I am the healthy wealthy sage, and I started my financial journey like so many people, broke and in debt with no clue how to get out of this mess. I had no idea how much to save, the power of investing, and the difference between good debt and bad debt. My background is in electrical engineering and engineering management. I have my Masters degree in electrical engineering and an MBA. The pivotal moment for me was when I tuned into a PBS fundraiser and David Chilton, the author of the “The Wealthy Barber” was doing a talk. It was just what I needed to hear at that time in my life. I went to the book store and bought that book and it changed me forever.

That PBS fundraiser was probably about 30 years ago. I’m far from perfect, but I have made significant progress over the years. I got out of debt, built up an emergency fund, and started to invest for retirement. Today I’m married over 20 years with two kids in college, that we’re paying for in large part from our 529 funds that we started when they were babies. I’m on the home stretch for my retirement, and I’m feeling pretty good about it largely because of my 401k balance. In the last few years, I have been investing in both ETF’s, Mutual funds, and some individual stocks in my own E*TRADE account. AND, excitingly, we’re very close to paying off our house.

A note on financial education. The ‘Wealthy Barber’ started me on my journey, but I have been educating myself on personal finance topics for the last three decades. I don’t consider myself an expert, but as I discuss the topic with others, both early in their career and some who are on the verge of retirement, I’m struck by just how little the average person knows about these important issues and their own money. So, I’m a life long learner. I read books on the topic, listen to audiobooks during my commute, read blogs like this, and watch YouTube videos on the topic. There’s a lot of good information out there, and A LOT of bad. That’s why it’s so important that, even if you rely on an advisor, you need to understand these topics. You’ll be able to filter out the good content from the bad and your BS detector (for your advisors and tax experts) will be on and properly tuned.

Book mark this blog and come back often. I’ll do my best to post worthwhile and easy to read articles and suggest resources as you learn and improve your financial life.