Hello:
I wanted to introduce myself to everyone here. I am really excited to become a part of this community and learn from you all! What is going on here is really inspiring. I've divided my introduction into 4 sections (1) My background (2) My goals (3) what I am looking to learn and (4) what I think I can contribute. Thank you for reading and looking forward to getting to know some of you!
(1) About Me: I am a 36 year old business manager. I manage a $30M healthcare business. My W2 income is ~$300K per year and my current net worth is ~$600K. I sacrified a lot in early adulthood to try to realize the dream of a prestigious and high paying job. One of the biggest sacrifices was paying $200K to attend an elite MBA program. My old dream turned out to be a really bad dream (misguided, hollow and superficial) and I never succeeded at it and don't really intend to succeed at it at this point. While not what I originally intended to be doing, my current job is interesting and exciting. That being said, it is extremely stressful. I am only as good as the numbers I delivered last month and I live in constant fear of being fired. On balance, it is really not a good life and not the way I want to live long term.
(2) Goals: I would like to get to $1M within the next 2 years. Need to save ~$300-400K over next 2 years to get there. I think this should be pretty doable especially if our investors are able to sell my company which would mean a significant (not extravagant) options payout for me. I am not sure if I will really "retire" after this but I will definitely take some time off to work on myself and pursue passions / hobbies. I feel like it would really be life changing to be able to take at least 1 year off. I think it would also be life changing have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you don't need a job to survive.
(3) What I am looking to learn: I am really looking to get inspired and learn how to adopt more frugal habits and get them to stick. I feel like I am surrounded by people who are encouraging me to make bad / nonsensical decisions about money and I would like to be part of a group of like-minded people that support the more rational choices that I am trying to make. My family thinks that I am "cheap" and that I should be spending my income on luxury goods. They also think that the best investment you can possibly make is to buy and live in a big, expensive house. I am just not behind any of this anymore. I bought an expensive (at least electric) car ~1 year ago and it has done almost nothing for my happiness. I also think buying fancy stuff is a morally / ethically questionable decision as it is a big waste of resources that could have been used to help someone in need. I also want to learn strategies for reducing expenses (e.g., efficient ways to cook for myself).
(4) What I can contribute: I think I have a really solid understanding of finance and the capital markets. Mainly this is through formal education (undergrad, MBA) but also have some firsthand experience working in investment banking and doing prinicipal investing at PE firm. I have good understanding of concepts like WACC and EVA and can apply to personal finance.
Looking forward to connecting with you all. Thank you for reading!
Joshua Tree
