Welcome to my personal finance blog! As a way of introduction, let me tell you a little about myself and why I am writing this blog.

My name is Brian and I am a typical recent college graduate who is living in the Northeast in the U.S.  Ever since I first began attending college and got my first credit card, I have been very interested in personal finance. I remember running around saying “I’m platinum baby!” to my friends (yes, I was young and excited to have a platinum credit card). Since then, I have spent a lot of time reading and learning about how to manage my money. My passion for finance led me to major in finance and accounting in college and then to a career in the finance industry. At this point, I must note that although I work in the finance industry (my job has nothing to do with personal finance), I am not a financial advisor or expert and am merely a guy who has learned a lot about the subject and would like to share some of that knowledge. The information on this blog should not be taken as financial advice as you should always consider speaking with a financial advisor.

I have a number of reasons for blogging. I was inspired by a few of my friends who usually come to me for suggestions on their financial matters. They are extremely intelligent people who are very talented, but personal finance is just not something they have spent much time thinking about. I thought that with all that I have learned through my own finances, I should share some of it with people in similar positions as my friends.

At the same time, I have recently set a goal for myself and this blog will prove as a great way for me to facilitate the accomplishment of that goal. As I inferred through the name of my blog “In the Money: planning for an early exit,” my goal is to be able to retire early. I know that I do not want to work in the corporate world for the rest of my life so I hope to achieve financial independence and freedom earlier on in my life. As much as I love my job and what I do, I wish to live a comfortable life without having to be dependent on a paycheck. I believe I can achieve this goal through savvy investing, saving, and proper management of my assets. By blogging, I hope I can help my readers and also learn from them and their experiences.

I have to warn all of you that I am not that great of a writer as I am more of a numbers guy. Nevertheless, I will do my best and I hope you can benefit from reading my blog. Feel free to leave comments and ask questions as I am always open to suggestions. Also, please consider subscribing for email updates or an RSS feed if you use a reader.  You can find the option to subscribe in the upper right hand corner of the page.  I look forward to exploring the world of personal finance with all of you!

Focus:

As it is my goal to retire early and achieve financial independence, I plan to blog about any topic that I believe contributes to that goal.  That includes, but is not limited to:

• Personal Finance
• Careers
• Saving
• Investments
• Financial Planning
• Relevant News
• Debt
• Real Estate
• Entrepreneurship
• Networth
• Etc.