How To Play the Money Game - From $0 to $50k Net Worth

After graduating college, I realized I was TERRIBLE at money. Broke all the time, I had absolutely no savings and no idea what to do to get out of the rat race. I worked at Starbucks as a barista full time, came home depressed and exhausted, then woke up at 4 AM to start the maddening cycle of work all over again... yet somehow, never had any money.

How the hell was I working so much, but still so broke? It felt like I existed only for work and yet couldn't afford rent. I kept moving in and out with friends and family for years, trying to break out of that poverty cycle that my coworkers and I were so miserably trapped inside of day after day.

But. I knew that wealth existed. I saw it EVERY DAY. Starbucks was making money hand over fist. Moving millions of dollars. Well dressed professionals with brand name clothes, styled hair, and expensive jewelry traipsed in and out all day to purchase $15 lattes. Sometimes multiple times in the day. It was like they were all tapped into some secret... A secret source of finanical wealth, abundance, ease and luxury that I didn't have.

One day, as I got off of work with my hair a mess and my apron covered in souring milk, smelling of coffee grinds, sweat and minimum wage... I got angry enough at the whole situation to make a life-changing decision.

"I'll do whatever it takes to become one of those customers with a shiny gold credit card." Starting with reading personal finance books, researching online, grabbing every available resource and learning everything that I could about money. I swore that I'd work my ass off until I could make enough money to comfortably drink a latte and work on my computer like all of these rich, important professionals coming in the store every day.

That decision changed my life.

Slowly, as I started taking action... everything improved.

Week One. I downloaded all of the top financial apps I could find to learn how to track and automate money. I logged into Vanguard and set up both an investment account and a Roth 401K. I automated monthly deposits into both for upcoming paydays. I put $5 into Acorns and referred all my friends. I started budgeting every cent, to figure out where the heck it was all going (shopping sprees and restaurants, ugh). Set up alerts for every single transaction on my debit and a beginner-friendly little credit card. Scrutinized every action. And began asking LOTS of questions, like:

How could I cut back on eating out? What would be the BEST credit card for me to have? With the best rewards? Where are all of the highest yield savings accounts? What banks have the best rewards programs and no fees? Where will my money grow the most but cost me the least?

After a few months, it started to turn into a game.

Because I realized I wasn't just taking control... I was starting to learn how to outsmart the system. NEWS FLASH: Capitalism doesn't want us to have any self-control over our spending!!! So gaining that ability felt like a superpower. Being able to say "No, I'm not going to pay this unnecessary subscription anymore. I never wanted it. Cancel it. Give me a refund. In full." Was AWESOME. Because, baby... My money is MINE. (note: you can log into your app store account anytime and request a refund easily by clicking the option "I did not mean to purchase this")

Gamifying my finances was the best decision, ever. Once I finally sat down and decided to learn all of the secrets of the millionaires, loopholes to getting fees waived or removed, and tricks to build up my credit by exploiting credit cards and building up slow, generational wealth...

I was hooked.

Who doesn't want to retire early? Travel? Have the finer things in life? Who doesn't want to be well compensated for their time? To set their own rates and work for themselves? To be well paid and well respected? To have total financial freedom and sovereignty over their own lives?

It's become the single most important decision I've made. Learning to manage money efficiently and intelligently has affected every single area of my life. Because I'm now more responsible and actively involved in all of my other relationships, too. I invest in treating myself, my friends, my family, my money and my community better. Because now that I truly know their worth, I can really appreciate them and cultivate their growth.

Real talk: When I began, I had maybe $200 to my name. No savings. And absolutely no clue what I was doing. That was back in 2017.

Now, in 2023, my personal net worth is over $50,000 between all of my investing, savings, retirement and personal accounts. I currently own and operate three different music businesses, where I consistently make $3,000 - $5,000 a month in peak seasons. Yes I know that this will seem like pennies to some other people... But honestly? I'm working for myself, making music and doing what I love. And even though my businesses took a hit during the pandemic, it's still a HUGE improvement from where I started out eight years ago: making lattes at Starbucks, sad and broke AF.

So, are you ready to take charge of your money and your life?

