From Negative Net Worth to 9 to 5 Millionaires in 7 Years with Lawrence Delva-Gonzalez

The blueprint to becoming a 9 to 5 millionaire in less than 10 years. Lawrence Delva-Gonzalez “The Neighborhood Finance Guy” started his career earning $23k a year. Fast Forward a few years,  Lawrence and his wife Doreen went from owing more than they owned to 9 to 5 millionaires in 7 years.

They accomplished that before turning 40 while earning approximately $120k on average a year. Today, Lawrence is on a mission to help other people do the same with his net max financial plan which you can find for free on his website.

Lawrence and Doreen are on their way to retire early as multi-millionaires, and their story is proof that with the right mindset and information, we can all live a wealthier life.

Join us as we delve into their inspirational story, unraveling the secrets to their financial success, and gaining valuable insights into their wealth-building strategies.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How they went from a negative net worth to 9 to 5 millionaires in 7 years earning $120k a year combined on average.
• How to invest more, legally save on taxes, and build wealth.
• Building wealth while traveling the world.
• Conditional Inheritance: Preparing the next generation for wealth
• Risk management and Market “mastery”: From gambling to smart Investing
• Living life on your own terms.
• Value-based spending: Finding Joy in Unique Experiences
• Lessons for first-generation millionaires
• Net max plan: Knowing the net effect on your money

Dreamers' Wealth of Wisdom 

• “Become mindful of where your money is actually going.” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• “Being joyful about the experience of where you are, no matter how much money you have.” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• “The more good things you do with your money, the more it's going to create opportunities for you to do more with your money” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• “If you're utilizing money in the way that it can be used, you could lower down your debt really fast.” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• “If you invest your money — you're doing more than just sitting on it, that you might have a chance to actually beat inflation and also beat your own self.” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• “Once you start separating yourself from everybody else's category, you start finding the things that matter to you.” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• “There is value in being educated, not just for the sake of making money, but to think of being knowledgeable on a day-to-day basis of how you live.” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• “I see wealth as a unique tool — an opportunity to create more wealth in other people.” - Lawrence Gonzalez
• If you want a guaranteed way to build wealth over the long run, then stick with index funds.” - Anne-Lyse
• Investing is very important, building your future is very important, but, sometimes I like to spend money, but I spend money on things that I don't regret spending money on.” - Anne-Lyse

Connect with Anne-Lyse:

• Website 
• Instagram
• Instagram (Personal)
• LinkedIn
• Get Your Brand In The Press
• Join the Wealth Community 

Transcript

Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Hello, this is the Dreamers Podcast, episode 125. today is November 14th, 2023 

Lawrence Gonzales: I know the typical thing that we hear on social media or even just in society that cash is king. I don't think it's fairly accurate to say that. I think cash flow is king. The way that you bring in money, but also how you move money around towards different environments really can create opportunities for you.

Either Some people could hoard money and actually just leave it under their mattress, but it doesn't grow. It doesn't do anything. But if you're utilizing money in the way that it can be used, you could lower down your debt really fast. So you're basically creating opportunity for you there to use that money wisely.

And you could also invest your money. And it doesn't mean that I'm telling you to go invested in any specific stock as much more than I'm telling you that if you invest your money. That you're doing more than just sitting on it, that you might have a chance to actually beat inflation on also beat your own self. Welcome to another episode of the Dreamers Podcast. I'm your host, Anis Welf, and today I have a remarkable guest joining us for the second time, Lawrence Delva Gonzalez. so Lawrence is a full time financial literacy Enthusiast who works in nine to five,

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Lawrence and his wife Doreen became millionaires in less than six years, although they started from very humble roots, they became millionaires and they aspire to teach others how to build wealth.

Lawrence is the co host of a weekly podcast called The Financial Griot, where him and his two co hosts talk about wealth and the stories that made an impact on their journeys to be whole, happy, and wealthy. You may remember Lawrence season one, episode nine.

