“The first $100,000 is a bi*tch, but you gotta do it.” When I started investing at 18 and heard this quote, I was dedicated to making it happen. Here are my completely unfiltered thoughts and a bunch of yapping on my investing journey. Growing up, no one in my family had ever invested a single dollar. My parents immigrated from Vietnam, worked several minimum-wage jobs, and didn’t believe in investing in the stock market, in fact, they believed it was a scam. My older siblings never had anyone teach them about investing and therefore never had their money grow for them. Living in a low-income household with a heavy mindset on being frugal and having just enough to get by really made me dream bigger. So I did my research on investing through YouTube (shoutout @brandon). I started working my first job as a cashier at 15 and continued working several jobs to ensure I had enough money to invest the moment I turned 18. Finally the day comes I can finally invest. For the first few years my portfolio is only red from the pandemic crash. I questioned myself if investing was the right move, but I trusted the process and kept contributing more. It wasn’t until around 3 years later, I finally saw consistent gains. Last year, I really wanted more money to invest, so I went full workaholic mode. I was working 80-90 hour workweeks balancing my corporate job and serving at a restaurant. I remember one of the busiest days I had: I woke up at 6:30 AM for work, got to my corporate job at 7:15 AM, and worked until 4:15 PM. I drove to my job as a server starting at 5:00 PM, finished closing the restaurant at 11:00 PM, drove downtown for a DJ gig at 12:00 AM, and got home for bed at 2:30 AM. In that moment, I questioned if all the grinding was worth it. I can confidently say now I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s moments like those that remind me I completely deserve to be where I am today and that hard work truly pays off. I honestly have a mix of emotions right now: grateful, happy, excited, lucky, proud, accomplished, and motivated. It’s funny because I remember two days ago I was spamming refresh on my portfolio to see the golden 100k and it didn’t happen. This morning I was busy with work and forgot about it, then it crossed my mind and I opened up Blossom this afternoon, and there it was. Pretty anticlimactic 😭 Reminds me that investing doesn’t have to be exciting, and it’s honestly a very boring process for most people. Job ain't finished though. My next big financial goal will be $250k invested. My plan will move away from trading my time for money and toward having more passive sources of income. I really want to focus more of my time on creating. Creating financial content just like the people I watched who helped me get here in the first place. If you read this far, thank you. I’ve always believed in financial transparency and the benefits it provides to others. This was in no way a means to flex on you or brag. I just want to share with those in similar shoes to me that it’s possible. I would also love to receive advice from others on how I can make my way toward my next goals. Hope everyone has a strong and successful final quarter of this year.
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4 Comments
george Young
@geo_van · 1h
Nice work - just remember to stop every once in a while and invest in yourself with education, self reflection, and building friendships and community.
Freedom Fifty@niwradbogan · 1d
Finally, congrats!
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