I am always amazed by how one thing leads to another. This particular journey started out as a simple project to document the things I’ve learned about achieving financial freedom for my kids and future grandkids.
I grew up without a lot of money in a small logging and ranching community in eastern Oregon. My dad always said, “There’s a big difference between being broke and being poor.” He taught me that one is a temporary money state and the other is a debilitating mental process. I was fortunate to have mentors like my parents and a neighboring rancher named Norbert Volny, who told me, “You’ll never get rich on a W-2.” Volny encouraged me from an early age to build assets that generate cash flow.
After high school I attended Oregon Institute of Technology, where I received a bachelor of science in software engineering. Over the next sixteen years I worked for Hewlett-Packard and earned a master of science in management from Purdue. During that time I applied what I learned from my parents, Volny, and other mentors I met along the way: I bought real estate and built assets that generate cash flow. I was fortunate to be able to leave the HP and the rat race at the age of thirty-eight.
When Clyde and I taught our first workshop, I thought that would be it. I could record the sessions for my two sons and future grandchildren, and then I would focus back on investing. Oddly enough, people from that class came up and asked when we were going to host the next class…and the snowball just keeps rolling. A number of students tell us that the material has significantly influenced their lives.
My hope is that you too will learn and apply the principles for building the financial future you desire. If I can be of any help, please let me know.