This episode I interview Chris Mamula, a former physical therapist who ended up becoming financially independent and retiring at 41 years old! He did this while being married and neither him or his wife made over 6 figures in their careers, and having a child as well. 

Definitely wanted to get his perspective on how he accomplished this, and busting some of the age old myths and negative connotations surrounding the FIRE movement:

1. You have to be a high earner or inherit money to achieve FIRE
2. You have to be extremely frugal and not have any fun in your 20s
3. Health insurance and market volatility is too scary to make the leap.
4. AND MORE!

Don't forget, email me at [email protected] or DM me on instagram with questions that you'd like me or a guest to go over as well!

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  If you haven't gotten a bottle yet, you need to! Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!

Follow Chris below and get his book below!

• Learn more from the weekly blog
• Check out the roadmap to retirement on his website
• Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence by Chris Mamula, Brad Barret, and Jonathan Mendonsa

Chris's recommendations:

• Choose FI podcast (Spotify link but it's on all platforms)
• Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris

This episode I interview John Meese, an entrepreneur, digital marketing expert, and author of the newly released book, Survive and Thrive: How to Build a Profitable Business in Any Economy (Including This One).

I'm excited to talk to him because we've had some questions about how to grow your business, marketing advice, social media presence and more! For those starting a side hustle looking to grow it full time, or in business and got hit by the COVID pandemic, or just cautious about starting because of lack of information, this episode is a must listen!

Don't forget, email me at [email protected] or DM me on instagram with questions that you'd like me to go over as well!

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  If you haven't gotten a bottle yet, you need to! Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!

Follow John and listen to his podcast here!

• Spotify link (but he's on all platforms, just look for Thrive School)
• LinkedIn
• Survive and Thrive book NEWLY out now!
• His website for all new updates and more!
• Notable.press for your content creation needs

John's recommendations:

• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Effortless by Greg McKeown

This episode is another one about the Money category! I interview Shannah Compton Game and we talk about her journey as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), entrepreneur, and now podcast host for the past 6 years!

She has definitely seen a lot of different cases in her time coaching beginners and uber-wealthy (100mil+) in her days as a CFP, and her conversations with the 700+ guests on her podcast has definitely given her a unique perspective on money and it's importance.

We talk about the mindset of money and even how daily gratitude can help increase your financial status. Please listen in and give me some feedback if you're enjoying these interview type episodes!

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  If you haven't gotten a bottle yet, you need to! Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!

Follow Shannah and listen more to her podcast here!

• Spotify link (but she's on all platforms, just look for Millennial Money)
• Get your Money Mindset Journal here!

Shannah's recommendations:

• Plant Your Money Tree by Michele Schneider
• Wealthy Gardener by John Soforic
• Happy Money by Ken Honda
• Invested by Danielle Town

Ever heard of The Secret? And how you need to visualize what you want before being able to achieve it? Wondering how you'll be able to have it "all" without having to sacrifice something that you also love? I dive into these questions more with my next guest, Gunther Mueller.

Gunther Mueller, is a renowned speaker and business coach, who has also been around the medical industry and the mindset world for years.

We go into detail of the 5 step Magnetic Mind Method, and explain why an important step to achieving whatever you want is to believe you can do it and then visualize it happening, 2 things I think a lot of us suffer from omitting in our process.

While some of it may seem really out there, I think the principles of knowing what you want and who you are (Gunther calls this true choice) are imperative to motivate yourself to take the first step, and then get the ball rolling in a sense. 

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  If you haven't gotten a bottle yet, you need to! Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!

Follow Gunther to reach out and get that coaching session booked!

• Dream Life Masters Home Page

Gunther's recommendations:

•  FREE morning ritual Resource
• Tiny Habits by  BJ Fogg
• Webinar link to learn more!
• Get your mind minute recode today 

Ever feel like you're being dragged into social settings because of your friends? This is the social equivalent to buyer's remorse. I think learning how to set boundaries in a respectful way will help our generation with removing the ghosting, social remorse, and help you live the life you truly want to.

This can extend to that feeling that you can't be open and up front with your parents or siblings because of them judging you. This causes you to hide your true personality to your own flesh and blood, which is not a great way to build quality relationships that last with those who are supposed to be closest to you. Boundary setting can help here as well.

We go over how to set boundaries and how to say No when needed so that you can avoid getting taken advantage of and build more quality relationships. There's definitely a way to view and phrase things so that you don't offend those you're close to as well. 

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  If you haven't gotten a bottle yet, you need to! Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!

Sammy's recommendations:

• Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
• Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler

Ever heard of Amazon Re-selling? Dropshipping? FBA? E-commerce business that actually can scale? Are you worried about the saturation of the market and that there's not enough profit to make a living off of it? Scared of the back office stuff to make it work?

