We All Want to be Rich

We all want to be rich, right?

We want financial freedom. We want to travel the world. We want to maximize our experiences, luxury, and comfort. We want to be generous but envied. We want the social media dream, right?

Well, I’m actually pretty convinced that none of those things are what we want most when it comes to our finances.

The more I actually talk to people about their financial situation, especially young adults in their early 20s, it’s very rarely driven by a picture of luxury and consumption and maximizing experiences in this life.

Instead, when it comes to our finances, the majority of us just want to know that we’re okay.

And generally what okay means is:

1. I have a financial plan 

2. The plan aligns with my goals

3. I know what to do today to be where I want to be tomorrow

So that’s why Nollege exists. To help young adults in their early 20’s develop a plan that helps them know they’re okay.

I won’t talk about side hustles that will help you get rich quick. And I won’t help you pick the next Tesla or Apple stock. There are plenty of resources out there for those types of content, and in my opinion, they’re usually overdone and unhelpful.

Instead, here’s what you can expect (for now)…

What to Expect from Nollege

I spent my early 20’s at the University of Texas, and for whatever reason, I found Sunday afternoons to be the time I spent the most time pondering (or worrying) about my future. Whether it was career, financial planning, income opportunities, or entrepreneurship, Sunday was the day for that type of thinking.

So because of that, I’m going to deliver this newsletter every Sunday at 1PM, and it will fall within one of the 7 following topics that I believe are essential in building a holistic financial picture for your future:

1. Self-awareness & goal creation

2. Earning & increasing your income

3. Saving for retirement

4. Managing debt & credit cards

5. Budgeting & expense management

6. Investing for the long-term

7. The joys of giving & generosity

I also intend to create deep-dive guides around each of these topics, and potentially targeted courses around some of the more complex topics.

But for now, it’s all free, and written just with the goal of helping.

I have seen few tools in life that have the power to bring both freedom & entrapment, joy & depression, hurt & healing as money.

As I’m getting older, I’m beginning to understand why there was nothing Jesus talked about more than money in all that he said. It’s too important to ignore and not have a plan for.

So if you’re in your young 20’s and feel a little lost when it comes to your finances, you’re not alone. I hope to give you the tools you need to develop a plan to take you where you want to go. And I’m confident that by being a subscriber and engaging on a weekly basis, how you feel about your finances will transform from:

1. Fearful → Confident

2. Unsure → Well-informed

3. Anxious → At peace

Lastly, About Me

If you’ve read this far and we don’t know each other, you may be wondering what credentials I have to have a newsletter on this topic. Because as I say in my disclaimer below, I am not a financial planner or professional. I didn’t go to school for it and am currently not certified in anyway. But here are a few reasons why I can be helpful in this conversation.

I’m a financial nerd: For some reason, I just really enjoy talking about finances. Not in the icky way of how much you make or what you own or invest in. But in the way that translates a financial plan on a spreadsheet to the real-life actions and behaviors you take. I’ve been tracking my personal expenses since I was 18 and I was helping my single mom develop her financial and retirement plan around the same age. It’s just in my wiring to live at the intersection of numbers, spreadsheets, and real-life decisions.

Education & work-life: While I didn’t go to school for financial planning, I did graduate from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas with a degree in Information Systems. That degree comes with an analytical background & a need to understand data, information & trends and then determine the best thing to do with it. Since then, I’ve been running 4-5 of my own e-commerce businesses in the health & fitness space. One of the joys (& struggles) of entrepreneurship is that you end up wearing a lot of hats at the same time, and part time CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is one of the skillsets I’ve had to develop over the past 5 years.

I’m 26 and I want to help: It’s not too difficult for me to remember the late teens and early 20’s and the various financial decisions that need to be made. I was there just a few years ago, and I want to help people who were in the place I recently was. Beyond that, I’ve spent time in ministry & small groups with young adults who have expressed the frustration & fear that finances can bring, and that’s something I want to use my skills & experiences to help with in whatever way I can.

My One Ask

I plan to deliver (& over-deliver) value to you week in and week out. My one shameless ask is that if you have a friend, co-worker, sibling, or anyone in their 20’s who could benefit from this newsletter, would you share it with them?

I am broken & performance driven, and I know that seeing subscribers go up will be the clearest validation that what I’m writing is helping.

Until next Sunday.

Disclaimer: I am not a certified financial planner. No content in this newsletter or website is intended to inform you on what investments to make or stocks to buy. All financial decision making involves some level of risk. The content in this newsletter is written to give you helpful considerations & habits to make the best financial plan for yourself.

Questions: If you have any questions, feedback, or need anything, please reply back to this email and it will go to my personal inbox.