Our Family to FI

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Aiden found a geode when we went hiking at Crystal Cave Trail in !
04/17/2023

Aiden found a geode when we went hiking at Crystal Cave Trail in !

Follow Growing up with a frugal father, I learned to be frugal myself. It taught me to be content with what I have, to s...
01/03/2023

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Growing up with a frugal father, I learned to be frugal myself. It taught me to be content with what I have, to spend less than I earn, and to have emergency funds set aside to avoid taking on debt. It’s become a part of who I am.

But when I started working as a nurse in the Philippines, it didn’t take long before I got labeled as “cheap” by my peers. Why? Because I didn’t get that daily Starbucks along with them, and I didn’t buy the fancy running shoes that everyone wore. Though why would I? A Starbucks drink was worth half a days wage! And my shoes worked just as well as theirs, while costing 5 times less.

It felt weird and it lowered my self-esteem. I still didn’t buy that frothy frap, though.

It was only when I learned more about personal finance and exposed myself to like-minded people, that I felt relieved to learn that I wasn’t being cheap after all, I was just being frugal.

Because in many ways, I also spent money then that to a lot of people might seem extravagant:

I remember getting a VIP concert ticket of my favorite singer . It was the first concert ticket I bought for myself. That wasn’t cheap.

I also bought airline tickets for a Southeast Asia mission trip. Those weren’t cheap either.

We spent 25% of our wedding budget on photography. We figured it’s the pictures that last, not the food, invitations or giveaways so we allocated most of our budget to a top-notch photographer.

These things were valuable to us and the wonderful memories we have continue to increase their value over time.

My money spent only on things that I value is frugal. It’s not cheap.

How are you being frugal in your own ways?

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👉 Follow for the journey!

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Make 2023 Your Year!!Did you start your US finance journey without proper guidance? Whether this is your first year or y...
01/01/2023

Make 2023 Your Year!!

Did you start your US finance journey without proper guidance? Whether this is your first year or your tenth as an immigrant, it’s never too late to start organizing your finances.

It’s a new year, THIS YEAR is the time to START. This is YOUR year! Here are some simple steps you can take today:

💵 If you have consumer debt, start with paying off one credit card.

💵 If you don’t have a budget or don’t know how to create one, start by tracking your expenses.

💵 If you have no emergency funds, start saving even just for 1 month worth of expenses.

💵 If you haven’t invested yet, start just by maxing out your Roth IRA this year!

Wherever you are in your finance journey, you’ll never go wrong if you just start with these actions.

This year, I’ll be offering coaching/mentoring to help you learn where to start, uncover your money fears, identify your values and figure out your money goals and priorities.

Send me a DM or go to the link in my bio and schedule a FREE 1:1 money consultation with me! And let’s make 2023 YOUR year 😊

👉 Follow Jj & Rae] for money tips!
👉 Follow Jj & Rae] for the journey!

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12/18/2022

Spending money on things that align your values makes it easier for you to choose which ones to spend on. Do you value adventure and travel more than appearance? Your closet will tell you that, too.

Examples of values:

Adventure Belonging Career Charity Community Family Freedom Friendship Generosity Health Impact Integrity Knowledge Personal Growth Play Security Travel Wealth

What do you value? Align your expenses on those.

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We became US citizens! I began this process 15 years ago. I first filed in 2007: NCLEX, IELTS, all the paperwork. I was ...
12/15/2022

We became US citizens!

I began this process 15 years ago. I first filed in 2007: NCLEX, IELTS, all the paperwork. I was bright-eyed and hopeful. I didn’t know that it would take 10 years of waiting: one employer that withdrew their sponsorship, three IELTS renewals, multiple retrogressions, and many many pesos of fees to pay to keep licenses and certifications current. (Also: one wedding, one pregnancy and birth, one baby boy!)

Everything fell into place, though. After 10 years, I finally arrived in the US. Five more years of living here as residents and finally we did our oath together, reciting our pledge to the flag and to this country.

Now have I wished all this happened sooner? What if everything went smoothly and I got here the same year I applied? What if I didn’t have to wait? What if I arrived here in the US 10 years before and already enjoyed the benefits of living here?

But, I stop and remind myself that God has always been faithful to our family. He has His own plans and His timing is always right. This country has given us opportunities we couldn’t have had if we stopped and didn’t pursue our dream of migrating here. We can only be thankful.

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👉 Follow for the journey!

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Remember each investment account has its maximum contributions per year, income limits and qualifications. This is for e...
12/03/2022

Remember each investment account has its maximum contributions per year, income limits and qualifications.

