To my young men -> pay attention to the advertisements.

Prize Picks and dick pills.

Companies see you in disarray and take advantage. Getting rich off desperation is the new way to wealth.

@deante_kyleShoutout to Brad #deantekyle

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I thought about this after watching the Super Bowl. My Patriots lost, but the real losers was society, especially young males. So many ads centered around AI and gambling.

AI is a double-edged sword. Used correctly, it provides immense benefit. But a lot of people getting exposed to AI are struggling academically and cannot critically think for themselves.

Sports betting and speculation markets - it’s everywhere. The fact that you can bet on anything is terrifying. You get looped into this idea that you can change your life in one instant. One bet. One trade.

But that’s so far from the truth.

And Then I Looked at Myself

Watching those ads made me reflect on my own situation.

I’m supposed to be financially literate. I graduated with lowkey no student debt. I’ve always preached about budgeting, saving, investing. I literally built a budgeting app.

A couple months ago, I was $20,000 in credit card debt.

Here’s what happened: I made a bet on myself. I paid to build a budgeting app, used my cash reserves, and then didn’t have money on hand for everyday expenses. So I started using my credit card. For groceries. For gas. For everything.

Although you can say “well you used the money for a future business” - I don’t view it that way.

Debt is debt.

And once that debt hit $20K, I felt like I was in a hole I couldn’t climb out of.

For the first time in my life, I understood how other people felt. There are people with $100K in debt or $500K from school loans and then there is me - sitting there with $20K and I felt like my world was ending.

Whether you think that’s a lot or a little amount of debt - you can be the judge.

What matters is that feeling. That fear. That weight. Because the only question I would ask myself every morning is,

“Damn. How do I get $20,000 to pay this off?”

The Hamster Wheel

Here’s what debt actually does to you.

Once I got paid, I couldn’t do anything with that paycheck. I couldn’t take care of myself the way I wanted. Couldn’t enjoy my life. Couldn’t treat myself. Couldn’t go do something fun.

My entire paycheck went to debt. And that was awful.

It felt like I was running on a hamster wheel that never stopped. Work, pay debt, work, pay debt. No progress. No breathing room.

What upset me most wasn’t even the money itself. It was the opportunities I missed.

• I could’ve bought more stock when the market dipped.

• Could’ve invested in new equipment for my content.

• Camera gear.

Things that would help me grow.

Instead, all my money went to paying off what I already spent.

Debt doesn’t just take your money. It steals your time. It takes your options. It robs you of your future.

As Lil Durk said - “Man I fell down to my knees when the law came”. Except for me the credit companies came.

Because to pay down that debt, you need to exchange something for it. And when you’ve sold off everything you can, the only thing left to exchange is your time.

The hours you clock in at work.

That’s the scary part. They got your time. And that time is ultimately your life.

I Had an Escape Hatch

I ended up making a $12K payment recently and with some more brand deals coming through next month - I’ll clear the rest of that debt soon.

But here’s what I need to be honest about: I’m lucky.

I had an escape hatch most people don’t have. I could hustle harder, land extra brand deals, find additional income.

A lot of people can’t do that. They have families. Jobs that don’t pay enough. Priorities that make it impossible to just “go earn more money.”

And if I (someone with options) felt that trapped, imagine how it feels for people who don’t have a way out.

That’s why this article matters.

Leverage Is Everywhere

Credit cards aren’t the only trap.

Look at Affirm. Klarna. You can even do Klarna for your rent now. That’s mind-boggling to me.

Just to live, you need a payment plan. Just to exist, you need to borrow.

It shouldn’t be that way.

But that’s the way it is (this is the new world we are living in) - so you must accept and adapt.

Leverage is normalized. Debt is expected. Your whole life can become a payment plan if you’re not careful.

And when I think of payment plans, I think of that hamster wheel. Running and running, never catching a break.

Some people do catch a break. But that’s the very few.

Cash Is King

Here’s what I realized sitting in that $20K hole:

Peace of mind is worth more than any purchase.

If you physically have the money, buy it. Handle your business. Get it done. Don’t default to leverage. Don’t assume you need credit or a loan for everything.

I know that sounds extreme. I know we live in a world where you need credit to buy a house or a car. I’m not saying never use it.

But here’s the mindset shift:

Instead of asking “what’s my down payment and how do I finance the rest,” ask “how can I get the full amount? How can I own this thing outright?”

Maybe that takes longer. Maybe it means waiting. But when you own something fully, nobody can take it from you. No payments hanging over your head. No interest compounding. No stress.

That peace of mind? That’s the real wealth.

The Training Wheels

Now here’s where I have to be real with you.

I can’t sit here and say “only use cash” or “only use our debit card” when I had to rely on credit to get where I’m at. That would be hypocritical.

The truth is, you’re probably going to need credit. Especially when you’re young. You need to build a credit history to eventually buy a house, get a car, do all those big life things.

So think of credit like training wheels on a bike.

When you’re learning to ride, you need them. They keep you balanced. They help you build the skills.

But once you know how to ride? You can take them off. You don’t need them anymore.

Same with credit. Learn how to use it. Build your history. Understand the game. But the goal isn’t to master leverage. The goal is to not need it.

If I Could Tell My 18-Year-Old Self

If I’m being honest, I think about what I’d do differently. What I’d tell my future kid. What would actually set someone up for success at 18.

Two things:

First, get set up as an authorized user on someone’s credit card.

This could be a parent, family member, whoever. You don’t even need to use the card. The point is you inherit their credit history.

If they have 10 years of credit, the bank sees you as having 10 years of credit too. That’s a massive head start over someone who’s starting from scratch with zero history.

Once you have that foundation, then open your own card. Discover, Amex, Capital One - it doesn’t matter.

What matters is you manage it responsibly. Hit your payments. Never miss.

Second, get a starter loan.

I did this in college. Went to the credit union at my school, took out a small loan (like $2,000) and gave it right back to them. Then made monthly payments on it.

Why? Because it adds a different type of credit to your history. Not just a credit card (revolving credit) but an installment loan. That mix matters for your score.

These two moves will put you ahead of 90% of people your age. Not because they’re complicated. Because most people don’t know about them.

And YES - it is this simple…trust me.

But Remember the Goal

Build your credit, manage your cards, play the game correctly — but still remember:

The goal is to take the training wheels off.

The goal is to not need leverage.

The goal is to get to a place where you can pay cash, own your things outright, and sleep peacefully knowing you don’t owe anyone anything.

I realized I can never go back to that dark place. That $20K hole. Maybe that sounds extreme, but I feel it deep down.

Granted, using cash is a privilege. You need to have cash. You need a solid income and extra money. But that’s the goal to work toward.

The last thing I want is to owe someone money ever again.

Pay Attention

So here’s what I’ll leave you with.

Pay attention to those advertisements. The gambling apps. The “buy now, pay later” schemes. The whole system that’s designed to keep you in debt and desperate.

Prize Picks and dick pills. Companies getting rich off your confusion.

With Affirm, Klarna, sports betting, and the way advertising is going — before you know it, your whole life could be a payment plan.

That scares me. Because a payment plan is just a hamster wheel with extra steps.

Stay away from the dick pills. Stay away from Prize Picks.

And remember: the goal isn’t to master leverage. The goal is to not need it.

Luv, Luv

We’re going to talk about AI, and more importantly, the fact that you probably only have a couple years left for you to actually make real money and make real progress financially before AI swoops in.

Now, this is not a story about AI taking your job or AI replacing us. But more so AI being leveraged in a way that we just can’t compete anymore.

I’m going to break up the article into these different sections:

• What is AI and how does it work?

• What’s the opportunity ahead of us? And how real is it?

• How you can capitalize off of it

• Lingering thoughts (basically unfiltered POV)

What is AI and how does it work?

Before we dive into the depths of AI and get to my core point, you gotta understand what AI is. I feel like a lot of people misunderstand AI or have no clue what it is, because I was also one of those people. I thought it was just an app scraping data online and trying to find an answer for you. But in reality, that’s not far from the truth, but it’s not the truth.

Long story short, these databases have different algorithms and buckets of huge data. Essentially, in this algorithm, they’re trying to find different bits and pieces of data and apply it to your question. Think of it as contextual - based off of all the information that the AI has attached to it, it tries to make the best judgment and the best piece of context to make the best decision. That’s legit the simplest way to put it.

If - you’re still confused check out the video below. It’s worth every minute tbh.

It’s important to realize that AI is only as good as the database or the information it’s leveraging. And it’s only as good as the context it has.

When you understand that core thing, you realize that to use AI effectively, you have to become great at prompting.

Prompting AI

With everyone having access to AI, the first thing that comes to mind is: how does anyone have an advantage? Right? Everyone has access to Claude or ChatGPT, so how can they actually get ahead?

The reality is it comes down to the way you use AI. And I’m not talking about using it for video or using it for advice.

I mean: how do you interact with it?

Two things I’ve found helpful:

First, based off that point about context - you gotta give it as much contextual data as possible. Whether it’s information about your backstory, a detailed resume, or even previous hooks you did for a video. The more context, the better output.

Below is a screenshot of the contextual data that I give Claude to assist me with creating short form content. As you will see I gave Claude PDF about storytelling, script writing, and even excel sheets about top performing videos.

Again - the more context the better (but don’t give out your social security lol).

Second, you have to be good at prompting. You can’t just ask “help me make a script.” Instead, you might have to say “hey, help me make a detailed script that is 60 seconds long and does x, y, z.” The specificity matters. A lot of people struggle with asking the right questions or figuring out the right thing to say. That’s really where the differentiation is.

What’s the opportunity ahead of us? And how real is it?

This notion that AI is going to take over our jobs and take over the world is sometimes extreme, and I just don’t want to think about AI like that. Not only is it morbid, but it has nothing to do with my main priority - money!

When I think of AI, I think of companies no longer needing full teams of SEO writers or blog writers. Yeah, it’s pretty easy to spot AI writing, but still - you can reduce your headcount because you can leverage AI to write the thing, then edit and adjust it.

I use AI to write all of my articles. Instead of me having to write out these newsletters from scratch, I talk through it (with wisprflow), have AI polish it up, then do two passes of editing to add my tone and voice.

For a company, they might be able to reduce a team of 3 to 1. That’s efficiency.

But I think the real opportunity and the real threat is distribution.

Here’s what made this real for me.

I was scrolling X last week and saw a video that stopped me. Good lighting. Natural movement. Felt like a real person talking to camera. I almost engaged with it before I realized it was AI.

Completely generated.

I consider myself vigilant about this stuff.

I can usually spot AI a mile away.

But I got fooled.

Which means my parents? My audience? They don’t stand a chance.

AI is getting really, really good with photos and videos. More realistic. More believable. And it brings up this idea in my head: if AI can make great videos → then companies can leverage that for UGC.

Once fortune 500 companies leverage AI for videos, they will output probably a hundred times more videos than I could ever create, and it’s going to be impossible to keep up.

Why two years?

Right now, I’m watching smaller brands use AI for their videos, their hooks, their entire content strategies. They’re already in the game.

Bigger corporations? They’re slower. Politics. Legal teams. Approvals. But they’re coming. And once they arrive with real budgets and real scale, the flood is unstoppable.

Two years is my gut. Could be sooner. I doubt it’ll be later.

How you can capitalize off of it

The way brands communicate to us is through social media.

Social media is their distribution.

Yes you can do ads on tv or billboards - but again social media is the key distribution. It’s the same concept for music. Music artists need Spotify or Apple music to “distribute” their music to millions of people.

Earlier in the year when I was working on my social media strategy, I shifted to doing iPhone-quality content.

My thinking was: all these AI videos seem so polished, so people are going to start trusting polished videos less because it might remind them of AI.

So let me record on my phone. Keep it raw.

Long story short, I realized that’s total BS.

If AI can fake a good video, they can also fake a poor, shitty quality video.

So I had to take a step back and ask myself: how can I really capitalize on this? How can I take advantage of knowing that AI can probably out-create me, outwork me?

And that led me to thinking about what AI can do versus what it can’t do.

What AI can’t do is be a real person.

At least not yet. And that’s where I realized I needed to start being authentic!

Whether it’s telling real stories, showing up in live activations or partnerships, or showing up on story feeds and showing my face more. I have to start showing my life and becoming a brand.

Right now, these AI models can’t create a brand around their persona or humanize themselves. Remember people buy from people!

And the only way they’ll know if you’re real is if you interact with them, show up in person, do certain things.

It’s no longer going to be me competing against other top influencers. It’s going to be me competing against AI for someone’s attention. And the only way I can differentiate myself and stand out is by being authentic and true to myself.

Having that history. Having that story behind me.

That’s how you capitalize off of it. You have to build that brand.

What I’m building:

Short-form content is good, it’s great money, but at the end of the day, it’s all junk food.

Fast, casual, cool.

But if you want to be sustainable and deal with this long-term, you’re going to need real meals.

Those real meals are done on YouTube.

IRL activations. I need to touch the streets.

If I had to do an in person event - it would probably be some sort of a budgeting activation.

Probably I’ll call it “Matcha & Money” → partner with a matcha brand, bring people together, talk about budgets and finances over drinks (women would live this sh*t).

Something that can’t be replicated by a bot. Something that builds real community.

If the differentiator is authenticity, then I have to actually be authentic.

That means sharing the fears. The uncertainty. The parts of my money story that aren’t polished or optimized.

Lingering thoughts (basically unfiltered POV)

I’ve struggled with building a brand. I think in the personal finance space, a lot of people with die-hard followings are women creators.

