My name is Jared, and I am a millennial. Yes, I am proud to be identified with what many have stigmatised as a lazy, entitled, and unfocused generation. Why?
Because I know I’m part of a generation that also has the track record of turning the status quo upside down and knows innovation can unlock what opportunities were formerly impossible. Whether the word Millennial immediately instills a negative connotation or not, I have grown to love being a part of this generation. But we are in desperate need of help.
We have been in the shadow of the baby boomer generation, who as a whole amassed quite the fortune and resulting lifestyle that has therefore left many Millennials trailing them in wealth generation at comparable ages. Even with that wealth, many of us watched the baby boomer generation hit hard during the last correction. The longtime steady careers, homeownership, hobbies, and lifestyles of this generation were abruptly disrupted. However, arguably the millennials were even further pummeled. Seeing how much wealth evaporated after life-long dedication to what they had built, we saw firsthand how unsatisfied and unfulfilled the lifestyles were, especially when coupled with the mounting debt loads that followed.
Although many may not relate the events that followed the last correction to a behavioral change in millennials, it is apparent that what has welled up since then has been nothing short of a shift away from a consumerism-only focused mindset. Movement-based endeavors like minimalism, financial independence, tiny home living, car-less transportation, and remote workplaces have been birthed from this shift and technology advances. Many of us have grown more and more uninterested in bearing the weight of what used to be the norm and even the status quo.
As a result, we don’t want to follow the financial path of those who have come before us, but the problem lies in that we ultimately don’t have a plan otherwise. There is no wonder millennials are taking longer to marry, start homes, or establish themselves. This generation is seeking [Margin].
We are embarking on a journey to build financial margin. I hope that this journey will inspire you and instill a great deal of encouragement to you. There is a community developing between those seeking this as well, so know that you’re not alone.
I think we all can agree that personal finance affects every aspect of your life—whether you want to open your eyes to it or not. It interferes with your relationships, decision-making processes, the level of risk you are willing to take, and the future goals and aspirations you are eager to pursue. All aspects of your life are directed by your ability to manage your finances well.
I once had a professor who told me that “Opportunity favors the prepared.” This has been a profound saying in my life, but there’s more to the story than just being prepared. You must also act. You can read these words and choose to do nothing. You then have more information, but you are not necessarily any better off. You can continue living your life the way you are—growing more and more apathetic towards your discontentment.
OR
You can choose to accept that you are not where you want to be and have the courage to step forward in taking action to change it. When the opportunity arises, you must then act on it. Today, you have the chance to change the trajectory of your life, much like I did. Jim Rohn once said, “If you do not design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.” Decide to plan your way and live the life you’ve dreamed about through intentionally developing a strategic plan for building margin in life. I’m here for you to lock arms in achieving margin together, and I am honored to be a part of your journey. As we embark on this adventure, I have built a path to Margin that we will cover in the coming weeks.
