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Did you ever think that travel and finance could go hand in hand? Very often, when we think of travel we expect that so much money will be spent with nothing left to be saved. Barry Choi is here to prove us wrong!
Barry studied radio and television broadcasting in college and worked in the industry for 18 years. During that time he worked behind the scenes and learned more than a dozen jobs, but towards the end of his television career, he was mainly a Director.
In January of 2018, he decided to leave broadcasting for a number of reasons and started writing about finance and travel for a variety of clients. You can read more about why Barry quit his job and changed career after 18 years.
“Since I’m now a full-time freelancer, there’s no set daily routine, but there will definitely be writing, emails, and likely some kind of meeting involved.
I write for 7 clients on a regular basis and I also work with a variety of brands on different campaigns. Managing my time is the hardest part of my day, but I like to think I have things under control.”
Wondering how he came to take personal finance seriously?
“To make a long story short, I used to work with an investment firm but I later found out they were charging me high fees for their services and not looking out for my best interest.
When I called my advisor out on it, he didn’t really give me satisfactory answers and that’s when I realized that no one will care more about my money than me. I started blogging about money because I didn’t want people to make the same mistakes I did.”
Just like we think, you might be a little puzzled because travel and finance seem like a tough combination. How did he come to start writing about travel and finance you may ask. Well, thankfully he was able to share how he has been able to make this feasible.
“When I first started blogging about money, I felt like I needed to offer something different for people to want to read my stuff. At the time, other personal finance bloggers weren’t really talking about travel so I made that my niche. It was all budget travel tips at the start, but now I write about anything related to travel.”
This goes to show that you don’t necessarily have to do the same thing as others and sometimes you have to stand out from the crowd. If we are being sincere, the whole aspect of travel and finance merged together, quite caught our fancy.
Barry shares how he believes workers can attain personal finance goals. Personal finance is an aspect of decision making every worker, whether employee or entrepreneur should consider important.
So many people aren’t happy with their jobs not necessarily because the work isn’t motivating but because their financial status isn’t adding up when compared to the work they put in.
“If your employer offers any type of retirement matching or an employee stock plan, be sure to sign up and maximize them since it’s free money! I’m also a big believer in paying yourself first.
Many people wait until the end of the month to save what they have left, but the reality is that you should save first and then not worry about spending what’s leftover.”
How can most workers avoid living from paycheck to paycheck?
“Some people may not have a choice when it comes to living from paycheck to paycheck, but if you have a decent salary, there’s no real excuse.
Track your spending now and make a realistic budget. There’s nothing wrong with shopping or eating out, but it needs to fit within your budget and don’t forget to pay yourself first!
Daily motivation/ favorite country you’ve visited?
“Getting paid is a good daily motivator! I’m kidding, I really enjoy what I do so the motivation is sharing practical money advice that anyone can relate to.
As for my favorite country, it’s Japan. That place is crazier than you can ever imagine. I would go back tomorrow if I could.”
Did you enjoy reading this interview and what did you think of it? Let us know below and of course be sure to learn more about Barry via his website, moneywehave.com and social media accounts: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (click on links).
Also check out previous interviews on how to turn your passion into cash and read about a full-time entrepreneur involved in writing, speaking, PR work and more! Oh, check out the feature on Ufuoma, a travel blogger and Business Specialist who has visited over 23 countries!
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