I don’t know exactly why.

Maybe women are easier to listen to, or feel more calm and receptive. With men and personal finance, it often comes off as “finance bro” energy.

Aggressive. Transactional.

When men talk about money, it’s usually about teaching you to get rich.

“Here’s how to win.”

But women creators in this space? They understand that their audience is often scared of money.

Anxious. Unsure.

So they don’t just teach → they share. They talk through things. They meet people in their fear, not just their ambition.

That’s a different relationship. And it builds loyalty that finance bro content never will.

As a male creator, I have to ask myself: can I do that? Can I show up differently? Can I meet my audience in their anxiety instead of just selling them solutions?

Here’s my actual fear.

I’m scared that one day, people just won’t care about me anymore. That someone will take all my videos, all my data, and build another version of me. One that’s more efficient. More consistent. Faster.

A better Luv that isn’t Luv at all.

That fear keeps me up. And the only answer I have is: I need to build something that can’t be copied.

A relationship.

A history.

A real presence that exists beyond the screen.

I gotta figure out how to authentically tell my stories and let time do the rest.

The most important thing for me right now:

Focusing on how to build this brand and how to show up in person. Yes, YouTube long-form is good, but I low-key need to start doing activations.

Meeting people. Getting boots on the ground. Networking.

I like to think of it like those old mixtape days where you put your mixtape out the trunk and the artist is selling you their CD. I need to start doing that—not selling my videos, but maybe selling my budgeting app in person, or connecting with people through different boot camps around money and personal finance.

IRL is going to be super important and super critical.

Long story short:

I’m not scared of where this is going. I can see the trajectory clearly.

The scary part is executing. Sticking to my word. Trusting that it will pay off.

But I’d rather bet on being real than try to out-produce a machine.

Luv,

Luv

PS - this was a fun one to write, I hope you found this insightful :)

After building the product, teasing it on social, getting people on the waitlist - I had 20 users.

At most. And then some of them canceled. Now I am at 15.

Let me put that in perspective. I have over 70,000 followers across my platforms. I’ve been creating content about personal finance for years. People trust me with their money questions.

And I couldn’t get more than 16 of them to pay me $10 a month.

That math is brutal. It makes you question everything.

Is my product trash?

Am I bad at marketing?

Do people even care what I’m selling?

Maybe I’m not as good at this as I thought.

For two months, I felt defeated. Lowkey sad as hell. Because what does it say about you when you have this audience and can’t convert them into customers?

Grounding myself back to reality

But here’s where I landed: I believe in this product. I know it works because I use it every day.

So it’s not the product. It’s me.

I didn’t know how to sell it.

And instead of feeling sorry for myself, I had to figure out how to fix it.

Does the world need another budgeting app?

Before I get into the strategy, let me explain why I even built this thing.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know my stance on brand deals as a content creator. Yes, I’ve made good money from them. Yes, they’ve opened doors.

But here’s the trap nobody talks about: the more you rely on brand deals, the more you become a slave to the brand. And that sucks.

They tell you what to say. How to say it. When to post it. And eventually, you get to a point where you’re annoyed but you have no other option because that’s your income.

As a content creator, your greatest asset isn’t your editing skills or your ability to go viral.

It’s the audience you build and the trust they have in you.

With AI making content easier to produce and people hating corporations more every day, everything is going to start looking the same. The only differentiator will be you - your personality, your story, your brand.

I realized I needed to own something.

Not rent my audience to brands.

Own a product that serves them directly.

That’s why we have Munyun.

How will I improve Munyun’s marketing?

Here’s what went wrong with the launch.

I had no marketing strategy. None.

My entire plan was: post videos about it, mention it sometimes, and hope people sign up.

I know this sounds crazy - but I seen other people do it successfully…so why not me?

I had a waitlist, which helped build some anticipation (here’s the OG waitlist with the old app user interface). But once the product was live?

I had no clue who I was selling to or how to talk to them.

And that’s where I messed up.

With a product, I have to convince someone to give me their money every month. And if you know anything about the people who need budgeting apps - they’re already tight on cash. Now I have to convince them that spending money on my app is worth it.

I never defined who my ideal customer was.

And that’s embarrassing to admit because it seems so obvious.

Of course you should know your customer.

But I just thought: everyone needs help with money, so everyone is my customer.

That’s not how it works.

How do we fix this sh*t?

So I got help.

I don’t have the budget to hire someone full-time.

But I found someone with experience in SaaS marketing and paid $200 for 30 minutes of their time.

I reach out to Kira Klaas.

She is a beast.

Kira was Global Head of Integrated Marketing at Notion and is currently a VP at Later.

But most importantly she has a strong POV when it comes to building a brand and after reading some of her Substack articles (below) - she seemed to be worth every penny.

On Brand

A newsletter on translating brand to business, brand-led growth, and building buy-in.

By Kira Klaas

Before the call, I sent over my questions and gave her context on the app. And the biggest thing I walked away with was this: I didn’t know who my ideal customer was.

$200 advice

If you want the full breakdown just comment an I can send you it - but I left the meeting with 2 key insights.

1 - Tactic Vs Strategy

I was too focused on the tactics (creating videos, building websites, etc.) and not focused on the overall strategy.

This was a critical misstep on my end because without the clear strategy, more than most likely I would have ended up spreading myself too thin and ultimately working backwards.

2 - ICP and Value Proposition

ICP = Ideal Customer Profile

Basically it just means “who is this app specifically designed for?”

And I could not just settle at “people who want to budget”. Instead I had to dig deeper.

With limited data - I did a market analysis and tried to understand where there was opportunity in the market.

When you think about budgeting apps - not everyone who needs a budgeting app needs the same thing.

Some people have never budgeted before and need the basics.

Some people know how to budget but want a cleaner interface.

Some people want to budget as a couple.

I had to get specific.

And that specificity (an untapped market) is focusing on those people who work a 9-5 but also side hustles and side gigs but still want to keep both income streams separate for taxes and other reasons - but still want to view all their money at once.

I am only showing the final outcome - but best believe it took me 2 days questioning AI and looking at competitors to land to this distinction.

Now Value Proposition.

This is where you tell the user/consumer the real benefit. Instead of saying I help you budget - I need to evoke some sort of feeling or emotion.

I had to take a step back and ask myself - “while using this app, what is the bigger feeling?”

Getting out of debt? Reaching financial milestones? Getting Money Clarity?

In the moment - I had no clue on the correct answer.

But eventually I found the answer.

Customer feedback

The “a ha” moment came after I hopped on a call with a current user.

I was helping one of my paying customers troubleshoot something in the app, and he mentioned that his favorite feature was the multiple profiles.

He does personal fitness coaching on the side, and he loves that he can track his fitness business separately from his regular job.

And that lowkey resonated with me.

Because I’m in the same boat.

I have a 9-5 job and I create content.

And at times I want to see how much money my job brings in versus what my content brings in separately.

But I also want to see the combined picture.

And I started thinking: who else is like this?

Gen-Z! They love side hustles.

In addition to their 9-5 jobs - a lot of people are doing UGC, Uber Eats or other freelance gigs.

That’s an underserved market.

No other budgeting app is specifically positioned for people with multiple income streams. Sure, maybe other apps can technically do it. But their marketing isn’t speaking to that person.

This is where I need to focus.

Even when thinking about why people follow me.

They want to know how I manage my money, how I save, how I invest, how I’m building wealth while still having a regular job.

My entire brand is built on this.

So instead of just making content about budgeting in general, I can show them exactly how I budget with multiple income streams.

How I keep my content money separate from my job money.

How I track what my side business is actually making.

That’s my angle. And it’s authentic because it’s literally my life.

Lingering thoughts

Will this strategy work? I have no idea.

Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But I feel better about it than I did two months ago when I was just throwing content at the wall.

At least now I know who I’m talking to.

I know what problem I’m solving.

I know why my app is different.

The next step is execution. Going hard on organic content with this positioning.

Being intentional about the videos I make and the words I use.

I’ll probably come back in a month or two and tell you what worked and what didn’t.

This is all real-time. I’m figuring it out as I go.

But I’m done feeling defeated. I have a product I believe in. I have an audience that trusts me.

Now I just have to connect the two.

Let’s see what happens.

Luv,

Luv

If you made it this far (not asking for pity) check out the app @ munyunhq.com

I went on brand trips. I landed sponsorships. I launched my own budgeting app.

And I still feel like I left a lot on the table.

Here’s what happened:

• Q1 was incredible. I was posting every day. Consistent. Locked in. The growth was there, the deals were coming in, everything was clicking.

Then the money started hitting. And I took my foot off the gas.

I got complacent.

I started going out more.

Took trips.

Summer came around and I was outside instead of creating. By the time I looked up, the momentum was gone.

I keep thinking: if Q1 was that good, where would I be right now if I kept that energy all year?

This is why I titled this “For Those Who Feel Broke Going Into 2026.”

I don’t just mean financially. You could be broken mentally, physically, spiritually.

You could be:

• Behind on your health.

• Behind on your goals.

• Behind on where you thought you’d be at this age.

Lowkey, we all have some piece of us that feels broken (i mean that’s why we make resolutions in the first place lol).

We’re not satisfied.

We want to fix something.

For me, it’s this:

“why don’t I have 100K followers on at least one platform?”

I know that’s a vanity metric. I know followers don’t mean everything. But I’m being honest with you I still don’t feel credible without it.

I look at my numbers and I ask myself if I’m such a good content creator with so much insight, why don’t I have 100K followers on at least one platform?

I need that external validation for myself. And maybe once I hit it, I’ll move the goalposts again.

But right now, that number haunts me.

I watched friends stay consistent on YouTube while I fell off. They saw growth. I didn’t. Not because I couldn’tbecause I didn’t show up.

So this year, I’m approaching goal-setting differently.

My biggest issue with goals comes down to two things:

1. I start January motivated. By March, I give up.

2. I have one vision in January, then a different vision by April. My strategy keeps changing. I never let anything breathe long enough to actually work.

Vision boards haven’t fixed this.

Checklists haven’t fixed this.

I’m an analytical person pictures on a board only do so much for me. So I went looking for a different method.

I came across this post on X about how Shohei Ohtani became so successful. In high school, he used something called the Harada Method. He filled in his goals then and used the same framework all the way to the pros.

Here’s how it works:

You pick one clear goal. Around that goal, you map out 8 pillars → areas of your life that support that goal. Then for each pillar, you break out the daily habits and actions you need to take.

FYI - check out this article from Sahil Bloom on the Harada Method.

My core goal: financial independence by the end of 2026.

My 8 pillars:

• Financial foundation

• Physical health

• Preparation for my new apartment

• Personal development

• Spirituality

• Mental well-being

• Strong content and brand system

• Business revenue

(here is the free worksheet)

I wrote them all out. Then I looked at the list and asked myself one question:

“Can I actually focus on all 8 of these in one year?”

Hell no!

I have a full-time job. I have family. I have friends. I have a life. There’s no way I can give real attention to all 8 pillars.

So I asked a different question: “If I could only pick two, which two would unlock the others?”

The answer: Business revenue and Content/Brand.

Here’s my logic.

Physical health requires time. Personal development requires time. Spirituality requires time. Mental wellness requires time. Moving out requires money.

Every pillar I want to focus on needs either time or money. Usually both.

Right now, I have neither (I am deadass broke).

But if I focus on building my business and growing my personal brand, I can get more money. More money means I can eventually leave my job.

Leaving my job means I get my time back.

Money is the common denominator. Money buys back my time.

And here’s something people don’t talk about: the day job isn’t just 9-5. It’s the mental weight that follows you home. It’s lying in bed thinking about a problem at work instead of thinking about your next video or your next business idea. It’s the ideas you don’t have space for because your brain is full.

That’s the hidden tax. That’s what I’m trying to escape.

So this year, I’m betting on two pillars. Not because I don’t care about the other six. But because those two unlock everything else.

I know what some of you are thinking: “But what about balance?”

I’m going to be real with you. Balance shouldn’t exist. Not if you want to see real results.

There are people out there doing content full-time. They have all day to create. I’m competing against them while working a 9-5. I’m also competing against people using AI to pump out content like it’s nothing.

I don’t have the luxury of balance.

Something has to give. For me this year, it’s the gym. It’s the deep spiritual work. It’s some of the things I wish I could prioritize.

Does that come with guilt? Yeah. It does.

But fuck it.

If I try to do everything, I’ll be mediocre at all of it. I’d rather go all in on two things and actually move the needle.

Then next year, once the money and systems are in place, I can shift my focus.

Maybe 2027 is the year I lock in on health and spirituality.

But 2026? This is the year I bet on revenue and brand.

If you try this method, here’s my advice:

Write out all 8 pillars. Even the ones you won’t focus on this year. It helps you see the full picture of the life you’re building toward.

But then be honest with yourself. Pick one or two. The ones that unlock the rest.

And whatever you choose → stick with it. The whole year. Not just Q1.

then don’t switch seats Because no matter which method you use, it comes down to consistency. Setting up systems. Having the discipline to execute even when you’re tired, lazy, or distracted.

The tricky part isn’t choosing the pillars. It’s showing up on the days you don’t feel like it. The weeks you’re sick. The moments your attention span is shot.

That’s a mental game. And I’m still figuring it out myself.

I hope this helps. I hope whatever pillars you write down help fix that broken piece of you.

But more than anything, I hope you take action.

Remember →

• You’re not going to die at the end of this year.

