Hi…..I’m Michael Holland, the founder of FinancialDojo.com. I look forward to helping you with your personal finances and putting you on a clear path to financial freedom.
My experience and background is money and I love talking about the topic. I’m frequently asked by family and friends, who come to me out of frustration, to help sort out various aspects of their finances. The common theme of their annoyance is that there’s so much confusing content published about managing money, it’s hard to know what applies to them. Just like you, they are frequently pressed for time, and simply want straightforward information that is tailored to their specific financial situation.
Of course, I fully understand their anguish and anxiety about this topic. It’s like trying to figure out how to eat a whale. For many people, they just don’t know where or how to start.
So I embraced their grievances and set out to do something about it because I get fed up with the frequent, and unnecessary, double talk and technical mumbo jumbo, too. This web site is my solution for them and for you. Trust me, as you’ll read elsewhere on this site, it took me a long time to figure out a way to give them what they were seeking, and make it entertaining as well.
So every suggestion, tip, and strategy that you read, watch, or listen to on this site is also being consumed by my family and friends. With that in mind, you can bet that I’m not going to direct them toward get rich quick schemes and questionable investments.
Together with visitors like you, we are establishing an enthusiastic community of ninja wealth builders. Beginners are very welcome. I will serve as the primary host and teacher, but I won’t be the only contributor.
Why Trust Me?
When you have questions about how to best manage your money and personal finances, you’re smart to inquire about the knowledge and creditials of the information provider. Quite often, tips and advice given in magazine articles and on the web are presented by faceless names.
It’s hard to know who or what to trust, right?
In addition, there are usually lots of questions left unanswered. That’s because the advice is kept at a very high level. This makes it difficult for you to determine what specific steps to take to implement the suggestions. And to be frank, a lot of it is just garbage.
You can trust me because I walk the talk.
A Peek At MY Finances
Let’s start with some recent personal financial disclosures.
The two images below are snapshots of my May 2013 and July 2012 FICO Credit Scores, based on my Equifax credit reports. The scores are an indicator of how well I’m managing my credit and debt. The FICO scoring range goes from 300 to 850. If you have high debt and/or don’t pay your bills on time, your score will be low. If you have the opposite, your score will be high.
The first image, taken from my 2013 credit report, shows a FICO score of 809. Currently, only about 1% of the U.S. population has a FICO score above 800.
The next image was taken from my July 2012 FICO credit report. As you can see, it shows a credit score of 811.
Now, to be totally transparent, over the last 5-7 years my FICO score has dipped as low as 774 which is still outstanding. Temporary fluctuations can happen when you take on new, sizable chunks of debt such as financing a car or buying a home.
Your FICO score can have a big impact on your bank account and ability to achieve your financial goals. I’ll discuss this in greater depth elsewhere on this web site. You’ll also learn how to attain and maintain a high score, too.
Another reason you may want to listen to me is because in this dojo, I’m a Master Black Wealth Belt. (Note: To learn about our wealth belts, click on the “Start Here” button on the navigation bar.)
Among other things, this means that if I wanted to, I could completely pay off ALL my debts (home included) with less than 25% of my available savings and investments.
Financial Dojo’s Mission
Our mission (including the experts I bring aboard) is to help you master the art of managing your money, hone your financial self-defense skills, and build wealth. In fact, there’s one BIG thing that I’d like to accomplish with your help if, and only if, you find this site to be of great value to you.
My goal is to, in some way, improve the financial knowledge and health of at least 5 Million people over the next 5 years.
You can help by sharing any of our FREE reports, articles, videos, etc., that you believe could benefit a family member, friend, or acquaintance. You can do most of this by clicking on any of the social sharing buttons on this web site. Let’s put an end to the common notion that, “The average American is one paycheck away from being homeless or in severe financial trouble.”
What Makes FinancialDojo.com Unique?
I know that reading about money and finances isn’t exciting to everyone. So, if I was going to create a site around this subject it had to include some fun and interesting elements.
FinancialDojo.com does this in a couple of ways. First, it combines two of my passions — personal finance and making money online (and teaching others how to earn money online).
Second, I enjoy watching martial arts movies and find that many of the virtues needed to become a successful “real-world” martial artist are also needed to build lasting wealth. They include: knowledge, discipline, self-control, perseverance, goal-setting, and honesty.
