I’m really excited to officially introduce @John Hannum to the Common Cents community! John is a good friend of mine and someone I trust when it comes to taxes, money, and all the stuff most of us were never taught (and usually try to avoid until the last minute 😅). He’s a CPA and tax specialist who works with individuals and business owners, but what I love most about John is that he’s: - super approachable - really good at explaining things in a way that actually makes sense - and genuinely wants people to understand their money, not feel intimidated by it - John will be our tax & CPA specialist inside Common Cents, and we’re planning our first workshop with him soon (details coming!). 👉 In the meantime: - If you have tax questions, post them in the community and tag John - If there’s something you’ve always been confused about (write-offs, investing taxes, side income, W-2 vs 1099, etc.), drop it here - Chances are, if you’re wondering it, someone else is too — and we can all learn together This is exactly why I wanted to build this space — so we can bring in the right people, ask real questions, and stop feeling like we’re behind or “should already know this.” Fun Fact: John really loves wine too! Please help me give John a big warm welcome below 👇 Really glad to have you here with us 💚

Hi all, my name is Artem and I am a level I civil engineer working at my first job in Santa Ana. On top of that, a USA beach volleyball Deaflympian! I were two cochlear implants on the day-to-day basis and I also know ASL to communicate. One of my dream goals is to become an expert investor - as a kid, I always dreamed on being on shark tank since I love seeing engineering and business come to play with my family. I am here to work together as a team, to learn more on investing in stocks, trades, crypto, and fully grasp the understanding of what today’s market is like or the projected market in the future. I believe in each one of you and together, let’s go as high as we can as the sky is the limit!

"I'm saving right now to buy a house." "I'm saving up right now to ________" I hear this all the time. And every time I think: what if they were INVESTING too? They'd get there so much faster!! So let's break it down together. The difference: Saving = money you don't want to lose (safety, access it anytime)Investing = money you want to grow (compound interest working for you) Most people think it's one or the other. But I think it's actually both. Here's how they work together: Step 1: Build $1,000 emergency fund fast (covers small surprises) Step 2: While building toward 3-6 months expenses, start investing small ($20-50/month) Step 3: Once emergency fund is solid, shift focus to investing more and saving less. Real life example - Charlie: Makes $4,000/month, monthly expenses $3,200, has $800 extra. Her 12-month plan: - Months 1-6: $600 savings, $200 investing - Months 7-12: $300 savings, $500 investing By Month 12: - Emergency fund: $9,000 (3-6 months worth of expenses met! Shift focus.) - Invested: $5,400 (worth ~$5,650 with returns) If she keeps going: - Year 5: $36,600 invested - Year 20: $295,000 invested That $200-500/month turned into almost $300k. That's the power of doing both. Common mistakes let's avoid: - Investing before you have any emergency savings (risky - one surprise and you're pulling money out of investments at a loss) - Only saving and never investing (inflation eats your purchasing power - money loses value sitting still) - Keeping 5 years of expenses in savings (too safe - missing growth opportunity) The bottom line: Both are important. The order matters. Safety first (emergency fund) → Then growth (investing) → Maintain both forever. In this community, we'll cover: - Exactly how much should stay safe - When you're ready to shift to investing - How to start with index funds (VOO, VTI explained) - How to automate both so it happens without thinking - How to adjust as your income grows

We’re officially kicking off the 2-week First Investment Roadmap on Monday, January 19th so everyone can start together and move at the same pace. I'm sooo excited! That means by the end of January, everyone should have made their first trade and that much more knowledgeable about investing! After our call on Sunday, we learned —a lot of you want help with credit cards, budgeting, structure, and investing. We decided to start with investing first for one reason: Time in the market beats timing the market. Between now and January 19th, we want to build a habit that makes this space feel supportive, human, safe and easy to show up to. So we’re introducing a Weekly Coffee Break ☕️ inside Skool. We’d love to host the first one sometime this week (Thursday–Sunday) and then make it a regular weekly thing moving forward. Please vote below 👇 What time generally works best for you? If none of these work, drop a comment — we’re shaping this with you. (if there's multiple that work, please write it in the comments!) Just to get mentally prepared....During the 2 Week Roadmap to your first investment we’ll focus on: • understanding what investing actually is • getting set up the right way • making your first investment (yes, as little as $1 or even up to $100, $500, there's no limit) Small, intentional steps > overwhelm.