• You have more time.

• Use it.

And remember → I’m broke with you. You’re not alone.

Luv,

Luv

Here are 25 lessons I learned the hard way in 2025.

I grouped them into 5 sections: Focus, Mindset, Consistency, Authenticity, and Resources.

One more thing. This is a long post, so feel free to jump around as only certain lessons may apply to you.

But hopefully they all do :).

get ready for me to enlighten you all

Part 1: Focus is Everything

to become a butterfly, the caterpillar must first focus.

#1 - One hustle beats five side hustles.

Splitting your attention can kill momentum.

Everyone tells you to diversify your streams of income and get multiple sources of income, but the reality is that when you have a side hustle, the goal is to make that side hustle the main hustle.

In order to do that, you need to focus on one side hustle.

Water it. Grow it. Nurture it. Take care of it. And develop it.

The only way you can do that is by giving all your attention, time, and energy to that one side hustle and finding ways to grow it into the main hustle.

#2 - Saying yes too often dilutes your focus.

Brand deals, side ideas, "quick wins" - each new opportunity mean you're spending less time doing something else.

More money does equate to more problems, but also I like to think of more money distracting you from your true mission and your true goal.

As a creator this year, I've earned so much extra money through brand deals and partnerships; however, it strayed my focus from other things.

Maybe I could have used that time to create more content for my audience to increase my following, or maybe I could have created more content supporting or promoting individual products and services that I'm selling for myself.

Again, it's really important to focus and prioritize.

What if you had your own garden?

The more plants, vegetables, and all those things you have, the harder it becomes to focus on growing all of them compared to just having one or two flowers or vegetables that you really try and dedicate and grow to.

#3 - Burnout doesn't come from working hard, it comes from unclear priorities.

The weeks I felt fried were the weeks I didn't know why I was working.

I'm not gonna lie to you, I had burnout so much throughout the year, and burnout is real. People low-key crash out, they go crazy, and it's because of their work.

But recently I've been listening to a lot of episodes from the Founders podcast and I learned that founders and entrepreneurs are so great because they have consistency, dedication, all while in pursuit of a goal.

They have clear priorities.

If I had clear priorities and a real “why” behind why I'm making content, why I'm doing certain things, then I'll have all the motivation, energy, desire, and just the need to execute on that vision.

#4 - You don't need more ideas — you need better constraints.

I often get paralyzed because I think I need to be doing more.

In reality, I need to be doing less.

And when I do less, I need to have better quality of the things I create.

You need to understand what works well for your business or service and then just focus on doing that. Instead of focusing on a hundred things, you got to dial it back and focus on 10 things and whatever those 10 things are have guardrails in place.

For example, let's say when it comes to video creation, the most important part is the hook and title. So have a process or a system or even a checklist on how do you create great titles?

And that right there, having a better constraint on your titles will drastically increase the watchability, the virality, and really just the performance of your videos.

Again, less ideas and better constraints.

#5 - I'm in my building season.

That means saying “no” to a lot of things that feel fun so I can say “yes” to things that matter.

Less consuming, more creating.

Just focus on creating something great.

Part 2: Master Your Mind

once you master your mind, you can help others master theirs.

#6 - Money decisions are emotional before they're logical.

A lot of money decisions are emotional.

We think we need things. In reality, we just want them.

Whether it's pressure to go out with friends, feeling we need something to look nice, or thinking we need new gear to create better content, the truth is we don't need that much.

We have everything we need.

We just want a lot of things.

And once you handle your emotions, and you regulate your emotions, and you become disciplined, you'll start to see your money reflect that discipline.

#7 - The worst losses are not financial. They're the ones that shot my confidence, hurt my ego, and made me question my future.

A lot of times during my journey throughout the year, I lost motivation, my ego was hurt due to some stupid comments that a viewer might make on a video, or I would question my future if something didn't perform well.

Again, that is all noise, those are all distractions trying to pull me back to stop doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Not every video is going to perform well, not every client will love your work, and that's okay. You can't focus on being 100% all the time or achieving 100% all the time.

You need to learn how to regulate those emotions and those feelings because the highs are highs, but also the lows are lows.

I like to think of this journey as peaks and valleys. There will be peaks on your way to success, but there will also be valleys. During those times when you hit those valleys and you're at your lowest of low, you gotta just keep going and keep trudging along.

#8 - Prayer and faith cannot be an afterthought.

Success without grounding isn't success — it's exhaustion with better optics.

Although I believe in myself to a 1000%, some things are out of my control and I need to rely on faith, luck, and other external factors.

Relying on faith is a key way for me to ground myself, to level myself, to be fortunate, to be grateful.

#9 - Most people won't move unless you make the next step obvious.

Clarity beats motivation every time.

This one's simple: You over plan. You over strategize. And you become paralyzed, not knowing the next thing to do.

The hardest lesson I had to learn this year was just focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

I got caught up in the planning stages and wanting to document everything, writing everything down, and strategizing, but none of that stuff matters if you don't execute on it.

So instead of spending time with complex strategies and books, I just focus on what's the next step I have to make to achieve X, Y, and Z.

Over time, as I become more experienced and nuanced, I can develop a strategy and focus on the downstream steps and all those things. But right now, I'm not there in my life, and that's okay.

Let me just focus on gaining momentum, gaining progress, and learning along this journey.

#10 - You can't out-create your way to success if you're not studying what works.

The creators I admire? I reverse-engineer everything they do.

If you're going to steal, you better steal like an artist.

I see what's performing well (whether it's a business idea, a video content, a strategy, etc.) and try to learn from that.

Copy what's working out there, add your own flare or style, remix it, and then watch the results.

Part 3: Consistency Wins

show up to practice, even on your off days.

#11 - Consistency beats intensity every single time.

Viral weeks felt amazing. Quiet, boring weeks brought in the money.

Stop obsessing or trying to be perfect.

Stop overthinking on the right thing to do.

Instead, just be consistent.

One of the things I realized, whether it's creating content, finding new business opportunities, or even just something as simple as reading, it didn't matter how much I did in a day, in a week, or in a month.

To me, the most important thing was just being consistent every single time.

Because again, I'm not going to be 100% every single day, and you're not going to be 100% every single day. But if you focus on showing up consistently every day, it'll mean the world.

sometimes, rap music can teach you valuable lessons.

#12 - You're playing a longer game than you thought.

2025 wasn't the breakout year. It was the foundation year.

No matter how well or how shitty this year went for you, just know that it was your foundational year.

This was the year for you to learn, understand, trial and error, all those things.

2026 is all about taking those lessons and the things you learned and now being consistent on doing the right things.

#13 - 10% of my content drove most of my results.

You can't predict the next home run video - you just have to keep swinging.

I took over 100+ swings at this social media content creation thing, and the one thing I learned is that only 10% of those videos went viral, brought traction, and brought in customers.

That's okay.

You have to think of every video as a lottery ticket.

You have unlimited entries and unlimited tries, and they all cost zero dollars.

And the more and more you produce, the more and more you learn, the more and more you become better.

Even though 10% of my content drove the results, that 10% is worthwhile. That extra money I get from brand partnerships or the people I get signing up to my budgeting app is worthwhile because those are the two main things allowing me to achieve financial stability in the coming years.

#14 - Some lessons repeat until behavior changes.

I didn't "learn" certain things — I experienced them twice.

You can make the same mistake multiple times, and you will learn the same lessons over and over until you change your behavior and your actions.

When you learn a lesson, whether it's a failure or a success, learn why it happened.

Understand the context behind it, because then your behavior will change.

Eventually you will know not to do certain things, or you'll know to start doing more of certain things.

#15 - Being early is lonely, but being late is expensive.

When you're an early adopter or you're onto something new, a lot of people won't understand you.

You'll be looked at as confusing, and they just won't get it.

And that's okay.

They're not supposed to.

And if you're late to something, you miss out on all the potential rewards, the gains.

You miss that first time mover's advantage, and now you're kind of in the back end or the back waste. And that's the last thing you want to do.

So if you have a strong inclination, feeling, whatever it is, focus on being early.

Part 4: Build Real, Not Big

focus on a community, not the follower count and all the clout that comes with it.

#16 - Your audience grows when you tell the truth, not when you perform.

The most honest videos outperformed the most polished ones.

I spend a lot of time trying to make the best video and I'll plan and do shoots and do all these things.

To be honest with you - the ones that performed well were the videos that I kind of did last minute, off the cuff.

In those videos - I was being authentic and true to my audience.

No one can mimic you, and only you can be you, so just focus on being you and you'll have the ultimate competitive advantage.

#17 - A small, obsessed community beats a big, passive audience.

My most engaged users taught me more than analytics ever could.

Would you rather have a 1,000 fans that always support you or a 100,000 fans that barely support you?

The answer should be obvious; 1,000 fans.

If you have a thousand fans that love you dearly and rock with you, and would do whatever, you can sell them a $10/month service or product, and you can make $10,000/month which equates to $120,000/year in revenue.

I don't know how many people there are in the world, but I know there's billions upon billions, and you only need a tiny fraction of a thousand to live a sustainable life.

One of the easiest ways to find that small obsessed community is by starting a newsletter or even a YouTube channel.

Go find your 1,000 die hard fans!

#18 - Not everything needs to be monetized immediately.

Some things needed trust first.

In the social media age that we all live in today, it seems like everyone wants to make money off of everything.

I get it, you're broke.

We're all broke.

But at the same time, I realize the importance of just creating something to create.

Again, some of my best content was when I was being authentic to myself, and more importantly, it was when I removed the guard of "Hey, let me try to sell you my budgeting app" or "Let me try to sell this brand or partnership or whatever it is."

To be honest, I think the best thing you can do is just make art.

People love art.

They love a feeling, they love an emotion.

If you can make art instead of trying to push value or sales down someone's throat, not only will it be better because now you're gaining authentic fans and people who love you for you, but it's just also refreshing knowing that the whole feed isn't someone trying to sell you something or just some AI gimmick.

Focus on creating art; not everything needs to be monetized immediately.

#19 - Personal finance is personal.

Everyone wants to budget differently because they prioritize different things.

Focus on what you want.

Stop focusing on how everyone else manages their money and focus on how you manage your money and what works for you.

Again, I've learned so many ways to managing money - budgeting, saving, spending, to investing, all those things.

And I have come to the conclusion that I do not care about most of those methods.

Instead I need to focus on what works for me, my lifestyle, my goals, and my vision.

FYI - that is the exact reason why I created munyun!

#20 - You don't need to explain yourself to everyone.

Especially people who aren't building anything.

I don't care what anyone else says.

Focus on what you've got going on, and that's it.

Everyone's gonna have an opinion, POV, or idea, but at the end of the day, that worked for them.

You're trying to do something new, you're trying to be different, you're trying to become different, and you're trying to do what works for you.

Only explain yourself to yourself, and just believe in yourself.

Part 5: Control Your Resources

touch grass and go learn. knowledge is your ultimate resource.

#21 - You don't actually want freedom. You want control over your time.

Subtle difference. Massive clarity.

We already have freedom.

What we all really want is control over our time.

We have the limited 24 hours a day, and how we use that time is not to the best of our ability.

Some of us have to have constraints whether it's a job, taking care of our children, or whatever it is.

You want to control that time.

The easy way for you to control that time is by focusing on realizing that to get more time, you're going to need money.

And then you can use that money to buy back time and focus on what you want to focus on.

#22 - Your time is more expensive than you thought.

DIY saved money early. Later, it slowed everything down.

When I first started out with my business and just in life in general, I wanted to learn everything on my own and do everything on my own because I wanted to understand how things work.

The last thing I want to do is spend my own money to pay someone.

However, as I became more busy and I started earning more money, I needed to find ways to make that money make more money, which means I had to figure out how to best use my time.

And maybe my time wasn't being best used doing thumbnails or writing scripts or editing videos.

So throughout the year, I started to hire people.

One of the things I realized is that yes, it sucks to pay people because it's coming out of your own profit. But at the same time, it freed up much more time. And I had more time to think, to strategize, and overall plan out what I want to do with my content.

As you get more money, leverage that money to buy back your time because your time is your most valuable resource.

Your time is what allows you to think clearly, to take a step back and understand how can you make bigger when it comes to your business.

#23 - Revenue is not the same as stability.

Fluctuating creator income forced me to respect cash flow.

The life of any creator is that you get these brand deals and sponsorships, but they don't pay out until 30 days (or even longer) after you publish.

These brand deals don't come often, especially when you have a small following.

Some months you get paid a lot, some months you might go two or three months with no pay. You gotta learn how to manage your money.

When you're doing this freelance or you're trying to grow your side hustle into a business, you need to figure out how to get stable cash coming in.

Cash flow is king.

#24 - Delegation feels slow before it feels freeing.

On your path to success, while you're growing, there's gonna become a time where you need to give up certain things.

And this is needed so you can free up time for you to think, for you to breathe, and just for you to look at the bigger picture.

When it comes to delegating tasks to people, make sure you have a process in place, a process that you use to ensure you have the correct constraints and guardrails for them to achieve the same success that you have achieved.

At the beginning, that delegation will feel slow, but once they learn and the process is flowing, it's really freeing because now you have free time to focus on other initiatives that are more important and more valuable to you.

#25 - You can't spreadsheet your way out of uncertainty.

At some point, you had to decide without perfect numbers and sit with those uncertain decisions.

In 2025 I had to figure it out as I went.

A lot of times with brand deals, I didn't know when I was going to get my next pay.

