Mastering Your Financial Future

by Henrik Bacilieri Posted on August 20, 2015 Let me tell you about the first time I got burned by money in America. When I first moved to Ohio, I wanted to feel like I was finally becoming independent. I had a bit of cash flow from part-time work and was starting to explore how life worked here. One day, I got approved for a  credit card . Big mistake. Not because credit cards are evil—but because  I had no clue how to use one. To me, it felt like “free money.” I could buy now and deal with it later. What harm could it do, right? Within a month, I had  maxed it out —on clothes, electronics, random meals, and small things I didn’t even need. At the time, it felt good. I thought I was “treating myself” or “investing in comfort.” But looking back, it was just insecurity dressed up as spending. Then the first statement came. Interest. Minimum payments. Fees. And suddenly, that fake freedom turned into  real stress . The worst part? I didn’t have any savings. I had no em...

  by Henrik Bacilieri If I’m being honest, I used to think budgeting was boring. It sounded like something only obsessive penny-pinchers or accountants would do. I used to believe that as long as I wasn’t broke, I was “managing my money just fine.” I was wrong. A few weeks ago, I sat down with a notebook and decided to actually track where my money was going. Not in my head. Not just guessing. I wrote down every dollar that came in… and every dollar that went out. Here’s what I found:  I had no idea what I was doing. I thought I was doing “okay” with money. But the reality was: I was spending  emotionally  – buying little things to feel better after a rough day. I was paying for  stuff I didn’t use  – subscriptions, fast food, random online purchases. I wasn’t saving  anything  – zero percent of what I earned had a future purpose. It was uncomfortable to see the numbers on paper. I had always avoided that kind of honesty. It was easier to just kee...

  by Henrik Bacilieri For most of my life, I misunderstood money. I thought money was just... money. Paper in your pocket. Something you work for, use, and eventually run out of. Growing up in Sicily, the conversations around money were usually short and reactive: "We need to pay the bills." "There’s not enough this month." "Maybe next time." There was no long-term planning, no talk of investments or wealth building—just survival. And so, I grew up thinking that’s all money was ever meant for. If you had it, you were lucky. If you didn’t, you worked harder. That was the formula I believed in. I never questioned it, because that’s what I saw around me. And in a place where opportunities felt limited, dreaming about financial freedom seemed like something for rich people in other countries— not us. But all of that started to shift when I moved to Ohio and began learning about finance. At first, I didn’t even know what finance was. I just thought it meant ...

by Henrik Bacilieri Posted on August 4, 2015 When I first got interested in finance, I felt like I had shown up late to a party where everyone already knew the rules—and I didn’t even know where the door was. I wasn’t a numbers guy in school. I didn’t grow up around money talk. But once I realized how powerful financial knowledge could be, I knew I had to catch up fast. So I started reading. Here are a few books that grabbed me early on and started reshaping how I see money, freedom, and the bigger picture: 📖  Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki Everyone talks about this book—and I get why. It was the first time I understood the difference between  working for money  and  having money work for you . The way Kiyosaki explained assets, liabilities, and mindset made me rethink everything I thought I knew. 📖  The Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason Simple. Timeless. Practical. These parables hit hard. "Start thy purse to fattening" still sticks with me—becau...