$68k Away From Financial Freedom
By César Michel | March 27, 2023

My original title for this blog post was $21k Away From Financial Freedom. As I was typing I was like no, I need to be transparent. If I plan to share my experiences and help others I need to be fully transparent. I also remembered No Shame, No Blame. This is one of the key takeaways for me from the book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. So here we go with the beginning of my financial freedom journey.
As Of March 27, 2023 TransUnion Credit Karma | |
Accounts | Amount $ |
Total open balances | $68,604 |
Credit cards | $16,035 |
Collections | $0 |
Student loans | $0 |
*Other loans | $13,403.01 |
Auto loans | $39,166 |
Home loans | $0 |
*15k Family Loan, No Interest with Balance Transfer (10k Chase Unlimited Freedom Card and 5k Cash Payments after |
Above I created a quick screenshot of what my debt currently looks like. My Total Debt as of today is $68,604.01 The biggest chunk of debt is the Auto Loan. It’s a 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range that I had ordered at the end of 2021 and received in July 2022. I don’t regret getting the car because I love driving the car and enjoy going on road trips with my little family. I plan to pay that off eventually but not too concerned since interest was locked in at 4.1% and I owe $39,1666. What I will begin to pay off aggressively is my credit card debt which is a total of $29,438.01.
If you have been following my journey you know that I was recently laid off. I received a severance payment back in September of 2022 and I still have some money left over. My income at the moment is that plus money I’m receiving through unemployment. That should last me through the next 6 months while I begin the 9 Steps to Financial Independence.
More like 10 steps since the first step is actually reading the book Your Money or Your Life. The next 9 Steps will change my relationship with money. I will update the progress here on the website every week or so with a blog post. Make sure you subscribe to receive all the update and news via email.
The 9 Steps to Reach Financial Independence:
1. Making Peace with the Past
2. Being in the Present-Tracking Your Life Energy
3. Where Is It All Going? (Monthly Tabulation)
4. 3 Questions That Will Transform Your Life
4. Making Life Energy Visible
5. Valuing Your Life Energy-Minimize Spending
6. Valuing Your Life Energy-Maximizing Income
7. Capital and the Crossover Point
8. Investing for Financial Independence
2. Being in the Present-Tracking Your Life Energy
3. Where Is It All Going? (Monthly Tabulation)
4. 3 Questions That Will Transform Your Life
4. Making Life Energy Visible
5. Valuing Your Life Energy-Minimize Spending
6. Valuing Your Life Energy-Maximizing Income
7. Capital and the Crossover Point
8. Investing for Financial Independence
I’m $68k Away From Financial Freedom and this is just the beginning, so stay tuned. I’m excited and scared but I know this is going to be life-changing as many people have succeeded before me. Let me kno if you have thought about it, started, or have already reached Financial Independence or Financial Freedom.