About me

Self-taught investor and personal finance enthusiasts

My passion for financial well-being started as a child growing up in a household where we never lacked the basics but were always aware of the risk of running out. Growing up in Section-8 housing and asking if this food item or that food item was covered by food stamps shaped my appreciation for money and overall financial stability. I grew up with a mom and step-dad who worked incredibly hard, who would wake up beyond early and undertake monstrous commutes to ensure a better future for my siblings and I. Weekends were spent not on day trips, hikes, or in stores, but instead in other people’s yards, installing grass, sprinklers, or removing debris. And when side work could not be found, we’d spend the weekend patching up our ailing house—fixing a leaking roof, removing a moldy wall, or replacing old windows.

My upbringing instilled within me not only a strong appreciation for financial stability but also a strong work ethic that served me exceptionally well in college where I double majored in Biology and Mathematical-Economics. It was in college where I first got exposed to the power of investing, and luckily it was in the midst of the Financial Crisis of 2008. This allowed me to learn not only the awesome power of investing and having your money work for you, but it also taught me the risks associated with risky investing. The experience of seeing minor gains followed by large losses taught me invaluable lessons, but also got me hooked to the markets and investing generally. I read countless books, took up odd jobs to save money for the sole purpose of investing. I was determined to learn the markets.

Fast forward almost 10 plus years—skipping graduating into a horrible job market, making $10 an hour working at a call center, having panic attacks about student loans, sleeping in my beat-up Toyota, and eating ham and cheese sandwiches with whatever condiments I can find in the break-room—I’ve managed to build a modest portfolio and a series of quantitative systems to manage it, but more importantly, I’ve learned countless lessons about saving, investing, and myself.

Motivation and Goal

My motivation behind this blog is to share everything I’ve learned in hopes of helping someone else who might be early in their financial journey or someone with some experience and some saved capital who wants to learn more about growing their wealth.