I remember staring at my checking account late one night, doing that anxious math where you subtract the bills from your balance and hope for a miracle. Rent was due in a few days. My car needed new tires. I had $48.21 to my name. That’s when it hit me—this cycle wasn’t sustainable.

Let’s rewind to the year I decided to finally level up my investing game. I’d been putting money away consistently, but it was mostly in a high-yield savings account and a dusty Roth IRA I’d barely touched since I opened it. I knew I needed to make my money work harder—but I had a big question: ETFs or mutual funds?

I didn’t grow up with trust funds or estate plans. What I had were parents who worked hard, saved what they could, and hoped for the best. And while that gave me grit, I realized early in my adult life that hoping doesn’t build wealth across generations—planning does.

When I told my friends I was going cash-only in 2025, they looked at me like I’d said I was giving up Wi-Fi.

A few years ago, I remember sitting in a conference room, heart racing, about to ask for a raise I wasn’t even sure I deserved.