Of the podcast where he shared his journey from being six figures in debt in 2012 to crossing the 500, 000 net worth mark in 2021, two years ago, he told us. That he was on his way to millionaire status. Lawrence also told us that he had a plan on his website to help anyone interested to do the same in less than 10 years.

so Lawrence is back today to tell us more about the how. 

I'm very excited to get into this episode and of course, don't forget to subscribe to the channel. All right, Lawrence Delva Gonzalez, welcome to the Dreamers podcast.

Lawrence Gonzales: Thank you. Thank you for having me yet again on this podcast. You're one of the first people to actually believe in me.

So you're probably like, outside a family that probably never really believed in me. But second, like, second to only Atlanta, you actually were one of the first people that really believed in me. So. Thank 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: you for that. I appreciate that. Well, you I remember you came on the podcast, two years ago, exactly.

And, you share that you were on this journey, back in 2016, you and your wife had a net worth of. Essentially zero. and then that worth is what you own minus what you owe. So it was at zero. And then by the time you came on the podcast, you had grown in that worth to half a million dollars.

And you said then and there that you were on your way become a millionaire. And you were going to show us all how, we can do it or most people who are motivated. And here in this country can do it under 10 years as well. And so you're back now, two years later and you're 

Lawrence Gonzales: a millionaire.

Yeah. Such an odd thing to say. Yep. we're definitely first generation millionaires and it's been a pretty wild ride and correction. We were actually negative, negative in 2016. We're a negative network mission, meaning that you owed way more than you actually own. the things that we, at least personally, I was a hundred and what?

Nearly 125, 000 or probably like 100, 000 worth of student loan debt. I'm free of it now free and clear. All right, so 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: thanks for correcting that, but let's add some context to this. Right? you were on the show in 2021, you shared your origin story, right? You're born in Haiti raised by your.

I believe, you moved to the U. S. when you 

Lawrence Gonzales: were a teenager? I moved to the U. S. when I was nine years old, specifically when I was nine, yeah, because, my aunt lied to me and she's like, hey, you want to travel to Florida to go to Disney World? It was a lie. It was a cruel lie.

I ended up in Miami. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: yeah, I remember that. And then you, met your mother actually for the first time. you grew up in poverty, you made a way through education, which I love because these days you hear the college is a scam, conversation. So you made your way through education and really just being consistent and you build wealth through investing.

  you are not an entrepreneur and you have a nine to five. Are you guys over 40 

Lawrence Gonzales: yet? I am 40. My wife is well, she was born in 1990. So I'll give her what 33. So she's younger than me. And she's like, yeah, I'm living the dream. I have no student loans. And I'm also a millionaire. But I am 40 this year, and I'll be 41 December.

So whoop whoop. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Okay, so awesome. So you guys did that. Basically by 40 or you just right at 40. So how has your perspective, when it comes to wealth and money evolved since the last time you were here? 

Lawrence Gonzales: Yeah, the last time I was here, We were at the halfway mark and at that time it was just one to be very surprised to get to this point.

the entire goal was to prove to my friends that we can do it, not just me, I could do it but it is really about showing them that they can also put in some steps to actually do it and. During that time, I've learned so much more about the human psyche, our purpose of living per se, main reasons why, and our intentions and how it drives us to get to that point where we're financially wealthy or not.

and a lot of it is not a judgment call on the person. Are they good? Are they bad? It's much more that these are the things that we choose in our lives. Do we choose to, go out all the time? Do we choose to Throw money or throw, I've seen like people popping bottles at clubs at one point.

Now they're actually pouring bottles at clubs, which is, if you can imagine that they take an entire expensive bottle of alcohol and they just pour it out. And that's like a bottle war thing. I'm watching people, know, make decisions with their time. And at the same time, I'm also teaching and learning from others what it takes to really live a better life, a more meaningful life.

