Monthly Archives: October 2018

Budgeting

How to navigate Universal Studios theme parks on a Budget and Like a Boss

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If you read my FinCon18 recap, you know I went to Universal Studios during the conference.

I had to recharge my batteries. I was just so exhausted. I needed some me time.

Therefore, I purchased tickets online to go to Universal Island of Adventure and Universal Studios: Halloween Horror Nights 2018 or #HHN28.

Buying the tickets online is a good idea for Halloween Nights as they offer a discount online.

I got one ticket to go to either park for 1 day for $115. And For Halloween Nights, I got a Flex ticket for $81.99, which allowed me to go any night Sunday – Friday.

This ended up being a good idea because I was unable to go on a specific night (as you can buy a specific date ticket for cheaper $50-60).

I had an absolute ball. It was so much fun. This is the most fun I have ever had at a theme park.

Every hour something new would happen. I walked in circles around the park all night long. I had to finally force myself to leave because it was after midnight.

This is how I was able to do everything I want at Universal on a budget and have a blast!

UNIVERSAL HERE I COME

First, I decided to wait until noon to go. I saw no reason to get there when the park opens because I knew I did not want to be there all day in the heat walking around.

After, I got dropped off by the Resort taxi, I went straight through CityWalk and when to the gate. I printed out my paper ticket, but was told I would need to get a park ticket because it was a digital ticket I had and needed to be on a device (cell phone).

I waited in line at customer service, which was oh so slow.

Finally, I got my turn and had to show photo ID. I then received both of my tickets to each park and was able to get into the park.

Park tip 1: To avoid this aggravation, simply download the ticket to your phone.

OFF TO SEE ISLAND OF ADVENTURE

I got park maps of both the Adventure Park and Halloween Nights and mapped out a plan.

I would do this park for 6 hours from noon until about 630 pm when Halloween Nights started.

At that time, I would do the other park for Halloween for about 4-5 hours as it did not close until 2 am!

First, I got on the Incredible Hulk Coaster. It was so much fun. I had to use my ticket to open the locker for the ride.

Please note, you need to have pockets or a ticket holder to keep your ticket with you while on this ride because you need it to re-open the locker.

I was also able to go in the single rider lines. Since, no one wanted to ride single these were the shortest lines. Therefore, I was able to get on every ride in both parks within 5-20 minutes!!!

Park tip 1: Go in the single rider lines. They are faster and anyone can use them. You can still end up riding with all or most of your party on the ride, but without the long wait in line.

MARVEL ISLAND

Then I walked over to Marvel Super Hero Island and got on the Spiderman 3-D ride.

While in line, I saw lots of people with lanyards and clear ticket holders around their necks.

I asked two gentlemen standing in line where they got it from. They said the front of the park, but I could buy one at stores around the park for about $10-12 bucks.

The first thing I did when I got off the ride was buy a lanyard. It cost me $10.65.

Park tip 1: Get the lanyard. You can tuck it inside your shirt while you ride. The holder keeps your tickets safe and dry from water rides.

Park tip 2: Put a credit card inside the ticket holder with your park ticket and then you can pay for food and locker rental without needing to carry your bag around the park.

Park tip 3: I asked if there was a place close by to get water and was informed that every place that offers food and drink provide free ice water. Including all the food stands or carts. Drink it! I asked like every hour for cold water.

Park tip 4: I also asked what the gentlemen were asking for when asking patrons if they could speak to them. She said it was a timeshare. They say it will be a 90 minute tour, but it turns into four hours. Stay away from these folks! It’s a high pressure sales pitch. Don’t fall for it.

On a side note: I did this before and they try to pressure you to buy all day. They ask for personal information. Don’t give it to them. They especially want your credit card or bank account number. Don’t do it!

I decided on a whim to sign up, but then looked these people up online before the tour. By sheer happenstance, I clicked on the reviews. They were horrible. So, I did what any sensible person would do. I backed out.

I called the salesperson 2 hours before my scheduled tour and said something came up.  The conversation went something like this:

ME: Hello. Good morning. Something has come up and I am not able to make the tour. I’m checking out my hotel and flying home ASAP. So, you can cancel the tour. Hope you have a good day.

SALESPERSON: (sad voice) No problem…they continue to talk, but I hang up.

I then immediately blocked that number and anyone that called from that out of state area code.

My gut instinct was that they would try to contact me and I had someone call me 3 times at the time I was supposed to be picked up for the tour.

Nope. I blew them off.

I kept the conversation short (per my phone it lasted 20 seconds) and controlled the entire situation.

