7 Steps to Become Your Own Bank and Achieve Financial Freedom

This blog was written solely from personal experience. Adjustments based on individual lifestyle factors (house/mortgage, apartment/rent, living with parents, single, married, kids, etc.) will be needed but the core teaching remains valid. It’s also assumed most people reading this blog already have some form of steady income. There’s more than one way to achieve financial freedom but this exact approach was the path I chose. Most importantly there’s no pretending, lying, cheating, or stealing involved. Matching colors indicate both steps can be worked simultaneously to accelerate the process but skipping non-color matching steps is not recommended.

Step 1) Declutter Your Life: Cancel all non-essential subscriptions. There’s more than enough movies, videos, music, and audio books available online for free. Don’t pay extra for the ability to hide ads. Purchase physical items you like when they’re on sale. Build a digital collection by downloading/screen recording audio and video files onto a hard drive when available. Physical books are an exception because knowledge is potential power! Physical books can be resold and don’t require electricity, an account or internet access to read. They are also exempt from digital blackouts, spontaneous editing, or being delisted. I’ve used Archive.org for years as it’s a great resource for downloading free pdf books.

Find things that you don’t use often and consider selling them on eBay or similar platform(s). Don’t waste time or money getting a P.O. Box. No one knows who you are or would care since it’s understood most eBay sellers are interested in passive income―not starting an online business. Save and reuse as many Amazon boxes and paper/bubble wrap as possible when packages arrive. I’ve been selling items online for 10 years and can confirm buying new shipping materials isn’t worth the extra expense and won’t affect your seller reviews as long as what’s inside the box or envelope isn’t damaged once delivered!

Step 2) Enter Saver Mode: Money management is critical for long-term success and wealth sustainability. Self-control and discipline will develop with consistent practice over time. Focus only on your financial goals and ignore everyone else. Do not start trading stocks/crypto or investing until after mastering the art of saving money! Why? You will make mistakes and lose most, if not all gains eventually, due to a lack of market experience. It comes with the territory and is almost guaranteed to happen to every beginner sooner than later.

Contributing to your company’s 401(k) is acceptable as any contributions help reduce taxable income when filing yearly taxes. However; don’t feel obligated to contribute the maximum company matched amount if you don’t see yourself working there very long or building up your checking account is a higher priority. Changing jobs and transferring the 401(k) to a different employer might not be feasible. Making fractional withdrawals or closing the entire 401(k) account may be necessary if backed into a corner. That's what I ended up doing. Be prepared by creating an oversized safety net just in case stuff unexpectedly hits the fan! I’d say have enough to cover at least one year of normal living expenses as there are many unseen variables to consider. In the current job market it’s highly unlikely anyone is going to be able to stay with a company more than a decade (even if they wanted) without leaving or being wrongfully terminated due to all of the chronic lying, narcissistic, and sociopathic people in “leadership” positions!

Heavily reduce or eliminate all fast-food, eating out, Door Dash, and Uber services. These conveniences are counterproductive while actively trying to save money. Cooking your own food will always be cheaper than eating out and you know exactly what’s in your meal. Think of how much money can be saved each month by driving less and not tipping at restaurants. You don’t always need organic foods to optimize health but I wouldn’t cut too many corners at the grocery store. Generally, the cheaper the food, the worse the nutrition tends to be which can lead to health problems long-term. Having a basic understanding of food labels will be helpful in determining cost to value ratios for you and your family.

Try reducing as many essential bills as possible. Aside from peak hot and cold weather seasons. Is your HVAC system running too much? Lowering or raising the temperature a few degrees can easily save $50 to $100 a month―especially while you’re at work. Running ceiling fans while at home may help too. Is the T.V. or other power intensive devices active more than they should be each day? Are lights turned on in rooms that aren’t being used? How about cutting your own grass instead of paying someone else to do it? If you have a gym membership, keep it! Health should never be neglected. However, you may want to drop back to the basic plan if you aren’t using the extra perks consistently. Making small adjustments can easily reduce monthly expenses. Get creative and watch the savings roll into your account!

Step 3) Become Debt Free: I'm not married. I don't have kids. I never went to college. I was able to pay off my 30yr mortgage (at the age of 26) within 4.5 years because I happened to land a high paying job requiring crazy amounts of overtime. I worked 10-12hrs/6 days a week throughout most of my 20s. I’m still not sure if it was good or bad advice but it gave me an edge. Maybe it was so bad it’s actually good. Either way, I will admit I’m the exception to the rule but what I’m teaching is obtainable for anyone with a strong desire to be free from the corporate machine.