Or I didn't know how much certain things would cost me when I was doing my budgeting app.

I couldn't figure all those things out.

All I could do is put rough numbers on pen to paper and figure it out along the way.

There's only so much you can know when starting a side hustle, developing an app or starting a new business venture.

You won't have all the perfect numbers to enter in a spreadsheet or in ChatGPT and get a final result or answer.

Instead, you have to try along the way and learn.

If you made it this far, I hope 2026 is good to you.

Luv,

Luv

I'm not perfect. You're not perfect. No one is. The most important thing I can share with you isn't a highlight reel - it's how I learn from my mistakes and how I plan to pivot.

multiple times during the year, my business bank account went in the negative.

Every decision I make is centered around one thing: building wealth. And this year, I made moves that worked against that goal (don’t get it confused though - despite these mistakes, I am still in a better position than last year.)

Here are the 5 mistakes I made, what I learned from each one, and exactly how I'm fixing them in 2026.

PART 1: MONEY MISTAKES

Mistake #1: I got into stupid debt.

mannnnnnn my credit balance never been this high before. for me this is a lot of debt.

I am usually diligent with my money. I graduated with little to no debt. I've always paid off my credit card balance in full. But this year, I slipped.

Here's what happened: I made a big bet on myself. I paid a freelancer to build a budgeting app for me - an investment in future income. But the product fell through. And with that cash gone, I started relying on my credit card for everyday purchases instead of my debit card (needed to use cash/money for the app).

The text below is from How to Lose Time and Money by Paul Graham - explaining why this happened to me.

So now I'm in a debt hole. And it's scary.

What's even scarier? The opportunities I missed. Investment opportunities. Business opportunities. Savings I could've had for when I eventually move out. All of it - gone to a bet that didn't pay off.

The more money you make, the more you need to maintain the same discipline you had when you were broke. I forgot that.

The 2026 Fix:

okay okay - I might not cut them up. but best believe I will store them far far away.

I'm done chasing credit card points.

Done chasing miles.

Done chasing a higher credit score.

Here's my plan:

1. Using money earned from content creation to pay speed up debt payoff. I have more than enough brand deals lined up to wipe this clean.

2. I'm adding one subscription to each credit card, setting them to autopay, and putting the cards away.

3. Relying on debit card and cash for daily purchases

   1. A good benefit about credit cards is you always have buyer's protection from scammers - so I might need to use another debit card and just reload money on it from my main bank account.

The only thing I want to chase in 2026 is positive cash flow. Build assets. Fuck the debt.

Mistake #2: I didn't save enough money.

Since graduation, I've been living at home with one goal: invest aggressively and build a rock-solid financial foundation. And my investments are healthy - I've poured every extra dollar into the market.

But here's the problem: I can't access those investments. If I want to move out, go on a big trip, or jump on an investment opportunity - I don't have liquid cash available.

as you can see here, I really do not save money…lol. the bottom account is one of my investment accounts I have been contributing to.

Real example: Nvidia dropped hard earlier this year. I bought some, but I didn't have as much cash as I wanted. It doubled within a couple of months. If I had more saved, I could've invested more and captured bigger returns.

just imagine if I was sitting on a pile of cash in April.

Living at home is a blessing and a curse. My expenses are low, so my emergency fund doesn't need to be as high as someone paying rent. But that made me complacent. I convinced myself I didn't need to save - and now I wish I did different.

The 2026 Fix:

I already started. Every paycheck, $500 automatically goes to savings. I never automated savings before because I thought my emergency fund was "enough." It wasn't.

pretty simple example chart that shows how to automate your money when you setup your direct deposit.

If you are serious about automating your money here is a detailed breakdown from Ramit Sethi.

Once I payoff my existing debt, all of my creator income (after I set aside 33-40% for taxes) will go straight to savings. No new tech. No new equipment. Just great content and a growing savings account.

The goal is $45,000 saved - enough to cover a full year of rent, groceries, and fixed expenses if something were to go wrong.

PART 2: DIRECTION MISTAKES

Mistake #3: I gave up on YouTube.

I was on fire, and then I lost my spark.

I ended 2024 with momentum on YouTube. Strong videos, strong engagement, consistent posts. That carried into early 2025. But over the course of the year, I dwindled.

Honestly? It was a lot. When I think about it, here were all the things I was trying to juggle:

• Full-time job.

• Short-form content.

• Long-form content.

• Weekly Newsletter.

Oh - also being in my 20s and wanting to enjoy life. I couldn't keep up.

When I stepped back, I realized something: I'm not a master of any single platform.

I'm knowledgeable. I'm good at what I do. But I don't have the numbers to prove it - no platform where I've crossed 100K followers.

And then here's what I keep thinking about: AI is going to flood the internet with short-form content. It's so easy to replicate. But YouTube is different. Long-form content builds a community. Die-hard fans who want to support you and watch you grow. I don't have that yet. And I need it.

My friend Angelo stayed on the path. We talked about blowing up on YouTube back in 2024. He kept going. I fell off. Now it's working for him.

show him some love, this is a content I actually approve of.

I'm proud of him. And more importantly his success is a reminder of what 1 year of consistency looks like. And I need to be consistent.

The 2026 Fix:

I'm getting back on YouTube.

The angle: documenting my journey of building a newsletter, growing a social media business, and everything in between. Weekly videos. Behind-the-scenes. Authentic.

I've been watching how Daniel Dalen does it - not his polished videos, but his raw POV and behind the scenes content. That's the energy I want to share.

And there's another reason this matters to me: representation. I'm young, I'm Black, I'm building a business. It's important for people who look like me to see someone doing this transparently.

Mistake #4: I didn't have a clear end goal.

I was making content for the sake of content. Earning money for the sake of earning money. I never stopped to ask: what's the point?

When I didn't feel like posting, I had nothing to anchor me. No bigger vision to pull me through. I'd fall into droughts - dark stretches where I didn't want to create anything.

Here's what nobody tells you about entrepreneurship: being your own boss is the worst.

There's no PTO.

No one else to rely on.

No one to hold you accountable but yourself.

You have to show up every day even when you don't feel like it.

Without a clear goal, you can't do that.

When it comes to creating a clear goal, I might copy Shohei Ohtani and replicate the Harada Method.

The 2026 Fix:

My goal for 2026: move out of my parents' house.

To do that, I need to reverse-engineer it. Let's say rent is $3,000/month. That's $36,000/year. Add a $10,000 buffer - I want $45,000 saved and ready before I make that move.

Ideally, I would replicate the Harada Method above and think of all the steps needed to move out of my parent’s house.

How much do I need to save each month? How many customers do I need for the budgeting app? How many brand deals do I need to close?

Whatever your goal is, work it backwards. Start with the end. Then figure out the steps.

PART 3: THE IDENTITY MISTAKE

Mistake #5: I relied too much on AI and social media.

Everyone says use AI - it's powerful, efficient, helps you move faster. And that's true. But I took it too far.

The first thing I do when I start working is open ChatGPT. Not a notebook. Not my notes app. Not my own thoughts. I go straight to the robot.

And my content started reflecting that. Formulaic. Rigid. Structured in a way that doesn't feel like me. I was creating faster, yes - but I was losing the spark.

❝

“He who optimizes for everything, enjoys nothing”

- someone said it, I think…lol

Here's the reality: as AI advances, everyone's content is going to start looking the same. Same hooks. Same structures. Same recycled ideas. The only way to stand out is to become a critical thinker. Someone who offers deep, intellectual takes - not hot takes, but real insight.

The same thing happened with social media. I was pulling all my ideas from Instagram and TikTok. Learning from others is good, but most of what's out there is surface-level. I was consuming breadth instead of depth.

I want to think more like a journalist. Look at different sources. Weigh different perspectives. Come to my own conclusions about money, content, and business - not just parrot what I see on my feed.

if you're interested in learning more about AI is making you too efficent, check out this article

The 2026 Fix:

I'm not quitting AI. But I'm using less of it.

Before I open ChatGPT or Claude, I'm going to gather my own thoughts first. Notebook. Notes app. Just me thinking. Then I can use AI to refine, expand, or challenge what I've already created.

I'm also cutting back on social media consumption and replacing it with deeper research. Books. Long-form articles. Multiple sources on the same topic. The goal is to build my own intellectual capacity - because that's the one thing nobody can take from me.

You can take my money. You can take my followers.

But you can't take my knowledge.

To actually achieve this goal, I'm going to get another phone that'll have all my social media apps on it for me to post stuff. Then, I'll leave that phone in a drawer until I'm ready to create content.

That's it. Five mistakes. Five lessons. Five fixes.

I'm not sharing this to look good - I'm sharing it because I know I'm not the only one who made these mistakes this year. And if even one of these resonates with you, I hope it helps you think about how you want to show up in 2026.

The goal hasn't changed, but the approach is sharper now.

PS - if you made it this far, thank you so much to all the people that went and checked out my new budgeting app. it means a lot to me. fr fr. 🫶🏾

Luv,

Luv

#Active refers to paid subscription.

For the past three years, I have been a part time content creator. I've developed skills as a marketer, as a social media strategist, and learned how people actually use these platforms. Along the way, I've landed over $100,000 in brand deals and partnerships (over the course of 3 years).

Here's the problem: none of it is consistent.

Some months you get a $10,000 deal. Then the deals go ghost for three months. Sure, $10,000 should last you three months - but that's not how cash flow works. You need money coming in consistently, not in unpredictable bursts.

an example of a 10k brand deal.

The only way around this? Create your own product.

Why not just create a course?

A lot of influencers go straight to courses, paid programs, ebooks. Some are genuinely valuable. Most aren't. They're either outright scams or stuff you could learn yourself with a few hours of searching.

Below is a good tweet that breaks down how I think most course gurus are essentially earning money by teaching you how to earn money.

— # (#)

But here's what I realized: the real value of those products is that people are lazy. Lazy to search. Lazy to organize their own thoughts. So they pay a creator who's already done the work.

But even after that somewhat revelation - I still wanted something different.

I kept asking myself: How can I earn money consistently, but at scale?

If you sell a one-hour course, you have to sell it over and over. You're constantly chasing new customers. But with a subscription-based service? You get a user hooked once. Then you just show up every month with more features, more value, more reasons to stay. Once they're onboarded, they're in your ecosystem.

That's why I focused on creating a budgeting app.

The Reality Check

I've been teasing this product for three or four months. It finally launched in mid-November.

Here's where I'm at: 30+ users total. Only 8 paid. And honestly? It's probably more like 4 or 5 real customers - some of those are friends and family who paid because they love me, not because they found the product.

I have over 40,000 followers on Instagram.

latest ig following.

8 paying customers.

That's humbling. But it’s also the reality for most creators.

I'm not going to lie - I thought I'd have way more than this in the first few weeks. But I also know the truth: I had no clear strategy. I haven't done the proper work yet. So instead of spiraling, I'm treating this as data.

Le me share with you what I am changing, as it might help you with your business.

Shift #1: I'm Not an Entrepreneur. I'm an Investor.

Entrepreneurs focus on building and optimizing to grow revenue, then selling for profit. And deep down, yes - I want money. But focusing on money will get me nowhere right now.

I need to focus on the vision. The storytelling. The product. The actual value I'm trying to provide.

If I focus on the quality and the product, everything else will follow. Below is a great take from Michael Jordan on how all his success came from him putting in the work first (winning championships) and then having his brand be created around the work he put in.

— # (#)

When it coms to creating content, I have to put myself in their shoes. That person struggling with debt, drowning in bills - and figure out how Munyun actually helps them. I have to live this and put this vision out there. Because when consumers feel seen, everything else follows. The users, the numbers, the revenue - it trickles in.

First: create great content. Get eyeballs on the product. The rest comes after.

Shift #2: One Customer at a Time

As a content creator, I'm obsessed with metrics. Engagement rates. View counts. Growth curves.

But that's the wrong frame for this.

What I need to focus on now is simple: can I get one customer from one piece of content?

If I post a video and it only gets 1,000 views and 50 likes, the question isn't "why didn't this perform?" The question is: "Did I get a new customer from this?"

I'm not paying for ads. Everything is organic. I don't want to convince people with money to buy my stuff. I want them to find it, see it, feel it - and decide for themselves. No paid marketing. No buying visibility.

One customer. One video. That's the metric that matters right now.

Shift #3: Action Over Strategy

No matter how many strategy ideas I think of, no matter how many content plans I make - I have to create, execute, deliver, and repeat. I must execute.

I'm competing against billion-dollar companies who are fighting for the same attention from people who need help managing their money.

And while it does seem like I am at a disadvantage, I need to focus on how to leverage me being a 1 person business to my benefit.

I can be nimble. I can move fast. I have no rules, no restrictions, no layers of approval. I can push the edge, be controversial, do things that brands with corporate oversight could never do.

Here is a cool and creative guerilla marketing video that went vial during Black Friday.

That's my weapon. But only if I actually use it.

Reflection Time

I have been spending a lot of time listening to podcasts, watching videos about entrepreneurs and founders, trying to understand how to make this product work. I listen to the Founders podcast (click logo below to access their YouTube) and learn from history's greatest founders - how they started, how they grew, how they persevered.

Founders Podcast

Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work. This quote explains why: “There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses and invent new technology. They ran these experiments throughout their entire lives. At some point, somebody put these ideas down in a book. For very little money and a few hours of time, you can learn from someone’s accumulated experience. There is so much more to learn from the past than we often realize. You could productively spend your time reading experiences of great people who have come before and you learn every time.” –Marc Andreessen

www.youtube.com/@founderspodcast1

And after hours of listening the one thing I have learned is -

I need free time.