Do I feel bad?  Absolutely not.  I followed phone etiquette. If you say goodbye, have a nice day or I’m hanging up now, it’s not hanging up on anyone, right?

My motto is sometimes you just have to be aggressive. Be, be aggressive. But I digress. Let’s get back to the fun.

JURASSIC PARK

I went on my third ride: Jurassic Park River Adventure.  It was not scary at all and the park is definitely family friendly as many of the rides were not thriller roller coasters, but still fun.

Then after, this ride I was tired. I took a break and got a grilled chicken salad from Captain America Diner. It cost $11.50.

Park tip 1: Take breaks after 2 or 3 rides. The sun and all the walking really wear you out.

Park tip 2: Wait at least an hour to an hour and a half to start riding again to give your food a chance to digest and body a chance to rest and recover from all the movement of the day.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade

Next, I got on the Harry Potter ride. You can keep your stuff in the lockers they provide. You will need to place your index finger on the pad until it says remove finger and verified. Then you will be assigned a locker number.

Park tip 1: Some lockers ask you to create a six digit passcode for you to re-open your locker. Keep it simple so you remember.

This ride is decent. Great visuals. Lots of jerky movements.

The Lost Continent

I went to Poseidon’s Fury.   Waited in line for a while as they grouped all riders together. The ride was okay. Again, great visuals here and atmosphere.

After riding all the roller coasters I wanted, I decided to do the water rides.

Park tip 1: I suggest you do the water rides last. The other park does not have any. And the Volcano Bay park where it is nothing but water, think inner tubes and lazy river (no rides), you have to be bused to. No thanks.

Park tip 2: If you want to get wet, either do it during the day when the suns out or bring a change of clothes. And I mean a whole change of clothes including socks and undergarments as you are going to get soaked.

Park tip 3: Bring sandals to wear on water rides. I put my sneakers in the locker and did all the water rides in sandals so I wouldn’t have to walk around the park in wet sneakers!

Toon Lagoon

The last stop in this park for me.

I got on Dudley Do-Right’s Ripshaw Falls. You get pretty wet here. My pants were soaked but my hair and shirt were not too terrible. I even found a partner to ride with here.

Next up,  Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges.  YOU GET WET. Absolutely soaked, from head to toe.  They have waterfalls that just drench you. And oh yea, dryers cost $5 a cycle!

I had a blast, but it’s time to get to the real action. Halloween Nights!! Yea baby!!!

Universal Studios Florida

This is where the action is. Huge crowds have formed outside the park and everyone is buzzing to get inside. I walked over from Island Adventure in my wet clothes so I could take care of everything all at once while inside the park.

Once inside, I immediately make my way into the ladies and change clothes. Feeling refreshed. I go over to a locker at the front of the park, by the entrance and pay $10 for all day and unlimited access.

I also brought a thin strapped bag to wear over my clothes like a cross body that was similar to a fanny pack to walk the park hands-free. I was able put my cell phone, lip gloss, and any receipts into it.

Since, I kept my cell phone on me in this park, I texted myself the locker number that I stored all my stuff in at the front of the park to make sure I wouldn’t forget.  (small productivity hack there)

Park tip 1: They will let you ride with the fanny pack as long as it’s around your waist for all the rides I went on except Harry Potter.  Just FYI.

Then I was on my way. I was off to the next ride.

NEW YORK

I rode the Revenge of the Mummy. It was pretty cool. It also had a surprise drop and was super creepy inside the dark caves. It was awesome!

Park tip 1: I played no games because I did not want to carry any prizes or spend unnecessary money on souvenirs. I just kept my park maps as one.

Park tip 2: Like with the other park, I zipped inside shops and cafes. I was in and out because if you stay too long, you will spend money.

San Francisco

I got on the Fast and the Furious. Prepare to wait for this one. It gives a long tour. However, the ride makes you feel like you’re a part of the action in the movie. So it’s not too bad.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.

This place is straight out of Hogwarts. It is really cool. I zoomed in and out of shops because again you will spend. That quiddich outfit or wizard uniform is pricey. The school uniform tie costs $30 bucks!

As I said above, you must put all items in a locker.

Then off you go. The ride is pretty cool. After every ride, it just so happens to exit into a shop of the character attraction you just got threw riding. A coincidence? I think not. Nope, I don’t need a wand to sit in my closet at home. I’m good.

World Expo

Men in Black (MIB) Alien attack. This is pretty fun. You shoot aliens. Just shoot everything!

