I was first exposed to the idea of Financial Independence at a relatively young age, shortly after graduating high school, when I got involved in a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company. My involvement here didn’t work out and I was only in it for maybe half a year with nothing monetarily to show for it. However, The people here introduced me to books such as “Rich Dad Poor Dad” which transformed my way of thinking and what I wanted to do with my life.

It was a couple years later, at 20 years old, that I dropped out of college and, applying the concepts that I had learned, opened a retail store. Unfortunately, this business and my ideas were not founded on a firm financial foundation and instead was entirely funded with credit. Not only did I not have the capital to start the business, I also had nothing in my savings, no money to live off of while I grew my business. Obviously, this was a recipe for disaster as I took on even greater debt in living expenses. Less than a full year later, I found myself out of business with over $40,000 in high interest debts and now cleaning cars for $10.50 an hour.

As the years ticked by, I grew professionally and was able to increase my income and continue paying down my debts. However, every time I would almost get free, I would experience some level of lifestyle creep and frivolous spending that would push me right back under. All this time though, the concept and principles of Financial Independence stuck with me and remained a distant goal that I would invest towards but then kill those investments a year or two later to pay off new debts in a vicious cycle that left me financially stagnant.

Ten years later from when I left school and launched my business, now 30 years old with two young children and a wife, I discovered Bigger Pockets and the concept of Real Estate investing; something that I am extremely interested. I wanted to jump right in but, recalling my previous experience with running a business, I realized that I still did not have the financial position to make that happen; it was as if I was still a broke college kid trying a get rich quick scheme despite all my additional possessions. It was then that I decided to get serious about my finances and my future.

That was a couple months ago and in the time since I have paid off all of my consumer debt, with the exception of my vehicle loan which I refinanced to a lower rate, and begun to build that financial foundation towards independence. My goal is to be financially free and out of the rat race within the next 10 years, by the time I turn 40. To that end, and to hold myself accountable, I have started this blog to track my portfolio and progress. While it is mainly for myself, perhaps by following my journey others will find value or inspiration for their own lives and, if they haven’t already, will also start down the road to securing their financial future!