Introduction

Hi! I'm Tony and welcome to my blog!

I've always wanted to start a website of my own but never got around to it. Not until today! This blog isn't meant for people who are financially savvy and knows how to invest like rock-stars. I want to help the general population learn, overcome and understand what role finances play and how it can affect their lives. The purpose of this blog is to inform the average Canadian of the resources and options available so that they may make informed decisions to help set them on the right path towards financial independence. In short, I want to bring awareness to financial literacy to help as many people as I can.

What is financial independence you ask? Well, the best way to describe it is having enough money so that you don't need to rely on working to sustain your lifestyle. You can be free with proper planning to live your life the way you want. No lottery required! You don't need to be rich to pull this off. You just need to live within your means and I want to put a huge emphasis on living within your means. In case, you're wondering if this is a scam or I'm trying to get you to sign up with a membership or anything, STOP! I'm here to educate you, free of charge. Let me explain myself, or rather, tell you my tale.

Why I started

In my 20 something short years of living, I've noticed that there aren't many financial resources available to educate the average individual. From what I've seen, the average individual is clueless when it comes to managing their personal finances. I don't blame them though. I blame the education system we have. It doesn't empathize the importance of money and how to properly manage it. It's merely a module that most students just want to complete so they can move on with their life. I was one of those students. I only started to learn about managing money because I wanted to learn how to make more. I consider myself blessed to be a natural-born saver though. Honestly, it has come through for me so many times. In August of 2016, through dumb luck, I came across some websites that inspired me to get started. I'll never forget that moment and I hope I can inspire you to do the same.

I also come across these social media influencers all the time where they tell you that, "You too can be rich like me if you sign up and do what I do". I've even had a person from a pyramid scheme try and recruit me. I went along with it at the time because I genuinely thought I could help others with my knowledge but as soon as I went to one of their meetings, it was nothing more than a hype rally with these people in business suits. I walked in wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt and I'm glad I did because I thought that was a complete joke. These were sleazy salespeople and I was not a huge fan. Sure, there might be a few who made it to the top by following their models but those are the exceptions out of hundreds, if not thousands who failed. Financial planning is personal and there isn't a one size that fits all solution. Each person's needs are different and each has their own individual goals. In general, yes, everyone may have similar objectives like retirement but getting there is a unique journey for everyone.

Shortly after, I decided to go to school because I had my sights set on becoming an advisor. I had 3 objectives in mind. I wanted to enhance my financial knowledge, build my network and have fun by making new friends. I've since graduated and have accomplished all 3 objectives. However, I was disappointed with some of the financial knowledge that I've learned. It was either poorly taught or I had already known about the materials. I started working with a bank and quickly realized how many of you out there needed help. I've seen young people maxing out their credit cards and line of credits but those aren't the people I'm concerned about. They still have time to turn their life around. I was mostly concerned with the elderly who had no life savings and were living off their government pension. In case you guys didn't know, your Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan aren't enough. You should not be aiming to live paycheck to paycheck. I want to help avoid creating that scenario even if it's just one of you.

Navigating my Blog

So that's enough of me. As you can see, I'm quite passionate about this. I'm going to aim to release 1-2 posts each week. My objective when writing about my posts is to keep the information condensed but easy to understand. It should only take you a few minutes each week and hopefully, you'll be able to apply what you've learned in your own personal life. For my blog, I'll have 3 series that I'll write about. Hopefully, I'll have more in the future. They are:

• Let's Talk: - I explain general concepts to help you understand what it is
• My Opinion: - I give my personal opinion on a certain topic with some tips
• Review: - I review a financial product or service to help you better understand what you're using compared to what's out there

Additionally, I have a tab called 'Resources' which will include online financial tools as well as other blogs I think are helpful. If you want to support me, you can either use my referral codes or make a donation as it does cost me a bit to run this blog. If not, that's fine too. Enjoy my content!

With the introductions out of the way, let's begin your tale of financial independence!