more travels around the country. I don't. 899 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:03,359 Speaker 1: I don't think he's not like the world. Yeah he's 900 00:44:03,360 --> 00:44:06,240 Speaker 1: not an international as as much, but but that's definitely 901 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:08,880 Speaker 1: something I don't know. I feel like that's especially I mean, 902 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:11,720 Speaker 1: folks are traveling again right like it's back on our radars, 903 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:15,320 Speaker 1: and it's something that I think folks are definitely chomping 904 00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:18,239 Speaker 1: up get out there. But that is super cool. And see, 905 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:20,839 Speaker 1: we wish you the best. And you gotta think if 906 00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:23,520 Speaker 1: you like, you're not the only one who is wanting 907 00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:26,160 Speaker 1: something like that, right, And so when you can identify 908 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:28,040 Speaker 1: a problem and find a and then you're able to 909 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:30,759 Speaker 1: provide a creative solution, that is something that that folks 910 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:33,520 Speaker 1: will pay for just and generally speaking, your story, it's 911 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:36,680 Speaker 1: so inspirational. We we really appreciate you joining us today 912 00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 1: working where can our listeners find more about you? So 913 00:44:40,160 --> 00:44:43,120 Speaker 1: I'm at most places financially intentional. Is there for Twitter 914 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:47,160 Speaker 1: because they're a hater. And and then if you want 915 00:44:47,160 --> 00:44:49,439 Speaker 1: to see all my fun tike any talks, you head 916 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:53,839 Speaker 1: over to loom Bank on tikstok where I'm just pretty hilarious. 917 00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:57,759 Speaker 1: So and that is spelled l U m E will 918 00:44:57,760 --> 00:44:59,840 Speaker 1: link to it in our show outs as well. But 919 00:45:00,120 --> 00:45:02,480 Speaker 1: the Sema, this has been just such a delightful conversation. 920 00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:05,000 Speaker 1: We just thank you for taking the time. We really 921 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:07,600 Speaker 1: appreciate you joining us today. I really appreciate it. I 922 00:45:07,719 --> 00:45:09,839 Speaker 1: had a blast with you guys. Thank you so much 923 00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:13,600 Speaker 1: for having me. What's a fun conversation? Man? Can you 924 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:15,560 Speaker 1: think of an interview that we've had recently that was 925 00:45:15,719 --> 00:45:16,960 Speaker 1: that's fun? Is that one that we just had with 926 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:19,359 Speaker 1: you know, I don't know, Well, like the last one 927 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:21,640 Speaker 1: we had was Shannon who was super funny, but she 928 00:45:21,800 --> 00:45:23,759 Speaker 1: was a lot of fun actually, and that's you know, 929 00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:26,680 Speaker 1: also un coming from a CPA. But yeah, we try 930 00:45:26,719 --> 00:45:29,759 Speaker 1: to choose our guests very carefully. Um, we we do 931 00:45:29,920 --> 00:45:32,839 Speaker 1: a lot of work. Like I mean, Matt, how many 932 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:37,120 Speaker 1: pitch emails come across our our our Gmail inbox every 933 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:40,680 Speaker 1: single day and what percentage of them get deleted? Something 934 00:45:40,680 --> 00:45:44,719 Speaker 1: in the something like a range. These are people that 935 00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:47,160 Speaker 1: we seek out because they have an interesting story, because 936 00:45:47,160 --> 00:45:51,839 Speaker 1: they are incredible people. And yeah, ne Sima is one 937 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:54,359 Speaker 1: of those that we saw and we're like, she's doing 938 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:56,399 Speaker 1: awesome stuff. We have to bring her on. She has 939 00:45:56,440 --> 00:45:58,160 Speaker 1: to tell her story to the How the Money audience 940 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:00,200 Speaker 1: we want to do here firsthand. And she did a 941 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:03,040 Speaker 1: great job and she's compelling, she's smart, she's she's funny, 942 00:46:03,080 --> 00:46:05,600 Speaker 1: she's down to earth and I just appreciate every second 943 00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:08,040 Speaker 1: of that interview for sure, absolutely, So you're ready for 944 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:12,000 Speaker 1: a big takeaway. So she said a bunch of stuff 945 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:14,080 Speaker 1: that really stuck out to me. But specifically when she 946 00:46:14,160 --> 00:46:18,040 Speaker 1: was talking about side hustles, she said, to make sure 947 00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:20,680 Speaker 1: that these are seasonal. She wanted to make sure that 948 00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:22,200 Speaker 1: if you do have a side hustle, if you do 949 00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:25,319 Speaker 1: have multiple ways that you are earning money, to not 950 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:27,279 Speaker 1: let that take over your life, Like, you need to 951 00:46:27,280 --> 00:46:29,759 Speaker 1: make sure that it has a purpose. Uh. And oftentimes 952 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:33,040 Speaker 1: that can be something as simple as paying off an 953 00:46:33,080 --> 00:46:35,239 Speaker 1: amount of debt, that could be saving up a certain 954 00:46:35,239 --> 00:46:37,400 Speaker 1: amount of money for a down payment. But basically she 955 00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 1: was pointing to the fact that this does not need 956 00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:40,840 Speaker 1: to become a way of life. And I think that 957 00:46:40,960 --> 00:46:43,840 Speaker 1: is such a good framework for thinking about side hustles. 