Here’s our latest interview with a millionaire as we seek to learn from those who have grown their wealth to high heights.
If you’d like to be considered for an interview, drop me a note and we can chat about specifics.
This interview took place in March.
It’s a long one (which I love!) so I’ll be breaking it into two separate posts.
My questions are in bold italics and their responses follow in black.
Let’s get started…
OVERVIEW
How old are you (and spouse if applicable, plus how long you’ve been married)?
43, single, never married.
Do you have kids/family (if so, how old are they)?
Just myself and my 9 year old pit mix.
What area of the country do you live in (and urban or rural)?
Currently, living in central Virginia but moving to Colorado for a job opportunity (more on that later).
What is your current net worth?
I officially crossed the $1 million net worth milestone on January 9, 2026. The funny part is that I had been using an old app, Empower, for years without realizing it wasn’t updating balances for a few of my accounts.
I thought I was still about $70,000 away for a long time. When I finally checked everything in January, I was honestly so impressed with myself.
I never imagined becoming a millionaire — especially at such a young age.
What are the main assets that make up your net worth (stocks, real estate, business, home, retirement accounts, etc.) and any debt that offsets part of these?
- $13k Savings (Emergency fund)
- $993 Investments ($312k brokerage, $541k IRA, $20k HSA, $110k Roth IRA, $10k Webull)
- ($2000) CC debt – paid off monthly
EARN
What is your job?
I currently work in hospital administration for a Health System at the Director level.
What is your annual income?
$150K base salary with a bonus opportunity of up to 20%, though it typically pays out at under 10% based on system performance relative to Medical Center metrics.
Tell us about your income performance over time. What was the starting salary of your first job, how did it grow from there (and what you did to make it grow), and where are you now?
My first job was at age 15, earning minimum wage (around $4.75/hour) at Sea World of Ohio. I cleaned the patio at a new restaurant called Mango Joe’s, located next to the park’s newest attraction, the Bermuda Triangle.
I worked there during the summers in high school and at Burger King during the school year.
While in college, I worked 40 hours per week in the dining hall and one night a week at a local bagel shop, earning minimum wage plus tips. I worked my way through college and chose the best school I could afford at the time — Miami University (Ohio).
I spend my Fridays during my Spanish class senior year applying to college with a counselor from the Cleveland Scholarship Foundation would waive the application fees and help me complete the forms.
During my college summers, I returned to work at the park after Sea World of Ohio was sold to Six Flags, which had also acquired Geauga Lake. Sea World eventually removed its major attraction — the whales — and the park ultimately failed due to poor management and a misunderstanding of its customer base.
Sea World primarily attracted families, while Geauga Lake drew a younger crowd. During my junior year, I completed an internship with Six Flags working in ticket operations and cash control.
I managed group ticket distribution and participated in cash collection throughout the park. I spent long shifts in the vault reconciling cash and processing daily operations.
(Which really meant that I had to unfold dollar bills to run through the cash counting machines. I enjoyed this job since it was after September 11th and metal detectors were put into the park’s entrance. Doing cash control pickups, we would pickup all the “contraband” anything metal: chips, snacks, candy, etc. and take back and eat while unfolding dollar bills. What a fun internship!)
After graduating, I secured a role as an accountant at a sports marketing company earning $33,000 in 2004, where I worked for six years. I later pursued a career change to become an air traffic controller but did not pass the academy after three months — a significant setback that ultimately shaped my resilience.
Following that experience, I briefly worked for a company renting photobooths while rebuilding my career.
I then joined a large university where I remained for ten years, advancing across departments and continuously promoting myself, as I liked to say. I worked in various departments from medicine, student life, a patent office, and truly enjoyed learning new skills about the university environments and the different businesses there.
I started at $36,000 and grew to $112,000 by the time I left picking up a master’s degree along the way. Although I valued the people and the work, I encountered a toxic management environment that ultimately led me to pivot.
Next, I became CFO of a nursing school, earning $133,000 plus a $20,000 signing bonus and up to a 20% bonus (which was on pause due to Covid—but somehow reinstated for 10%). I was hired to help improve financial sustainability and soon discovered a $7 million error within a $21 million operation.
Unfortunately, leadership attempted to shift responsibility for the issue onto me, prompting another transition.
I then accepted an Administrative Fellowship role at $58,000 for nine months before moving into a Chief of Staff position earning $150,000, which is my current role. After an extended job search, I recently accepted a new position in academia out West and will be relocating at the end of the month.
