Good news and bad news

I only have 10 minutes to write this on my lunch break (live update of why time freedom is one of my big personal and financial goals). Let’s tackle the bad news first. Even though FinconX was free and remote, I didn’t attend this year.

Whaaat? after wanting to for so long? I even downloaded a VPN so I could attend truly anonymously, haha! I signed up as the Finance Phobe. So what happened?

You may have read that I’m studying UX Design. So the good news is, I attended a virtual design conference on the same day, as myself, and I joined the group’s online design community. No screen names, just real me joining a community that will hopefully lead to me getting a better job before quarantine ends! When quarantine ends, I do not want to be in my current day-job-but-it-gives-me-health-insurance situation with barely any time freedom. Right now I’m practicing intense gratitude, trying not to be spoiled, feeling guilty for being safe at home, and trying to appreciate just having a job and every little thing I have.

Only 10 minutes. Anyway, Millie magazine (a new financial publication that just came out in print, though I read it digitally) just recommended a book by Jennifer Risher, We Need to Talk, A Memoir About Wealth. I plan to read it soon. It made me think wow, I wonder how it would feel to not have a constant state of worry about money?

Related to this, Saturday morning I was thinking about my scarcity upbringing and how it’s shaped me, and it really struck me, I don’t think it’s healthy to be always wanting, not getting. Being in a perpetual state of longing and stuckness is just so, so unhealthy!

I fought this emotion, and finished a YouTube video I was working on for my business channel. And I posted a pretty good but imperfect, edited but unprofessionally unpolished version to the web! A group of teachers is following me for my side hustle and I wanted to post some good content. So there! I posted something, and it wasn’t perfect, but I got moving and did it! Yaaayyy!!

Time’s up! Do you have any dreams deferred?

2,235 and counting

A few months after turning down this job, I followed a link from msn.com to this MarketWatch.com article, How being a cheapskate became ‘sexy’ (Oct. 16, 2017). That was my introduction to FI* media. The timing was right, because I was finally ready for a change. From there my focus was climbing out of debt and getting to $0. Next came building an emergency fund, which never feels like enough, and planning to invest.

Does 2017 count as early majority FI? But this blog is late to the party, since as of this writing, there are 2,235 Personal Finance blogs in the Rockstar Finance Blog Directory (link on finconexpo.com).

The crazy thing is, there aren’t any other blogs exactly like this one. It’s amazing to think how many unique voices there are around some common themes. Learning Gold Can Stay is about crushing money blocks and allowing room for success. Yes, the struggle is real!

I’m training my high income skills as part of the process. One of these is copywriting. So those NYC poster ads with pouty open-mouthed models covered in pouty prose, like, I’ve actually been reading them. Just to see what’s current. Staring out the window riding by I’m thinking, someone got paid good money to. Write. That. And I have impostor syndrome why? Please tell me they hired that out on Fiverr…

My Intro to UX class is like meeting a long-lost friend. Like where have you been all my life and why didn’t I get to know you sooner? So if I ever go missing from this blog, you can find me learning wireframing or reading billboard ads for inspiration.

*Financial Independence, or Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE). Is it a grassroots movement, or a trending lifestyle brand?

FinCon FOMO, coding bootcamp and other news

FinCon starts tomorrow! For those not familiar, FinCon is the world’s largest conference for financial educators and influencers. Their website, finconexpo.com, calls the community “a diverse group of ‘money mediapreneurs.’”

The FinCon website and podcast are a great reference for newbies to personal finance/investing because they group the content creators by their niche or their story, making it easy to find what interests you.

They also have a pass to access recorded presentations of the highlights, which I’m considering purchasing. I’m binging on online courses/bootcamps right now. Like I said in my last post, my mind is like a sponge soaking up information!

One course I started taking is an introduction to coding and programming. Even though some minimalist and frugality blogs have provided me with a helpful self-exam of my spending habits, it makes more sense for me to focus on earning, by gaining skills to make more income in less time, so I can have more time to pursue volunteering and other projects that are meaningful to me.

Other discoveries of the day, Investopedia.com. My burning question has to do with entry points into the stock market, the buy low part of investing. An article on the site, What is a Bear Market? mentions that it is almost impossible to tell what is the bottom of the bear market. When is the ideal time to buy, do the experts even know? Sounds like I could use some real advice.

Are you learning any new skills right now? What are you finding useful?