Not time to work. Not time to create. Time to sit, do nothing, and just think.

Different ideas need space to form. Strategy needs room to breathe. If you're always executing, you never step back to ask if you're executing on the right things.

So every day, every week, I will start to make time to sit with my thoughts.

That's where the real work happens.

f you make it this far be sure to check out my budgeting app at munyunhq.com

Luv,

Luv

If you don't take action today, you will be broke forever.

Millionaires and billionaires are building wealth exponentially through investments while you're still reading articles about "how to start investing."

graphic is from 2019. in one day, he made more money than I made in a year.

I thought I was late to the game.

I thought I was late to the party.

But here's the truth: there's no excuse not to start today.

Because if not, you'll be broke forever.

I was afraid of investing because I assumed that becoming good requires years of studying financial statements, reading every Warren Buffett letter, and following markets obsessively. But that's cap!

I stopped treating investing like I needed to become a CFO (Chief Finaical Officer) before putting my money to work. Let me share the framework I subconsciously used when I started investing that saved me thousands of dollars and years of mistakes.

Why This Matters NOW

We're heading into a world where AI is displacing jobs, youth employment rates are dropping, and everyday people are becoming entrepreneurs. There's going to be massive capital changing hands in 2026 and beyond (it’s lowkey already happening).

damn. Gen-Z is really going through it 😮‍💨.

The question is: what will you do with that money?

Here's the brutal math: someone who starts investing properly in 2026 versus someone who waits until 2030 will be miles apart. Not a little ahead - miles. That's the power of compounding and exponential growth. One year makes a difference. Two years makes a big difference. Four years makes a huge difference.

Think of it like a snowball rolling down a hill. At first, it's small. But as it goes inch by inch, foot by foot, mile by mile, that snowball becomes indestructible. Your investment account is that snowball. The more it grows, the bigger it becomes. And before you know it, it's so big that it's impossible for you to go broke.

your pile of cash rolling over the broke people.

But the window is closing.

Most of my audience is in their early to mid-20s. As you get older 30s, then 40s your window shrinks. Think about average life expectancy: somewhere around 70 years if you're lucky and healthy. If you start investing at 40, you've got maybe 30 years. Really 20, because you want to enjoy the last 10.

But if you start today in your 20s? You get 50 years. Maybe 40 years of active investing. That extra time makes a massive difference.

The “BUILD” Framework for Investing

When I was 18, I started investing with a simple automation to my Roth IRA. I chose the Roth because the contribution limit was $6,000 and that felt achievable within a year. I started with $100. Week by week, I added a couple more dollars. Month by month, I added more. Year by year, I earned more income and contributed even more.

real photo from my account around 2020, I think.

Now? It's close to $100K.

But here's what I wish I'd done differently: I should have stayed consistent from day one. At first, I did lump sums of money. Big deposits when I could afford it. But what I want you to do is build a consistent habit of adding contributions over time. Even if it's $10 this week, $100 next week, $1 the week after. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.

Here's the framework that would've helped me avoid years of mistakes:

(B) Break Down the Goal

Do not just ask yourself "how do I become a good investor?" That's not a goal - it's a vague direction.

Break it down into specific, measurable components:

• Are you trying to beat the S&P 500?

• Generate passive income?

• Build a $1M portfolio?

Once you've identified your true target, break it into parts.

The smartest move? Find someone who's already done it. You can get on a call with successful individual investors, financial advisors, or portfolio managers for $100-200 an hour. That conversation compresses what might take you years of expensive mistakes (people lose thousands, even millions on poor investment decisions) into actionable building blocks.

[Side note - If you’re really broke then watch my content, other personal finance creators, or even spend time on Reddit.]

Ask yourself:

1. What does "good investor" actually mean to me in dollars and timeline?

2. Who has already achieved this goal that I can learn from?

3. What are the 5-7 components that make up this goal?

Take action:

1. Write down your specific investing goal with a number and deadline

2. Find 3 people who've achieved it (YouTube, LinkedIn, local investors)

3. Schedule one 30-minute call with someone who's done it

(U) Uncover the Vital 20%

Here's the truth: Investing doesn't have to be complicated. You just need to be consistent.

for my visual learners, this is for you. just show up every day, no matter the amount of energy you have.

This is pure Pareto's Law: identify the 20% that delivers 80% of results.

In investing, there are thousands of stocks, hundreds of strategies, countless indicators to track. You could spend decades trying to master it all.

Or you could learn that for most people, 3 things matter:

1. Consistent contributions

2. Low-fee index funds

3. Time horizon

The difference between someone who retires comfortably and someone who doesn't usually isn't knowledge - it's doing the boring fundamentals consistently.

Here is a cool IG of this Guy that does the basic fitness things every single day consistently, and watch how his body transforms. The same thing applies to money.

For the 20% who want active investing: Focus on understanding 10-15 quality companies deeply rather than tracking 100 superficially. Study businesses in sectors you already understand from your career or stuff that actually interests you.

Let me give you an example: Costco.

hahaha. laugh with me now.

Think about Costco. They're a grocery store, right? But look deeper:

Recession-proof: In any economic condition - market crash, housing crisis, another COVID - people need groceries. They need food to survive. Costco provides that. No matter what happens, they'll always be in business.

Smart pricing model: You buy in bulk, you buy packages. They don't have massive storage or inventory costs because it's already on the shelves, and people buy in bulk. Less inventory, fewer things to worry about.

Membership cult: People love Costco not just for the brand, but to have the card, be a member, and ultimately feel part of a community.

Kirkland brand: Costco sells their own products. They have great distribution AND they sell their own products that bring in massive revenue (if you have time, watch the video below. It's really insightful).

How do I know all this? It's simple: I looked at their financial statements and got a membership myself to see what the hype is about. Long story short - I am really in the streets.

Your edge isn't information because at the end of the day, everyone has access to Google. Your edge is pattern recognition in domains where you have context others don't.

Read that last 2 sentences again. It's really crucial.

Ask yourself:

1. What 3 fundamentals will drive 80% of my results?

2. What companies/sectors do I already understand from my life or work?

3. Which platform will I actually use consistently without getting distracted?

Take action:

1. Open an account with Fidelity, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab this week

2. Choose ONE index fund or 3 companies you genuinely understand

3. Set up automatic transfers - even if it's just $50/month to start

(I) Install the Right Sequence

This is the step everyone skips, and it's why people lose money before they ever make it.

Order matters more than people realize.

Don't start by picking individual stocks. Start with understanding your actual risk tolerance - not what you think it is, but what you discover when your portfolio drops 20% in a month.

Here's the right sequence:

1. Get comfortable with volatility in index funds first

2. Understand asset allocation

3. Then consider individual positions

Most people try to do everything at once and panic-sell at the bottom.

Ask yourself: what's the first domino?

For most people, it's automating contributions to retirement accounts. Not sexy. But it's low effort and it is the foundation everything else builds on.

The biggest lie you've been sold: That investing for 3-5 years is enough. That's not investing—that's gambling. Real investing is a 10, 15, 20 year journey. If you're only thinking 3-5 years out, you're playing the wrong game.

Ask yourself:

1. Can I stomach watching my portfolio drop 30% without selling?

2. What's my actual timeline - 3 years or 30 years?

3. What's the smallest first step I can take this week?

Take action:

1. Start with index funds for 6 months before individual stocks

2. Set a rule: "I will not check my portfolio more than once per month"

3. Automate your first contribution TODAY - even if it's $10

(L) Lock in Accountability

Good intentions to "start investing" aren't enough. Even reading every investing book isn't enough.

spend all that time planning, but never take action. smfh.

You need consequences that drive behavior.

Here's what works:

• Automate transfers the day after payday so the money never hits your checking account

• Give a friend $500 to donate to your most hated cause if you don't max your Roth IRA this year (yes, punish yourself)

• Set up quarterly portfolio reviews with an accountability partner

The amount doesn't matter - the consequence does!

Here's what I've learned as a finance content creator: People aren't actually afraid of investing. They're afraid of making mistakes.

They're paralyzed by the options. They're confused. They're scared they're going to make an error.

Look - you have to try in this world. If you make a mistake, you can fix it. Open that account, even if it's with the wrong bank or the wrong account type. It's okay. You can always fix it.

fail forward. fail often.

The mistake you CAN'T fix? Not starting at all.

Ask yourself:

1. What consequence will actually make me follow through?

2. Who can I report my progress to monthly?

3. What's my backup plan if I miss a contribution?

Take action:

1. Text a friend right now: "Hold me accountable to maxing my Roth IRA this year"

2. Set up automatic transfers for the same day every month

3. Schedule 4 quarterly check-ins with yourself or a friend

(D) Deploy Consistently

This is what separates those who build wealth from those who just talk about it.

The “BUILD” framework means nothing without execution. This is where your automated systems, your accountability mechanisms, and your sequenced learning plan all come together into regular, repeated action.

Once you start investing, don't stop. I don't care if you only have $10 to invest this week, $100 next week, $1 the week after that. Keep going.

in all seriousness, sometimes even though people give you advice, you have to experience it for yourself to fully understand.

And if you mess up, don't worry. Sometimes you have to touch the stove to see if it's hot or not.

One of my biggest regrets was doing lump sum contributions instead of building the habit of consistent contributions from day one. You want that muscle memory. You want investing to be as automatic as breathing.

Ask yourself:

1. Have I invested something anything in the last 7 days?

2. Is my system automatic or am I manually doing it?

3. What's my plan for the next 12 months of contributions?

Take action:

1. Make your first contribution within 24 hours of reading this

2. Never let a month pass without adding something to your account

3. Increase your contribution by 1% every time you get a raise

The Principles Behind the Framework

The “BUILD” framework is what low-key allowed me to build a strong financial foundation because it operates on deeper truths about investing and wealth building:

1. Returns aren't linear. Most people quit investing right before the compound curve takes off because markets dropped 15% and they expected steady gains. There will be bear markets. There will be years where you make nothing. If you know they're coming, you hold through them. If you don't, you sell at the bottom and call investing "rigged."

2. Energy over passion. Don't invest in what sounds exciting. Invest in what you can sustain doing for decades. Can you stomach watching this portfolio during a crash? Can you ignore it for months without checking? Does thinking about this strategy make you want to keep learning, or does it drain you? Optimize for what you can actually maintain, not what sounds impressive at parties.

3. Short cycles, long compounding. Don't build a 30-year investment thesis. Build 6-12 month learning cycles. Spend three months understanding REITs. Next quarter, dive into dividend growth investing. Test small positions for 2-4 weeks before committing serious capital. This isn't short-term thinking—it's rapid learning (and actually taking action) compounded over decades.

The Real Enemy

The less you know about investing and the less educated you are, the more opportunity others have with money in the future. Less competition. More capital for them. They can do more because you didn't invest your money and match their capital.

The truth nobody wants to tell you: Investing is the only way you can catch up to the wealthy. But more importantly, it's the only way you can leave a legacy for your future kids, family, and future generations.

The Bottom Line

The “BUILD” framework itself is the skill worth learning. Understanding one company, one strategy, one market sector - those are all surface level steps. The real skill is -knowing how to break down any investment approach, uncover what matters, install the right sequence, and lock in accountability around actually doing it.

Your issue is not your capacity to understand investing, but instead it's your approach to learning it.

Most people are trying to become overnight billionaires when they should be finding the 20% that matters for their goals, putting it in the right order, and creating systems that ensure they actually invest consistently.

Master the BUILD framework once. Apply it to building wealth.

That's how you go from paralyzed by information to systematically building financial security.

Because here's what will be true in 2030:

The person who starts BUILD in 2026 and the person who waits will be miles apart. Not a little different. Not slightly ahead. Miles.

Your future self will either thank you or hate you.

The choice is yours.

Start today. Start now.

Because tomorrow isn't promised.

Luv,

Luv

The Paradox of Progress

As our world becomes more advanced, AI-driven, and resource-rich, life should theoretically get easier. That's the whole point of progress, right?

But the opposite is happening. Your life becomes more complex, more confused - and nowhere is this truer than with your finances.

Gone are the days of walking into banks, depositing money, buying stocks on the trading floor. Everything is now digital, intertwined, and most importantly, accessible. That accessibility helps us move faster and be efficient, but it creates a massive problem: with infinite options comes infinite confusion.

A representation of the old days.

Understanding finances and making the right financial decisions has become one of the most difficult things in the world. As a personal finance content creator, I experience this firsthand every day in my comments section.

Do I invest? Do I just live my life? How do I even start? These questions paralyze people, especially those in their early 20s.

From Transparency to Gamification: How Fintech Changed

Actual definition of FinTech.

When I think about old fintech (the 2010-2015 era) — I think about the early days of Mint. The whole premise was simple: one free service that gave you visibility to your money. You connected your bank accounts and it helped you see where your money was going, what your spending categories were, all in one digestible spot.

Old fintech was focused on transparency. Helping you gain visibility and clarity on your finances, combining all these different accounts into one place so you could understand your financial grounding.

Mint used to be clutch in the past.

Then something shifted.

New fintech (2020 to 2025) became about something completely different: how can you generate thousands or millions of dollars from your phone?

It's aggressive investing, AI-powered trading, cryptocurrency everywhere. It's the gamification of money. How can I buy these coins immediately? How can I invest in these stocks immediately? Even if you don't know how to, is there an AI model to help me do these things?

