Erik Peterson

Growing up as the oldest of three children, with one brother and one sister, I had lots of opportunity to set my own rules and basically force my siblings to grow up quickly. Shortly after learning the value of money, I frequently traded my sister two nickels for one quarter, because two was more than one. I was old enough to know that I was getting the better end of the deal, but not old enough to know that it was wrong. Fast forward a few years, add a bit of ethics and morals to the mix, and you will find a highly driven young man in his twenties, always looking to better himself and his family, taking advantage of any opportunities that come along.

I feel that one of the most important lessons in life is that if you get something right the first time, you won't have to do it again. This fact stuck with me through college, where I never failed or dropped a class, and never took a class not required for my degree. I also studied hard enough to pass each section of the CPA exam on the first attempt.

Knowing exactly what you want in life is also important and can save you from running around wasting time and energy on nonsense. Choosing not to date until after graduating high school, my first real girlfriend became my wife. Also, having the opinion that those who own as opposed to rent are usually wealthier, I made sure to save enough for our first home by the time we were married and I graduated college. We both skipped the usual renting years, moving directly from our parents' houses to our own house after our wedding.

After marriage, the lessons that I learned in personal finance became hard to follow since my wife and I come from very different backgrounds. I was raised clipping coupons and looking for bargains while my wife was raised by parents who seem to make a hobby out of spending as much money as possible. Let's just say it's been a challenge merging the two lifestyles!

More could be said, but 2,000 characters is 2,000 characters...