Now, it’s gotten dark. All of the sudden chainsaw sounds are going off and people are in monster make-up and costumes. Zombies jump out at you and you get chased by people out of dark alleys. Let the fun begin!

I am also hungry. I go to Richter’s in San Francisco and get a grilled chicken sandwich for; you guessed it, another $11.50 like my lunch salad. And a small sundae from Ben & Jerry’s for $8 dollars! I bought no drink as water was free everywhere.

I walk around and take my customary break of at least one hour before riding.

At this point, the park is in full swing. The Killer Clowns from Outer Space are walking around, people are on stilts in full costume, and lighted jack-o-lanterns are hanging from the trees.

A life size Chucky from the movie Child’s Play box is in the middle of the street and inside is Chucky! He is talking to the crowd. It was one of the most bizarre things to see, but it sure was cool. He drew the largest crowd.

Every hour the park gets wilder, crazier, more fun, and crowded. It was sheer pleasure.

Sights and  sounds were everywhere. In every corner, there was something going on. I just kept walking in circles to see what would happen next. They just kept adding characters and shows.

An impromptu performance on the front stage started right before midnight of dancers doing the choreography in Michael Jackson’s thriller while the song played.

I took a short video of the performance. In this short clip, you could feel the energy of the park. It was crackling. It was electric. It was live. People were laughing, joking, dancing in the streets and just having a good time.

Imagine being in this energy for 6 hours like I was. It was the most fun I have ever had at a theme park hands down. Universal does Halloween big!!

I also got my face painted. So much fun. People kept walking up to me asking for help. They thought I worked there! But I guess when you’re wearing all black and costume makeup that can happen.

LAST RIDE OF THE NIGHT: TRANSFORMERS 3-D

This was another short line and the singles line was super short.

Park tip 1: Do not waste your money on a fast pass. You can get on most rides within 20 minutes.

Park tip 2: Pay attention to the monitors throughout the park. They tell you the wait times of rides.

Transformers were my favorite ride at the park. So, I guess I saved the best for last. It was like being in the movie with them. It was just so much fun and so cool.

Do not pass this ride up as I almost did. I thought it was going to be kind of slow like the other 3-D rides, but I was wrong.  This ride was more than meets the eye!

 

 

THE END OF THE NIGHT. MIDNIGHT.

I walk over to the lockers and get my stuff out. I head over to voodoo donut, but the line is wrapped around the corner so I leave and catch a cab back to the resort.

Park tip 1: There is a pick up and drop off area at the park. This includes cabs, Uber, and Lfyt. Cabs are also available all day at the park like an airport.

I get back to the hotel by about 1 am. I am fully recharged. I head up for bed. As I headed into my last day of FinCon, I felt like Rory Gilmore in the season 5 episode of Gilmore Girls, You Jump, I jump Jack, in ominous paratus, that’s Latin for “ready for all things.”

Well, that is the end of my Universal Studios adventure. Hope you had fun and thanks for coming along for the ride (pun intended).

Entrepreneurship, Financial Freedom, Financial Independence

FINCON 18: The Recap from your friendly neighborhood Greenbacks Magnet (Pt. II)

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Continued from part I

FINCON 18: The Recap from your friendly neighborhood Greenbacks Magnet (Pt. I)

FinCon: Day 2 (Thursday) 9/27

At 8 am, I get up and get ready to head down for breakfast with Gina.

We meet around 9:00 am.

I get an oatmeal which cost all of $3.50 and came with brown sugar and raisins. Please note that just yesterday breakfast cost over $20 bucks!

I’m a PF blogger and am frugal by nature. At times, I’m almost like a Quaker (they are plain-dressed and frugal by virtue).

I knew what I was having for breakfast for the rest of the trip.

Any who, we chatted for a while and along came Liz and Erin from dinner last night. I introduced them to Gina.

And just in case some of you out there were wondering, I met two scholarship winners at FinCon so it is very real and legitimate. They practice what they preach.

Liz said she remembered from dinner the other night that I wanted a picture with her and was kind enough to allow me to take a quick one with her before she darted off to her next workshop. Liz you rock!!!

After breakfast, I went to New Blog Strategies from Two Ancient Bloggers hosted by J.D. Roth (Get Rich Slowly) and Jim Wang (Wallet Hacker) around 1030 am.

Both gentlemen started blogs around 2005 or so and sold them for seven figures.

Here’s what I learned:

Build a blueprint for financial prosperity.

At one point, Jim Wang was putting out 20, 30, or 40 articles a day. Blogs used to be about volume, but now are more about quality. Personalize it. Make a connection. That is what keeps people hooked and coming back. Tell your story.