The focus moved from "understand your money" to "get rich quick."

The Gamification Machine

And those “get rich quick” schemes take a whole new level once you gamify money. For example, Robinhood was known for ability to make investing feel like a game.

They're created an engaging cycle. Confetti used to drop from the screen when you would make a purchase. All these things make it feel like a game instead of you actually investing your money.

Before and after of the Robinhood app when a consumer made a purchase.

And don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe you should treat your money like a game sometimes because it keeps you engaged on your path to financial freedom. But the downside is addiction. You become addicted to every trade, every gain, every dollar.

Before you know it, you're no longer investing - you're day trading. You've moved from fundamentals to chasing dopamine hits.

These apps make investing accessible and easy, but they're giving sophisticated tools to inexperienced people who don't understand the severe consequences.

I read about a kid who killed himself because he over-leveraged on Robinhood and assumed he was hundreds of thousands in debt. He wasn't. But the interface, the gamification, the lack of understanding - it all contributed to a tragic outcome.

Why This Is Happening Now: The Perfect Storm

Here's what I've learned about why people make desperate financial decisions. It's not just about being irresponsible. There are real structural forces at play and they're all happening right now.

Force #1: Your Environment Shapes Your Money Mindset

If you're not surrounded by people with money, if you don't learn how they make money and understand how money works in our society, you will view money from a completely different point of view.

If you grow up broke, you view money as evil and the reason for all your problems. If you go to an elite college and see how other people use money, you see it as a form of leverage or time freedom.

I remember when I went to school at Georgetown. It really messed up my mind when I had classmates whose parents would make thousands in a day by doing nothing. And that "doing nothing" was just based off of investing their money - money they already had, money they could afford to let sit and compound.

I would to study in this building, just to end up failing my exam.

Once I learned the power of investing, but more importantly, the power of compounding interest, it was not until then that I really locked in and got my finances together.

But this only changed once I surrounded myself in a different environment. I had to see how wealthy people thought about money to understand it differently. Most people never get that access.

Force #2: The Economic Ladder Feels Broken

Housing is unaffordable. Student loans are crushing. Wages haven't kept up with inflation. The traditional advice of "save for thirty years" doesn't resonate when people feel locked out of the future it promises.

When long-term goals feel out of reach, a zero-day option, a same-game parlay, or a prediction market bet starts to look appealing. Not because it's rational in terms of expected value, but because it provides something that feels scarce: the chance -however small - of changing your financial status.

Or simply put - a chance to skip the broken ladder entirely.

Force #3: The Tools Are There, The Education Isn't

With AI and new technology, everything becomes more accessible. Everyone is finding new ways to help people get better with their money. And remember, the whole idea of advanced technology is to ease people's lives. That's great.

We've been given incredible tools within the fintech space. However, the education part is lacking. People do not know a lot about personal finance. And I think the biggest thing about personal finance is the personal part—the idea of agency, understanding what works for your life and what best makes sense for you.

I was watch a YouTuber called The Daily Driven Porsche. He's an investor who literally only buys dividend stocks and dividend funds. It's not the most efficient way to increase your wealth, but what reassures him every day is the fact that he gets quarterly payouts. He gets that cash flow over and over.

This is his Youtube.

I get it. That works for him. But for me personally, I probably want to get the most returns I can get, so I'll do single stocks or maybe an index fund. He wants the feeling of consistent cash flow, and that's why he does dividend stocks even though they might not produce the highest return.

That's the point. All the technology is out there, but we live in a society where people are unsure of themselves, unsure of their abilities. They lowkey have not taken the time to stick to budgeting, to stick to investing, to stick to saving, and actually see what happens when you do it. Instead, they go from one thing to the next and it jumbles their mind.

The real truth is that you might have a problem with understanding what you want to do with your money.

This Perfect Storm Created the Conditions. Now Make it Worse.

We're glued to our phones, scrolling TikTok, where every other day there's a new 20-year-old millionaire. Gen-Z males' interest in relationships is down, but their urge to gamble is up - sports betting, political betting, options trading.

You see these so-called millionaires and think, "How do I get there?" "Am I behind?"

And those two questions increase the likelihood of gambling, options trading, and risky investing.

The cruel irony: the more information we have, the more difficult it becomes to build wealth.

No one wants to hear the boring thing. They want the complex thing. They think there's some specific trick or hack to build wealth or live the life they want.

It's not true.

We're living in a casino economy—a slot machine where consumers constantly chase the next fix, the next crazy investment that'll change their lives.

Solutions: What You Can Actually Control

Build Your Own Discipline System

Here's the thing about being smarter with money: it's really about being able to regulate your emotions. Not getting overworked, not getting underwhelmed. Taking the highs with the highs, the lows with the lows. Being confident in your investing strategy, your spending journey. You set up a plan and a roadmap to be financially free, stick to it, see it through.

Organic Dreams by Larry June.

Think about it - these millionaires and billionaires have visions so strong that day in, day out, they execute on them. But they don't see the fruits of their labor until 10, 15, 20 years later. That's going to be true for your investments.

But "be disciplined" isn't a strategy. You need systems:

1. Make It Hard to Access Your Money

I remove all my cards from Apple Pay, my Amazon account, any other digital services. I don't want to give myself the opportunity or the chance to make an impulsive trade, an impulsive investment, or even spend my money thoughtlessly.

Create a system or environment where it's actually kind of hard to access your money. You want it to be hard to access your investments.

Maybe you only access your investment account at specific times of the month. Maybe you give someone you trust your passcode. Or you just make scheduled investments throughout the year and never log in otherwise.

2. Use the 72-Hour Rule

If you see something you want to buy or an investment you want to make, wait 72 hours. Three days. Then decide: do I still want to invest in that? Do I still want to do this?

This simple waiting period cuts through the urgency and status cues that drive bad decisions.

3. Choose Boring Platforms on Purpose

Use platforms with friction. Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard - they're not sexy investing platforms, but that's the point. The boring interface is a feature, not a bug.

Visual representation of a Charles Schwab brokerage. It's low-key boring, but it's still simple enough where it doesn't create dopamine hits in addiction.

But Is Personal Discipline Enough?

Here's where I have to be honest: is personal discipline enough when systems are designed to exploit you?

Should Robinhood be allowed to use confetti animations? Should there be cooling-off periods built into platforms? Should options trading require some kind of licensing or education requirement?

If you have time, be sure to check out this book because you start to realize that money is more so emotional than it is strategic.

I don't have all the answers, but I know this: we can't just tell people to "be smarter" when the entire ecosystem is engineered to take advantage of behavioral psychology.

35 states now require high school students to take a personal finance course. That's a start. But is it enough when the apps are designed by teams of PhDs in behavioral economics whose entire job is to maximize engagement?

Living in a capitalist society is great because it allows the best ideas to thrive. But on the consumer end, you have to do your own due diligence. You must educate yourself.

What Actually Matters

So here's where we land:

The tools are more powerful than ever. The casino is louder than ever. The pressure is heavier than ever.

But what actually matters hasn't changed.

Building wealth is still about income minus expenses, and investing that difference over a long time. That's it. That's the boring truth everyone wants to ignore.

You can only decrease expenses so much. There's a floor. But there are always more opportunities to increase your income than cut your spending - a new skill, a side project, a promotion, a career change.

Yes, the tools are there. Yes, you can open an account in three minutes. But here's the real question: do you understand yourself well enough to use them properly?

Because personal finance is personal. What works for The Daily Driven Porsche doesn't work for me. What works for me might not work for you. And that's okay.

The point isn't to find the perfect strategy. The point is to find your strategy - and then stick to it long enough to see it work.

Focus on the fundamentals. Build systems that protect you from yourself. Avoid the noise. Don't chase the TikTok millionaires.

The casino is open 24/7.

But you don't have to play.

Because unlike the casino, when you stick to the boring fundamentals, you'll actually win.

Luv,

Luv

History is not only a reflection of the past - but also a teacher of the future.

And today I want us to take a look back at Mark Cuban.

young Mark Cuban.

Whether you know him from his previous ownership of the Dallas Mavericks, or his appearances on Shark Tank - it's safe to say he is an admirable businessman.

I ca…

Read more

$100,000 Later…Maybe I Am Not Crazy After All

My portfolio finally hit $100,000 and I feel... no different. Well, at the very least I feel vindicated. I have that "I told you so" type of feeling, but more so just me proving myself right.

When I started investing at 18, the most common thing everyone would say is "diversify!" The whole point of diversification is to help you grow your money and ensure you're not being too risky. That's what every financial expert will tell you.

Save some of your money and invest the rest in index funds.

But the more I learned about money, the more I read about money, the more I watched about money → I came to a realization.

When you think about diversifying - it's for people who want to protect their money. More importantly, index funds are designed for people who might not understand investing or lack experience and want returns without risking their money.

But in 2018 I was 18 years old. My measly $2,000 was not going to grow if I diversified. Even if I increased my income and kept investing - I needed to be aggressive.

So I did just that. I shifted my investment philosophy around 2020, which centered around achieving my first $100,000. Because by then, a 10% return on $100,000 ($10,000) would be worth way more than 10% on $2,000 ($200).

Once you increase your capital and the amount of money you have to invest - investing becomes a lot easier. There is power is numbers.

I started placing my money (whether in my Roth IRA or individual brokerage account) and began investing in single stocks. Nothing risky. Nothing I didn't understand.

I started to study businesses.

Their cash flow, their impact on society, their innovation, and their business units. It was a mix of leveraging financial statements and macro economic trends.

And the trick is to find 1-3 good businesses and focus on those. No need to diversify.

I can go more in-depth on how I decided what to invest in, but the most important thing for me was finding opportunities for more than 10% returns - but not by day trading or constantly checking the market. More so just finding companies that have strong growth opportunity.

The hardest part wasn't even finding the businesses. The hardest part was just being patient and continuing to reinvest in the same old businesses.

This was a boring journey, but that's okay. Boring works.

With the portfolio hitting $100,000, assuming I contribute $10,000 every year and convert to index funds (assuming 8% average) - by 2050 I will have $1.4 million. Now 25 years from now that might not be "a lot," but still - the fact that I sacrificed in my early years means I can easily secure myself and my future family to be millionaires.

Mind you - there are other people with way more money at my age.

But the fact that I had a vision, stuck with it, and executed feels like the world to me.

I urge you to start investing today. Please.

📝Tweet of The Week: The Price Just Went Up

Nah but fr - a birthday in this economy?

At this point it's too expensive to breathe.

It feels like the price of everything has increased, but your income has stayed the same. Hence the decreased purchasing power you now have.

No matter your thoughts on greed and capitalism - at the end of the day, you need to earn more money. The price of things will continue to increase over time.

And at some point you'll have to decide to leave your current job for a new one, work multiple jobs, or start your own business.

Control what you can control. You can only cut back on so many expenses, but if you focus on your income there's unlimited upside.

Luv,
Luv

🙌🏾Thing I Wish I'd Tell My 20-Year Old Self

In these past five years, I've made enough mistakes (and had a few wins) to know what I wish someone had told me earlier.

If you are in your early 20s reading this, consider this your older sibling giving you the real talk.

1. Take Care of Your Financial Health Like Your Physical Health

You wouldn't skip brushing your teeth for months, right? Or at least I hope you won’t. Anyways, the same energy needs to go toward your money. Saving is a habit. Budgeting is a habit. Investing is a habit.

TBH - everything is a habit.

Don't wait until "life settles down" to get started because lowkey it never really does. Just like working out, consistency beats intensity every single time.

➡️ Start simple: Automate a $50 transfer to savings, track just one spending category (maybe those coffee runs), and check your net worth once a month. That's it.

Lose the "all or nothing" mindset because small wins compound into freedom.

Now you might think you need to save $500 a month or it wasn't worth it. Meanwhile, someone who started with $25 weekly transfers at 21 will have $8,000 saved by 24 while you are still "planning to start soon."

2. Try Everything Early, Including Financial Paths

Your 20s are basically a financial laboratory. Explore every money tool, side hustle, or investment style that catches your attention. Budgeting apps, freelancing, real estate investing, index funds, and crypto. You should experiment before life gets complicated with mortgages, kids, and other things that life will throw at you.

➡️ Reminder: You don't need your "forever plan" at 22. Just don't let fear of being lost keep you from making moves.

The earlier you try, the faster you learn what actually aligns with your personality and goals.

I tried everything from sneaker reselling (not too bad) to freelance graphic design (mid) to crypto trading (expensive lesson). Each "failure" taught me something valuable about my risk tolerance and what I actually enjoyed doing.

3. Spend Time Alone to Build Financial Awareness

This might sound weird, but hear me out. Unplug from all the noise. No finance podcasts, no TikTok money gurus, no get-rich-quick hype. Just you, your goals, and your actual numbers.

➡️ Try this: Take yourself on a "Money Walk" once a week. No phone, just walk and reflect on how you spent, saved, or invested that week. What felt good? What felt stupid? What patterns do you notice?

Silence creates clarity. Clarity builds discipline. Discipline builds wealth.

Most people are following someone else's financial advice without ever figuring out what they actually want their money to do for them. These solo reflection sessions changed everything for me.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Invest in Your Future

Buy the course. Hire the coach. Get the certification. Use the premium budgeting app that actually works for you.

Time is your most valuable asset – wasting it by trying to do everything yourself will cost you more in opportunity cost than the upfront investment ever could.