So for, me and my wife her last, what? two and a half years we've been traveling, we've been enjoying our time and we also have been spending a lot of quality time with our family and our friends to see how well they're doing, especially in post-pandemic. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Love that. so you went from negative in 2016 to millionaire status in 2023. Do you mind sharing the average income combined during that time period? 

Lawrence Gonzales: That's actually a hard question, because we've done, as of now, and it's one of those things I don't like when I hear on social media, or even in the podcast, when people just tell their story, but you don't hear the amount of income that they have or they make, as of now, me and my wife, we make over $200,000 combined, basically almost like split evenly, across the board, but ultimately, we didn't start off this way.

We started off in, at least in 2012, My first job was making $23,000 before taxes. My wife's first job out of college around the same time was making around 40,000 So in between, it's been a slog of just, sticking with a job, you're shifting to other jobs, you're getting promoted, or you're trying to enhance your certificates, and you're making these moves.

And ultimately, you get to this point 10 years later, when you look back, you're like, wow, this has been a journey. So the average is kind of hard to say, cause it wasn't like a stagnant, Hey, we're stuck at 30k for 10 years. We've been making moves ever since then. So maybe the last couple of years, I would say is probably 1 20 or something, if I had to do a rough guesstimation math over the lifetime.

thanks for sharing. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Cause I think that definitely helps put things in perspective. so tell me about some of the financial habits that you had to let go off between 2012 

Lawrence Gonzales: and now. The biggest one was actually not paying attention to what my finances were. A lot of people are just Kind of like going through the motions.

Yeah, you get a paycheck. The patient comes in and then you have expenses or the other way around where they have expenses and they're waiting for the paychecks to catch up to those expenses. So, ideally, I had to start paying attention is 1 thing I try to recommend to a lot of people become mindful of where your money is actually going.

I think that's 1 of the. biggest elements of personal finance. It has nothing to do with the amount of money you're making as much more. Do you even know what money you're making? And do you know how much you're spending? when I talk to different people and I encourage other people to kind of know their numbers, I ask them straight up, like, Hey, how much do you spend a year?

They have no idea. How much do you spend a month? They have no idea. Or how much do you bring in for a year? It's a rough guess, but they have no idea. So ultimately, that's the first step you want to go through this exercise of knowing how much it is. And then from that point on, I think one of the biggest elements were to.

Know where my biggest weaknesses were. And one of them was eating out. I wasn't the biggest person eating out in my friends group. I wasn't the one that eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, whatever it was the casual buying up, a grocery store, buying this, buying that. Or even going out here and there.

It was costing me nearly 360 per month and the household that we stayed at with all four of us was costing 2, 400 a month. So we were spending a lot of money on just food and because we're spending money on our food. It was actually depriving of the thing that we love to do or wanted to do. I wanted to travel.

So I started really mitigating that going, buying, buy one, get one free days at Publix was, Hey, it's still clutch to this day. You should buy one, get one free on Thursdays. Okay. I'm there. So it was always an opportunity and it's, at least for me, I found joy in that. For some reason, I felt like I was beating the system by getting an extra thing for free.

So it was actually a good time and also  being joyful about the experience of where you are, no matter how much money you have. I think a lot of people make. I guess start feeling bad for the amount of money that they have or don't have or money they're bringing in or not bringing and that's part of the problem just got to at least I had to rip off that band aid and this is why I started posting online and sharing it nearly from that point.

I was like, I don't want to feel any level of fear. So I'll tell everybody I'm making 23 K a year. Let's go. So now there's nothing to be fearful about. There's just nothing but upwards from now that point on. Gotcha. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Okay. So you started basically better managing your money, right? But you didn't save your way to wealth, right?

So you guys increase your income, but what else did you do to get this result? 

Lawrence Gonzales: All the things. yeah, so. When I was going through the motion of learning personal finance, I did find a lot of different resources online. Either it'd be podcasts such as yourself, Jamila's, or even some other people like Andy, Marriage, Kids, and Money.