Pitch to people outside your niche. If you write an article about cars, see if Jalopnik will allow you to guest post it on their site or if advertisers will pay you to advertise their products.

Be selective about what programs you work with as they may not be a good fit. Network. It’s important.

Put your best work out front. Like in your About Page. It gets lost over time as you continue to write. Keep it up front.

Study how other people are monetizing their blogs. Take their courses and buy their books. See what they are doing and emulate it or put your own spin on it.

Practice the soft sell. Pitching. Like outside your niche. Offer something to others.

Hire out. Focus on your strengths. Delegate and hire out your weaknesses. Hire people. Build a team.

Build potential and then monetize. Pick partners that match your message. Prioritize big wins.  Think strategically as people can get paid to guest post.

Here are some notes:

  • You could do 500 word posts and be ranked high on SEO in Google 10 years ago. Not today. Now you need 3,000 word posts
  • Quality = excellence vs. Quantity = volume (choose quality)
  • WordPress is good to use for blogs
  • Start with a story
  • Good quality class content
  • Have a mission
  • Social Media was not there in 2008 but here now so use it to get your message out there
  • Be methodical and provide action steps
  • Master one channel (podcast, blog, etc.) before opening another
  • Use a personal approach to connect with people
  • Use Newsletters and email lists
  • Many bloggers don’t make it because they quit. DON’T QUIT
  • Advertisers want your followers
  • Build courses and eBooks
  • Send shorter emails and very focused links
  • Diversify (courses, books, speaking, and consulting)
  • Do guest posts, reach new audience, showcase your best work

By noon, Michael and I met up and had lunch. We talked for a while. Thank you Michael for listening.

Then we went down to the EXPO.

We ran into so many people. I introduced him to all the new people I met and he introduced me to FinCon Founder, PT Money.

I also met J Money (Budgets are Sexy). He was super friendly. And Love the Mohawk!

After we hit up all the booths we wanted and walked away with free swag (I got 4 pens, 6 t-shirts, a journal, a selfie light and a few other items).

I also got a free drink ticket from Bloomly. (ticket number 1 of 5)

The rest of the evening I just went to go decompress. It was an exhausting day. But a great one!

FinCon: Day 3 (Friday) 9/28

I was drained. It took every ounce of strength I could muster to go to the 8 – 850 am workshop: Four Flavors of FIRE. I skipped breakfast as there was no time and rushed to get there.

Panel included Jillian Johnsrud (Montana Money Adventures), Carl Jensen (1500 Days), Physician on FIRE and Mr. Money Mustache. J.D Roth moderated.

Each discussed what they had done to FIRE.

They noticed that peers were spending all their money.

Jillian was on an Army Base and noticed a lot of new cars. She was like nope, not for me. You know how much each rank makes in the military. People walk around with their income on the uniforms.

She said many people working 9-to-5 are burned out and need a nap. Retirement also doesn’t fix your life. You have to decide what you want and reason you are doing what you do.

Have a money formula. Invest and save 25 times your income. That is your freedom number. For example, $40,000 x 25 = $ 1 million. That is the number you will need to retire.

FI (Financial Independence) is the goal and gives you permission to spend.

I asked one question and this would be the only question I asked at entire conference, which was to this panel.

I asked each panelists this: What was the catalyst that made them decide to FIRE?

Responses were:

1500 Days: At 37, I had a really bad day at work. My parents mismanaged money. I had nightmares of having no money, losing my job, and would wake up in a cold sweat. I decided I didn’t want that anymore.

Mr. Money Mustache: I worked a lot of minimum wage jobs (lots). I got a COOP for a $500 a week student engineer job. Thought this is pretty good money. Then surplus money when graduated and working as software engineer. Money started building up.

Then I asked myself this question: Would I do this for free? No.

No sense staying at a job that I don’t need the money for paid work anymore.

Physician on FIRE (POF): I was studying for a board exam. I was in my late 30’s. I would need to do this again in 10 years. I had been spending days at the library. I didn’t want to do this again in another 10 years. I didn’t want to study for another test. I wanted to spend time and do fun stuff with my family.

Montana Money Adventures: Slowly growing passive income with RE properties. Husband had a small military pension. Had to come up with a financial plan as too many responsibilities at home.

We grew our savings and had 3 sources of income: pension, investments, and rentals. 2 out of 3 enough to cover our bills. Didn’t need or want a 50-hour work week job. Did a 1-year experiment on mini retirement. And the rest is history.

After, this I was pretty wiped out.

