So, why good financial cents?

As the tag lines of this blog reads “Making ‘cents’ of your financial life” is exactly what we want to do because I’ve been there – scared, confused, wondering how to get to the next level.

Good Financial Cents is here to provide sound financial advice, encouragement and accountability no matter where you are in your financial journey.

We facilitate money conversations by creating content for you, the reader. Our content is read and shared by millions of people and referenced widely in the media.

We operate by core principles. These principles are timeless, and are the foundational building blocks of financial change.

Finally, while I do not work one on one with clients any more, we abide by the CFP Board’s code of ethics.

If you have questions like these, we’ve got you covered.

My Journey — Not your average CFP®

After serving in the Army reserves for 9 years, including deployments to Iraq, I returned home and became a licensed Certified Financial Planner™ professional (CFP) and opened up my own practice in Carbondale, IL.

Why Become a Certified Financial Planning Professional?

Both of my parents struggled with debt. Each of them filed bankruptcy twice – independent of each other. I believe the constant debt struggle was a contributing factor to my dad’s death. So, I decided to dedicate my life to helping others figure out a path to financial security.

My parents struggles drilled the debt lesson deep into my brain, but still the timeless lessons of saving and investing hadn’t hit home. Six months into my career, not much changed.

Sure “I thought” about investing and did put a measly 3% into my 401k, but it still wasn’t a priority.

That is until a client meeting that changed my life.

The meeting was with a couple who were in their early 60’s and thought it was time to finally meet with a financial planner. After the usual pleasantries, we got down to business to see how I could help them.

In the meeting I learned how concerned they were about retirement. They knew they had social security in a few years but weren’t confident it would be enough. To make matters worse, their entire life savings was just over $30,000.

No pension, small social security checks, and $30,000 in investments is all they had.

They were stressed and it was evident.

After talking more they shared their two main regrets that I can still hear today:

We wish we would have saved more.
We wish we would have started earlier.

Those two simple items that they had neglected their entire lives was now smacking them in their face and their gut.

I wanted me to offer reassurance, but it would have been a lie. They left my office with the same helpless feeling as they had arrived.

The wake up call to save and invest.

Seeing the distraught look on that couple’s face lit a fire underneath my Filipino tush and I knew that I needed to start saving.

Immediately.

At that point I was only making $23,000 a year! But I was determined to achieve financial security, then financial independence and then real wealth generation.

I started saving around $200/month, yes on only $23,000 a year.

I drove a grandma car (literally). Not cool, but very effective! After my “Nanny” passed away, I inherited her 1998 champagne colored 4 door Chevy Lumina. I sold my Pontiac Grand Am that was fully paid, used the cash to pay off some debt and then drove “The Lu” for the first several years of my career.

I rent shared with friends, earned side income from my weekend warrior obligation with the National Guard, and I prevented myself from buying anything that I absolutely did not need.

While it seemed insignificant at the time, I’m now able to reflect back at that moment and realize it was a pivotal point in my financial life – a few short years later, I would be a millionaire.

Building my practice.

Once I had made saving a habit, I was able to focus on growing my financial planning practice. As I continued to meet with clients, they all had similar questions on the basics, which I had painfully learned. I wanted to get more clients, and broadcast my message that financial freedom is not a myth. The internet was making that possible, and I launched this blog in the middle of a financial crisis.

Building true wealth through entrepreneurship.

Little did I know that GFC would become my main source of income and the conduit through which I could broadcast my message to millions. As GFC took off, I sold my financial planning practice, and doubled down on the site and message.

I hired people to help me organize and grow the business – making it more passive for me and my family, and giving us the true benefit of real wealth – the freedom to choose.

Today, I continue to push the mission of GFC via this site, my youtube channel, authorship and other investing activities.