About Me

I have thought long and hard about this last page, and I am going to get quite candid. I grew up poor. I could not afford college immediately, so I joined the military. So yes, like many people out there, I am a veteran. I am also the first person in my family to go to college. Even with my military benefits, I still needed student loans. My childhood had been filled with the idea that college was going to be a doorway to much greater things. But before I go there, I want to talk about my choices.

While I was in the military, everyone drilled into me that people would try to take advantage of me because I had a steady military paycheck. So when that guy approached me on the street with an offer of a free movie ticket if I listened to his pitch, I thought to myself - free movie ticket! His pitch was about my future. About a word that did not resonate with me as an 18-year-old in San Diego: retirement. And those company names he mentioned - Microsoft, Apple, IBM. Pfft. Scam.

Fast-forward a few years to 1996. Fresh out of the military and starting college in Texas. I took out too many student loans, which meant I had extra money in my pocket. Even though my college had computer labs, I decided that I needed to buy a fancy computer for myself instead of buying stock in a Texas company that was growing rapidly - Dell.

The point is not to express regret over the money I could have had today. It is to tell you that what I was missing was someone who could guide me. Something that could show me how the money I was not saving or investing might have grown for me. Would it have made a difference? Truthfully, I will never know. But here is what I do know: I did not even have the tools in front of me to think about it rationally.

Since then, I have experienced many things - college, friendship, love, marriage, children, struggle, loss, and so much more that comes with a complex and changing world.

And I have worked. I have worked so very hard. I have worked hard jobs. Luckily, I found a job as a civil servant. Still, I have sacrificed time with my children, friends, and loved ones to try to make it. I have struggled to pay bills, make ends meet, and survive.

Several years ago, I went to a retirement seminar because a friend was going and did not want to be there alone. I distinctly recall the speaker saying that every time he held one of these seminars, someone would come up and say, “I am retiring in X months.” They would sit down together, and he would have to break the news: they were not ready to retire. Man, that hit me hard.

So I started looking at my choices. In my 40s, I began taking things seriously. I started putting money away. I learned what compound interest was - although I should have known sooner - and I started making better choices. But it took time. I had to repair my credit. I had to teach myself good habits. I had to change a lot of things about myself.

Remember the college thing? I had to face that too. I had amassed a lot of student debt trying to get that degree that would make my life better. And no, I am not asking for any sympathy for that. But I wish I had known what it would cost me—not just then, but over the long term. It is a debt I am still paying, and some days I have to ask myself if it was worth it.

Years ago, I got the name FutureStart because I wanted to help young people starting out in life, but I could never make it work the way I hoped. At the time, I am not sure my motivation was simply helping people. I wanted it to be a transaction. I help you, I get paid. But here I am in my 50s, and life looks very different now. My driving goal is to help people. Then artificial intelligence finally gave me a way to build what I had imagined.

The tools on this site were born from a desire to do something good for people. No strings. No memberships. No get-rich-quick schemes. No promises of great things.

Look, friends- you have to put in the effort. And you have to face the choices you have made and work hard to make different ones. Maybe better ones. Hopefully not worse ones!

AI helped me build and refine these tools. It helped me test them, try to break them, and run scenario after scenario. And ultimately, it helped me give them to you.

The buy-me-a-cup-of-coffee thing—yes, I get it. I hope you find value in these tools and want to throw something my way. At the end of the day, I still have bills, debts, kids, and the cost of keeping this site running. But if you cannot, that is cool too.

At this later stage of my life, I can honestly say this is simply about helping someone who could use the help. There are a lot of people who cannot afford a financial planner or a paid membership. And all these people promising that if you pay them some money, you too can earn $25k a month like them—hogwash. If someone earns $25k a month from their business, why do they need your money?

So yes, this is me. And this is my story. And this is my way of saying that I want you all to make it - all of you grinding away just like me.

I want you to at least be able to see what possibilities exist. Because possibilities do exist. They will be different for everyone, and none of them are guaranteed. But you deserve the chance to see them clearly.

It will not be easy. But having the chance to make an informed choice is worth it.

So thank you for taking the time to visit my site. I hope you share it with everyone you think could use it. I wish something like this had been around when I needed it, and I hope you find it at the right time for your needs.

If you want to reach out about anything, you can email me at futurestart.tools@gmail.com.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by.