I had to recharge.

So I did what any person visiting Florida would do. I went to Universal Studios. (I’ll tell you all about that in my next post)

How to navigate Universal Studios theme parks on a Budget and Like a Boss

Some notes:

  • Purpose, passion, and philosophy. Write with meaning.
  • You only need so much money. Once you have enough, you can decide to start giving it away to those in need.
  • Goal is not to think about money, but to do more stuff. Have Freedom to choose.
  • Use a 3% instead of 4% withdrawal rate for retirement.
  • Amass wealth through RE (real estate) and stocks. When market goes down it’s the best time to buy. Stocks are on sale.
  • Make sure spouse is on board with FI.
  • Don’t ask spouse about money. Ask them about what they picture as their ideal life and their dreams such as traveling or other things they want.

PLUTUS Awards were also on Friday night. This is an award ceremony for excellence in blogging. There was also an after party.

Here is a tweet by Paulette Perhach of the winners

FinCon: Day 4 (Saturday) 9/29 The Last Day

The home stretch. Had a quick breakfast and went to see Grant from Millennial Money speak.

He was excellent. He was so passionate and shared his story with the audience.

I met him after the workshop and told him I really liked his speech. He was so humble and down to earth!

I also went to the house hacking workshop with Scott Trench and Mindy from Bigger Pockets, Chad Carson (Coach Carson) and Drew.

Scott said to make sure you have cash reserves. For every house he buys, he adds $10,000 in his reserves. Businesses need capital.

You can take out an expensive $1 million plus umbrella insurance policy to protect your assets.

Find people to help you such as real estate agents and create a formula for yourself to purchase new properties and manage them.

I also met Greg (Greg Chats Cash), Khaleef & Sherrian (Faithful with a Few), and so many others.

I learned about how to get booked and paid to speak and met Phylecia Jones from Keeping Up with Mrs. Jones. She also said people need to share what they know. So that is what I am doing here.

I also went to sessions by Chelsea Fagan (The Financial Diet), The Busy Budgeter, and Ellie Kay.

Then went to the close out keynote with Chris Hogan and several other speakers and finally the closing party.

I didn’t get back to my room until after midnight.

FinCon had come to an end.

With 2000 people at FinCon18, it was impossible to meet everyone, but I got as many cards or took as many photos of ID badges as I could.

And with over 100+ workshops it was impossible to go to every single one. Therefore, I would split them up and go to one session for 25 minutes and a second one for the last half.

I also took notes and took pictures of PowerPoint presentation slides that I wanted to review later. Since, I was unable to write down everything.

WHAT I DID WHEN I GOT HOME

  • Organized all the business cards I got while there. At the end of every day, I would put all the business cards I had together and kept them together by date received. That is how I kept track of what I did and who I met when and where to write this post.
  • I put the business cards in a portfolio binder so I can flip through them and look up all the people I met online.
  • Created a FinCon Folder and placed every flyer, advertisement, receipt and ticket I purchased in it to keep it all in one place as place of reference.

Takeaways and Actions

  • Take notes throughout the event
  • Turn your blog into and think of it as a business
  • Blogging is a long game. Don’t quit.
  • Stand out
  • Be unique. Tell a compelling story.
  • Be yourself
  • Create an avatar and write to them.
  • Follow up with and reach out to people you want to work with

Thank you to everyone!!!

FinCon was incredible. I can’t wait until the next one.

I know this was a lot. Thank you for all those who stuck with me.

FinCon18 attendees, if you have any comments or feedback, please let me know. If we didn’t get a chance to meet, just reach out and let me know where can I find you online?

 I hope this post helps any future attendees out there. It has been my absolute pleasure to write this. Hope to see you next year at FinCon19.

 

Financial Freedom

FINCON 18: The Recap from your friendly neighborhood Greenbacks Magnet (Pt. I)

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FinCon 18 ended for me, as I write this post, literally 36 hours ago!

It was so good I couldn’t wait to write this post.

This was my very first FinCon.

I promised Michael, a PF blogger, who runs the website Financially Alert that I would write this post and include a link to the one he wrote for FinCon 2016, as his was so helpful to me!  So, here’s a shout out to you Michael for being so kind.

This post is going to be long, but I promise it will be worth it!

I had to write this post now while I still have the momentum going with everything fresh in my mind.

A strike as the iron is hot mentality if you will.

So here it is.

This should help anyone learn how to navigate FinCon like a Pro.

Happy Reading!

MY VERY FIRST FINCON!

For those who don’t know, FinCon is the ComicCon for money nerds (bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and the like).

