We All Start Somewhere
Years back, I was lucky to find a man who worked hard, budgeted, and saved. He had high aspirations and grand goals. Although his job didn’t pay much, he kept his spending to a minimum, to try to build the life he desired.
I, however, was the opposite.
As you can imagine (and maybe relate), our differences with money were a bit troublesome. I enjoyed buying clothes, while he enjoyed bargains, I liked decorating the home, and he liked meal prepping.
Time continued, these differences became issues. As they say, most relationships end due to money issues, right?
By that time I had gotten my undergraduate degree and worked 40 hours a week. I spent what I earned and didn’t think twice about it.
I knew NOTHING about finance, money management, budgeting, and let alone, investing.
My high school didn’t require any personal finance classes, and I never was required to take any while in college. As I learned in the following years, I am not the only one with such an upbringing.
In addition, I never learned about money from my parents. I never learned about the behind-the-scenes to adulting. You may have been the same.
The Flame that Started the Fire
Due to my lack of money knowledge and my rough spending habits, I was heavily encouraged to attend a personal finance course by Dave Ramsey. This is where a lot of women begin.
Now, Dave isn’t everyone’s favorite, but I think he is great for beginners. It was his methods that jumpstarted my journey to financial freedom and was a pathway into the world of investing.
THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU MUST CONSIDER:
Consider this: With around 70% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, how can you realistically expect to start investing today without any money to invest?
The key to being successful with investing and building a life of financial freedom is to first start at the very beginning. The very core of investing is having enough extra money to being able to put aside to grow, so that you can access it one day.
If you do not have a disciplined budget, you are not ready to invest.
Let me emphasize: If you do not know how to manage your money now, I do not believe that you are not truly ready to invest.
I may have pushed some of your buttons. Sorry! But, I have seen this go wrong, and heard unfortunate stories of how emotion affected someone’ choice to invest. You need to trust the process.
And that’s why we’re here. I have created this company to help you start from square one. I hold your hand through understanding the complicated world of money, because, to be honest, finance is hard.
It’s hard because we aren’t taught it in school! Many of our parents never explained money to us. It’s not our fault that our culture teaches us to love debt and never shows us how to pay it back.
It is a slippery slope, but there’s a way out of it. So many people have been able to get out of debt and have learned to manage their money in a way to start investing and be able to afford the life they have always dreamt about.
It is possible. And you are completely able to be one of them.
But Finance is for Men, Right?
Even with the great advances women are making in our society, there is a great stereotype that being in finance (banking, accounting, finance consulting, etc.) is for men. It has always been a man’s occupation and interest.
Really, though. For example, I want you to think of the term, Wall Street, and what is it that you visualize?
I’ve asked this plenty of times to people, and it is always the same. You think of men, typically in suits, living in a large city, crunching numbers, and becoming wealthy.
What you need to know is that investing is for everyone. It is accessible to everyone. And most importantly, it can be understandable for everyone.
You just need to find the right source to guide you to understand the vast world of stocks, the confusing steps of real estate, and the best ways to achieve your goals.
And for it to be written for you.
There are plenty of reasons to invest. Some are listed below:
- To retire early! There are a growing number of women retiring at or before 40. Many reaching financial independence and freedom before 30! No matter your age right now, you should start considering what your life would look like and feel like if you were able to not worry about working to survive.
- Build a business. You may have an interest in cooking, gardening, reading, or even piano. By not having to rely on a job to survive, you can have time to help the world out in a way that is personal and meaningful to you.
- To give your children more out of life. I have interviewed a 70-year-old woman who taught herself investing after becoming a widow at 27. Through her diligent efforts and motivation to create a better life for her and her family, she has been able to take her family on trips across the globe every year, she has built the home of her dreams, and she was able to pay for all of her children’s college with cash. All due to investing early.
For a fully detailed explanation of why to invest, check out this [post].
No matter what you envision your future life to be like, just know that it is possible. If you desire to fund an animal shelter, you can. If you wish to buy an island one day, then sure, why not! We all have very different desires in life. And always remember, having money does not equate to happiness. It’s what you do with your money that will bring you joy.
Why 38?
There’s a bit of a story behind the number 38. It’s not some random number chosen out of a hat.