➡️ Reminder: The right investment in your education or tools can return 10x in confidence, clarity, and cash flow.

I spent weeks trying to build my own website when I could have just paid $40 for template and saved myself countless hours of frustration.

Sometimes the "free" route is the most expensive.

5. Challenge the Beliefs That Are Keeping You Broke

This is the big one. A lot of smart, capable people stay broke because they're operating from limiting beliefs they don't even realize they have:

"I'm just bad with money."

"Money is evil."

"Rich people are greedy."

"I'll never afford that anyway."

"I don't make enough to invest."

Start questioning those stories. Your financial future depends on the beliefs you hold just as much as the habits you build.

➡️ Reflection exercise: Write down every negative thought you have about money for one week. Then ask yourself: "Is this actually true, or is this just a story I've been telling myself?"

Growth starts where resistance lives.

The craziest part? Most of these beliefs aren't even yours – they're inherited from family, friends, or society. Once you start recognizing them, you can start rewriting them.

The Bottom Line:

Your 20s are when small decisions create massive compound effects. The habits you build now, the beliefs you challenge, and the experiments you run will literally shape the next decade of your life.

Don't wait for the "perfect" moment. Start messy, start small, but start now.

📝Tweet of The Week: Keep going

You have come too far to quit.

One of the best things I've done in my 20s is learning to learn fast, fail fast, and try again all over. This iterative process has allowed me to gain knowledge and build grit with any endeavor I embark on - whether business or physical.

Now some losses might be expensive or cost you a lot of time. But the worst loss is when it impacts you mentally. I've taken losses that shot my confidence, hurt my ego, and made me question my own future.

But what I soon came to realize is that it is all noise.

You fucked up, you failed, and now you need to move on. In life there are peaks and valleys. The highs are high and the lows will feel really low. You just have to focus on keeping going and staying locked in on that end goal.

Growth is constant iteration.

Constant iteration of: make mistake, learn, optimize, move to next mistake.

As long as you keep doing this quickly, nothing can stop you in your lane. Stay in your lane and keep growing - no one else knows it better than you.

👀In Case You Missed It

Banks are shifting towards crypto and soon you will have no other choice but to adapt.

Alright.

We've been hearing about crypto for the past 10+ years but now things are starting to get serious. The biggest issue with crypto actually being the future has been implementation.

How will society (everyday people, young and old) be able to access crypto? When crypto started, you needed to remember secret passwords, stuff wasn't regulated, and the fees for making transactions were sky high.

But soon - none of that will exist anymore.

PNC Bank has announced a strategic partnership with Coinbase. Through Coinbase's institutional Crypto-as-a-Service platform, PNC customers will be able to buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies directly from their PNC accounts, without leaving the bank's digital environment.

Long story short - PNC is using Coinbase to help their customers access crypto.

So what happens next? Well -

• Other financial institutions will follow suit - either by connecting with Coinbase or creating their own platform dedicated to crypto

• Coinbase stock price will be on the rise

• Other crypto securities - like Ethereum and Solana will start to be more usable in the everyday world

• Blockchain technology will start to seep into everyday transactions - contracts, supply chain, logistics → eventually everything will be attached to a wallet

• My biggest theory → people can individually sell their own data (their identity can be connected to a digital wallet) and as a result, put the power of ad dollars in the hands of users and not the companies

FYI - none of those 5 bullets are guaranteed, but they are just strong convictions I have.

Lets check back in 5 years and see how well those 5 bullets perform.

Luv,
Luv

🏋🏾‍♂️Activate financial mastery in 5 minutes

It's been 3 months since my last email. Sorry I've been MIA - I've been working.

For those that care (which you all should) here's what I've been up to:

• May - busy with finishing brand deals, barely had time for my own videos

• June - took a break from content as a whole, was lowkey tired

• July - Started to work on a budgeting app to help people get good with money (feel free to sign up to waitlist - https://tally.so/r/w5YJyP)

Now let's get into today's post -

Stop viewing your money as money

Most of you are awful with money. And that's okay. I am knowledgeable on all things money and I too mess up.

It's not your fault. It's your emotions' fault.

Most of the time people spend or overspend out of emotion. Think about it. You probably bought something to make yourself happy. Or maybe you overspent to make someone else happy. And it always ends the same way - "I will pay that back later".

And when I fall into these bad money traps and ruts - I activate my "financial mastery" mode.

I started spending time.

The easiest way to get out of any financial trouble is to cut the bleeding. Like immediately. So - remove cards from Apple Pay, hide the credit cards, and live on cash for a while.

Once the bleeding is stopped, you now have to change how you view things.

My go-to trick is to view money as time. Let me explain.

Instead of viewing an item as $20, I view it as 1 hour (assuming you make $20 an hour). Essentially I want you to base it on your hourly wage.

So anytime you want to buy something - new clothes, new iPhone, a gift, a trip - take that number and divide it by your hourly wage.

If a new iPhone costs $1,000, at $20/hour that means you need to work 50 hours to secure that item.

By viewing your money in time you start to visualize and feel the real impact of your money decisions.

Does this really work?

Well yes it does. I just told you.

But why does it? Because most of us hate our jobs. And if you sit down and realize you have to spend 50 hours at your job dealing with BS just to cover a brand new iPhone, then maybe the latest upgrade might not be worth it.

Remember this is the easiest way to trick yourself to spend less is by viewing money as a form of time because now you will start to be more intentional with your dollars.

📝Tweet of The Week: 1,000 songs

People need benefits, not features.

Back in 2001, the average person had no clue how much space 5 gigabytes of storage represented.

But they definitely knew what having 1,000 songs meant to them.

To consumers, the technical storage capacity of an iPod was irrelevant, but the benefit of carrying their top 1,000 songs everywhere was immediately meaningful. Both "5 gigabytes" and "1,000 songs" described the same capacity, but only one connected with what customers actually valued.

When selling a product or service, you should emphasize how it improves the customer's life rather than just listing technical specifications. Most customers care about what a product does for them, not how it works.

This principle applies broadly in marketing and sales - translate features into meaningful benefits that resonate with customers' desires and needs.

Instead of saying "I helped over X amount of people open a Roth IRA," I can say "I help you build generational wealth with only $600 a month."

There's a crucial difference here.

Many people might not know what a Roth IRA is, but everyone understands and desires generational wealth.

For my fitness enthusiasts, the image below is a perfect example of leading with emotion rather than numbers. Connect with what people want to achieve, not the technical mechanisms that get them there.

👀In Case You Missed It

Capital One and Discover are married.

Capital One's acquisition of Discover has received final regulatory approvals.

The merger, valued at $35 billion, is expected to be finalized by May 18th.

But why does this matter?

Well, let's go to Banking 101.

Let's say you run a lemonade stand and you let people pay with cards.

Behind the scenes, every time someone swipes a card, the payment has to go through a "payment network." Think of it like plumbing but…it moves the money from the customer's bank to yours.

Now, there are three big companies that own both cards and payment networks:

• 🟡 Visa: runs the Visa network

• 🔴 Mastercard: runs the Mastercard network

• 🔵 Amex: has its own Amex cards and its own network

These companies make money by charging network fees every time someone swipes a card using their system even if they didn't issue the card themselves.

Now, Capital One mostly gives out Visa and Mastercard cards (look at your Capital One Card, you will notice “Visa” or “Mastercard” logo), which means:

1. They don't own the pipes.

2. They have to pay Visa/Mastercard every time someone uses their Capital One card.

3. They follow Visa/Mastercard's rules about how payments work.

But Discover is different. Like Amex, Discover issue cards and run their own payment network. So when someone uses a Discover card:

• Discover handles the entire payment themselves

• No middleman fees

• Full control

So since Capital One is buying Discover, it's like saying: "Forget paying rent to Visa or Mastercard. We're going to own our own payment system now just like Amex does."

SO…what does this mean for Capital one? This means:

• More profit (no more paying network fees to Visa/Mastercard)

• More control (they run the whole system)

• Bigger scale and independence

It's like going from renting a lemonade stand on someone else's block... to owning the whole neighborhood.

Luv,
Luv

🧠The 1% Investing Habit That Rewired My Brain

For the longest time I have been told (we all have) to diversify your money, but what if I told you that's exactly the wrong advice for where you are right now?

The Diversification Myth

When I started learning about money, the number one concept that kept popping up was "diversification." From one investor to another, they all preached the same gospel, spread your money across different investments to reduce risk.

From their POV, diversification is risk prevention. Since your assets are split between different vehicles, if one crashes, you are still protected.

Stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, mutual funds, crypto – those are all different asset classes. And if crypto tanks or your rental property falls in value, that's supposedly okay because you have other assets to rely on.

This same concept applies to stock investing. Instead of purchasing individual stocks, most financial advisors suggest buying an index fund.

Their reasoning?

Putting all your money into individual stocks is risky.

What if the business goes under? What if a scandal happens?

So instead of "risking" your money on carefully selected companies, most people will tell you to invest in index funds that represent a bunch of stocks. The most common one is the S&P 500, which tracks the top 500 companies.

The Warren Buffett Wisdom Nobody Tells You

But here is what most financial advisors will not tell you.

Warren Buffett, arguably the greatest investor of all time, has a completely different philosophy on this topic.

Buffett famously said, "Diversification is protection against ignorance. It makes little sense if you know what you're doing."

And if you are a subscriber of mine, then most likely you are on your path to knowing what to do.

Why would one of the richest men in the world contradict conventional financial wisdom? Although he too supports index funds, why is he suggesting this?

Because he understands a critical distinction that most people miss.

The Wealth Building Phase vs. Wealth Preservation Phase

The truth is, there are two distinct phases in your financial journey:

1. The Wealth Building Phase - When you are starting out with little capital (broke people)

2. The Wealth Preservation Phase - When you have already accumulated significant wealth (over $100k in cash)

Most financial advice is actually designed for people in the second phase, those who already have wealth and want to protect it.

But if you are just starting out, this advice could actually slow down your progress dramatically.

I know… this sounds crazy, but stay with me here.

The Critical First $100K

Let me show you why this matters with a concrete example:

With an 8% return (typical for index funds):

• Going from $10K to $100K takes approximately 8 years with $10K annual contributions

• Going from $100K to $200K takes just 5 years

• Going from $900K to $1M takes only 1 year

The first $100K is the hardest milestone, because it takes the longest to reach but unlocks a wealth-building snowball effect.

Consider these numbers:

This explains why the ultra-wealthy can afford to diversify.

When you have $1M, an 8% return generates $80,000 annually.

That’s $80,000 without you lifting a finger!

Build Capital First, Diversify Later

When you have only $10K to start with, your focus should not be on preservation through diversification.

It should be on aggressive capital building.

The 1% did not get wealthy through diversification. They focused intensely on one thing.

One business.

One investment strategy.

One skill.

And once they made thousands, only then did they diversify.

The Real Strategy

Here's how I rewired my brain:

1. Under $100K: Focus on maximum capital growth - invest in yourself, develop high-income skills, start a side hustle, or invest in a few carefully researched individual stocks you truly understand.

2. $100K-$500K: Begin transitioning to a more balanced approach, but still prioritize growth.

3. $500K+: Start implementing preservation strategies through diversification.

The Root Concept: Focus vs. Ignorance

The fundamental principle here is about focus and knowledge. Buffett's anti-diversification stance comes with a critical caveat: "It makes little sense if you know what you are doing."

So, if you do not want to understand how money and businesses work then just stick to index funds.

However, if you spend time analyzing a business or building a business and develop strong conviction, then putting your eggs in one basket makes perfect sense.

But that requires deep knowledge and watching that basket carefully.

Diversification is not bad advice - it is just misapplied advice for people who have not built significant capital yet.

Who This Is For

This strategy is not for everyone. It is for those who are trying to build extraordinary wealth.

If you want extraordinary results, you need to adopt the extraordinary strategies of the 1% - focus intensely on building capital first, then protect it later.

Ask yourself: Are you playing defense with money you do not even have yet? Or are you ready to play offense and build your first $100K?

📝Tweet of The Week: Simplify your $$$

I dislike most personal finance apps.

Even for someone with a great attention span, I get overwhelmed by all the features they have.

I need simplicity.

At the end of the day, I do not need to optimize and track every dollar spent. I am at a point in my life where I want to make sure my money is going in the right direction.

Whether my money is going at 80 mph or 10 mph, I just care about the direction.

When it comes to analyzing my money, I think the most helpful measure is tracking your spend on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. By analyzing this trend alone, you start to see if your spending is getting out of control.

If I look at my app and notice that one day, one week, or one month is out of the normal then I will know to adjust my spending habits.

By having a simple widget every time I open my phone, it will reinforce this idea of "you are spending too much" or “your spending is on the right path”.

A cool alternative to this would be having an app that shows you how much you earned in a day, week, month. This will force people to get their money up. Force you to find ways to increase your income.

Maybe I will start an app like that. A simple app that shows you how much money you bring in each day, week, and month. Maybe every time you open your phone, and you see the amount of money you havee made, it will motivate you to earn more.

What do you think? Reply to this email with your thoughts.

👀In Case You Missed It

Last week's market plunge due to Trump's massive tariff announcement has suddenly taken a U-turn.

Well...at least for tech companies.

After watching the stock market drop drastically on April 2nd, 2025 when he proposed tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods, Trump has had a change of heart. And so did those stock prices 👀.

Friday (4/11/25), his administration quietly announced major exemptions for smartphones, laptops, computer processors, memory chips, and semiconductor equipment.

