Ten years ago, I was stressed out and felt like a zombie.  I was teaching full-time, pursuing my Master's degree, and working as a Teaching Assistant to get my Master's paid for.  I remember clicking "send" from my parent's computer one spring day and sending in my last paper.  I sat, stunned, unsure of what to do with myself after this schedule dictated my life for two years.  I literally cried, staring at the screen.  I felt completely lost.  I spent the summer trying to do things that I used to love, things to make me happy.  I remembered how much I loved photography, so as a gift to myself for graduating graduate school, I bought a pricey camera (Nikon d200 with 18-200 VR lens for $2600!)  Now, I needed to pay for it.  I decided I would start a photography business.  Ten years later (and 5 camera bodies later), that business has brought me on a journey I could never have imagined.  Today marks the 10 year anniversary of starting that business.  I decided to sit down and share some of my insights into what business has taught me, how to become successful, and what I hope to accomplish these next ten years.

Ok, so I didn't lose $52,000 but this woman did.She got swindled out of it by a con man who she dated for two years.  The story is a total facepalm.  It reminded me of a lunch meeting I had with a person who was about two notches above this guy who wanted me to buy into his system of making money and promised me that I could make 8-figured like him within 5 years.  All I needed to do was invite three friends to a meeting, and when they invited three friends...you know how this scheme goes.  So, what can we learn from this?  Rule #1 of Money: No once cares about your money more than you do.

I know what you are thinking, "Where have you been?"  Short answer: working.  A ton.  I talk a little bit about my absence in the opening of today's podcast, but more importantly, I talk about this article from Business Insider that looks at three different types of millionaires.  Two of them, the saver-investor and vistuoso play right into the mantra of a Money Wave rider.  So the question is, what type of millionaire are you?

Student loan debt is a huge problem for many Americans, which begs the question, "Is college worth it?"  I sat down with Chancellor Provezano of Oakland Community College to explore the options that face today's students.  He provides listeners with some great insights, especially his own success motto, "Find a passion. Find a pathway."

Earlier in the week, I was asked to speak on a panel regarding passive and diversified income.  Here, I highlight one of the main takeaways from the discussion.  Also, Build-A-Bear missed a major opportunity to create thousands of happy and loyal customers.  What can we learn from their recent fiasco?  Lastly, I am going to ask for your help - please visit my website and click on the Amazon box before buying anything on Amazon.  Why?  Because it helps be invest more into this podcast :)

In Part 2 of my collaboration with Jibran from Jib's podcast, I sat down and interviewed Jibran Ahmed of Resurge Detroit.  He has his hands in many pots, from launching an online course on how to crowdsource your passion project to starting a sustainable farm in Detroit to launching a business incubator in the city as well.

A few weeks ago, I was introduced and grabbed a coffee with Jibran Ahmed, a local podcaster who started and runs a nonprofit in Detroit.  We decided to collaborate and be on each other's podcast.  Part 1 of our collaboration is Jibran interviewing me about Ride Your Money Wave.  Be sure to tune into Part 2 to hear how Jibran plans on bringing a business incubator to Detroit and what he has already done to help veterans in the city.

When I heard Angie Nelson was coming into town from her home in Maui, I knew I had to book her for this podcast.  Angie is a Michigan native who relocated to Maui and runs two businesses - Angela Nelson Photography and Engaged on Maui.  Angela Nelson Photography specializes in weddings and portraits while Engaged on Maui offers expert advice in helping people plan their proposals and photographic coverage of the event on Maui.  In this podcast, Angie and I share stories and insights into running any creative business.  Angie provides insight in running two businesses with two different business models - Angela Nelson Photography is a boutique model while Engaged on Maui is scalable.  She also talks about her favorite business book - E Myth - and how she knew it was time to hire her first employee.

A new survey came out stating that 53% of Millennials plan on becoming millionaires within their life time.  Good news: Millennials are some of the best savers.  Bad news: only 5% of Amercians are millionaires.  So what can you do to be part of that 5%?  Listen to my simply strategy and make it happen.