958 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:46,640 Speaker 1: You do want to deploy that as a practice, as 959 00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:49,920 Speaker 1: a tool in your arsenal. Butt it's not necessarily something 960 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:52,000 Speaker 1: that we would say that you should be doing long 961 00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:55,120 Speaker 1: term in perpetuity. No like that, that's no way necessarily 962 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:58,000 Speaker 1: to live your life. Obviously, some folks, it just depends 963 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:00,000 Speaker 1: on your situation, Like how much debt are you talking about? 964 00:47:00,080 --> 00:47:02,200 Speaker 1: How much do you love your side hustle? Knitting missions 965 00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:05,040 Speaker 1: it life, It's like truly a labor of love. Who 966 00:47:05,120 --> 00:47:07,640 Speaker 1: knew that cat scarves can make so much money on 967 00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:11,800 Speaker 1: Etsy Kitten mittens, as they could say, and it's always 968 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:14,360 Speaker 1: sounding in Philadelphia. But the bottom line, I just I 969 00:47:14,719 --> 00:47:18,120 Speaker 1: do really like that perspective. It just brings side hustles. 970 00:47:18,120 --> 00:47:20,560 Speaker 1: It puts side hustles in the right context, gives it 971 00:47:20,600 --> 00:47:23,080 Speaker 1: the right perspective, because, like we can see almost with 972 00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:25,440 Speaker 1: anything in our life, when things are out of context, 973 00:47:25,480 --> 00:47:27,239 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter how good the thing is. If it's 974 00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:29,400 Speaker 1: out of context, if it's not the right situation, it 975 00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:31,759 Speaker 1: could be a bad thing for you, and in this case, 976 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:34,840 Speaker 1: bad for your finances. But yeah, what was your big takeaway? Okay, 977 00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:38,680 Speaker 1: so I think my big takeaway was used debt effectively. 978 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:41,680 Speaker 1: And you know, we in the Seema ran the gamut 979 00:47:41,719 --> 00:47:43,319 Speaker 1: in her debt journey, and it would be easy for 980 00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:46,680 Speaker 1: someone who had basically a million dollars in debt at 981 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:49,319 Speaker 1: one point, including her mortgage, right, So that's important to 982 00:47:49,320 --> 00:47:51,719 Speaker 1: point out, But it would be easy for someone who 983 00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:54,000 Speaker 1: had that experience to be like, debt is dumb, I'm 984 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:55,960 Speaker 1: writing it off. I'm never doing it again. And we 985 00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:58,640 Speaker 1: know people in that camp who say, like I buy 986 00:47:58,719 --> 00:48:02,439 Speaker 1: houses in cash and rental properties in cash, and it's 987 00:48:02,600 --> 00:48:04,920 Speaker 1: you know, we don't like hate on anybody that views 988 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:07,239 Speaker 1: things differently than us. It's it's totally fine. We we 989 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:10,200 Speaker 1: know friends who paid off their mortgage early before investing, 990 00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:13,200 Speaker 1: But one of Nesima's regrets was not investing while she 991 00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:16,680 Speaker 1: was paying off debt. And I get that because, yeah, 992 00:48:16,719 --> 00:48:18,319 Speaker 1: I think there is something to be said for the 993 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:21,120 Speaker 1: effective use of debt and if someone is willing to 994 00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:23,799 Speaker 1: give you free money or nearly free money, to lend 995 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:27,040 Speaker 1: you money at a ridiculously low interest rate, if it 996 00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:29,799 Speaker 1: allows you to achieve other goals that you have, other 997 00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:32,319 Speaker 1: financial goals, not not going into debt to spend more 998 00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:34,480 Speaker 1: to increase your lifestyle. And that's why this is always 999 00:48:34,480 --> 00:48:37,719 Speaker 1: a hard topic to discuss, right It's hard to give blanket, good, 1000 00:48:37,719 --> 00:48:40,000 Speaker 1: blanket advice on this, but I do think that that 1001 00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:43,280 Speaker 1: is an important point that debt can be used effectively 1002 00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:46,319 Speaker 1: and actually, if used well in the right places, it 1003 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:49,440 Speaker 1: can kind of boomerang you even even faster towards some 1004 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:53,080 Speaker 1: of those financial goals that you have. Again, it's it's 1005 00:48:53,239 --> 00:48:55,080 Speaker 1: there's so much