The biggest consumers are lower and middle class people which keep the system of consumerism alive. Why? People with money don’t (try not to) waste it on things that won’t appreciate in value over time or at least hold half its value long-term. They aren’t chasing a feeling or instant gratification which are short-term habits used to justify trading time for money. The system is designed to fail the average person. Living below our means is the only solution to get ahead for the regular working class of Americans. The higher-ups and government authorities know this.

Credit card debt should be the quickest to eliminate. Never pay the monthly minimum amount. Always pay off the remaining statement balance in full before the due date. If you can't pay off the entire balance at once, no worries, chip away until the balance is clear. Even if it takes months to accomplish. The goal isn't to qualify for better loan rates....it's eliminating debt!

Does anyone technically need to lease a new car? No, it’s mostly ego focused anyway. Besides, modern vehicles don’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to reliability. I'll take an older payed off vehicle over debt any day. Overpriced cars are a great way to suppress the masses financially. Consider paying off your mortgage by making extra principle only payments each month if you’re planning on keeping the house long-term. The same can be said for student loan debt. If those things were eliminated―anyone could build a massive safety net with hardly any effort.

Step 4) Build Health & Wealth: Listen to any podcast or read any book about finances and you’ll hear/see the phrase, “Health is Wealth” repeated fanatically. It’s a true statement! There’s no point in someone with poor health having a lot of money. There’s also no benefit for someone with good health having no money. The ideal scenario is having balance. 

Are we in a bull or bear market? That’s the first question everyone should be asking, new to investing/trading or not, unrelated to sector. If the market is bullish its moving up (green). If its bearish the market is moving down (red). Realistically, I’d allow 5–10 years before seeing large enough gains before considering permanently leaving a full time job. Why? There will be unavoidable mistakes made as financial cycles change often. Some things are easier to predict than others yet nothing is guaranteed. The process will move faster if a close friend or relative with market experience is willing to share some insight. If you’ll be flying solo, your best bet is to find trustworthy resources (videos, books, podcasts, etc.) and learn as you go, through trial and error until finding your style. Even good advice can become bad advice if trends or industries change.

Paper Assets: Generally understood as shares of stock.

Buying shares of stock has been a reliable wealth building tool for generations. If you’re looking to buy into a particular sector (such as oil or tech) then purchasing individual shares from a specific company may be your best option. If volatility makes you nervous then consider purchasing dividend paying stocks or ETFs (exchange traded fund) that follow the S&P 500. An ETF (ex. VOO, VGT, JEPQ) is a great way to get exposure to large corporations within the S&P 500―without committing to any specific company. This typically reduces portfolio volatility. Always do your own research as not all stocks will be profitable long-term.

Digital Assets: Generally understood as crypto currencies.

There are millions of crypto tokens available but approximately 9,000 are actively traded daily on exchanges. There’s no such thing as a physical crypto token or coin. It’s all lines of code with no real world intrinsic value at this time. A tokens perceived value is largely based on utility, scarcity, speculation or pure hype. 99.99% of all crypto tokens will not be profitable and anything beyond the top 50 tokens (based on market cap) should probably be avoided entirely as crypto has become an extremely competitive space.

Bitcoin and Ethereum are still the safest options for long-term investing or short-term trading. Just make sure the exchange you’re using allows you to move your purchased tokens off their platform and into “cold storage” using a physical device such as a Trezor hardware wallet. It’s the only way to truly own crypto tokens and avoid potentially being delisted by an exchange for holding a non-supported token based on random policy updates.

Physical Assets: Generally understood as precious metals.

Most people would add land and real estate to this category but I don’t consider anything that requires property taxes or insurance an asset class as there are too many uncertainties (natural disasters) and expensive repairs (roof replacement) that eventually threaten the property and eat into its overall value. Some benefits to having precious metals (especially gold and silver) are 100% property ownership, tax free appreciation, non-trackable asset, and A.I. resistant as metals can’t be hacked.

These points will be discussed in detail in future blogs as there’s too much information to cover here. With a multi-thousand year track record, precious metals are almost guaranteed to appreciate over time, un-phased by digital economic environments due to the ambiguity of precious metals.

