Alright, this episode is gonna be real short because I'm still recovering from being sick, but I wanted to share what happened to me over the past week.

I had not only the flu, but pneumonia as well. Had to go to the ER, get on an IV, all these different things. It really sucked. But this experience turned out to be a really good learning experience for me - both physically and financially. So let's break it down.

First thing - health is wealth. I know nobody wants to hear that cliche, but nobody wants to hear it until you're sick in your bed and you can't do anything. Can't work, can't do shoots, nothing. I wasn't able to do any of the things I thought I was going to be able to do. Your health is your wealth.

Second thing - I learned I need to make a list of in-network emergency services in my area. When I went to the ER, I ended up paying a $75 copay for an out-of-network location when I could have gone ten minutes down the road and paid $20 at an in-network one. That's a $55 hit I didn't have to take if I would have just looked into that before I left.

But here's the thing - I was able to pull from my emergency fund to cover all the costs without having to touch any of the money I've made or my regular income. That's what emergency funds are for. This was an emergency. And because I had that fund, the hit didn't feel so heavy.

Real talk - in times where your health and sickness can cause you a lot of financial detriment, do your best to have money set aside for situations like this. So you can get the medicine, the help, everything you need to recuperate quickly and continue to work and bring in income.

This is my first time having a job with health insurance, so I'm speaking from that perspective. I understand not everybody has it. But having that emergency fund made all the difference.

I'm keeping this one brief. Still not fully back to 100%, but I wanted to share this while it's fresh.

See y'all later. I'm gonna go get some more rest.

Alright, alright, alright. This episode is the full portfolio expose - I'm showing you literally every single investment I own. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Real talk - I had $37K, but I don't have that anymore. I'm sitting at just over $30K now, and I'm breaking down exactly what happened. We're going through all of it.

Yeah, I got some stocks doing numbers - TSM up 143%, Micron up 237%, Applied Digital going crazy at 113%. But here's the thing - I also took two options trades that wiped out almost $5K of my gains this year. Not following my own rules, man. I had a rule: if I lose 30% or more, cut it immediately. But did I do that? Nope. Thought it would come back. Lost it all the way down to -75%.

Just thinking about it still hurts my feelings.

But I'm sharing this because I wish somebody would have showed me this when I was starting out. I'm still learning - I'm maybe a couple steps ahead of where you are today, and that's it. I wanted someone to really teach me step by step what they were experiencing, and that's what I'm doing for y'all.

We're talking my 2026 strategy, why I'm holding 20% cash, what I learned from losing almost five grand, and how I'm rebuilding. This isn't about flexing or feeling sorry for me - this is real financial education.

Next episode, we're breaking down the monthly budget and I'm showing you exactly where that $700-$750 goes every month.

Let me know what you guys want to learn about in the comments. I'm open to suggestions.

Peace.

investing terminology used to bore me to tears. PE ratio? Market cap? Expense ratio? I thought all that stuff was way too complicated just to invest my money.

In this episode, I break down 5 investing terms that sound way scarier than they actually are. No fluff, no finance bro talk—just straightforward explanations like we're having a conversation.

We cover:

• PE Ratio - What you're actually paying for every dollar a company earns
• Market Cap - Why Nvidia being a $4 trillion company matters (and the risks that come with it)
• Dividend Yield - How to earn passive income just for holding stocks
• ETFs - The easiest way to invest without picking individual stocks
• Expense Ratio - The sneaky fee that can cost you thousands over 30 years

Whether you're just starting out or you've been investing for a minute, this episode will help you understand the language of the stock market without feeling overwhelmed.

Got questions? Hit me up—all my info is in the show notes.

Follow me on IG: @Glassvalleyprd

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WealthinPublicpod

Welcome to Wealth in Public - where I'm building my financial future with full transparency.

This episode gets real about how I budget and invest $750/month on a $61K salary working at Rocky Mountain Public Media. No fluff, no flexing - just the actual playbook.

I'm breaking down how I cut my expenses (moved in with grandma at 29), built a monthly budget around $1,200, and structured my income to prioritize investing. Plus, I'm doing a LIVE stock purchase demonstration so you can see exactly how to buy your first shares.

IN THIS EPISODE: ✅ My real monthly income breakdown ($3,800/month) ✅ The 20% investment rule that changed my life ✅ Shocking statistics on the racial wealth gap ✅ Live tutorial: Buying Microsoft stock on Fidelity ✅ Understanding limit orders vs. market orders ✅ How I'm leveraging my employer's 3% retirement match

THE REALITY CHECK: The median net worth of Black households is $44K vs. $284K for white households. If trends continue, Black wealth could hit zero by 2053. That's why this matters.

I'm not a financial advisor - I'm just a creative producer and video production business owner sharing my journey. No gatekeeping, no pretending I have it all figured out. Just real talk about building assets and closing the wealth gap.

Next episode: I'll show you how to open a brokerage account from scratch.

Let's build this wealth together.