Personal finance professionals have a vested interest in keeping it as complicated as possible.
It shouldn't be that way.
There's a quote in an obscure play by George Bernard Shaw in which someone says “All professions are conspiracies against the laity.”
In other words, professionals want to keep things complicated so regular folks don't figure it out and do it themselves.
People in a profession have a vested interest in keeping others out because it helps them earn more. If you knew how easy it was, you wouldn't need them.
This is most often achieved by adding complexity, requiring certifications, requiring long periods of study or apprenticeship, and other similar techniques.
That's why so many “finance professionals” hated when Vanguard started offering low-cost index funds. Instead of paying 1%+ for an actively managed mutual fund, you can now pay less than a tenth of that to get an index fund that matches the market.
I think personal finance information is the same way – you can learn it and I can help. Personal finance is a subject where anyone can learn it and effect positive change in their lives. But some professionals have a vested interest in keeping it complex so they can sell you products and services.
Let's fix that.
Hi – I'm Jim.
I've been writing about personal finance for nearly 20 years and been featured in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Marketplace Money, Entrepreneur, BusinessWeek, U.S. News and World Report, and more.
I've also written for The Vanguard Group, Intuit's TurboTax, Ally Bank, Forbes, and more.
I didn't learn about money in the classroom (heck, no one did). I didn't get a certification and I'm not an adviser or coach.
I learned about building wealth through trial and error. I learned by doing it.
I am part of the laity. You are part of the laity.
And when it comes to your money, action and results matter. Certifications don't.
We need to understand “complex” ideas so we don't need the priests. We need to work hard, get results, and then do it again.
I believe that managing your money does not have to be difficult. Or complex. Or scary.
And here's the important part – I don't benefit from it being difficult and I hope to learn from you as much as you learn from me
That's why I explain what I learn in very simple to understand terms. The more you understand, the more we can talk about it and the more we can help each other out.
I also focus on taking action, not concepts or ideas. I'm all about concrete steps that will have an impact.
You know what I'm not… here's a bit about what I am.
My parents immigrated to the United States in 1978, first, my father came on a one-way ticket from Taiwan on a student visa. My mother would join him a year later.
I would be born shortly thereafter.
Education was always a very important part of my upbringing, which explains why I'd do well enough in school to continue my studies at Carnegie Mellon.
There, I studied Computer Science and Economics as an undergrad and followed that up with a Masters in Information Technology – Software Engineering. (I would add to it a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University a few years later)
I share that with you because Carnegie Mellon taught me many things, but the most valuable one was problem-solving. Their approach of breaking a problem down into its component steps is how I approach every problem today. At CMU, it was less about programming and more about learning how to think.
Simplicity is elegant. Complexity is ugly (and slow).
My approach to building wealth involves breaking things down to their simplest steps, optimizing it, and executing them. I seek elegant financial solutions.
For over 10 years, I wrote about money on a blog that chronicled my own journey, including:
- I started my first job, left it for a better job, and left that to work on Bargaineering full time, sold it for seven figures in 2010…
- I bought my first house, made plenty of mistakes, and documented the whole thing…
- I bought two cars, after the first one was totalled by a driver who ran a red light…
- I got married and started a family…
My family is my bedrock. It is the most important thing in my life.
My lovely wife has a far more impressive academic and professional resume and we are blessed with four lovely kids.
Life is a series of epic events. Graduation. Buying a House. Buying a Car. Marriage. Retirement. Etc.
Ever notice that there are gatekeepers at every step? Conspiracies against the laity. 🙂
Alright, enough about me – this site is about you too. It's about what we can do together to achieve your goals of building wealth.
To do that, please sign up for our free email list so we can keep in touch.
Then hit this page to see what the site is all about.
