Why I Wrote... The Bumbling Millionaire
In The Road to “Tales,” I discussed some of the creative struggles I endeavored during a few years of my life. Working on Tales from of the Road with Bill Bancroft helped me regain my artistic confidence. When we finished the first draft of that book, Bill and I entered an extended period of revisions.
With a resurgence of confidence, I needed another creative outlet, yet I didn’t feel ready to start another book. I needed someplace to practice my craft as I had things I wanted to share with the world
I read several personal finance and real estate blogs daily during this time. I also listened to podcasts related to those fields. The one thing that always left me feeling underwhelmed was that no one ever talked about how personal finance could link to commercial real estate (an area I worked in).
There are many personal finance blogs, and you can easily find one that will cater to your taste or personality. There are more than a handful of real estate blogs—many of which feature commercial property investing.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a blog linking the two fields to show folks that saving their pennies could help them buy a commercial property. Therefore, I created a blog called Building-Income.
But who was I to think I could write a blog about personal finance and real estate?
I screwed myself up financially during my twenties and thirties. I didn’t save a penny. I paid no attention to my expenses. I spent far too much with credit cards. When it came to shopping, I rarely uttered the word ‘no.’ I had zero financial discipline.
Zero multiplied by anything results in a zero. My lack of financial discipline multiplied by new money coming into my hands equaled… well, less than zero. How could that happen?
Not paying attention. Living above my means. Two divorces.
By the time I was forty, I had a negative net worth.
So, how did I turn my net worth around? Those were the stories I wanted to tell.
Building-Income allowed me to share my life experiences and the financial lessons they taught me.
One of my favorite recollections was the home arcade I built with my friend and my daughter. In Shall We Play a Game?, I shared the process and the feelings that went along with the project. The summer we collected those games felt like a special time. Believe it or not, financial and life lessons came from that experience.
I also shared what I learned from running a karate school. Wait? Didn’t you know I owned a karate school? Well, now, you do! In If You Run Your Business Like a Hobby, Expect a Punch in the Face, I discuss the good and the bad of operating a business with your friends.
I explained how my collection of comic books, toys, and other doodads led friends and family to compare me to The 40 Year-Old Virgin. It’s a humiliating thing to admit, but in I Was Broke Because I Wanted to Be, I showed folks how careless I had been.
With Lessons from The Force, I shared my experience in joining the police department. One day it was the best job I’d ever had. The next, I couldn’t wait to leave. What happened, and what did I learn in between?
I wrote many articles on real estate investing, personal finance, and even added some reviews of my favorite financial and self-help books. I had so much fun writing those posts.
I wanted Building-Income to be different than other blogs. Regrettably, it was too different.
Personal finance is a universal concern, and it affects all of us daily.
And most folks are interested in residential real estate. They understand it. They grew up in it. They’ve probably rented a house at one time. Maybe they even own one.
This was the first building I bought with partners. I told the story of it on The Bumbling Millionaire.
But commercial real estate is where people conduct business with other people. It’s where they go to buy groceries, get their hair cut, and maybe pick up a burger while on the way home from their kid’s soccer practice. They are only familiar with commercial real estate as a consumer.
Purchasing a commercial building never crosses the radar of most people. They can’t fathom it as an achievable goal. My finance articles seemed to hit the mark with readers. The commercial real estate ones were losers.
As my creative energy blossomed, I began to generate new ideas. The Side Hustle sprang to life and was followed quickly by The Long Cold Winter. The 509 Crime Stories was born!
Building-Income soon took a backseat. There’s only so much writing time available each day.
When Charlie-316 appeared on my writing schedule, I pushed the personal finance blog to the backburner. In fact, I removed it from the stove. It sat unused for a couple of years.
I didn’t feel inspired to return to the personal finance stories. I was excited about crime fiction, and writing about the evils of the amortization schedule seemed unfulfilling. Yes, I did write a blog post about that.
I also was disappointed in the name Building-Income. When I first selected it, I thought it would have a cool tagline, ‘Building income with your building’s income.’ That doesn’t seem as nifty now as I thought it was then. However, someone already owned the URL for “Building Income” so I was forced to get the URL with the dash—Building-Income. That bugged me, but I still went through with it. I should have picked a different name from the get-go. Maybe I would have stayed motivated.
In 2021, a spark of inspiration triggered something, and I took another look at the website. There was a lot of great content there! So much so that I’ve considered using it to write a non-fiction book—maybe even two. I have another non-fiction book planned about a couple of businesses that I was part of—tales I never shared on the personal finance blog.
I gave the blog a facelift, came up with a much catchier name, and had a logo designed. The Bumbling Millionaire was launched, and I’m thrilled with how the site looks now. I even wrote a few new articles for it.
Then the spark of inspiration fizzled out. Crime fiction is where my creative heart is—not personal finance. I have too many characters waiting to burst forth and share their stories with the world.
Tales of the Amortization Schedule could wait.
My path to cleaning up my finances wasn’t a straight one. It was a winding trail, covered with rocks and branches that caused me to trip, stumble, and fall. I eventually made it. I also learned how to purchase commercial real estate, both in partnerships and by myself. I’m fortunate that I worked as a commercial real estate broker and received an education in this subject by observing folks far more intelligent than myself do it.
I’m glad I created The Bumbling Millionaire and it sits out there as a piece of my journey. It’s a series of guideposts showing where I’ve been and where I still hope to go in the future. That blog is a reminder of the creativity we all find in various pursuits. I’ve shown some of those already here (The Unknown Janitor, for example). I’ll continue to do so as we go forward.
If you get a chance, I hope you’ll stop by The Bumbling Millionaire and check it out. If there’s an article you like over there, please tell me. It would mean a lot.
