Hi, David here.
Welcome to The Wealthy RN where we talk about money, wealth, and living a financially-free life. Yes, it’s that one topic that excites and often scares people at the same time. It can be exhilarating to have when there’s plenty and stressful when there isn’t. If you’ve noticed it’s also the one topic that’s a bit off-limits to talk about.
You know, the “how much do you make” or “how do you budget and invest” questions we politely steer away from. Heck, most of the time we barely address those questions for ourselves as well. Also, what does “wealth” mean to you? It can mean different things depending on who you ask, but to me it’s so much more than just the amount of money I have in my wallet. So these are topics we have to talk about and fix.
I’ll chat more about myself in a bit, but let me first ask you a couple of important questions.
I know for me, it wasn’t an easy question to answer right away and it took me a while to figure it out.
Not exactly sure? Trust me, you’re not alone. That, my friend, is how we now have volumes of books written trying to answer that one simple question. But you must first have a plan to accomplish your desire. Otherwise, you’re just wandering around!
If you are the type of person like I was starting out: ignorant of all things smart concerning money and a serious procrastinator, then this is the place for you. My intention is for you to not only learn but also be inspired to take action as you venture out on this journey that will drastically change your life. Because, whether you like it or not, you’re along for the ride. You can’t opt-out! The decisions you make today will either harm or improve your financial future.
If you are a bit further along in the game and looking for savvy solutions and ideas for your investments, this place will also serve you well as we delve into more complex ways to have your money work for you.
For myself, The Wealthy RN started as a natural result of learning hard financial lessons.
Repeatedly.
Like most people I ended up with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. The future was stressful, to say the least. As painful as they were, however, these lessons taught me to be an involved participant in my finances. I couldn’t sit back and “hope” the future would take care of itself.
And although there were plenty of financial bumps along the road (and I’m sure there will be plenty more) there were also great successes. I began to realize what worked for me in developing good money habits.
There was a lot of advice out there from financial gurus, but I realized not all the recommendations were good so I narrowed it down to what was actually productive for my family. To what actually improved my situation versus making empty generic promises.
Let me ask you another question:
For myself, wealth didn’t equate to necessarily having a bigger bank account or having a love of money. I know of a few rich people who aren’t happy at all. To me I associate wealth with FREEDOM. Essentially that’s what we all want: freedom to live the life we want, to have the security we need, and also having a bit of the comfort it may bring. I wanted wealth to enrich a life well lived. To be able to give to others in need. And to achieve gratitude and appreciation by using it wisely.
Eventually, other people also began to take notice of what I was doing and began coming to me for money advice. My co-workers began calling me the “investment guy”. So, I helped them become wealthier as well.
But my story didn’t start out this way of quickly learning a few lessons and then having immediate success. In fact, my story might be pretty similar to yours.
I started out like everyone else who went to college: broke. I had no savings and had to work a part-time job to compensate. Regardless, I still ended up with student loan debt. I then developed an interest in expensive toys and had no plan with what to do with my money other than save a bit and spend the rest, just like everyone else. This progressed to buying a new car and a newer home which added on to the debt burden.
My parents didn’t know much about investing and compound growth. But they instilled in me a work ethic and desire to excel so I began learning.
At the time I worked as a nurse at a small hospital and I remember sitting in the ICU one night watching another nurse look up stock quotes. I remember thinking,
That one night changed my life forever. My eyes had been opened as an unsuspecting mentor began telling me of her investments. But it took long years of studying things like budgeting, finance, and how the wealthy creatively used their money before smart financial decisions shaped my life into what it is today.
I realized that I didn’t want a lifestyle like everyone else I saw around me. I didn’t want my life dictated by the habits of others. You know the ones that live paycheck-to-paycheck with nothing of true value to show for it?
I didn’t want to struggle with debt, barely making it for the rest of my life. The idea of early retirement (yes, I guess I’m part of the FIRE movement) began to take effect. So I chose to buckle down, pay off debt, budget, and invest smarter. But becoming smarter financially made me quickly realize a lot of other people were unconsciously living the life I was choosing to leave behind.
The more I wanted success for my family, the more I became interested in bringing people along the journey with me. These were my friends and co-workers and I wanted them to succeed as well!
It was exciting to tell them a key money secret in 20 minutes that took me a long time to discover. A way to save more, to build faster. It was exhilarating to see them finally understand what true wealth could do for their future.
Today a security officer I had talked to then has now been building a legacy by growing monthly dividend-paying stocks. Others are now using the more traditional 401k/403b method but doing it smarter. And yet others are utilizing creative ways to invest differently than everyone else. I’m determined that if I can do this (and they can do it) so can you. I’m just an average guy determined to do more.
Don’t just tackle your finances from one angle and hope it works. Tackle it from multiple angles. You only have one life to get this right (because someone else will take your money if you don’t!). The sooner you start the better off you’ll be.
However, I also know what it’s like to know you’re on a better path, one that will lead to financial freedom. I have been making that happen for myself and my family and so can you. Within, I’ll show you what works for me. And what didn’t work.
Take what advice you will from The Wealthy RN for your personal journey. Just take it one step at a time. Before long, you’ll notice changes in your life. I’m here to help show you how. The future life you create for yourself will be worth the effort, believe me.