I am especially excited to move closer to my sister, niece, and nephew. While the cost of living will be higher, the professional opportunity and personal connections make the move worthwhile.
Throughout my career, I have approached job changes strategically, ensuring each move increased my compensation by at least $21,000 — my way of recouping the cost of my master’s degree, a rigorous 13-month program valued at $51,000 (with $30,000 covered tax-free by my university employer at the time).
My new Director role will offer a salary of $175,000 with a potential 20% bonus. I also in contract for a condo after renting in Virginia for the past 3.5 years.
Ironically, with a higher cost of living, I found a condo for $200k and this will save me $600/month which I plan to apply $400 to principle and $200 for future maintenance.
What tips do you have for others who want to grow their career-related income?
I could give the typical advice — find a mentor, network, and follow the usual career clichés. But realistically, I believe in moving roles every three or so years.
Employers don’t always promote the best performers. I’ve seen it repeatedly — the loudest voices often get promoted, not necessarily the hardest workers.
Too often, the people doing the real work burn out or leave because they feel undervalued.
Instead, I recommend creating a three-year plan:
- Year 1 — learn your role.
- Year 2 — improve processes and add value.
- Year 3 — master the work so it takes less time, and if the challenge is gone, look for your next opportunity.
Don’t wait to be promoted. Continuously seek roles that challenge and interest you, and pursue them.
You never know what opportunities may arise. Bet on yourself.
What’s your work-life balance look like?
Right now, my work–life balance is very good. I do wish I didn’t have to go into the office every day, and I’m looking forward to having a more hybrid schedule in my new role (3 days in, 2 work from home).
I love starting my mornings slowly — walking my dog, working out, and enjoying coffee. My weekends still feel a bit rushed, and I find myself increasingly focused on creating slower mornings and eventually transitioning to part-time work once I reach financial independence.
Do you have any sources of income besides your career? If so, can you list them, give us a feel for how much you earn with each, and offer some insight into how you developed them?
I currently do not have any additional side hustles.
SAVE
What is your annual spending?
$100k is my annual spending.
What are the main categories (expenses) this spending breaks into?
- Travel $7,000 (Gas, visiting family, car maintenance, flights, etc)
- Food $7,000 (Groceries, eating out, etc)
- Saving/Investing $40,000 (403b max, roth ira max, $7700 Webull trading, $3k to savings)
- Misc $15,000 (Household, health insurance, health/wellness, etc)
- Housing $30,000 (Rent, insurance, utilities)
Do you have a budget? If so, how do you implement it?
I created a personal 10-year financial plan for myself. The first phase was to save $50,000 per year for five years — which ultimately helped me reach millionaire status.
The second phase is to purchase five properties over the next five years. For me, 2026 is the year to buy my first property.
I am currently under contract for a condo in my new state, with plans to purchase a new primary residence in about two years and convert this condo into a rental. I may revise this next 5 year with properties as I try to decide what makes the most sense.
I did come slightly short of my $50,000 savings goal last year, saving about $40,000, though I also received an employer match that helped offset the difference.
From a spending perspective, I take a very structured approach. I manage my finances around my biweekly pay periods — one paycheck covers rent and utilities, and the remainder is saved.
The second paycheck pays off my credit card balance in full and the remainder is saved. I also direct the points earned from my monthly spending into a brokerage account.
I work on trying to hit my savings goals and break it down and make it automatic. Max out the roth IRA, 403b, then work on the brokerage.
I plan based on paycheck cycle which I think has been the easiest.
What percentage of your gross income do you save and how has that changed over time?
I initially tried to have a goal over time as my earnings grew to start saving. But, getting an emergency fund, then car, then house felt like a lot.
So I kept trying to save just as much as I could automatically and start building up over time. Selling my house in spring of 2021 really helped when I purchased it in 2014 $94k and sold for $212k 7 years later.
The lower salary of $58k made saving a lot harder, so I just put in for the match and waited until I could increase my income. The house proceeds were put into my brokerage account and I rented the last 3.5 years.
It felt easier for me to focus on saving a set amount — $50k a year — and track it in Excel. I also wanted to frontload my accounts to take advantage of compound interest, so that became my main focus.
I know some people save by percentage, but setting a specific number just worked better for me.
This year I’m aiming for an ambitious goal of saving $70k. I would like to keep my current lifestyle and my new condo will be cheaper than renting in my apartment which I have to keep for 3 months since getting out of my apartment lease costs more than keeping the remaining lease.
What’s your best tip for saving (accumulating) money?