There's a lot of different interpretations, and I love you guys shows because you bring in other guests that got different, motives of how they got there as well. So I started actually putting all those together in order to create my own personal plan and it makes sense for me. And one of those things that me and my wife tackle is actually investing as much as possible into our 401k, our IRA and our HSA, which actually lowers our taxable contribution, which actually helps us a lot that, lowering our AGI or at least my AGI specifically.

Also reduce the amount of money that I had to pay for my student loan, debt monthly, which was amazing because then I could use the additional money to, basically pay down credit card debt and also invest even more. So it was almost like this cascading effect of the more good things you do with your money, the more it's going to create opportunities for you to do even, more with your money, if that makes any sense to the point where we're even traveling, almost yearly now.

And. We're doing all of that while we're paying down debt and also investing. So you said 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: AGI, just to clarify, that's adjusted gross income. and that's basically your income, before taxes, after deductions. So I do want to talk about, one thing you said, though. You said, we basically I don't know if you use the term maxed out, but, we invested heavily into those pre tax retirement accounts so that we could reduce our AGI.

So sometimes people are under the impression that they cannot afford to invest in those accounts and they don't realize that, when you do the math properly, you might actually have the same take home pay or something close to it. But in addition, you have. Your money invested in your retirement account.

So can you talk to more about 

Lawrence Gonzales: that? Yeah, you can not not afford to actually invest in those things because it's 100 percent benefit to you, especially if you have access to a 401k at your job. Majority of people. That do have access to like 60 percent do not match that they're in their employer account or even invest in their 401k, either because they're getting information from social media or not getting information at all because they don't know what it is.

So, at the end of the day, they're missing out on 1 of the perfect opportunities is a matching contribution because even an average match of 3 granders. I think that's the number now. 3000 over the course of 40 years is worth 700, 000. If invested at even a historical average of 8%. That means I don't care if you messed up on this matching contribution, even if you get half a million, you'd be better off than a lot of people retiring today.

So, for me, and my wife we have to ensure that because she has type 1 diabetes. One of the things that we want to ensure is that in retirement that we have enough to cover the our medical costs, right? So, because we want to have that, and we have that intention behind it, we want to make sure that we're maximizing our 401ks, our IRAs, our HSAs, and those motions actually do lower your payroll contributions.

They also lower your federal taxes at tax time you're filing for your taxes, and it's creating more of an opportunity for you. To basically finance your future. So in combination of all three of those things, BHC being your 401k, which is I think a contribution of 20, 500 in 2023. You have an IRA, either traditional or Roth.

The contribution is around 6, 500. this year. And then we have the HSA, which is a health savings account, which is a triple tax advantage. wow. If there's anything that's better on this earth, I'm not quite sure what it is. But HSA is actually amazing and we put a lot of money there as well to the maximum of I think every year is right now is around like 8, 350.

so in combination, those 3 alone, if you've done that as a single person, you're saving as are you basically contributing to yourself. Right as much as 30, 000 and over the scope of 17 years, even if those investments were making just 8%, you'd be a millionaire. So I always tell people like this is the simplest way to do it.

It's not very complicated. You do not have to be a, branding guru. You don't have to be a business billionaire. You can just really live your life in a way that matters and ensure that you're utilizing all the benefits that's already at your job or within your reach. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: you know, so you talk about helping people having a game plan to help most people become millionaires in 10 years or less.

Right. Is that accurate? So, I think the plan is called the net max financial plan. 

Lawrence Gonzales: Yes, it is a net max plan. I thought it was a great title. Maybe it's a terrible title, but I thought it was pretty good is the idea that you're looking at the net effect on your money. Where is basically the cash flow?

I know the typical thing that we hear on social media or even just in society that cash is king. I don't think it's fairly accurate to say that. I think cash flow is king. The way that you bring in money, but also how you move money around towards different environments really can create opportunities for you.