Basically, we talk about finance and anything that centers around money. Bloggers try to help people navigate through the complexity of personal finance. The Founder (PT Money) brought us all together and it was an absolute blast!!!

FinCon has just wrapped up its 8th conference in Orlando, Florida. It was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort about 13 minutes from the Orlando International Airport.

Next year it will be hosted in my backyard… Washington D.C.!

I actually arrived one day before (on Tuesday) the kick-off of FinCon on Wednesday at noon. And I am so glad I did. Let me tell you all about it.

But first….

I did a little recon before purchasing my ticket to FinCon. This is how I ended up actually deciding to go to FinCon.

I was posting on my blog and tweeting and it was around February I started hearing people being excited about this money conference called FinCon.

Someone even reached out to me on Twitter (another blogger DM’d me: Stephanie from Poorer than You) and asked if I was going.

And please forgive my ignorance to those familiar with the now infamous FinCon, but I had to ask what is FinCon?

So, I started doing some searches online and found tons of information. However, it wasn’t enough. I needed to know more. Therefore, I DM’d someone myself. Another blogger. His name was Drew and he started the blog GuyOnFire.  I asked him about FinCon.

He said it was great! He tries to go every year. He had so much enthusiasm about the conference that it made me want to go.

That’s when I made a decision: I was going to FinCon!

I did some more detective work to see reactions from past attendees and came across the website Financially Alert.

There were photos and other information from other bloggers about FinCon, but I found Financially Alert to be the most detailed. It was not too much or too little information. Like Goldilocks, I found these posts to be just right.

Therefore, upon deciding to go, I was going to put theory to practice and do all the things Michael suggested on his blog posts.

Here is a list of some of the things Michael suggested and discussed on his posts: Why I Love Conferences and How to Milk It for All It’s Worth! And FinCon 16: The Ultimate Recap from One Blogger’s Perspective

 

  • Plan in advance.
  • Sign up for networking Meetings or Meetups.
  • Be Flexible.
  • Network and BE REAL. Be genuine, and friends will flock.
  • Prioritize time interacting with people.
  • Volunteer to help.
  • The first day your voice will probably be raw and hoarse from talking to so many people.
  • As the day’s progress, you’ll find yourself naturally clumping into groups of friends you find common ground with.
  • It’s still a good idea to go out and meet new people every day. You never know who you may collaborate with later on.
  • Furthermore, reach out to others that you want to meet specifically BEFORE you attend. This will increase your chances of meeting them. (By the way, I did this with Michael and that is how I got to meet and hang out with him!)
  • Bring paper and pens.
  • Laptop.
  • Phone and Charger.
  • Bring lots of business cards. (Vistaprint or Moo are good places to get them)
  • Credit card.
  • Water.
  • Get some sleep and be well rested.
  • Take Immediate Action by following up with new contacts within 48 hours. If you don’t, chances are it’s not gonna happen at all.
  • Reach out to those you want to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with. Offer them something first and see where that takes you.
  • Don’t Forget to Have Fun!

Michael also has a Takeaways & Actions at the end of his post FinCon 16: The Ultimate Recap from One Blogger’s Perspective with fantastic advice and information!

I did all of these things and it worked for me!

His posts are what ultimately got me to push purchase ticket on the FinCon website.

After, reading his posts and purchasing my ticket, I decided to do a Yes, Man approach to FinCon. I said yes to everything!

Let me share with you my story.

Pre-FinCon: Day Zero (Tuesday) 9/25

I flew into Orlando from Reagan. Wheels up at 10 am. A quick one-stop layover in Atlanta (ATL). Wheels down at 2:00 pm in FL.

I met my driver right after landing. He was holding a sign with my name on it.

I looked into doing a shuttle, but then thought better of it as I knew I did not want to make any stops and would want to go straight to the hotel.

We pull up at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, I hop out the car, tip my driver and proceed to the lobby.

Once there I check-in at the front desk, pay for my room, get my keys, and head straight up.

While walking towards my room, I see a gentleman in a FinCon shirt. So, I looked at him and asked if he was here for FinCon? He said yes. I told him so was I.

He introduced himself as Sean and gave me his card which read: 2 Frugal Dudes.

Sean (Frugal dude #1) then invited me to a meetup later that night. I gave him my card too and said goodbye.

At first, I was not sure if I should go.

But I was doing Yes, Man. So I was like why not.

Sean was even nice enough to tweet me and to tweet out that they were meeting in the lounge at 8 pm for the mastermind meetup.

https://twitter.com/seanmerron/status/1044674916690391046

How could I refuse such as thoughtful guy? I couldn’t. So I went.