nuance we could get into, and maybe 1006 00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:58,160 Speaker 1: we should get into a whole episode very soon about 1007 00:48:58,160 --> 00:48:59,880 Speaker 1: the role that debt should play in your life and 1008 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:03,279 Speaker 1: how to use it effectively because it's tricky and there 1009 00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:05,919 Speaker 1: are a lot of pitfalls along the way. But um, yeah, 1010 00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:08,360 Speaker 1: it's interesting to hear n sema story and how debt 1011 00:49:08,440 --> 00:49:10,400 Speaker 1: ruined her. But now it's also a tool that she 1012 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:13,160 Speaker 1: uses effectively, and I think that's a good way to 1013 00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:16,640 Speaker 1: think about it. Oftentimes debt involves a nuanced conversation. Uh, 1014 00:49:16,680 --> 00:49:18,799 Speaker 1: and that was I think what we're able to do 1015 00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:21,520 Speaker 1: today with no Sema. Let's go ahead quickly introduce the 1016 00:49:21,520 --> 00:49:24,239 Speaker 1: beer you and I enjoyed during this episode. This one 1017 00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:25,560 Speaker 1: is called I don't even know how to say this. 1018 00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:28,719 Speaker 1: I'm gonna give it a shot, but it's Dulce Vedania. 1019 00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:33,240 Speaker 1: This is a rye whiskey barrel aged Russian style Imperial stout, 1020 00:49:33,560 --> 00:49:37,520 Speaker 1: which is a mouthful. This is by Di Steal Brewery. 1021 00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:40,440 Speaker 1: We have never had a beer by distill here on 1022 00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:43,239 Speaker 1: the show. I am really pumped about. Anytime we're able 1023 00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:45,640 Speaker 1: to get a great, fantastic beer on the show by 1024 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:47,600 Speaker 1: a brewery who have never had on the show makes 1025 00:49:47,640 --> 00:49:50,640 Speaker 1: me really happy inside. Uh. There, specifically, it says when 1026 00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:53,560 Speaker 1: the normal Illinois is that the I guess that's the 1027 00:49:53,600 --> 00:49:57,120 Speaker 1: name of the town. The town. I love that they're 1028 00:49:57,160 --> 00:50:00,000 Speaker 1: they're just normal people in Illinois, and it's normal Illinois. 1029 00:50:00,560 --> 00:50:02,600 Speaker 1: Maybe I don't know. Yeah, maybe that's just the generic term. 1030 00:50:02,719 --> 00:50:04,600 Speaker 1: Maybe they're not think it is actually the No. Yeah, 1031 00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:07,480 Speaker 1: it says right here like normal Comma Illinois, USA. So 1032 00:50:08,200 --> 00:50:11,440 Speaker 1: I think I would love living in a town called normal. 1033 00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:14,480 Speaker 1: It feels so kind of Americana. But yeah, what your 1034 00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:16,200 Speaker 1: thoughts on this beer? All right? So I thought it 1035 00:50:16,239 --> 00:50:19,600 Speaker 1: was delicious. The nice thing was it had some good 1036 00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:22,520 Speaker 1: spice notes from the rye barrel that it was aged, 1037 00:50:22,520 --> 00:50:24,200 Speaker 1: and had such good flavors, and it had kind of 1038 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:27,000 Speaker 1: like the warming effect, kind of like drinking a little 1039 00:50:27,040 --> 00:50:30,279 Speaker 1: glass of whiskey or something in the evening. And so yeah, 1040 00:50:30,280 --> 00:50:33,600 Speaker 1: I like that combo of beer. I love whiskey, and 1041 00:50:33,680 --> 00:50:37,560 Speaker 1: so anything that's aged in whiskey barrels, especially especially a 1042 00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:39,839 Speaker 1: good style like this one, just kind of like hits 1043 00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:41,560 Speaker 1: on a bunch of notes for me. So yeah, this 1044 00:50:41,640 --> 00:50:44,080 Speaker 1: was definitely something I really enjoyed. Yeah, I am going 1045 00:50:44,120 --> 00:50:46,359 Speaker 1: to second everything you just said, dude, and I wanted 1046 00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:48,440 Speaker 1: to comment specifically to on I don't know if we've 1047 00:50:48,440 --> 00:50:51,520 Speaker 1: ever had a beer where the can was pitch black, 1048 00:50:52,080 --> 00:50:54,279 Speaker 1: and this can is like literally from the side like 1049 00:50:54,360 --> 00:50:56,160 Speaker 1: it's got the label, but then the actual metal of 1050 00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:58,360 Speaker 1: the can the top the tab that you pop reflects 1051 00:50:58,360 --> 00:51:01,600 Speaker 1: the color. It's super black. It poured the exact same 1052 00:51:01,600 --> 00:51:04,279 Speaker 1: color as a beer, which was like motor oil, but 1053 00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:08,239 Speaker 1: this was a fantastic beer. Definitely recommend this one and 1054 00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:11,000 Speaker 1: honestly anything by the Steal though we've not had their 1055 00:51:11,040 --> 00:51:13,640 Speaker 1: beers here on the show before. They make some really 1056 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:16,520 Speaker 1: good ones, but Joel, that's gonna be it for this episode. 1057 00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:19,240 Speaker 1: Listeners can find our show notes up on the website 1058 00:51:19,239 --> 00:51:20,880 Speaker 1: at how to money dot com. Will make sure to 1059 00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:23,840 Speaker 1: link to Nasima's site and what she's up to there. 1060 00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:28,080 Speaker 1: And until next time, best Friends Out, Best Friends Out,