The Journey Begins

In US Navy Boot Camp I specifically remember one of our instructors telling us, "If you don't pay your debt, the government will", needless to say, HE LIED! How did I find out? Well, I spent a whole lot of money that wasn't mine and didn't pay it back! Instead of the government paying it, my credit score took a huge hit and when I got out of the Navy I was left with about $17,000 in debt that I had wracked up! When I had gotten out of the Navy, I met my beautiful wife Samantha! She really had her head on straight and she helped me realize the importance of being debt free and being financially responsible, in general. I knew if I wanted a life with her, that I would have to "right the wrongs" that I had created in my younger/dumber years! I signed up with a debt management company called CESI, and they helped me pay off my debt and start to repair my credit score! We started our wedded life debt free and with a fairly decent credit score, but as life tends to throw curve balls, for us it did! We had my daughter Ayla! With our little angel came over $30,000 in debt, since our health insurance agent "mis-spoke" when he told us that our coverage included maternity coverage. Samantha didn't have maternity leave, so we turned to the trusty credit card to pay our bills for two months, and prior to delivery we bought a $30,000 new Subaru Forester! We struggled week after week, month after month, until we decided we needed a change. We needed something different. We needed...a way out! We consulted with a lawyer, and several months later, we filed for bankruptcy. I would like to take a few minutes to address bankruptcy, because, you see, most people look at bankruptcy as the end of the world. To me, I rationalized it by saying that most of the world's successful business people had, at some point, filed for bankruptcy. The the world's elite looked at it as a "new begging", and so would we. Other than coming up with the money for the lawyer, the process was pretty pain free. Honestly, it was liberating! Don't get me wrong, it has come with its struggles, but all in all, it was a new beginning for us. The hardest part was coming up with the $1800 that it cost for the lawyer...after that, it was just a bunch of paperwork and a couple of meetings. We turned in the car that we had a loan for, but we kept our house and all of our stuff. Just like that, the slate was wiped clean!

As the years passed, our credit scores started to build back up, but as life continued to happen, our debt rose and fell. I always say, that if it wasn't for my wife, I would be absolutely lost! Several years after buying our home (before we had our daughter), after not having a clue where I wanted my life to go regarding my career, I decided to get into insurance. I have always had an innate desire to help people, and I needed to be able to provide for the family that my wife and I planned on having, and insurance seemed to fit! I started in the Health and Life Insurance field and eventually transitioned into property and casualty (home and auto insurance). When I started I did not consider, or even realize that insurance is very much so an arm of the financial services industry. Getting in that industry, for someone who had the financial literacy of a third grader, was very eye opening, and very educational! I have always considered myself a "networker" so, naturally, I connected well with others in the industry, which allowed my financial literacy to grow, and even flourish. Since I started in the financial services industry, I have worked for several companies, selling several different products, which I plan to elaborate on throughout this blog! About 16 months ago we had our son, Noah, and we are certainly in a different place than where we were when we had Ayla! Our knowledge, wisdom, and experience has changed and grown, and in this blog I plan on sharing all of that with you. I plan on sharing the knowledge, wisdom, and tips that we have learned over the years to help you so that, either you do not have to make the same mistakes that we did, or you can get out of a hole that you've already dug yourself in! I've always considered myself a bit of a Freedom Fighter! In this blog, I seek to help you and your family achieve freedom from the chains of bondage that debt hangs over all of our necks. Lenders have literally built their businesses by making money on your debt! Taking advantage of your need, in modern society, to acquire debt in order to maintain a status quo...a degree of normalcy. We will help you overcome that system and liberate yourselves from it. I am excited to share our journy with you!