I started Funancials.biz on February 22, 2011. Happy Belated Birthday to me. I thought blogging would be a simple way for me to come home from a long day of work and vent. I unfortunately am subjected to a plethora of poor decisions by people and their money. If I could help prevent these common mistakes or change one person’s behavior then this blog would be considered a success. What started as an experiment has turned into an experience.
Everything Changed When I Joined Yakezie
When I joined the Yakezie Challenge my reach quickly went from five to five hundred to five thousand.
In case you’re unfamiliar, the Yakezie Network is a group of some of the best Personal Finance and Lifestyle bloggers in the world. The common goal of the members is to live better lives. This is achieved by selflessly helping others and promoting quality content on the web.
The Yakezie Challenge is simple:
- Write 2-4 times per week for 6 months
- Drop you Alexa Ranking below 200,000
- Selflessly promote others and build relationships
I started the Yakezie Challenge in August and have finally been accepted as a member. I couldn’t be more excited.
My Yakezie Member Post
I’m an idiot. This is a well-known fact I must cope with. Don’t believe me? Here are two convincing examples:
EXAMPLE NUMBER ONE
I was 17 years old – a senior in high school. I was interviewing for a college scholarship. I couldn’t have been more prepared. The night before the interview I wrote down every question they could possibly ask me. I mean, how many questions can you possibly ask a 17 year old? I thought the answer was 4; but I later found the number is actually higher.
I spent hours in front of the mirror practicing my introduction (not kissing my hand) much like you would before a date. “Hi.” “Hello.” “Greetings gentlemen.” BINGO! I’ll enter the room with a “greetings gentlemen.”
I didn’t stop there. I was told the interviewer’s name before the interview. I was going to go around the table, shake their hand, and give them a personalized resume (with their name on it). Impressive huh? The three men and one lady were going to be wowed.
It’s interview day and it’s my turn to go into the conference room. “Mike, Steven, Rick and Shannon,” I kept reciting. When I walked into the room, all hell breaks loose. Because I was so focused on saying my name, I didn’t collect exactly who was who. To make matters worse, there were 4 guys! When I get thrown off, I typically throw out a joke and everything works out.
I quickly gather myself, remember the names I was given before the interview and offer a light-hearted comment.
“So I guess Shannon couldn’t make it today.”
“I’m Shannon,” said the angry looking architect.
“Of course you are. Why wouldn’t you be? That’s not a girl’s name!”
Needless to say I didn’t win the scholarship. It’s a memory I rarely relive but was forced to tonight, thanks to Sam Dogen.
EXAMPLE NUMBER TWO
A few weeks ago I got an email from the Financial Samurai. He told me I was going to become a member of the Yakezie Network. I was ecstatic. I spent the next few weeks drafting my member post – the last hurdle. I read member post after member post so I could follow respectfully in the footsteps of those before me.
I had the perfect post. It was all revolving around the one simple phrase: “You Make It Look So Easy.” It works on so many levels. I was explaining how successful blogs become when they surround themselves with like-minded individuals – especially those willing to lend a helping hand. It also works because I can replace “easy” with “Yakezie.” It’ll be perfect. It flows off the tongue.
At least this is what I thought until tonight. Tonight I stumbled upon an interview with Sam on BlogcastFM (Jan 8, 2011). Great interview if you’ve never heard it. In the conversation I got to hear Yakezie pronounced for the first time. Yah-KAY-zee (“It’s leviosa, not leviosa”). Are you serious? For the past 6 months I have been mispronouncing (and believe me, I say the word a ton). Can you say embarrassing?
It was like I was introducing myself to Shannon all over again.
WHO AM I?
Apologies for the long-winded introduction. I bet you thought you were on FinancialSamurai.com huh? I blog under the name A. Blinkin at Funancials.biz. Given what I’ve written not-so-recently in the Emancipation Proclamation, I hope you’ve heard of me. Regardless, I look forward to connecting with you in the future.
I am 26 years young and live in Charlotte, North Carolina. I regretfully run the site anonymously. I do so because I have to.
After graduating with a degree in Economics, I immediately began working in the banking industry. Even with my limited work experience, I have had the privilege to dabble in everything from consumer lending to investments (and everywhere in between).
I understand money and I love talking about it.
WHY I BLOG?
I get to help a lot of people with their finances. It’s extremely rewarding but it’s not enough. I created a blog to reach more people and educate them on both the simplicities and complexities of personal finance. Becoming wealthy is extremely simple but it starts with education.
Both my mother and brother were teachers with similar incomes and similar expenses. My mother; however, was less educated when it came to money. Refinancing mortgages to get max cash out. Spending entirely too much on credit with no definitive plan to pay it down.
The worst part about it: she did it all for me.
Two short years ago, my mom passed away from a brutal battle with breast cancer. Sometimes I think I cry too often, other times I think not enough. Either way, I know I want to honor her and the life she lived.
The money generated from Funancials will go towards a scholarship of some kind. I could easily donate proceeds directly to an organization such as Susan G Komen but I don’t think my mom would’ve wanted that. Children and education were the two most important things to her.
In my eyes, investing in education will essentially be donations to everything else.
Editor’s Note: One of the most hilarious, yet heart-wrenching Member Posts I’ve ever read. Thanks for the laugh! Yakezie is indeed pronounced “Yah-KAY-Zee”, but we won’t cut out your tongue if you can’t say the word properly. Everybody go check out Abe’s site! SD
Thanks for all the support.
