My Story and Why I Decided to Invest - Part 2

Jake was a little odd, but he was a nice guy. He worked as a bus boy at a Mexican restaurant that he loved talking about. He was particularly excited about the opportunity to move in because that meant he got to party in  my garage every weekend.

So we started having parties on just Friday nights, then that turned into Friday and Saturday nights every week. Before long, we were having parties on random Tuesdays. I would show up to work the next day hung over, un-showered in sweat pants at noon. I would leave at 3-4pm every day. I was getting paid $2,000 a month to show up whenever I wanted. Brian was getting tired of it. I was producing, but I was barely paying for myself. With the rent money coming in, people bringing free beer and drugs to my house in exchange for a place to party, I didnt need money. I was using the money I did get to pay towards the principle of my home, which I thought was a good idea at the time.

Looking back, I cannot believe my neighbors tolerated me. Not only were the parties loud into the night, but we often left trash all over the driveway by the recycling bin. My neighbor was a nice older lady who would sit by the window and wait for me to come out so she could tell me to pick up the trash. 

About 6 months went buy, and Brian was fed up with me. He switched me to hourly, and called me a loser multiple times every day. I deserved it. 

One day an old man with thick "serial killer" style glasses came in and shouted "My name is Greg, and I would like to speak with your manager." Turns out, Greg had been in the telemarketing business for 27 years and was a grinder. 

"I have made over 100,000 calls in my life, easy" Greg would usually say. Greg had been battling a mental disorder his entire life, I will not get into what it was, but it would have stopped 99.99% of people from working any sort of job.

Greg fascinated me. He would repeat the same phrases over and over all the time. He would randomly say, "I will NEVER go to northern Michigan again. It is hotter than hell in the summer, and colder than a witches t*t in the winter."

Greg had a 24 pack of diet coke at his desk at all times. He went to Taco Bell Monday and Wednesday, and the dollar tree for lunch Tuesday and Thursday. He consistently dialed the phone 300 times per day and said the exact same thing. He had it taped to his desk so he wouldnt forget it.

One thing Greg also told me was that he was 63 years old, and was going to retire by the time he was 66. He had $200,000 in an IRA roth account. I wondered to myself, how can a guy making $10-12 an hour his whole life retire comfortably? Well, Greg lived in a one bedroom apartment, took the bus to work every day. He read books and newspapers for the remainder of his day. He did have season tickets Portland State's football home games he paid $199 a year for.

Again, I will not disclose Greg's condition but to me what he had done with his life was nothing short of spectacular. He was a joyful person when he wanted to be, always telling us a joke he read in the newspaper earlier that morning and laughing himself uncontrollably at it.

At best, Greg was making $20,000 a year and he was going to retire before some people that make over $80,000 a year do. Greg's secret was that he found entertainment at low cost, and only spent money on things he needed i.e diet coke and Taco Bell. I didnt learn this from Greg until I reflected on it years later.