Step 5) Diversification: You’ll hear the word “diversification” tossed around a lot when it comes to investing. I used to think diversification meant holding multiple items within a sector. Meaning; if I were buying stocks I should have several different companies at once in my portfolio just in case one of them doesn’t perform well. I now reject that outlook because it keeps people locked in to individual companies instead of one basket of goods. Thus, waiting for a specific event to happen in order to maximize potential profits because everything doesn’t move up or down at the same time. If people were properly diversified from the beginning they could better prepare for future uncertainties and market corrections. Recognizing patters and trends will come with experience. Remember, it’s a marathon not a race! Time + Consistency = Financial Freedom

Diversification doesn’t exclusively apply to money. It could also mean acquiring extra food or other physical items. Referencing Step 4; I’d recommend dividing your portfolio(s) into several parts consisting of paper, digital, and physical assets based on current income. For a more conservative approach consider trying gold/silver + stocks or gold/silver + Bitcoin/Ethereum. This will give you more exposure to other sectors without juggling so many items at once. The idea of going all-in on one thing because it looks promising is a horrible strategy. That’s how people lose all their money and get set back several years. Trust me―I know!

Risk vs Age: The younger someone is the higher their risk tolerance can be. The older someone is the lower their risk tolerance should be. Realistically, I think it’ll take living through at least two bear or bull cycles before an individual can truly become “locked in” with no fear of loss. Eventually, you’ll figure out which indicators are actually useful and which are not based on the performance of your portfolio. I won’t be discussing candlesticks or technical analysis at this time but will link my relevant future blogs here.

Step 6) Form Exit Strategy: The idea that people, no matter how close you think they are, will openly support your decision to reach financial freedom is a complete fallacy! It’s a one player game and everyone around you (coworkers, friends, family, etc.) secretly hope you will fail. Why? They see there’s a chance you’ll actually achieve something they never could and it makes them jealous. They’ll pretend to not understand your vision which gives them perpetual reasons to justify their selfish behaviors while trying to keep you stuck inside an endless loop of complacency and doubt. Actions speak louder than words.

Do not associate time with goal setting! Assuming you should arrive at point B from point A by this date will be discouraging and cause unnecessary anxiety. There’s nothing wrong with imagining what you’ll be doing when having a day job no longer makes any financial sense but achieving financial freedom doesn’t work like a full time job. It requires detailed planning and an entirely different mindset. Foresight most people will fail to grasp. You must disassociate yourself from any personal timeline due to unforeseen market conditions or setbacks. You’ll know when the right time to exit your job is approaching but it may not be as straightforward as you’d hoped. Let the chips fall where they may and try not to stress over temporary problems or sudden change of events.

Step 7) Achieving Financial Freedom: Congratulations! You’ve outsmarted the system through sheer self-discipline and pure determination. The years of trading time for money building another man’s dreams are over. The rules to the game no longer apply as you’ve risen above the narrative pushed by society like an infectious disease. You have no boss and don’t need an employer. You are in complete control of your time giving you the freedom to do what you want when you want without asking for approval from anyone. It’s up to you to determine how long this phase lasts. If other people can do it―so can you!

Without a full time job where’s the money going to come from? From your investment portfolios that were established years in advance. (1) You’ll close out only what is needed from your paper, digital or physical assets. Keeping the rest on the exchange or in storage (for crypto and precious metals). These small payouts will act as personal income as if it were coming from an employer. The only difference is you decide how much and how often the payouts will be instead of waiting weekly or bi-weekly for a paycheck. (2) Perhaps your paper assets pay monthly or quarterly dividends. This could also act as a form of cash flow without needing an employer if the portfolio size is large enough.

As mentioned in Step 4―I’d allow 5 to 10 years to attain financial freedom. It took me 6 years due to several colossal mistakes made along the way which forced me to start building all over again as I had no mentor, forced to learn through trial and error. I was spontaneously delisted three times losing most of my position instantly. That’s why diversification is so important! It’ll keep you from losing all of your hard earned money because there won’t be enough funds available to go all in on any single item. The days of buying high and selling low are over because you understand technical analysis and market trends without thinking twice. Thus, your portfolio accurately reflects those decisions. Contrary to popular opinion you don’t need to be a liquid millionaire before retiring early or permanently leaving the corporate machine....

Disclaimer: All information provided by Blue Wolf Comics (BWC) is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, factual, scientific, historical, medical, or professional advice. Always do your own research and consult a qualified professional if needed before making any important decisions.  

David (9/18/26)

You only need enough money to escape the golden handcuffs offered by employers!