Zina Kumok’s parents immigrated to the United States, with no money education and completely unprepared for the consumer society they found themselves in. They quickly got into credit card debt in order to have the lifestyle they “deserved.” An avid listener of Dave Ramsey, Zina quickly determined she did not want to ever be in debt. However, she graduated with $24,000 in student loan debt and made it her mission to pay that off as soon as she could. Every single extra dime she found, she threw at her debt until it was all gone. So once the debt is gone, Zina realized that she needed to ramp up her investing. Not one to just ‘show up and wing it,’ she set about learning how to invest properly. Zina’s story illustrates that you CAN pay off debt while making a lower salary, you CAN pursue financial independence while self-employed, and that your past does not define you. Links from the Show FinCon Dave Ramsey’s Podcast Behavior Gap (Carl Richards) BiggerPockets Money Podcast 35 with Craig Curelop