I started Project Financially Free a few years ago as a way to help educate myself on the subject of personal finance and self development. To track my progress and share my ups and inevitable downs on my journey from being in debt to growing my net worth and eventually being completely financially free.
Who Am I?
My name is Jon and I’m a passionate personal finance enthusiast based in the UK. My journey into financial literacy was not always clear, but today I am proud to be navigating the complex world of personal finance, and even more thrilled to share my insights with you.
If you find yourself on a similar path, looking to gain financial independence, I warmly invite you to join me on this exciting journey.
I am also the creator of dfin.pro, a website developed specially for those who are interested in getting more insights in to ETFs, mutual funds, and investments.
Any feedback, advice, comments, and requests are most welcome. I believe in the power of shared knowledge and that our collective wisdom can only enhance our financial understanding. So don’t hesitate to drop a line or two. After all, we’re in this journey together!
If you’ve enjoyed the work that I have produced here so far and would like to fund more late-night article publishing madness, then please do consider fueling my caffeine addiction! I would love your support and words of encouragement.
How Did I Get Here?
You know the story, it’s a very familiar one. The same one a lot of people have: You get a job, rent a place, get married, buy a house with a mortgage, get a car on finance, have kids, go on vacations, and enjoy life. There’s nothing wrong with that and I’m very happy with those life choices.
However the years go by quickly and before I even realized it, I was loaded up with consumer debt to the tune of around £250,000 including the mortgage and car. Up until that awakening, I hadn’t really paid all that much attention to my financial situation. I just thought, well, you get a mortgage, you work and you pay it monthly until you have paid it off years down the line. However the truth is I don’t want to still be working another 20 or 30 years down the line (certainly not working for someone else anyway) just so I can pay off debt.
Confront the Beast
Over the last several years, I started taking a real interest in self development and financial education. This has really hammered home my current situation and made me finally sit up and take notice. The problem with just continuing to work in a similar way and to pay off the mortgage minimum payment every month is that I’m never going to be truly free. I’m going to have to continue exchanging my time for money, day after day, month after month, year after year. Working to pay off debt. There must be a better way right? A way to be financially free.
This blog is to not only document my journey but to also share information I discover along the way. Hopefully this will end up providing a learning platform for myself and others. I’m also hopeful that committing to sharing my progress will help to make sure I continue to focus on my goals.
What Does Financially Free Look Like?
Being financially free will mean different things to different people. To me it means being in a position where you never have to worry about money, where you are free to make choices on how you live your life, you are able to provide and protect your family and loved ones, you have money working for you rather than working for money.
What’s the Plan?
I started my financial education by consuming various advice from well known books, financially successful people, taking some courses, and finally applying just good old-fashioned logic. I’m starting to understand that if I want to be financially free I need to start putting money to work FOR ME rather than against me. However for now the main focus is paying down debt and putting money to work for me through investing.
Over time though, my goal is to turn PFF in to a full-blown personal finance resource. I’d love for this site to be the main go-to resource for people who are on the same journey as me.
Contributing Authors
I’m happy to announce that as PFF grows, we are adding new authors to our team who will be regular contributors to the website. These authors will bring their unique take to the topics at hand. I hope that we will continue to add a great deal of value to your reading and learning experience on our site!
Brianna Johnson
Brianna Johnson is a finance veteran with over 15 years of experience in the industry. She currently works as a wealth advisor to families and high net worth investors.
She started her career in investment banking, working with some of the biggest names in the business. After several years of helping other companies grow and succeed, she made the switch to wealth management and never looked back.
Brianna has a CFA and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics. When she’s not crunching numbers or researching the next best investment opportunity, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends in her home town of Miami, Florida.
Brianna joined PFF as she wanted to share her wealth of knowledge and experience with the readers.
Andrew Garcia
Andrew brings a unique skill set to the PFF team. He loves finance and he loves to do some coding as well. Andrew has helped optimize the working of the website and has helped with rolling out some of the technical capabilities as well.
Andrew graduated with a joint degree in Business and Computer Programming from South Florida State College and has since worked at a bank as an Associate.
Olivia Smith
Olivia has has wholeheartedly embraced the digital nomad lifestyle. While originally from Newcastle, as a nomad and a freelancer, she has the flexibility to work and study remotely.
A firm believer in the seizing life’s opportunities, Olivia is currently engrossed in learning about finance and personal wealth. Olivia has a goal of reaching Barista FIRE status.
By combining her love for travel, her thirst for knowledge, and her goal of reaching Barista FIRE, Olivia is forging a life that blends adventure, personal growth, and financial independence.