Boss Blog: May 31, 2017
Why I do what I do
Thanks for checking out my weekly long-form post on finance, Boss Blog. This week I am going to get a bit more personal and describe exactly why I do what I do. In this post, I am going to break it down into three sections as I feel they are necessary to convey my message. The first will describe exactly what it is I do, as it may be a mystery to some of you who follow Budget Boss. The next part will describe a bit of my past that has led me to this point in my life. The last part will describe why that past has led me to choose this path as a career. This post is going to get a little personal, so I will apologize in advance.
What I do:
I am a Financial Advisor. What is a Financial Advisor you might ask? I help people create a personalized financial plan that allows them to accomplish their goals and dreams. I do that using insurance and investments that work together to build wealth and then protect that wealth. I help people find holes in what they are currently doing and then show them the products that can allow them to fill those gaps. My clients range from those just starting out to those getting ready to retire. My platform and website Budget Boss is my way of showing people my value as an Advisor. It is also a way where people can contact me and ask for financial advice without judgment. I am licensed to give advice on many matters of personal finance and that makes me proud.
Where I am from:
I was born June 27, 1984, in Brampton, Ontario. I am the son of 2 Portuguese immigrants who came to Canada in the 1960’s. Both my father and mother have worked very hard all their life and continue to till this day. Growing up we never went without, but we didn’t have everything we wanted. My parents had to work very hard for everything they had and have done quite well for themselves despite never earning a very high salary. I began working at 14 when I worked at a Coffee Time Donuts in Brampton. Since then I have worked in various jobs but for the majority of my working career I have been in the service industry waiting tables and bartending. I did that throughout my university days at the University of Western Ontario here in London, Ontario. When I left university I struggled financially. I was saddled with debt and had very little income. Add some health issues that hampered my working ability and we had a recipe for disaster. At the age of 25, I found myself 50K in the hole and not able to afford my monthly bills. I needed to get my shit together and fast because I was running out of options. I came up with a plan to get out of debt and it required very little spending and a lot of hard work. After a few years of that, I was debt free and then decided to keep going until I had some money saved up. After a while, I had developed spending habits that allowed me to pay my bills with ease and save a good amount for the future.
Why I do what I do:
I look back at most of my life and see that a defining aspect of it has been my relationship with money. As a child seeing my parents break their backs to support my brother and I was an eye-opener. It was something I didn’t fully appreciate until I went out on my own and struggled to keep a roof over my head. In my university days, I was poor but also a reckless spender racking up debt like a fool. During that time I did almost every mistake possible with money. I had items in collections, I got evicted, I had the power shut off, I owed various people money (even scary ones), I had a huge OSAP bill, just to name a few. I am proud to say that all that nonsense is gone. I corrected it all and made it right. I am also proud to say that I am debt free and saving for my future. Many people wrote me off, and to be honest I don’t blame them. It took a lot of hard work to get out of my self-made hole, but I am out. Seeing how bad decisions coupled with health issues affect my life negatively I now see what I could have done differently. Add to that the education I have received in finance and I feel I have a unique perspective on money.
I have felt the pain of poverty. I have felt the pain of my own health ruining my finances. I have seen the crippling effect of student loan debt. I have seen the nastiness of consumer debt. I have worked for terrible employers that didn’t care about me and even stole from me. I have owed friends money and now have friends that owe me money. Despite these nasty life events I have also seen the compassion of others. I have seen people that are willing to lend a hand or lend advice to someone in need. I have seen nurses that make a tenth of their doctor counterparts care for me ten times greater than those doctors.
I see the pains I went through and that much of it was self-induced. I also see the pain I have caused others and it is that which troubles me most. My aim is to help people see daylight at the end of their tunnel. Not seeing that light is a gross place to be, I’ve been there. If I can show people the knowledge I have now through education and life experience then I feel I can truly rectify those mistakes. Enriching myself through the enrichment of others is the ultimate goal. I think it is possible and I am definitely willing to try. I speak on many subjects and some topics are a bit controversial. The overall message is that people need to think about themselves differently. They need to think about their money a little differently. They also need to think about each other a little differently.
I think that a society where the majority of people are financially stable is good for everyone. When much of a population is indebted than there will be a few winners, but far more losers. I feel that there doesn’t have to be losers for me to win. I feel we all can win and get what we want out of life. The right mix of hard work and good planning will make it happen. Let’s get there together.
The 2 most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why -Mark Twain
Don’t speak about it, be about it – Joseph James Francis
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Joseph James Francis is a Financial Advisor. You can find him on various social media platforms and at budgetboss.ca.