Either Some people could hoard money and actually just leave it under their mattress, but it doesn't grow. It doesn't do anything. But if you're utilizing money in the way that it can be used, you could lower down your debt really fast. So you're basically creating opportunity for you there to use that money wisely.

And you could also invest your money. And it doesn't mean that I'm telling you to go invested in any specific stock as much more than I'm telling you that if you invest your money. That you're doing more than just sitting on it, that you might have a chance to actually beat inflation on also beat your own self.

So a lot of people, I think the general 1 that a lot of people typically talk about these index, pegged. ETFs like VOO, Vanguard, Total Stock Market, you stick that sucker in there, you could ride away as long as there's human productivity in the world, right? Because you're basically banking over what, 500 companies at any given time that are doing well in society.

And After playing this investment game for a bit and picking a few stocks, I could tell you I beat the market by my hair, but I could tell you right now, like, you're better off just doing, getting an ETF and walking away because it's super easy to do and it's a lot less stress. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: So it's interesting, right?

Because I was looking at my portfolio this week, actually, and I'm about 80%, in index funds. And then I have. 15 in individual stocks and five in, alternative investments. And yeah, it just doesn't seem to be worth it. the individual stocks, so I invest in companies. I truly believe in that.

I think I'm going to be around for the long run, but it's not like I'm getting crazy returns compared to these index funds that I'm investing in. So, I can definitely see, where they say over the longterm, if you don't want to spend your whole, whole time thinking about which stocks to pick.

And if you want to, guaranteed way to build wealth over the long run, then stick with, index funds. 

Lawrence Gonzales: Yeah, because the idea is that you have to almost, especially when you're picking stocks, you have to be right on the way in and also be right on the way out.

If not be right in between as well, because you have to always kind of guess is today the day that the market is going to drop, or am I going to stick with this investment for a while longer. And sometimes you stick with it for too long, you also lose out too because there's other places you could have been.

But there's a lot of there where people are trying to play the game and they don't really call it gambling, but I still call it gambling. At the end of the day, You're better off when I say the ETF is because the ETF is generally pegged for the entirety of the market. Somebody else is doing a lot of these, speculations or companies are technically more profitable every year.

So you're not really gambling as much more that you're just. putting your money in the market and you're, allowing your money to circle through the economy. And that way you also gain wealth in a lifetime. And majority of those over the course of like a hundred years, I think they did a couple of studies that you were getting their historical average from anywhere from eight to 9%.

Even when 8 percent is better than inflation, 8 percent is better than a lot of things you could get into. And some people, Hey, They jumped into hot stocks when they were hot and the next year it became no socks. So you want to be in a position where you're winning just kind of stick with the recipe that matters, especially if you're not really good at doing this quantitative and qualitative analysis.

So you and 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: your wife, you travel around the world, you enjoy life. How do you find the balance between living a fulfilling life today and investing for the future? 

Lawrence Gonzales: That's an interesting question because I don't think we fight for a balance as much more that I don't know if it doesn't matter.

Because we're just at peace and we're happy. I think some people are fighting those urges or like, maybe I should have went out and stuff but I don't really want to go out. I was like, at least for me, I don't want to go out to those places where I'm first. Hey, we'll only go hit up U street, which is the DC, but I've been in Sevilla, Spain.

my range is different, man, going down the street over there is not the same thing that I want out of my life. So I think when people start deciding those things that are truly important for them, and you truly find that peace of mind, you will look around and say there isn't an argument as to what you're investing for.

You're just merely investing. And the rest is just something else that you do on the side. So it's not just our investments that we're doing, but I think we're living a life that's a little bit different than the norm now where we're Fairly happy. my wife does the meal prepping. We take out our dog.

We go find different restaurants. So it's not like we're not enjoying ourselves. we're not killing ourselves for things that are not truly, truly important to us. I guess if my wife said she wanted to go see Beyonce, she could, but she didn't. but some people are going to see the Beyonce concert because everybody else is seeing it.