The big winners?

Tech giants with political connections. Apple's Tim Cook, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, and Dell's Michael Dell can breathe easy knowing their Chinese-made products will not face the harshest penalties.

But also the stock owners are winners too! Although this is a temporary ban, two things are true:

• Stock prices and confidence in tech companies increase

• Tech companies have influence in the political arena (we already knew this though)

Why the sudden change of heart from Trump?

Well...reality.

There simply are not enough American workers (we would need millions) to screw in little screws to make iPhones. Instead their time and efforts is best spent on the design (the highest value in tech), not manufacturing.

This selective approach to tariffs exposes many contradictions and illustrates that life is not fair.

What sucks the most is the thousands of smaller businesses without political clout who still face crushing tariffs. I feel bad for them.

But, that's the way the dice rolls in a capitalistic society.

Trump’s exemptions bring tariffs on these tech products down to 20% for Chinese exports, which is still significant but far below the threatened rates that had consumers imagining $3,500 iPhones (lol 50+ comments).

In this new tariff economy, it is clear that not all industries are treated equally.

But again, when have industries ever been treated equally?

The biggest players with the most political influence get special treatment, while smaller manufacturers and everyday consumers pay the price.

Luv,

Luv

For Q1 of 2025, I brought in $24,000. That essentially nets out to $8,000 a month in revenue.

Those $10,000 months feel so close, yet so far.

For context, I have been doing content creation for almost 2 years, but slowly and surely I am starting to make progress.

And although this has been a long journey - let me give you 2 years of game in a couple minutes.

First, let me show you my social media analytics for the past 90 days. This is the best place to start because WITHOUT me posting content, I earn no money.

Instagram

Instagram has been on f*cking fire! For the past 90 days (Q1), I generated over 800,000 views and 92,000 accounts engaged.

That's over 10% in engagement!!!

For the entire quarter I created 85 posts, which means roughly 28 posts a month. I want you to think about that for a second. Every time you open the app for the past 90 days, more than most likely I popped up on your feed every day.

If that's not consistency then I don't know what is.

It's important to note that out of 85 of those posts - ONLY 4 of them went viral (over 40k views), which means I had a 5% hit rate.

To simplify, most of my views and engagement came from 5% of the videos.

Lastly, based on me posting consistently, it allowed me to secure 4 brand deals, totaling over $20k in receivables.

IG was a huge lead magnet for me, but only because I was showing up consistently.

YouTube

With short form out of the way, lets get into long form.

In the past 3 months, I generated over 5k views, 240 hours of watch time, and over 200 new subscribers.

My goal was to originally create 13 videos (one per week) but life happened and I only executed 9 videos.

Which in hindsight is still pretty good, but I need to make sure I am consistent. Consistency matters for YouTube because you have to train your audience to expect you at a certain time. For me, they expect to see a video every single Sunday.

So, every Sunday I better post or I lose their trust. And hence, I lose a subscriber.

Overall YouTube has not brought me in any money, but for now it is a long-term play so I solely view it as an investment.

Also, during the past 3 months I have hired editors but none could come close to my desired style. Moving forward I might focus on editing the videos myself and try a different layout/style when it comes to video editing.

Next steps

Alright, so how do I get to $10k a month?

I had to take a step back and treat my content like a business.

Sooooo…I created a roadmap.

The roadmap is broken into the remaining 3 quarters, and each month will have a specific "content pillar.” By having content pillars, it is easier for me to not only create content at scale, but also repurpose easily across different platforms.

For example, since April and May are centered around "Personal Finance", my newsletter and YouTube scripts can be turned into multiple short form videos (shown below).

When it comes to products, I need to sell my own digital or physical items. Brand deals are good, but solely relying on them is not a sustainable business. For the month of April, I am going to improve my spending tracker and then focus on selling it to my audience.

Lastly, for activations - this is a way to build a community. I want to give back to my supporters and help them out, and the best way to do this is through giveaways. I am a huge proponent of paying it forward, so let me help some of my followers during back-to-school time.

Final Words

This is a simplified and quick breakdown of how I plan to continue the success and achieve $10k months.

If you want a more detailed explanation, checkout my latest video on YouTube.

FULL BREAKDOWN

📝Tweet of The Week: It’s Never Too Late

This year, I turned 25. And I'm nowhere near the accomplishments I wanted to achieve when I look back at my journal entries from college and high school.

And that's okay, I am still young. I still have time on my side.

If you have the opportunity to wake up, time is still on your side too.

Create content, create joy, create products, and create happiness.

Create with the intention of bettering yourself - whether financially, spiritually, or mentally - just create.

Looking back on the 25 years of my life, made me realize one thing: I came too far to quit.

And if I hyper focus and dedicate time and energy to myself and my business, then life after 35 won't feel like work.

It will feel like retirement.

👀In Case You Missed It

The stock market has been in a free-fall due to Trump, tariffs and a looming recession.

And all I can think about is pouring all my money into the stock market, since all the stocks are currently on sale.

Here is a great breakdown on whats going on (in pictures) -

Luv,

Luv

There is so much misinformation out there on credit, and I genuinely want to help you.

Follow this guide and you will improve your credit.

This is a free comprehensive guide.

DO NOT pay for credit repaid services…I don’t care. If you have any questions after reading this then just email me [email protected]

Remember that once your credit is above 720, stop obsessing over your credit and go focus on something else.

What’s the point?

• There will be a time in life when you need to borrow money to pay for something.

• Most people borrow money (loans) for education, cars, houses, or even their daily purchases.

• To determine the amount of money a person can borrow at a certain interest rate, Lenders looking at their credit score.

• A credit score is a three-digit number, usually on a scale of 300 to 850.

• The number evaluates how likely you are to repay borrowed money and pay bills.

• A score of 720 or higher is generally considered excellent credit.

• A score between 690 and 719 is considered good credit.

• Scores between 630 and 689 are fair credit.

• And scores of 629 or below are poor credit.

In addition to your credit score, factors like your income and other debts may play a role in creditors' decisions about whether to approve your application.

What impacts credit score?

1. Paying bills and payments on time. Late payments will impact score negatively.

2. Credit utilization is basically an indicator of how much of your credit limit you are using. It is best practice to keep utilization less than 30%…the lower the better.

   

Other factors that are weighted LESS (still important though):

1. How long you had your credit. The longer the credit and the higher average of accounts is better.

2. Have more than one type of credit (car loans, student loans, mortgage, credit card). Different types of credit are also called “lines of credit.”

3. Credit inquiries, when credit companies do an inquiry on your credit report your score may go down.

Credit card APR %?

Annual percentage Rate (APR) is used for the bank to get their interest on the money they let you borrow. Remember the unpaid balances from loans and monthly credit card statements always has to be paid back with interest. Since the rate is annual, here is an example to calculate your monthly interest:

Remember that your bill will be the total of your remaining balance and the interest for that month, your total balance plus that $19.80 of interest.

RULE OF THUMB: Carry a balance, and you’ll pay interest. If you pay card in fully every month, no need to worry about interest.

Where to find credit score?

• Most credit card phone applications let you look at the FICO score

• Also check on Equifax, Experian, TransUnion

How to Build Credit Fast and Easy

1. First it takes years, to get really good credit score. It never happens FAST.

2. Check your credit: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action

3. Open credit card to establish credit early. Any credit card works, just choose one you see yourself keeping long-term.

4. DO NOT miss any monthly payments (DO NOT just pay minimum monthly payment, pay entire bill if you can)

   1. To build score it is best to use the card for a small subscription and setup automatic payments.

   2. Also use it for everyday or big purchases, BUT be sure to payoff at end of the month.

5. Attain other types of credit (car loans, secured loan, student loans, mortgage, credit card)

6. Keep utilization under 30%

   1. If struggling to keep utilization low, reach out to credit companies and see if you can increase your limit.

7. Consistency. Follow the steps above and your score will increase and you can open more lines of credit.

Tweet of the day: Building a Team in 2025

If you are interested in starting a business - focus on being lean and executing. As someone that is growing a business, I am slowly starting to learn the importance of outsourcing and finding people I trust to free up my time.

Luv,

Luv

Welcome to Monday’s Mission - where every Monday I start off the week with sharing my thoughts on money, business, and personal finance.

I know this is being posted on a Tuesday - my fault!

Luv’s Message

This year, I am north of $30,000* in revenue. Just a year ago, I was only making a few hundred dollars, but now I’m bringing in 5 figures.

And while it’s nice earning almost 50% of my 9-5 income from creating content…

*The picture below is from Stripe; the other $10,000 comes through PayPal or other third-party platforms.

So, here are 7 tips and pieces of advice for those trying to earn money from content creation:

1. Content is king. Nothing happens with your social media pages unless you have great content. Great content isn’t about fancy edits or cool video shots; it’s born from great writing—so get good at writing.

2. Social media is the new lottery. Every day, we all get a chance to go viral by making a video. And once you go viral, you can change your life. Lottery tickets cost money, but posting your videos only costs time.

3. Focus on making one person’s life better. Stop thinking you need to influence and provide value to the world. Everyone starts with one fan, so focus on that one fan.

4. You need an escape plan. At the end of the day, being a content creator is like being a high-salaried employee. Once you stop creating content, the money stops coming in. Always have an end plan in mind.

5. If you plan to work full-time and create content, don’t spend your content income; instead, invest it (after handling your taxes). Some athletes only live off their NBA checks and use their endorsement deals for investments. Maybe you should follow a similar system—food for thought.

6. Everything needs a system. Burnout is real, and I experience it all the time. What changed? Nothing. I still experience it. But having systems in place and sticking to a schedule or plan makes all the difference. Treat your content like a machine—make sure you have the proper systems in place for it to function 24/7.

7. Living a balanced lifestyle doesn’t exist. When it comes to content, you need to obsess. The sad reality is that everyone wants to be a creator, and some people are willing to go to extremes for it…are you?

Luv,

Luv

Welcome to Monday’s Mission - where every Monday I start off the week with sharing my thoughts on money, business, and personal finance.

Luv’s Message

The title is NOT a type. I actually made $1,500 for 7 hours worth of work.

And no - I was not scamming or finessing. I was simply just making videos for brands.

Let me explain.

Brands need people to make videos for their social media platforms. Instead of paying thousands to agencies for actors and actresses - they rely on everyday people like you and me.

To put simply - they rely on User Generated Content (UGC). Everyday people can simply record themselves using brands products and in exchange brands will pay you hundreds of dollars.

This is a screenshot from last month.

And after seeing the screenshot above you are probably wondering - “WHERE DO I SIGN UP??”

Before I tell you where to go - just know that this is NOT an ad. I am not being sponsored to post this at all. I genuinely found this website helpful to earn some extra income and it has made a huge difference in my life.

I hope the same for you.

Website - https://www.cohley.com/creators

And if you are serious about UGC - I have an entire YouTube video breaking down the process.

With some time and effort - you can easily become a UGC creator. It might not be an easy an immediate success, but it will be a simple process.

Trust me.

Luv,

Luv

To start off the week, I have 3 book recommendations that can help you become financially independent.

Luv’s Message

I’ve managed to build a net worth of over $80,000 by the age of 24, and trust me — it didn’t happen by accident. I had to get serious about money, and the good news is, you can too.

Today, I’m sharing my go-to wealth-building tools that helped me get here.

These are the resources I swear by, and if you want to start getting your money right, these will be game-changers for you.

Let’s be real: if you want to get good with money, you’ve got to start by educating yourself.

No one just wakes up with a perfect understanding of personal finance. And you don’t need to be a math genius either. The fastest way to get a grip on your money is by reading the right books, in the right order.

Seriously, this order matters!

1. The Psychology of Money

First, you’ve got to deal with the emotional side of money.

If you’ve ever caught yourself wondering why you splurge on things you don’t even need or feel stressed every time you check your bank account, this book is for you.

The Psychology of Money digs deep into the mental and emotional relationship we have with our finances.

Spoiler: most of us struggle because of habits we don’t even realize we’ve picked up.

This book will help you unlearn those bad habits and build a healthier, more mindful relationship with your money. It’s like financial therapy!

AMAZON LINK

2. I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Now, after you’ve tackled the emotional stuff, it’s time to get practical.

This book is like the Swiss army knife of personal finance. It covers everything — from how to choose the right bank accounts, to automating your savings, to starting your investment journey.

And the best part? It’s not boring.

You won’t feel like you’re reading a textbook, but you’ll walk away feeling like you just got a masterclass in handling your money. It’s literally a step-by-step guide on how to create your own version of financial freedom, no matter where you’re starting from.

AMAZON LINK

3. Total Money Makeover

Okay, let’s talk about debt. Because let’s face it, debt is a dream killer.

Whether it’s credit card debt, student loans, or anything else weighing you down, you need a plan. Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover is THE playbook for getting debt-free. I’m not exaggerating.

He gives you a no-BS, no-fluff plan to attack your debt, so you can finally stop feeling like you’re constantly playing catch-up.

If you’re serious about building wealth, you’ve got to get out from under debt first — and Ramsey gives you the tools to make that happen.

Disclaimer - I only like Dave Ramsey for his advice on debt!

AMAZON LINK

Recap

Look, these books aren’t just some random recommendations — they’re the foundation of how I turned my financial life around. Anytime I feel stuck or unsure, I go back to one of these and they set me straight.

They’re like a cheat code for your money.

So, if you’re ready to level up your personal finance game, hit the link in my bio and grab these books.

Luv,

Luv