I do think David Bach makes a strong point about automating savings. I already prioritize investing by contributing to my 403(b) and maxing out my IRA, but his emphasis on making savings automatic really resonated with me.
He recently discussed this on the The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, and it made me think: why don’t we automate saving to pay ourselves first? We automate payments for gyms, coffee subscriptions, and countless other services — why not do the same for our own financial future?
He also shared a framework of saving in three buckets: 12.5% of gross income for long-term savings, 5% for dreams, and 5% for emergencies — and spending the rest. I found the strategy interesting and plan to explore whether it is something I want to implement.
What’s your best tip for spending less money?
If someone has figured out how to control Amazon purchases… you’re hired! I actually prefer not to shop, but Amazon makes it far too easy to order everything without ever going to the store.
In-person shopping and spontaneous purchases feel overwhelming to me.
I rarely shop for clothes — I thrift most of my work wardrobe through ThredUp. I grew up shopping at thrift stores and never felt the need to have the newest or most expensive things.
With my upcoming move, I’ve donated more items than I can count. I have been asking myself a simple question: have I used this in the last 3.5 years?
If the answer is no, it goes. After all, we know we can order something within two days if we truly need it.
What is your favorite thing to spend money on/your secret splurge?
What a dangerous question! I’m really passionate about personal finance and health and wellness, so most of my splurges tend to be in that space.
Lately, my travel has mostly been to visit family and friends in Ohio and Denver, but when it comes to spending, I enjoy investing in health and wellness — red light masks, supplements, and experimenting with different biohacking tools.
It can definitely be a slippery slope, but considering I often get told I look much younger than my age, I would say it’s working. I’m writing this on my 44th birthday and still regularly get mistaken for someone in their late 20s.
INVEST
What is your investment philosophy/plan?
My plan is to spend the next five years saving for properties (ambitious goal to try for $70k year) which would be maxing out some retirement accounts or possibly saving some down payments on properties. I have been looking into Private Money Lending from an Self Directed IRA possibly.
I want to work on diversifying my portfolio a bit. I will start with renting the condo I am purchasing and work on continuing to revise my strategy.
What has been your best investment?
I believe my greatest strength is my constant drive for knowledge, growth, and creative problem-solving. I’m always looking for opportunities to learn, improve, and explore things that challenge and interest me.
One of my proudest accomplishments was earning my graduate degree while working full-time at a university earning $55,000 as a manager. I completed a rigorous 13-month program by using my PTO, with my employer covering $30,000 tax-free (program was $51,000).
I saved the remaining $21,000 myself and even used my emergency fund for the first payment so I wouldn’t have to take out another loan. I had undergraduate loans I was still paying off, and I was determined not to add to that burden.
I wanted to go to graduate school, but I was unwilling to spend years doing it or take on additional debt — so I found a creative way to make it happen.
Throughout my career, I’ve always sought out opportunities that allowed me to grow, use my existing skills, and challenge myself to develop new ones. I’ve viewed each job move as a promotion — a chance to learn something new and push myself forward.
Every role I’ve held has taught me valuable lessons and introduced me to incredible people, shaping my belief in leading with kindness, humility, and a willingness to help others.
Over the past two years alone, I’ve pursued countless opportunities —to find the next right path for myself. I met with recruiters who labeled me a job hopper, told me I needed to stay in roles longer, judged me for looking too young, or did nott take me seriously.
But I persevered. I continued to push forward, trust myself, and grow.
I firmly believe in betting on yourself. Do not let others define your path or your potential.
You are only as limited as what you believe about yourself — and your possibilities are as big as you allow them to be.
What has been your worst investment?
At a previous academic role, my retirement investments were managed by a financial advisor who primarily directed funds into insurance products and didn’t listen to my preferences. I felt stuck with the approach.
When I left that position, I rolled over those accounts, including my pension, and chose to manage them myself — and the results have clearly been better.
What’s been your overall return?
I’d estimate around 12%, based on what Vanguard reports across my brokerage, Roth IRA, and IRA accounts.
How often do you monitor/review your portfolio?
I’ll admit I’ve been a bit of an offender when it comes to monitoring my Vanguard retirement and brokerage accounts — I hadn’t reviewed them closely for quite some time. However, I do check my Fidelity accounts more regularly (since they are tied to my current job).
Managing multiple accounts can be frustrating with job changes and rolling funds from one account to another, but I will say Vanguard has done an excellent job maintaining those accounts.
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Great start so far, huh?
To read the rest of this story, stay tuned!
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