I got there around 830 pm and did not leave until close to midnight! It was so much fun.

I met so many people that I would go on to hang out with and talk to for the duration of the conference.

I met Kevin Griffin (Frugal Dude #2), Amanda (Debt Free in Sunny CA), Kelley (Freedom in a Budget), Justine Nelson (Debt Free Millennials), Jamie (Mr. Jamie Griffin), Cal (Mogo Interactive), Eric Rosenburg (FinCon DJ), Rachel (Budgets & Kale), Liz (Less Debt, More Wine) and others including Sarah the budget girl!

Just before midnight I called it a night and went up to my room.

FinCon: Day 1 (Wednesday) 9/26

I got up around 8 am and headed down for my 930 am mentoring session with none other than podcaster Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation.

Oh yea, FinCon sends you emails leading up to the event. That’s how I found out about the mentoring. They offered and I said: Yes.

We met at the Smooth Java coffee place which also proudly serves Starbucks.

We spoke for about 30 minutes. He answered all of my questions and was a true gentleman and professional.

We discussed the following:

  • #1 rule of podcasting is to have excellent audio quality
  • Audacity audio software is excellent for podcasting
  • Zencaster is an easy way to record interviews with good quality
  • Can use sites that costs as low as $15 monthly for your podcast needs
  • There are audio tutorials that show how to edit on YouTube that are helpful such as Pat Flynn
  • You can submit feed to iTunes and get your message out there
  • Editing podcasts takes a long time and is the hardest part
  • Media host that is good to use is Libsyn
  • Amolto is a good call recorder for Skype
  • Sign up for affiliate programs to monetize site such as Flex Offers and impact.com
  • Be strategic. Look at those that are doing well (Well Kept Wallet, The College Investor, Millennial Money)

By the end of our talk, I knew I was not ready for podcasting as editing is tedious (Brad and Jonathan from ChooseFI said in their workshop it takes Jonathan 8-10 hours to edit each podcast!). Holy cow!

We parted ways and I went to go have some breakfast. On the way down, I ran into Justine from last night who asked if I wanted to grab some breakfast. The answer: Yes.

While at the buffet breakfast which cost $18.50 + tax, we saw just 15 feet away from us, from the Dave Ramsey crew: Rachel Cruze.

After, about 10 minutes Justine was itching to meet her. I had to nudge her to do it. And she did. She even thanked me for pushing her to do it! Hey, glad I could help.

Justine is the person who also pushed me to download the FinCon app. So glad I did. I used this as a resource for the rest of the conference. Very helpful. It lists who is in attendance and where they are speaking.

We parted ways and I went off to check in and get my Fincon ID.

I ran into tons of people from last night and none other than Michael from Financially Alert.

I also got to meet Gia and Brian from The Lazy Man and Money.

I went off to volunteer with NEFE to decorate piggybanks for 3rd graders in local elementary schools. I did this with my new gal pal Rachel (Budgets & Kale).

Then I went to my first workshop.

I ducked into two, but it was in the hallways where the action was happening. You could feel the electricity in the air. I talked so much I got a headache from meeting so many people.

[Workshop] Next Level Affiliate Marketing hosted by Cut Dailey of The Penny Hoarder and Anatomy of a Podcast with Bobbi Rebell (Financial Grown Up) and Steve Stewart of Steve Stewart Podcast Productions.

I met tons of people in workshops and in the hallways like Shani from Purse Empowerment, Dave from Accidental FIRE and Paulette from the F-off Fund.

Some notes are:

  • Elevate your ability to monetize your affiliate marketing
  • Sign up for courses to learn how to do marketing, advertising, book writing, etc.
  • Scalability and think about scaling
  • Be persistent. Ask for help.
  • You need a proper microphone for guests
  • Headset with mike or Apple earbuds with little microphone piece will suffice
  • Can have interviewer do interview in a closet (closets offer no background noise)
  • Watch the amount of space on device your using as podcasts take up a lot of space on computer
  • Write quality content that engages people
  • It’s not your age, its what’s on the webpage
  • Think about the content you are creating
  • What is your message

I took breaks here and there. I also went up to my room, closed the curtains, turned off all the lights and took a short rest. It helped a lot. I also did this every afternoon I was there. Trust me you will need it.

I also met Rachel Cruze in the hallway. She was really nice. She said she was glad I walked up and introduced myself and wished my people would do that because she likes meeting people. You heard it here folks straight from Ms. Cruze herself.