As I said above, I do not have a history of finance classes, degrees, or having worked in the financial world.
But what I do have is experience and drive.
It took 38 books and courses before my first ah-ha! moment. I researched for months on end, trying to learn about personal finance, budgeting, and investing before I was even ready to put my money towards my future.
That’s far too many if you ask me.
As I learned, I implemented. I tried different strategies. I read about different opinions. I researched different approaches on blogs and YouTube.
But, I also budgeted. I learned from my mistakes. I worked on paying off my student loans. I got into the stock market. I researched real estate investing.
And as time continued, I finally felt that I knew what I was doing.
How ThirtyEight Investing Can Help You
Free ways to learn from this site:
- Regular articles and updates
- YouTube videos of articles, FAQs, and additional advice
- Honest book recommendations to help you on your investing journey
This site was created for you, no matter at what part of your journey you’re at. Most of the blogs, websites, and YouTube personalities I first learned from are designed for men.
ThirtyEight Investing is designed by women, for women.
Now, of course any man can learn from our advice, but I have it tailored to the audience I can relate to most. I understand what it is like to not understand money. I know how you feel after searching forever for a simple how-to regarding budgeting or investing.
I also know what it’s like to be bombarded by all the pretty printables, bullet journals, and budget trackers that are available on the Internet. Which is best? Which will help me reach my goals fastest? There’s great content out there, but there is a lacking of honest content for women.
Through this site, you will find everything simplified. I have articles categorized based on how you want to learn. If you are completely new at this, that’s okay! If you’ve already began your journey and you’re looking for straightforward advice on specific topics, I provide that as well.
If you wish to learn on your own, I have plenty of book recommendations to get you started. If I’ve read and book and didn’t like it, I won’t recommend it. It’s as simple as that.
And most importantly, I am not a fan of fluff or filler nonsense. You’re welcome.
We are always updating and adding new content, for all to understand!
Beginners:
- Understand main definitions regarding finance
- Read reviews for books I actually recommend for beginners
- Become a master at budgeting
- Learn how to establish realistic goals
- Start your journey toward paying off debt and being financially free
At this stage, you aren’t learning to invest just yet. It’s critical that you learn how to control your money first, before you even think about putting it away through investing.
Intermediate/Experienced Money Manger:
To consider yourself as an Intermediate, you must be honest to yourself. Have you built the discipline necessary to get out of debt? Have you successfully paid off your student loans, credit cards, and are working toward paying off your cars and home?
At this stage you should:
- Learn how to put money towards college accounts
- Understand advanced terminology regarding investing
- Read more advanced books
- Learn about passive income options
- Begin to learn about all the different forms of investing, and what will be best for your life situation.
Advanced Investor:
By this point, you are serious about success. You have your written goals and have paid off your debt. You have created avenues of passive income, or are planning to do so. You have found the methods of investing that you want to explore. You are ready.
You will learn:
- Options to real estate investing, and popular opinions and strategies to do so
- General advice on the stock market, and how to begin
- Starting a Roth IRA and other retirement accounts, based on your situation
- Book, podcast, and other recommendations for the specific category of investing you’re interested in
As an advanced investor, do not expect to be a Wall Street know-it-all. You are only beginning your investing journey. You have completed all the foundational work, and now it’s time to implement all you’ve learned. Everyone will be different, but you have taken control of your life and decided how to go forward.
Okay, Let’s Summarize!
- ThirtyEight Investing creates honest and realistic advice for women wanting to take control of their life and begin learning about investing.
- No matter your background or exposure to money, you will benefit from the articles, videos, and content provided to you for FREE!
- The world of finance and money has traditionally been marketed to and written for men. We are wanting to change that.
- Don’t have time to read article after article? I don’t blame you! Go follow our YouTube channel for video-versions of articles, follow our Pinterest page, or pick up a book we’ve recommended.
Thanks for stopping by! Remember that it’s never too late to begin your journey to financial freedom, and it’s never too early to start investing. You’ve made it this far, let’s start learning!
ThirtyEight
ThirtyEight Investing is in no way affiliated with any of the authors, companies, or individuals mentioned in this article. All advice and opinions provided in this post are reflections on experience and are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please see our disclaimer page for more details.