Growing up
Let me set the scene…
Growing up, like many of you I’m sure, money wasn't a fluid topic in our house… it was a source of stress. There was never quite enough of it, and nobody sat me down to explain how any of it worked. Not budgets, not savings, definitely not investing. To this day, my parents still feel like investing is too risky to partake in, while inflation slowly and quietly eats at their savings buried in a low interest savings account or GIC’s. We were working class, doing our best, and the idea of "building wealth" felt like something that happened to other people, or by winning the 649. People with different last names, different postal codes, different starting points.
So I entered adulthood the way a lot of people do: completely unprepared. No financial education. No safety net, and OSAP and a credit card that felt like free money right up until it didn't.
Here's what nobody tells you about debt: it doesn't happen all at once. It creeps. After University carrying a student loan, a balance here, a car loan there, an "I'll sort it out next month" that becomes next year. By the time I actually paused and looked…really looked…at the number, I was sitting on $38k worth of bad decisions.
That was a fun Tuesday.
I remember the feeling of opening every statement and immediately closing the tab. I'd convinced myself that not looking at it was the same as it not being real. Spoiler: it was very real. It was just also quietly getting worse every single month. Compound that with trying to maintain an active social life, navigating the Toronto dating scene, nights at the bars, living a lifestyle I couldn’t afford, except on credit. It got real, fast. Coming to the realization that something had to change, and quickly, was the all important first step. That night, everything changed.
The Debt Years
The thing that changed everything wasn't a book, a podcast, or some financial epiphany (although all of those were catalysts-more on that later). It was a spreadsheet.
I sat down one evening and wrote out every single dollar I owed and every single dollar coming in. It took about an hour. It was deeply uncomfortable. However, it was the most useful thing I'd done with money in my entire adult life.
From that spreadsheet, I built a budget. A real one, not the kind you make and abandon by day three. A zero-based budget where every dollar had a job. I stopped pretending certain expenses didn't count. I found money I didn't know I had. I started throwing everything extra I could at the debt, methodically, one balance at a time.
It took 3 years. There were months it felt impossibly slow. There were setbacks. But the direction was always the same. Forward. One day, the number hit zero. Then it went positive. Then it compounded. Flash forward to today, with lots of hard work, a little luck, and continued savings and investing, our family owns 3 houses, a multi-million dollar net worth, with substantial RRSP and TFSA holdings. This is not a get rich quick scheme. This is the pathway to real, life changing education and financial freedom. I sincerely want to help, and if I can help change the trajectory of even one person that was on my path, we’ll call it a win, but, the more the merrier.
The budget & the plan
Starting to invest in your 30’s
Here's the part where most finance people might judge me.
I didn't really start investing until my 30s. If you've spent any time in personal finance spaces online, you've probably been told that this is basically catastrophic…That compound interest only works if you start at 22, and if you didn't, you might as well give up.
That's nonsense. Hogwash. Bullpucky.
Yes, starting earlier is better. Everything is better earlier in hindsight. But the second-best time to start is right now, and I proved it. I started with a workplace RRSP savings contribution, then when i saw how that was doing a few years later opened my first brokerage account, read everything I could get my hands on (see book/podcast/financial epiphany earlier), and started putting money to work. Not perfectly. Not with some genius strategy. Just consistently, in low-cost index funds, month after month.
I'm not retired at 49, but I’m close. I’m aiming for the freedom 55 plan, and once I hit my number, if I hit my number, then I’m good to go. I have a growing investment & real estate portfolio, a clear retirement trajectory, and most importantly, I'm not scared of money anymore. That last one might be the biggest win of all.
WHat this site is about
I'm not a financial advisor. I don't have a finance degree (my major was Econ). I'm a self-taught person who made real mistakes with real money and figured out, step by step, how to fix it. I am a financial nerd, it’s my hobby, and I’ve spent countless hours learning, taking courses, reading books, listening to podcasts, researching and most importantly; DOING it.
What I share on this site is exactly what I wish someone had shown me when I was staring at my bank statements and hoping the problem would solve itself. The budgets that actually work. The debt strategies that don't require a miracle income. The investing basics that seemed terrifying until they suddenly weren't.
If you grew up like me without a roadmap, without a safety net, without anyone explaining how any of this works, this is for you. You're not behind. You're not too late. You just need the plan nobody gave you.
I've got it. Let's go.
Legal Disclaimer: I'm not a licensed financial advisor. Everything on this site is for educational purposes only and reflects my personal experience. Please do your own research before making financial decisions.
WHat I Believe
Shame is the enemy
Debt, bad decisions, late starts, none of it means you're bad with money. It means like me, nobody taught you. That's fixable.
Simple beats clever
The best budget is the one you'll actually use. The best investment is the one you'll actually make. Complexity is the enemy of action.
It's never too late
Every finance bro will tell you the math works better if you start young. True. But it still works. Start now. Your future self will thank you.
Real numbers only
I share my actual story. Actual debt, actual timelines, actual setbacks. Not highlight reel. If it was messy, I'll tell you it was messy.
Legal Disclaimer: I'm not a licensed financial advisor. Everything on this site is for educational purposes only and reflects my personal experience. Please do your own research before making financial decisions.
If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.
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