Rachel Cruze gave a great keynote and said a budget gives you permission to spend. She also said don’t try to be the hero when it comes to teaching people about personal finance. Be their guide. Let them decide what is best for them.

She also said she had to work for money. She didn’t get an allowance.

In addition, she would go and speak for free when she started out. Did that for a long time before anyone offered her any money to speak.

You have to take what you can get when you are starting out.

Don’t focus on what someone else is doing or have. It’s okay to start small. Important just to start.

Start where you are.

While taking a break I ran into Jamie and Gina from The Frugal Convert.

We introduced ourselves and Gina invited me to breakfast the next morning. My answer: Yes. We exchanged numbers and agreed to meet at the 18 street market at 9 am Thursday.

I missed the First Timer Orientation at 430 pm presented by Nick True from Mapped Out Money (I’m a big fan of his blog btw) because it was standing room only.

There was another Thursday morning. I figured I would just catch the next one. (No such luck as I was busy that day too)

While I went to get some food at the market I decided to talk to a gentleman in line. I was a stranger, but so what we are at a conference. And you know what? He was very informative.

He said make sure you go to the EXPO on Thursday from 1-5 pm. That is where the brands are. You just say this: Hello, how can we work together? (more to come on the EXPO later)

I also took notes throughout the entire event. Starting from day one. I knew I would not remember everything.

I would look at ID’s and write down names of blogs or podcasts I was interested in looking up. I would also listen to groups and people talk.

That is how I learned about Millionaires Unveiled podcasts, the ChooseFI Meetup DC, and local fincon groups.

Even when I spoke to people I took notes. I would go to my room every night and write notes of things I remembered throughout the day like a journal or diary entry and tweet people I met.

I also followed everyone who followed me. I want to keep up with people. And I like to tweet.

That night I was scheduled to go to dinner at 630 pm for a birthday party for Stephanie from Poorer that You. I met up with her and about 10-12 others in the lobby.

Nope. You got me. My Twitter @mjp2520 is there. So, yep that’s me!

I ended up riding shotgun to none other than J.D. Roth of Money Boss and Get Rich Slowly. I couldn’t believe it. I had been reading his stuff for like the last three years. He could not have been more down to earth.

Also riding were Cara (Military Dollar), Erin (Reaching for FI), Ruby (A Journey We Love), and none other than Liz (Chief Mom Officer)! I was a huge fan of her blog.

We talked in the car and I told them what made me get into finance was reading the book The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach.

I remember one of the stories within one of his books where he told a crowd, that women would have to start taking more control of their finances and not rely so heavily on the men in their lives because if men were so great at finances, then why are so many Americans in debt?

A woman got up and told the crowd that he was absolutely right. Her doctor husband had recently passed away and mortgaged everything to the hilt. Even his medical practice.

She only had $25,000 dollars left and the $1 million home they had a mortgage on was so high it was about to be foreclosed.

I was in shock after I read this. I was like how did she not know this?

It was then and there I decided I would always be in control of my money and would learn all I could about finances.

Liz (Chief Mom Officer) said she remembered that story. And what got her into finance was reading the book The Wealthy Barber. She also said The Millionaire Woman Next Door was a good read as well.

At dinner, there ended up being about twenty of us.

I didn’t get to meet everyone because we were on one end of the table and were all so busy chatting that I missed some people on the other end.

I was sitting near JD Roth (Money Boss), Ruby (A Journey We Love), Kitty and Piggy (Bitches Get Riches), Josh (Josh Overmyer), Andrew (ShiftUpwards), Erin (Reaching for FI), Cara (Military Dollar), and Liz (Chief Mom Officer).

I also met Jimmy and Jennifer (Living Life Loving Us), Lisa (The Get and Give), Annie (Champagne & Capital Gains), Emilie (Wise Mind Money), Holly, Kevin, and Jennifer (Good Life. Better).

Money Women Unite. A list of women bloggers. And there are a ton. More than even I knew and I am one.

I sat next to Kitty who told jokes all night. She and her partner Piggy are a riot. They should be on YouTube or a podcast. They are like a comedy show (duo) together.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel around (you guessed it, midnight) and up to our rooms for bed.

What a fun night.

Stephanie (Poorer than You) reached out to me on Twitter, a complete stranger that I was, and invited me to dinner. She was so nice in her invitation that I just couldn’t refuse. My answer: Yes. So glad I went.

To be continued in Part II…

FINCON 18: The Recap from your friendly neighborhood Greenbacks Magnet (Pt. II)