This is for education only. Before investing, please do your own research and careful evaluation of your own goals and financial situation as we did with ours.☺️

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👉 Follow for the journey!

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Last weekend was super productive! A tenant has already signed a lease for our vacant unit and a medical student from ou...
10/02/2022

Last weekend was super productive!

A tenant has already signed a lease for our vacant unit and a medical student from out of town has signed for a unit that’s gonna be empty in a couple of days.

I was even a bit discouraged because it usually just takes us 2-5 days before we could find a qualified tenant. This time, it took us 2 weeks!

However, I also know that a vacant unit is also way better than renting to a non-paying tenant.

My tenant search process is extensive. And this is the result of reading books, listening to podcasts and the advices that I get from my RE mentors. I do prescreening before one can even tour the apartment. I’ll make a separate post for this but we’re pretty confident of our process and requirements.

I will be back to my nursing job tomorrow but leases are signed, professional cleaning and pest control have been scheduled. All is set.

With my full time job and Jj working on his business too, it can be tough managing our responsibilities. Not to mention we have a toddler who constantly asks for playtime, too!

Doing this never failed us.
10/02/2022

Doing this never failed us.

I didn’t really know what to expect from . I was only here because I applied for a scholarship and got it by telling the...
10/02/2022

I didn’t really know what to expect from . I was only here because I applied for a scholarship and got it by telling them about my passion for personal finance, and how I wanted to learn to effectively share it with my community.

They said expect business. For me, all I wanted was to see how it feels like to be around people who share the same perspectives on money, people who didn’t necessarily come from ultra wealthy families but are striving to achieve financial independence.

I wasn’t hoping for anything more than getting that experience, and for me, that was enough.

The event made me realize though that I didn’t have clear goals for myself. I have too many things on my plate. I was aiming at too many targets and ending up not hitting any.

So I started writing my goals for the last quarter of this year -and for the next. As said in her Big Idea talk- make it simple.

My goals now have a deadline. And I’m only focusing on one goal to finish at a time. Goals that will hopefully create impact, not only for myself but also for my community.

We switched to Mint Mobile three years ago and we have saved $360/year!We’ve been in the US for almost five years alread...
10/02/2022

We switched to Mint Mobile three years ago and we have saved $360/year!

We’ve been in the US for almost five years already and since then, we’ve tried to optimize our budget. One of those is finding an affordable but also reliable phone coverage.

So for my followers who are recent immigrants, I’ve done the hard work for you. is the best choice!

Since 2020, we’ve used Mint Mobile and haven’t looked back. We’ve cut our phone expenses to HALF! And since we love numbers, yes, I can give it.

Let’s say our $360/year is invested to our 401K, that could grow to $19,470.20 in 20 years!

Imagine the amount that you could have saved for your future just by optimizing your phone expense!

Switch to Mint Mobile already and stop spending so much on your wireless plan. Use the referral link at my bio then use the money you save to buy me lunch or something (as a thank you).

Roth IRA stands for Individual Retirement Account.ROTH is the name of the senator that proposed this way to save for ret...
10/02/2022

Roth IRA stands for Individual Retirement Account.

ROTH is the name of the senator that proposed this way to save for retirement. You invest income that’s already been taxed, but those investments grow tax free afterwards.

INDIVIDUAL means you open this account on your own, unlike the employer-sponsored 401k. Popular investment companies that offer these are Vanguard and Fidelity- our own Roth IRAs are with them.

RETIREMENT means you can only withdraw your investment earnings when you’re 59.5 years old without penalty. But there are exceptions, e.g. you can pull funds out earlier to buy your first house.

ACCOUNT There are two steps to contribute: you “fund” the account, i.e. transfer money into it, and then you buy investments with those funds. We like investing in index funds like VFIAX or FXAIX.

Who can invest?
- If you’re receiving a salary, then you can contribute to this account.
- If you’re not working or only earning a small amount, then your working spouse can contribute for you under your name. This is called a Spousal IRA.
- If your child earns income (for doing chores, or from summer job), you can open a Custodial Roth IRA for them. We have one for our son Aiden too!

That’s why like us, everybody love Roth IRA because growth is tax free! All yours!

And so since this is such a powerful retirement tool, IRS only allows a maximum of $6000 contribution per person per year, well at least for year 2022. I heard it goes up to $6500 next year!

Let’s take care of our future selves!

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Address

McAllen, TX
78539

Telephone

+12029303311

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