Some people are going to go to travel to Tulum because everybody else is doing it. Once you start separating yourself from the everybody else is doing category, you start finding the things that matter to you. And then you see, you see a real whole life change. It's not just the investing, it's you that changes.

Anne-Lyse Wealth: that, I love that so much, because I think once you are, in alignment with, the things that you care about, then, investing is very important, building your future is very important, but, sometimes I like to spend money, but I spend money on things that I don't regret spending money on.

Right. And so, like you said, sometimes people will just spend money for the sake of it, because that's what they should be doing. And essentially that's money that you could be investing. so how did you guys go about identifying the things that you value? 

Lawrence Gonzales: I think that came kind of natural to us. I could say that I'm fairly lucky have my wife because it's not, I guess some people think that at some point is I'm the one driving the ship as much more as it's actually probably her that's driving the ship most of the time, or maybe we just share the fact that we're just on the same boat and we're going in the same direction.

But at the end of the day, it's not much of a battle between what we're deciding. It's just kind of Is so, for example, the last, well, two weeks ago, I kind of know that my wife likes to get out some because he gets cabin fever and she wants to go out somewhere. So, I'm like, let me start looking around the map.

Maybe let's go somewhere for a quick fall trip down the road down the road seem very expensive. We started looking up north. We saw that. Hey, Vermont. I don't know why, but the hotels were like a holiday and was 400 a night. Wow. This thing I've ever seen. this is the craziest thing. And so I looked at Mars well, we could do something crazier and just keep driving all the way to Montreal.

Did it save us money to drive all the way to Montreal? No, but we're making an entire trip out of it. So we're thinking about the process of spending differently than we would have otherwise. So instead of paying 400 for a holiday for a night in Vermont somewhere, we're actually going all the way To Montreal, and we're paying 500 total, and we're going to actually enjoy the city and kind of go around, try different food.

It's not to say that it's cheaper overall, as much more that we're creating a unique experience around why we're spending, whereas people are just doing it because their friend said, let's go left, because somebody said, let's go right, or society says, you have to buy this other thing, whereas you don't have to buy it, you could decide, what do you want to do?

I don't know if that makes sense. It's just this is what we do. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Yes, It does actually. So how do you approach risk management, to ensure that you are growing 

Lawrence Gonzales: your portfolio. Wow. You're actually asking a lot of hard questions that I didn't know what to think about.

  yeah, it's pretty, there's management in my portfolio. Well, I actually don't. I think over, over a while after I've listened to other people and I've noticed that the long term is where it's at. So I've seen people become very successful in the long term. And I also wanted to make sure that we have wealth that we could pass on to our kids, kids, or even family members, or even.

Give up to other people, no matter what the scenario might be. So this formula that I created for me and my work that we're following is going to give us that no matter what. So we're actually sticking to 90, 10, equities to dividends and not even bonds, equities to dividends all the way through. So our risk is not, we're not picking stocks in that sense.

As much more that we have a lot of investments that's going through our 401ks already to make sure that we have that. I have my pension at the end of this game that I will receive, as well as we have the IRAs that are doing their own thing. Some days, I look at my wife and say, hey, what do you want to invest in today?

And then we literally pick from that point, we need. Health stocks, and I looked at her. She looked at me. I looked at her. I'm like, well, you're diabetic. So what do we are the diabetes stocks. So we looked them up and we found that there was a few and one of them was noble Nordic.

And it actually popped this year. So it was interesting that we, that's the one that we picked because that's the one that she uses. So when it comes to what we're investing in, it's not merely, Hey, quality companies, it's stuff we actually use. So we use it all the time, but she, used it every day.

Cause she, she doesn't, she can, you know, Hey, expire.So ultimately we basically bought into a company that buys into us. So everything that we do, if we're going to pick a stock out of the blue is going to be a stock that we generally use anyways, that we find value in, and then we're just going with the flow and we find that in this motion and what we've been doing, we're able to build our wealth and our portfolio is actually probably on any given time is around like 6 percent or anywhere from like 3 to 6 percent higher than the S& P.

