Two big life changes influenced me to change my relationship with money.

Turning 30, and my dad passing away.

Both gave me that “ball is in your court” mentality.

No one was going to do it for me any more (my dad did for a long time).

I had to make changes and take action.

A few lessons he taught me:

Be generous (w/ your time AND money)

I watched my dad give time and money to those he’d never get it back from. But I watched it change a lot of lives for the better.

There’s a concept that captures this, “what you give you get to keep.”

Take care of your own

My dad took care of his family and his friends. Any time one of us needed him he found a way to be there. He found a way to be there even when we didn’t think we needed him.

And he never asked for a thank you. He treated it like a duty.

Invest in what you know

My dad didn’t teach me a ton about investing, but this one bit was huge. He taught me that investing in whatever you know and use gives you an edge above those who have no clue.

And as I look back at my best investments, it was true every time.

Save a portion of your money to put to your future. Fun is fun, but being broke is not.

Also, being poor + old is zero fun.

My dad always loved hearing when I was saving money or investing for the future. Always said, “Good. Now go do more.”

I think every man has those moments in life where they have to take the lessons they learned growing up and put them to use.

I was lucky enough to have a good source of inspiration in my father (many don’t).

I hope to give back as much as I’ve received.