If you're curious about any of these, then this is the episode for you. This epsiode's guest, Admir Zlatic, is the product selector and branding expert of Agent Ananas, where he has helped make consistent growth year over year by being extremely stringent on product selection and customer service.

We go into detail of what Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is, the value it holds as a seller, and how to be strategic about setting up your virtual store. We also go into some myth-busting, including the age-old profitability concerns of reselling, time commitment to scaling, market saturation (everyone and their mother seems to do this now), and the fear that high-ticket items like iPhones are the only thing that make money on these platforms.

Whether you are looking to build a relatively passive Multiple Stream of Income (MSI) - a key component of success in the Money category - or scale it full time like Admir, the tips we discuss here make this a must listen!

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  If you haven't gotten a bottle yet, you need to! Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!

Follow Admir to reach out and learn more about his Amazon FBA and ecommerce journey!

• Instagram @jimmy__tabasco 

Admir's recommendations:

•  World is Flat by Thomas Friedman 
• Brave New World by Aldis Huxley

Most of of us cringe when we hear the word "network" and "content creation", but it's a huge part of the Relationship category. If you're not surrounding yourself with people that encourage you to get better, while you also help them improve, then it's tough to expect yourself to grow! That's why I am happy to bring to you an interview I had with Jessica Wise, who co-founded Audacity Magazine and Events alongside Mansi Tanna with the intent to build a platform to highlight millennial owned businesses and work together.

We go in detail on why Audacity Magazine and Events was created, and how they were able to build an open environment to encourage growth, rather than one that is toxic and comparative such as the elevator pitch contest where everyone can pitch their business ideas and have judges/scorecards to support and give pointers of how to make it even more . Even throughout COVID, Audactiy's ability to shift seamlessly to remote hangouts and still be engaging is a testament to their focus to making the networking and relationship building fun!

We also get into what defines "content", in a day and age where everyone seems to be doing trendy or catchy things, how do you stick out? We talk about SEO algorithms in different platforms as well, for those who are trying to build a brand. We also talk about how content can be a good thing, as it takes forms in writing, music, and even acting, which Jessica does as well. It's a great testament to the fact that if you know your purpose/passion, you can develop seemingly different career paths that don't seem related to the outside eye.

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!
 
Follow to learn more and join  upcoming Audacity Magazine and Events below:

• Instagram account @audacitymagonline,Twitter @liveaudaciously, or Facebook @Audacity LLC to learn more about upcoming events and articles
• Subscribe to their monthly newsletter and join the team as a freelancer or list your business on their website via the FETCH program!

Jessica's Recommendations:

•  Checking in With Michelle Williams - This link is for Spotify, but the former Destiny's Child star's podcast is on all platforms as she discusses her bouts of depression and spreads mental health awareness with guests
• Checking in: How Getting Real about my Depression Helped Save my Life and Can Save Yours- The book version from Michelle Williams for those who prefer that. 

In this episode, I'm excited to bring to you guys a conversation with my brother, who doubles as a big inspiration to myself personally, Adel Warrayat! I'm especially excited to bring him on to talk about his experience with stocks, options, what drives him, why values and knowing who you are is imperative to detailing your roadmap to success, and more!

This was definitely a much longer episode than normal, and we dive into many of the categories, but a concerted focus on Money and Career/Purpose. Adel was a Director of Portfolio analytics up until February of this year, when he retired from corporate America and began running Warrayat Capital.

We talk about the stock market and the 3 pillars of what makes a good investor. Again, we are NOT certified financial advisors, we just want to share what we do and greatly encourage everyone to do their own research.

1. Fundamental analysis - This is the stage to see if the company is healthy on the books via the SEC EDGAR database, things like the balance sheet is crucial in this phase. Look for P/E, P/B, and P/S ratios here.
2. Technical Analysis - the key to this is that you need multiple confirmations of these indicators in different time frames. 
   1. Good indicators for entry/exit points intraday are VWAP, Volume, RSI, and OBV
   2. MACD, Stochastic, Bollinger Bands, Volume, Chaikin, and Money Flow Index are all good indicators to identify trends
3. Market Sentiment/Trading Psychology - Know your risk tolerance is #1, and the more comfortable with the fundamentals of the company long term, it's easier to deal with seeing red on your portfolio. 

Please leave a like and subscribe and continue to comment your thoughts.  Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected]. Book your FREE consultation of budgeting and making your first step towards financial independence!

Also, shoutout to my partner The Coldest Water!  Get 10% off your online purchase by using code FINANCEZILLA to stay hydrated with their 5 star technology that keeps your water cold for up to 36+ hours. Keep your Physical Health category up by keeping hydrated, especially in the summer months and grab your Coldest Water bottle today!

