I’m a software developer from Minnesota. I’ve been working in the field since I was in high school. Back then when I was reading my brother’s programming textbooks from his intro to programming classes. My interests in building and creating has only grown since then. It’s fitting that I enjoy the challenge of growing my wealth.
This blog is a side project of mine. It’s a great way to keep me motivated and focused on building wealth. It’s also a great way to work on my financial well being. I can also share information, stories, and insights into personal finances and wealth with others who may also need a little motivation. If you haven’t read my introduction already, I recommend doing so. The introduction covers the focus of this blog in more detail.
My Background
I work as a full time software developer and manager at a small private company. While we are a small company, many of the companies you can think of off-hand use our software. I’ve worked there for over 7 years now and I still thoroughly enjoy the work that I do. Recently we’ve been fortunate enough to invest money back into the company and the growth has given me a lot of good business experience.
There are always a lot of interesting challenges and I’ve always had a knack for solving problems. As long as the problems aren’t related to calculus. I was never a very good math student. I’ve been working on my own side projects since I was young. I learned how to program when I was around 14 years old by working on mods for the popular open-source phpBB forum software. I even worked a few internships at local development companies through college.
Even during college I was interested in investing and saving. However, when I was in college I didn’t budget or save properly. Unfortunately that did not allow me to start saving at the most ideal age. I’ve been working hard to catch up ever since.
Buying my first home
One of the best decisions I’ve made previous to deciding to become wealthy was to buy myself a modest house. I used to commute over a hour to work every day because I lived on the opposite side of the city and traffic is horrible. Since I didn’t have much money for a down payment, and I wanted my own place, I bought an inexpensive house that needed some updating near my work.
After a few years of my own effort and some remodeling, it’s value has grown immensely. While being a bit tight, it’s perfect size for myself. In fact I think it’s the perfect size for a first house, and it was definitely a good price for someone just starting out. One of the things you’ll see throughout my posts is my thoughts on home ownership. Even if you cannot afford a large house I think it’s definitely worth investing in a home, as long as it’s in a good location.
Starting to invest
Having made the decision to buy a house helped me realize how much money I was spending per month. After getting a mortgage I was worried about how much it cost per month and made sure to save extra. Prior to my house purchase I was spending too much. Once I had the urge to save, I started to take a look at investing. Now I have been working towards making sure my extra money is being invested and is working for me.
This means that I am putting money in many different asset classes and diversifying, between stocks, bonds, real estate, gold and silver, p2p lending, cryptocurrencies, and much more. That’s one of the main points of this blog, to talk about interesting investments, how to start investing, and what I do to invest.
Future plans
Someday I would like to make software for myself and start my own company. It’s a dream never fully realized. When I was in college I started created a small online business. Unfortunately it failed after a year or two but I learned a lot.
In my current position I continue learning about how small companies function. In fact, due to my long tenure at the company and my position, I have the opportunity to learn from others who have outside experience as well. Next time I hope to be more successful. It was hard to start a company in college, given the amount of effort it requires, and I can see why many of those who did never completed it.