#FinCon18, Community, and Financial Peace

Sitting at the gate waiting for my flight to take off for Orlando, I have a moment to pause and think what it’s all about.  This will be my first FinCon and I’m not sure what to expect.  I have been thinking about the five stages of financial independence and how it plays into this crazy winding road that has taken me to two CampFI’s and now to the Mecca of personal finance bloggerness.  I started this journey by accident.  My financial habits were born through the good modeling of my parents.  Yet the vocabulary to understand this journey and the strength to take the road less traveled are all fairly new.  On the eve of FinCon, I find myself thinking deeply about my destination.  The final stage of financial independence.  Financial Peace.

#FinCon18

I am not going to promote anything.  I am not planning on pushing this blog. Nor did I make up any shirts, business cards, or other paraphernalia.   While I will partake in any great freebies handed to me, I certainly will not be giving any out.

I am not here to make business relationships, and have no dreams of taking my blog to another level.  I certainly wouldn’t turn away any opportunities, but the likelihood that the financial success of my writing will move the needle is incredibly low.

There is no master plan to build my brand.  No wish to see DiverseFI flashing in bright neon lights.

I am going to FinCon to build community.  To cement my journey to financial peace.

Community

I have never had a community.  In high school and college I was always the odd man out.  Medical school was no different.  Even now you could put me in a room full of doctors, and I would feel no more or less connected to anyone else.

I am not a group person.

Or so I thought.  CampFI made me think otherwise.

I think I have found my community.  This group of FI enthusiasts has done what no other gathering has done for me before.  It has made me feel like I belong.  Like I am supported.

For once, I no longer feel the need for stealth wealth.  I don’t have to hide what I’m doing.  I can talk about investing, and real estate, and frugality.  And I am not only listened to, but also embraced.

There can be no financial peace without community.  Without support.

Financial Peace

I used to think the ultimate destination was financial independence.  I now know that it is financial peace.

A place where I no longer strive for economic gain nor fear for economic loss.  Not only money apathy but market apathy takes hold.  My decisions are only tangentially related to balances in my accounts.

Because I rarely look at my accounts.

My life is full of purpose, identity, and connections.

I create content.  Practice hospice medicine.  I am a husband.  A father.  A son.

And sometimes I go to these get togethers.  Like FinCon.  Where I feel the warm embrace and support of people.  My people.

Financial peace.