The below is how to reach Adel if you want to learn more about his journey or get added to future Warrayat Capital email distributions:

• Follow him on Twitter!
• Email Adel to get added to the newsletter at: [email protected]

Lastly, below are Adel's recommendations:

1. New Trading for a Living by Dr. Alexander Elder - One of the best stock books, that covers Technical Analysis as well as trading/investing psychology, 2 of the 3 pillars to improve your chances at the stock market.
2. Investing Quickstart Guide by Ted Snow - Overview of financial markets, different types of investment vehicles and instruments
3. Breifing.com and Trading economics.com - Good sites to see macro market sentiment.
4. Quiverquant and swaggystocks - Good sites for specific stock sentiment.
5. http://www.option-price.com/

This episode is based on setting up the long game in the Money category. We're going to be talking a little bit about the stock market, the difference is all of the retirement accounts, and what brokerages to use and the differences between them.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed financial advisor, so stock advice will NOT be talked about, more about what different plans to do. You absolutely need to assess your financial risk level and work with a financial advisor if you do not want to do the research to pick your own stocks. I use the stock market to the extent I understand it and continue to learn more. Understanding your risk tolerance, financial goals, and time commitment is imperative in order to have a chance at the market long term.

• 401K - AKA Traditional 401K 
  • Pre-tax, grows tax deferred. 
  • 19,500 yearly contribution limit (as of 2021) or 25% of salary, whichever is less.
  • Con: Unless company offers self-directed, very limited selection of choices.
• 403B
  • The government job equivalent of 401K. 
  • If you're at the same job for 15+ years, some plans allow you to make catch-up payments.
• IRA - AKA traditional IRAs
  • 
    
  • Pre-tax, grows tax deferred
  • You can do direct transfer rollover of a 401K into it. 
  • Pro: Essentially a brokerage account in terms of selection of stocks, with ability to enable extended hours
  • Con: 6000 yearly contribution (as of 2021)
• Roth IRA
   
  • Con: Income limits. If you make above these thresholds (they change every year) then you can't participate in this
    • Single tax filing: Salary < 125K
    • Married filing jointly: Salary < 198K
  • Con: Low contribution limit (6000 as compared to ~20K for 401K
  • Pro: Post-tax contribution. Meaning they are not deducted from tax at end of the year like 401K, but they grow tax free. 
• Roth 401K
   
  • Con: VERY RARE for companies to offer it. Talk to your financial advisor about backdoor ROTH. 
  • Can't pull it out until 59.5 years AND/OR 5 years after you contributed so it can vest.
  • Pro: 19,500 contribution limit (the 401K side), but it is POST-tax contribution(the ROTH side). It grows tax free. 
• HSA vs. FSA
   
  • Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a plan that you can use for health spending. Can contribute as well as employers sometimes provide as well. Use it or lose it though.
•  
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) is another plan, where you can use for health spending. Can contribute as well as employers sometimes provide as well. Rolls over forever, but you need to be on a high deductible insurance plan to qualify for this. Can also invest in stock market if you have over 2-3K in the HSA

Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla, financezilla.net, or email me at [email protected] with your feedback and other topics you'd like to hear about! 

Recommendations:

• Idiot's Guide for 401K plans by Dee Lee and Wayne Bogosian
• 4 Hour Work-Week by Tim Ferris
• Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin

There are a few buzzwords that get thrown around a lot when it comes to success. I want to tackle what I truly believe are the 3 most important traits and skills that can be learned that to me, have the largest value when applied to any of the 5 categories of success. The Big 3 is Discipline, Personal Accountability, and Motivation.

Discipline is defined as the willpower to stick to your plan, to carry out your decisions and wishes, and having the unwavering strength to have self-restraint..
Accountability is defined as the willingness to accept responsibility for the outcomes of your actions, positive and negative.
Motivation is defined as general desire (can be a burning fire of desire as well).

In this episode, I break down why it's important to have all 3 of these to make lasting change, tips of how to get better at it, and recommendations of where to learn/draw inspiration from to keep getting better.

Remember, if you just get 1% every month, that will compound greatly and before you know it, you'll be on the path to success in all the 5 categories!

Also feel free to reach out on Instagram @financezilla or email me at [email protected] with your feedback and other topics you'd like to hear about! 

Recommendations:

• First Things First by Stephen Covey Sammy's favorite book of all time
• Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy - Great book on prioritization
• Grit by Angela Duckworth - Angela never considered herself the smartest, but used immense discipline and grit to achieve a PhD from Harvard, winning the MacArthur Genius Grant, and more amazing accomplishments!
• The QBQ by John Miller - Great book on personal accountability and introspection
• Jim Rohn Seminar - Very good source of inspiration from one of his old seminars, but be warned it is 4 hours
• Les Brown 1998 GA Dome motivational speech - One of the most inspiring 40 minute videos I've ever watched and go back from time to time when I need inspiration and fuel to the fire.