In full transparency, this blog is something I have been thinking up for a long time. But why did it take me so long to finally start? I think like most people it’s the fear of failure. Lots of thoughts went through my head every time I thought about buying the domain and setting up the site.
Some of the thoughts included:
- What if no one reads what I write?
- Or worse, what if they do read my content and absolutely hate it?
- What if I run out of things to write about?
- Will anyone take me seriously?
- What if it’s perceived as just “another” personal finance blog?
- What will my friends think?
- What will my wife think?
- Should I tell anyone I know that I am starting a blog?
- How will I be unique?
- How will people find my blog among the hundreds of millions online?
And the list goes on and on. Finally I got the right push and motivation that I needed to get the blog up and running. Scott Dinsmore of LiveYourLegend.com sent out an email blast to a list I happen to be on for his annual build a blog challenge. I won’t lie; I let the email sit in my inbox after reading it for a couple of days before taking action.
After two days of thinking it over I decided to bite the bullet and buy the domain, which to my surprise was actually still available. I decided that at the very least I was going to do this for me and if I got any traction from other people reading and hopefully commenting on my content, then it would be a bonus.
Why Gen Y & Finance?
That is actually a really easy question to answer. Simply put, I chose to combine Generation Y and Finance because I am a proud member of Generation Y (which is almost 80 million strong) and my passion is, well…Finance (among other things, which I will share over time).
Now for the not so simple answer. I think there is a gap in our education when it comes to financial literacy. And I honestly don’t believe it to be a generational gap…it’s been a real problem for a long, long, long time.
You see, I don’t think there’s enough time spent in school covering a topic that is going to affect us the rest of our lives. Whether you want to realize it or not, money is at the center of our livelihood. That’s not to say that money is everything, because we all know that both rich and poor people have problems. I don’t know about you, but I would just rather money not be one of the problems I have to worry about.
So today with this first post, I have decided to be the change that I want to see in the world (thank you Ghandi). My generation needs a leader to step up and show them the way. But not just any leader, it needs to be someone who gets them, who thinks like them, and who understands their wants, needs, and desires.
I can hear the cry for help and this blog is my way of raising my hand as a volunteer to lead my tribe. On this blog I will guide you through all the jargon that the industry spits out to make things sound more complicated than they are. It is my mission to empower this generation to achieve financial mastery and ultimately financial freedom (and have fun doing it).
So who’s with me?
– Gen Y Finance Guy
6 Responses
Welcome! The world needs more people fighting the good fight for financial freedom–we’re happy to have you on board!
Thanks Froogal Stoodent!
I completely agree with the lack of financial education in our schools. I didn’t have a finance course until my second year of college and, even then, it taught very basic concepts that I thought everyone should already have known. I was surprised at how many people in our class couldn’t grasp many of the concepts or dismissed the class as ‘useless’.
I’ve got two years on you, GenY, and I have been reading as much as I can to absorb financial knowledge lately. Finance is an interest of mine as well, although, I have a lot to learn and put into play.
I look forward to following your posts.
Cheers!
Thanks for the comment Jenn.
Cheers!
We all need to do the jump! I just read your blog backwards and finally read all your posts, good job!
Wow! That is impressive.