Episode 28 - Leave a Legacy Worth Having

"If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else." Dave Ramsey

In the fall of 2004, I found myself in a place of “security.” I had a beautiful truck, a decent paying job, friends, and freedom. I moved into a decent apartment in Memphis and I was ready to conquer the world. That was until I was not expecting to be fired in the middle of the month of December. I had accumulated a lot of debt at that time and had no means to pay it. At one point, I worked three jobs and paid as much as I could to get it all taken care of. I had always told myself “I’ll charge it to the card and pay it off at the end of the month.” The old saying “the road to ruin was paved with good intentions” was the motto at this point in my life. I knew that it wouldn’t all be good when at the end of the month if I had a job.

Less than 6 months later I found myself at the Shelby County Court House filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy and living back with my parents. I had always been the and now I had to face the music of my poor decisions. The shackles and chains of this bankruptcy haunted me for many years after it happened.

I met my beautiful wife to be in 2006 after I moved to St. Louis to start my life over. I have always tried to be open and honest about my past with anyone to whom I had a relationship with. I was met with a lot of grace and mercy regarding this past from her and her parents. At this point, I had not incurred any more debt; however, we weren’t doing anything to attack it after we got married. It wasn’t until 2008 that I finally listened to a well-known expert on money that the borrower was truly a slave to the lender. I truly became a slave to those of whom I owed money to.

Sara and I began the journey of freedom in 2008. We found ourselves with nearly $14,000 in debt from my student loans (FYI…Student Loans are not able to be bankrupted unless you're dead.) To you, that may scoff and say “I wish I only owe that much.” But for a couple who had only been married a short time with one child on the way and an income below poverty leave; this was impossible. Then we decided to throw a wrench into the gear. Sara was pregnant with our 2nd child and we made the decision for her to come home full-time. We knew that Go

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