About Me

One could say I was prepped as a good candidate for the FI (financial independence) journey. I grew up in a frugal household, with hard-working parents, who knew the importance of saving. They taught me the importance of finding value from within instead of from materialistic items. Watching their impressive work ethic, which sometimes consisted of less-than-ideal work situations, always stuck with me. To this day, I consider their teachings on professionalism, work ethic, and determination as one of the best gifts I could have inherited. So join me on my journey as I use REIforFI (Real Estate Investing for Financial Independence).  

A little about me...

Time passed. I went to graduate school and earned a Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Health.  After graduation, I took a job as an Assistant Professor in academia and, I absolutely loved it! My boss was amazing, I traveled (which is one of my passions), was doing impactful work with students (which is another passion), and I had freedom in my workplace. Life was pretty darn great. I wasn't making big bucks or anything like that, but I had as much freedom as one could hope for in a W-2 position.  

Then, something happened. It's what I like to call “the catalyst experience.”  If you follow enough FI and Real Estate Investing (REI) podcasts, blogs, and community members, you'll start to notice a trend. Most of us don’t just fall into the FI journey. Something thrusts us into it (the catalyst experience), and it's not always pretty.  

In the span of a year, my decade-long relationship ended, I left my job in academia, moved across the country, and took a job in a big corporate tech firm (no freedom).  Basically, I was in a situation I NEVER wanted to be in ever again. And that's when I discovered REI and FI communities. With 2017/2018 being my catalyst experience, it tore away all of my preconceived notions of what my life was going to be. It also opened me up to the possibility of something bigger. This time around, I could construct it and not worry about getting stuck again. 

Join me on my journey on how I’m using Real Estate Investing for Financial Independence---REIforFI!

Want to hear more about me and my REI journey, check out a podcast interview I did on Your First Real Estate Investment, Episode 47: How To Bounce Back When Everything Goes Wrong On Your Deal (And Still Cash Flow Like Crazy)

Curious about where I am in my journey?  Here are the basics: 14 units, 6 properties, some are partner deals, everything is in Pennsylvania and I live in California.