What life events in my past changed my financial situation today?

Becoming self-employed in my first career.

It made me a better negotiator, a think-on-my-feet decision maker, a smart time, money, and talent resource allocator. I am the only one among my siblings to pursue self-employment, and as a shy, dreamy, introverted child, it could hardly be predicted that I would choose to become self-employed at any stage of my life. Entrepreneurs need not necessarily show an entrepreneurial bent as a child. There are a few different reasons someone may become an entrepreneur.

Becoming a freelancer in my second career.

It made my interest in all aspects of money, from taxes to insurance to credit, to options for saving and investing money, go from zero to 100. It is amazing the things you discover, once you start paying attention. You discover how not to waste money, and you also discover how to put your money to productive use.

Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad.

It provided a wake-up call, at the crucial time when I still had enough career runway to play catch up on saving enough for retirement. While I didn’t follow his “passive income from rental properties, using OTM” path to financial stability, a friend I introduced Rich Dad Poor Dad to, did so, and she is very comfortable with where she is at today. Rich Dad, Poor Dad led me to other thought-provoking money-related content, such as Mr. Money Mustache’s Retirement Calculator and Nick Maggiulli’s Climbing The Wealth Ladder.

Developing a Money Workshop for kids, and then for young adults.

I took what I learned about earning, spending, and saving money, and turned it into a Money Workshop for the 4th-6th graders in my daughter’s elementary school, later adapting the same Money Workshop for young adults. Nothing like teaching to bring clarity.

Surviving the 2007–2009 stock crash.

I developed an investing philosophy, which turned out to be astute, and has completely proven itself.