Here are my top 7 tips to growing your wealth to $50k:

1. Pick up a Skill Set - Then market and leverage it until you're making an average of about $100 an hour. It can be anything. Writing, photography, music, coding, tutoring, etc. I teach private music lessons, DJ weddings, perform shows, run socials and am always building up my online following. I've slowly built up to charging higher rates. Having a higher income will almost always fix 90% of your money problems. Because a loaf of bread costs the same for a millionaire as it does for a minimum wager.

2. Automate Your Savings and Investing. Acorns is great for this! I highly recommend it. Right now, it auto-invests $33 every week for me. And Vanguard also automates. I put $20 a week into my Roth. That way the money has always gone elsewhere before I can see it and spend it!

3. STAY OUT OF DEBT. Seriously. Stay out of debt. I can't repeat that enough. Don't spend more than you're making. Don't carry credit card debt over month to month. You should treat your debt like you are on fire!! Do not rest until you put out the fire and ALL of the debt out of your life. Every single month. Every single payment. Consolidate it and build a plan.

4. Make your money work for YOU. Put it places where it will grow, all on its own, without your interference. Get a high yield savings account. Get a cashback card. Get a retirement account. Get moving. Compound interest is what makes people millionaires, not working a regular job. Your time is finite and limited. Compound interest is unlimited and powerful.

5. Treat Money Like Energy - And by this I mean: keep the energy positive, flowing, and fluid. Use it to make the world a better place. Don't hoard it, don't be greedy, don't be shady or weird about it. Don't try to take advantage of other people. That's all VERY BAD money energy. Money circulates, so whatever you put out there will always come right back at you. I've seen it many times. People try to steal, connive, or rip people off and then end up being the ones taken to court & losing everything. Ick.

6. Work Smarter, Not Harder - One of my mentors likes to say that a Job stands for "Just Over Broke". Find ways to do less work and spend less time for more money. Sounds obvious, right? But teaching online courses, group coaching, selling digital downloads, etc. are all things you can scale infinitely. Why would I teach one lesson to one person for one payment, when I can teach online group lessons at my Studio to unlimited amounts of people all over the world for unlimited amounts of payment potential?

7. Don't Worry About Other's Opinions - All of my friends who have money problems consistently worry too much about what other people think. They have new phones, new cars, new clothes and blow all their money at the nicest restaurants to impress other people. Meanwhile... I shop at Goodwill, have been driving the same car for ten years now and sip on a tonic water with lime when I go out. Is it a flashy lifestyle? No. Luxurious? No... But who cares? I have real wealth and financial security, peace of mind and the freedom to pursue my real passions. That's what's truly most important to me. Other people don't decide my priorities! I do.

Thanks for reading! Drop a comment below if you have questions :)

Want to dive in deeper? I've compiled a few lists of my favorite money making resources that have been incredibly useful on my journey so far!

Recommended Reading:

1. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - https://amzn.to/3Kk6ExX

2. The Richest Man in Babylon - https://amzn.to/3q9SmcA

3. I Will Teach You To Be Rich - https://amzn.to/3Ohh2HY

4. Think and Grow Rich - https://amzn.to/3Omtoim

5. The Success Principles - https://amzn.to/43IoYYJ

Recommended Apps & Referral Links:

1. Acorns (auto investing) get $5 to start off using my referral link - https://www.acorns.com/invite/CV5BLC

2. Mint (budgeting) - https://mint.intuit.com/

3. Quickbooks Self-Employed (tax prep) get 75% off with this link - https://refer.quickbooks.ca/s/ah.creativity

4. Vanguard (401Ks) - https://investor.vanguard.com/home

5. Capital One (bank & credit cards) get the "QuickSilver" best cash back credit card- https://i.capitalone.com/JjCMbq06G

6. Public (stocks) get a free stock to get you started building a portfolio - https://share.public.com/anjikaizen

For more about these apps, you can read my other post "The 10 Best Money Apps to Grow Your Wealth in 2022" here: https://vocal.media/lifehack/the-10-best-money-apps-to-grow-your-wealth-in-2022

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P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment below! You can follow me on all socials @anjikaizen or support my writing by leaving a tip. Many thanks, and much love,

~ Anji Kaizen