Ultimately, I hope this novel combination keeps the content interesting for you. If you stick with us, I’m confident that you’ll not only achieve your immediate financial goals, but complete financial freedom as well.
What You Can Expect
Using the information, tools, and strategies that make up the CALM Approach, you should become better disciplined, goal-oriented, and wiser when it comes to spending, saving, and investing your money. (Note: To learn about the C.A.L.M. Approach, click on the “Start Here” button on the navigation bar and go through our orientation guide.)
And if you have an interest in low-cost, innovative ways of increasing your income, we’ll put you on the right track.
As you’ll see in a moment, I’ve been online for quite a while, just doing my thing, mostly underground, nothing nefarious. But as I mentioned earlier, after helping family and friends for years, I wanted to create a web site that would help even more people.
Here’s a bit more about my educational and business background.
Education:
– Master of Science Degree in Administration (Central Michigan University)
– Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance (University of Florida)
Work and Business Experience:
Pre-2002 Corporate Experience (20 years):
– Deloitte Consulting (one of the world’s leading consulting firms)
– W.R. Grace Inc. (multinational chemical and healthcare company)
– The Federal Reserve Bank (our nation’s central bank)
– The 7-Up Company (yes, the soft drink and food company)
– Monsanto Inc. (when they were primarily a chemical company)
Specializing in…
– Financial and Budget Analysis
– Process and Operational Improvement
– Auditing and Accounting Reviews
– Cost Control
– Major Software Implementations
– Management Consulting
– Training And Course Development
I held various positions, including supervisory and management. I traveled to (and carried out) business activities in over 30 countries. I think you now have an idea of why I have a passion for talking about (and dealing with) money issues.
Post-2002 Business Experience:
– Online Publisher and Marketer
Specializing in…
– SEO
– Information Product Creation
– Social Media
– Internet Marketing
I’ve had a full-time online business since 2002. I rely on it for my income and I absolutely love it. I have a number of web sites in various niches, but there’s no need to reveal them all here. Plus, this one will now be my primary focus.
However, I will disclose a few so that you can venture out and learn more about me, if you wish.
I created one of my first web sites back in 2002. You’ll find it at home-decorating-made-easy.com. It was originally a joint venture with a friend, who is an interior decorator. She has sinced moved on to other things, but the site still flourishes.
Next, one of the very first products that I created online (in 2003) was a popular eBook called Strike It Niche! (stikeitniche.com). It’s not for sale any more, although you still might find archived discussions about it online.
Strike It Niche was actually the first book I had ever written. And I fondly remember back then that if you created any downloadable product that exceeded 2MB, you were asking for trouble. That’s because computer speeds were so slow. It could take up to 15 minutes per megabyte for someone to download a file…lol…wow.
I created another product in 2006. It was a course called The Niche Mastery System (nichemastery.com). It, too, is no longer for sale. But back then, I sold it for $397. I was so proud to have created a fairly expensive physical product (CD’s and workbooks) that people found helpful. I eventually stopped selling it because some of the material became outdated and I didn’t refresh it. But I may pull pertinent stuff from it and share it with you.
A third product is one that I co-created with renowned marketer, Yanik Silver. It’s called Public Domain Goldmine (publicdomaingoldmine.com). It’s still for sale, but I’m not pitching you to buy it.
If you look around the web long and hard enough you may find my name attached to other web properties. But my purpose for telling you all this is to simply share a little more information about me so that we can hopefully begin a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
Some of my other non-business interests/passions include:
– Collecting/Drinking Fine Wines (Especially Bordeauxs)
– Cooking for special people (You gotta, if you love fine wines.)
– Exercising (5 days a week)
– Watching Sports (Florida Gators and Dallas Cowboys. Don’t hate me.)
Finally, my last, but not least, passion actually involves you. You see, I love, and am utterly fascinated by creating and creativity. It’s amazing to me how casual thoughts can blossom into amazing realities. And the talent for making this happen exists within all of us. Yes, you too!
So no matter what financial position you’re in at the moment, I want you to always think great thoughts and possibilities. By doing this simple thing, you’ll put yourself on a path to making positive and rewarding changes in your life. Now, let’s get to work!
Namaste,
Michael J. Holland