Looking back today, Neth has some advice for his younger self: "If I had to narrow it down to one thing, it would be: Don't be impulsive … have a plan. You just have to educate yourself."
The wake-up call came four or five years later when Neth's now-wife gave him an ultimatum. "She looked at me one day and said, 'Either you're gonna figure your money stuff out or this isn't going to work.'" He says he immediately jumped online and began teaching himself about personal finance. Within six months, he'd sold most of his stuff to help pay off the debt and started "saving like crazy." community.
"I feel like if I wouldn't have lived this, what I would call a fancy lifestyle ... if I didn't have that stuff, I think there would be a part of me even today that would be like, 'I want to experience that' or 'I want to try that,'" Neth said. "I don't think I would be a financial expert or a credit card points or miles person without this whole thing because it drove me to understand finance.