And I couldn't tell you if it's because I'm that smart, because I'm not. I can't tell you because I'm that lucky, because I'm not. It's just so happened that in this moment, it just worked. And maybe I need to, peel back and go more and more into ETFs at some point. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Got it. So as first generation millionaires, what are some financial values and lessons you want to pass down to, your future children or just the next 

Lawrence Gonzales: generation, the future children and I'm saying future because you didn't mention 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: children.

Lawrence Gonzales: I don't know. Yeah, no, I understand what you mean. I think that's what the hard part. The first thing, I guess, as you grow up, you're like, man, I need to make sure these kids are disciplined and they're not gonna get any money. I'm getting softer and softer every year and every month that comes around.

Maybe I just toss money at them. I have no idea. But for now, I would want them to live a life that they're valuing education. First and foremost, I think that was something my grandfather really pushed on his kids. and it's something that was eventually pushed on me that there is value and  being educated, not just for the sake of making money, but to think of being knowledgeable on a day-to-day basis of how you live, can you, change the tire.

  if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, can you learn the language really quick? Can you do something to get you out of a jam? Or are you going to sit there and stay flat-footed I think that's what I want to teach anybody that comes my proximity that they can actually have the power to think ahead, plan things out or even react.

quicker in situations that would probably be a lot harder for other people. So for my kids, kids, I would want them to see that and emulate that. And if they, at some point, if we have an estate, the state probably will have a doctrine, like, Hey, you have to become educated and you have to kind of get married and get to a certain point before money's released to you.

So before you get any cash, you have to do all of these things. That proves to me, even in my passing, That you've understood some concept of what it takes to, really be impactful and be a producer in society versus just a consumer of things. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Love that. So what role do you see wealth playing in your journey as a human being going forward?

Lawrence Gonzales: Wealth. it's an opportunity creator for me. So even in retirement, the things I'll look into is, helping other people achieve some facet of their dreams. So if there's somebody walking around and completely like, they, I wish I only had 20 grand or 50 grand for somebody to invest in me.

So I could have the capital funds to create this restaurant or this local cafe. I love a cafe overseas. So get a couple of abuelos out here. Give me a cafe. I'm there. I'm investing in that sucker because that's what I love. I want to see people be just very active in their lives, right? And if there's a barbershop I go to whenever, even though I don't have any hair left, but either way, if I go to the barbershop and I see that it needs a facelift, I don't mind sitting with whoever that is, especially if it's my favorite barber or something like that and say, you know what?

I don't mind investing so I could see this place radically change because it's going to put a smile on your face, but it's also going to change Everybody comes in here as well, then that produces quality that produces something a little bit more meaningful in life. So that's what I, see wealth as, as a unique tool, as an opportunity to create more wealth in other people.

Love that. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: So what advice do you have for dreamers who are starting or early on, on their wealth building journey and have limited 

Lawrence Gonzales: resources? I started off with limited resources. I think one of the things that my aunt told me years ago, and I thought it was pretty lame when she said it is, write it down, right?

Write down your thoughts at the time. I think she wanted me to journal, but I'm not telling you the journal. I still think that's kind of late, but still the idea that you need to write down your plans, your 5, 10, 20 year outlook, I think is very important. And it's a unique exercise that you can do.

For no money at all on any given time and any given weekend where there's nothing going on writing down your 5, 10, 20 year plan. what life do you want to live? How do you want to live life? What does it entail? What are the pieces in there? And this is something that you do with your spouse.

And it's something definitely you could do with your kids. You challenge the kids, little cousins, little nieces, or who are even your own kids. You look at them and say, Hey, in the next five hours here, I want you to draft down your 5, 10 year plan and maybe they can even put it on the board.

You can make it a family activity in which everybody is aligning with understanding who that person really is and what they really care about. So once you know that, that's how you can start drafting better plans for yourself and your family as well, because now you know what they're into. I've ran into a friend years ago.

