If you know anything about me, it's that I'm a seeker of truth and I speak from experience. Earlier today, I read an article by Zillow that was laughable, but also made my blood boil lol. Homeownership is *still* the best way to create wealth and stability in the middle class, and when I see giant corporations lying and spewing propaganda, I stand on my tiny soapbox on the internet and shout into the void 😅 Here's my analysis of their latest hit piece against owning a home: https://open.substack.com/pub/everydayrockstars/p/the-real-hidden-costs-of-homeownership?r=211jsi&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true I'm passionate about financial literacy and homeownership -- this is my hill to grow on!

Let’s talk VSLs -- Video Sales Letters. Basically, it’s the short video that introduces what you offer, who it’s for, and why it matters. It’s not about being “salesy.”It’s about being clear, human, and intentional -- putting your message in motion so people feel it, not just read it. I just finished my first VSL with Steve Gast for How to Rock Your Finances, and honestly? It was such a learning curve. There are already a few things I’d do differently next time, but that’s kind of the point... you don’t really know what to tweak until you’ve done the first one. Getting it out there forced me to: 🎸 Tighten my message 💡 Simplify my offer 🎬 Get comfortable talking about what I actually do in my own voice For this one, my focus was simple: 💰 Make money feel approachable 📊 Show that financial literacy doesn’t have to be boring ⚡️ Help everyday people build confidence with their cash That feels aligned with the How to Rock Your Finances course... but I’m curious: 👉 Do you think this message hits right, or would you shift the focus a bit? 👉 Have you ever made a VSL (or thought about it) for your business or community? If you have one, drop the link below! I’d love to see how you approached it. Also, if you're looking for your own VSL, I can't recommend Steve Gast and his AuthorityCam community enough: https://www.skool.com/authoritycam/about?ref=32b0b96b60084c30b1d99f8dc941ae52

I wouldn’t really say this was out of my comfort zone.. meeting internet strangers in real life isn’t new to me. But recording myself on camera professionally? That definitely pushed me a little! Skool is all about building real connections, and this week was a great reminder of that. I made a post on the Skoolers page about how I use the whiteboard in my kitchen to plan out my activities. A random person commented, which sparked a great conversation -- and before I knew it, I learned there was an in-person Skool meetup happening in Chicago on Sunday. I knew I had to go. And it was so worth it. We recorded our very own VSL, shared insights, learned from some seriously talented people in this business, and wrapped it all up with an amazing authentic Greek meal. The vibe was genuine, inspiring, and just plain fun. If you’ve ever thought about doing your own real-life meetup, I can’t recommend it enough. There’s just something about taking those online connections offline -- it makes everything feel more real, more personal, and more powerful. How was your weekend?

Today we’re talking credit card rewards -- the shiny perks that make debt look sexy. Are points and cashback a smart play? Sometimes. But here’s the real question: Are you using the card… or is the card using you? We’ll break down when rewards make sense, when they backfire, and why your emergency fund is still the real MVP. Go deeper. Spend smarter. Trust less. 👀 👇 What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever justified buying “for the points”?

So far, my favorite lesson @MJ Berst has made was “Plastic Promises” (the credit card one). Thankfully, I don’t overspend, and I always pay off my balances, but I wasn’t aware of how easy it is to fall into their traps. So knowing what else to look out for really helps a lot. Thanks for posting this!