3 Money Moves 

 

 

In May of 2020, I was featured in my first ever published article with Business Insider.  In this post, I’m going to share my 3 favorite financial tips that helped me become a millionaire before I turned 30.  

Today, I’m 32, and I’m now actually a multi-millionaire!  No matter your financial goals, I promise these strategies will have you on your way to financial freedom.  Now, for me, it was not a romantic journey; it was a struggle!  Twelve years ago, I was a senior in college who dreamed of being where I am now.  It takes hustle and hard work, but I promise it all pays off in the end.  

My Analysis

The article kicks off by saying that I am a self-made millionaire who started off broke.  There’s one thing wrong with this sentence (and it’s not the part about being broke).  I want to clarify that my parents worked their asses off to help me succeed.  Both my mom and dad grew up in poverty yet they made it their life’s goal to someday pay for my sister and me’s college so we could walk away debt-free.  I am very far from “self-made”.  

The second bullet point in the article states that “he avoided bad debt, spent wisely, built an emergency fund, and invested in a diversified portfolio”.  These facts are right on.  I believe credit cards are the American dream killer.  Too many people are getting credit cards when they have no sense of how to manage money or even use one in the first place.  It’s frustrating, but I can’t blame these people.  Without proper financial education, how else are you supposed to know what to do?  

I’m extremely grateful that my parents taught me how to use a credit card responsibly.  No matter your age, credit card knowledge, and financial literacy are a must. 

The next bullet point talks about my multiple streams of income.  I think this is something that has truly changed my life and has forced me to think in an entrepreneurial fashion.  I knew that my job at the call center wasn't going to make me any more money; it wasn't a sales job and my raise probably only be 1%.  So, I started my YouTube channel in hopes of opening another line of revenue.  I didn't see a profit for years.  I also got two side jobs where I taught dance at a studio and a high school.  I believe I was making $25 an hour at the studio and earned a flat rate of $4,000 for the year at the high school.  This allowed me to save more and invest my money.  

In my interview with Laila, the writer for Business Insider, I got to talk about my experience dancing for T-Pain.  Before I met him, I had never even come close to someone with extravagant wealth.    When I got to meet T-Pain and go to his house, it planted the idea in my head that I could be just as successful. 

My 3 Money Moves

Let’s recap the 3 money moves that helped me get where I am today.

 

1. Credit Card Savviness

First, you must know how to use a credit card and when to say no.  Don’t let not knowing the basics ruin your future!  

 

2. Tight Spending Habits

This is not very sexy financial advice.  I’m sorry to break it to you but you have to be scrappy.  Trying to build wealth from nothing sucks!  It’s not fun!  You can’t go out every night.  You can’t eat ribeye steaks as you please.  You can’t go on vacation when you want to.  You have to save every single penny that you can.  When you do so, you will get out of the scrappy stage.  

When I talk about my job at the call center, I don't want to make it sound like I hated the job.  I wasn't necessarily fulfilled but I did find looking at people’s 401ks interesting.  I got to help close and check in on 401k accounts when people were near the end of their retirement.  I would always ask what their title was and how they became so successful.  Most of the clients I talked to didn't have big title positions like CEO or Director.  Instead, each and every one of them told me that they saved early and frequently.  

3. Build an Emergency Fund

Once you start accumulating money, it can be tempting to start throwing your money into get-rich-quick schemes like NTFS or day trading.  What you should really do first is build an emergency fund.  In the case that your car craps out or you have some sort of medical expense, you want to feel secure that you can pick yourself up without going into debt.  I recommend saving enough that will cover you for 6 months.  

These are the 3 serious steps that helped me accumulate such a high net worth by the age of 30.  To read about the other 2 tactics, go read Business Insider’s article by clicking here.  I’d love for you to check it out.  

Now, I have to say that even if you follow all three of these steps, I can’t guarantee that you will become a millionaire.  You have to be entrepreneurial and scrappy.  If you can generate multiple income streams while saving a majority of your money, you’ll be set.  

If you’ve already read the article, what did you think?  I can’t thank the Business Insider team and Laila enough for featuring my story.  

Thanks for reading. 

Peace and God bless.  

I make new content every single week, so be sure to subscribe to my Youtube and follow my Instagram @brambilabong and TikTok at @AdrianBrambila. I also have tons of resources and courses on my website that you won’t want to miss. Head over to www.adrianbrambila.com to learn more about what I do and how I live a financially free life.