Share the Wealth

Like much of America’s youth, I didn’t start off rich – no trust funds for me and my ilk. Sure, I fantasized about being fabulously wealthy as much as the next kid, with big dreams of custom mountain homes and exciting adventure. My dreams aren’t that far off still, and that’s because others have helped get me closer to that possibility.

The First Breakthrough

“I still had it, so I figured, why not share the wealth?”

Let’s go back to about a decade ago, when my art teacher told me this as she shared a Photoshop program with me and how to navigate it. It was her way of explaining why she was so willing to open her door and resources to dorks students like me who didn’t know where life was going to take them. She knew quite a bit about that, too: besides being a full-time high school art teacher she had a slew of other work on the side, including making more gorgeous art, selling homes as a realtor, and being part of the reserves. She was also a woman of color, and patient about explaining what that meant to idiots sheltered Midwestern kids who sometimes saw corn more often than nonwhite skin.

Man, Ms. Lacey was one of the greatest teachers I ever had. In terms of life impact she was THE greatest teacher, because it’s by her example I stuck with that value of sharing the wealth. Now that I’m objectively wealthy, I have people like her to thank for it*. I had other role models for good financial behavior even in a place like my hometown Fearsville, once ranked the worst place to live in the country. Even so, too many people don’t have those role models around them as I did** and don’t have anyone to act as a mentor or lead by example.

None of us on this blog started off rich, including me. But others that shared their wealth helped me to amass my own. Here’s some places you can go so you can also share in the wealth.

Focused Teachers: Diamonds in the Rough

Ms. Lacey wasn’t the first schoolteacher to share wealth with me. It was a teacher that first explained investment basics to me, which was during my Intro to Business class at the local community college. After he had talked about it in class I stared down at my textbook, running over the words describing “bonds” and “stocks” as my mind came to grips with what they meant. These textbook words weren’t groundbreaking, mind you; they were nothing more than definitions to memorize for a class. It was the teacher that gave them meaning, even offering to share everything he was invested in so we could see what was possible for us. I’m kicking myself that I don’t have that now.

There are teachers out there that give so much for so little in return that they transcend words. The best ones go out of their way to help you understand concepts of life beyond academic and the classroom. A teacher that can help you understand finance is worth their weight in gold..

Librarians: The Unsung Golden Goose

Public libraries are THE greatest addition to society humankind has ever seen, don’t @ me. I need to make a post solely about libraries and how ingrained they are in every community; I even wrote out this whole library guide for my old place of work, just because I loved them so much.

Now, the librarians running the place are seriously unsung heroes, and potentially unexpected allies in your journey. I’ll let you in on something most folks don’t know: librarians have to go through rigorous graduate programs to even be considered for the role, which involves them becoming the ultimate masters at researching anything. And I mean anything. If your library can’t offer you the right book that you’re looking for, you bet your ass the librarian will still find a way to get it in front of you. Their very careers, like teaching, are hyper-focused on sharing the wealth back to you.

The Internet Treasure Trove

One of the many reasons why I love the Internet is that you can find information about interesting topics that are on your level. Doesn’t matter if that level is “genius” or if it’s “five year old”. There’s a dissertation, article, video, podcast, or subreddit that is right up your alley. Before starting out and learning about money and investing, I was firmly at the level of “idiot”. Anything to do with numbers just flew over my head. Math was not my strong suit, or so I thought.

Once I started reading these math-heavy finance blogs (like Mr. Money Mustache and Millennial Revolution) I slowed down to shove their math crap through my thick skull. Through that I realized something amazing: I like math! Well, some math: the math that shows me the money. Revelatory.

I had smarts. And a library card. I had the Internet and trusted my intelligence. Through all of these things the knowledge began to seep into my brain, almost reluctantly. I plodded through pages and pages of what other folks wrote and shared about what I should try, tips I should use, places to go and habits to make. Things made more and more sense as I consumed more and more, and the actions I put in place made my money grow ten times (!) what I had when graduating college.

And now, I’m sharing the wealth with you, too.

We Want Guac goes over everything I wish I saw more about – namely, how to prioritize spending, how to increase your income, and how to train yourself to stay the course. While we live in a broken society, we need to live practically to combat its shortcomings. The way to that is with wealth, and it’s high time I help you amass it.

After all, why not share the wealth?

*So Ms. Lacey, if you’re out there, THANK YOU for being that teacher for me. I’d love to interview you so others here can hear your story too.
**I had two other role models for finances. One was “Nina,” a close family friend that showed me and my siblings how far a dollar can stretch. The other was “Trish,” a lady from church that, year after year, managed to raise enough funds to send the youth group on trips throughout the country. Both of them, plus Ms. Lacey, proved that you could live well and live happily even when the chips were down.