It's like, hey, my wife always just wanted to go to Paris. I'm like, then take her to Paris. I'm not saying take her to Paris today. I'm saying take her to Paris eventually. So that at least you fulfill that one dream that she has. Or one of my other buddies are, I guess my buddy, but his wife hit me up.

I was like, well, my husband's always trying to go in a business thing. I'm like, give him a stipend for a business every year. So at least he knows he has a range of a way that he can dream as well. So there's always an opportunity where you listen to. Um, and to listen to yourself and giving yourself an idea of how to dream better and how to make that dream into reality.

Anne-Lyse Wealth: So what's next on your journey? what is like a goal that you're 

Lawrence Gonzales: working towards? Ooh, that's goals. Okay. Goal that I'm working on. I guess the next thing I told my wife Hey, we got it. We got to shoot for something. And the next goal is to become a millionaire. An investment portfolio, I think a lot of people don't respect to you.

If you just have, I don't know you have real estate equity, like, I don't count. Okay, whatever, man. So in 2 years, we'll get to the millionaire, true, investment portfolio just for kicks. But the thing that we're trying to work for next would be, starting a family. I think that's big for us. And also.

Buying a new home. That's going to be super expensive, but really, I would say, let's see the dream. Oh, travel to see all seven wonders. That's, at that point, we started need to knock those things out. And I definitely seen a few. So now I want to see the rest. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Love it. So I always end the interview with a round of rapid fire questions.

the questions are different from last time you were here, but in five words or less, describe your definition of a wealthy life.

Lawrence Gonzales: Waking up grateful. What's the best book 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: you read recently? Do

Lawrence Gonzales: my wife reads a lot of books. Technically, I listened to a lot more articles and the best thing I could say, I could say to this day is Trevor Noah's, book. And for some reason, before I forget the name, born a crime, born a crime stories from South Africa, because I only try to remember the last part, because I think that's probably the more for the first one point of crime.

I thought it was going to be more biography, but ended up being this anthology of stories that he really craft into a biography is amazing. And I recommend that for everybody to listen to, or, well, I definitely recommend to listen to because the way he speaks is tells his stories is also intriguing. And I'm more of a.

Yeah. audio visual learner than I am a just a visual learner. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: What's one part of your daily routine you 

Lawrence Gonzales: can't live without? Daily routine. I cannot live without, now I can live without anything. I used to be in the Marine Corps. We can do anything. We can live without anything. My mind is like breathing air, I guess.

We're not really attached. That's just part of our, multis apparendi. We're, we're good at not being super attached to anything. So if you take away everything from me, I'll still be just fine. What's your favorite 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: financial tool? 

Lawrence Gonzales: Favorite financial tool would be, Empower. it used to be called Personal Capital, which is probably my least favorite name change after X from Twitter.

Yeah, Personal Capital is so much better. Ah, I just hope that one day to just go back, to just go back to it. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: I told my husband the same thing. I don't get it. 

Lawrence Gonzales: it's lame, but they are using Empower as a tool in other people's HR systems. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: So, what they told me because Iused to write for personal capital is they were purchased by Empower a few years back or 2 years ago or whatever, but they're just now changing the name.

Lawrence Gonzales: So if you had to pick one habit that improved your wealth, what would it be?

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Self control. 

Lawrence Gonzales: What do you want your legacy to be? One of happiness. Challenging, but happiness. So, 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: Lawrence, it's been good having you back on the show. Please tell the dreamers where they can find you if they want 

Lawrence Gonzales: to connect with you. You can find me on the interwebs at theneighborhoodfinanceguy. com or just theneighborhoodfinanceguy on IG.

And if you so happen to find me on Twitter, I might be clapping back for some reason, because I just like to clap back. I'm from Miami. So if you find me there, you find me there. 

That's funny. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: I haven't been on Twitter in a while, so I didn't even see all of that. So you're getting in trouble. 

Lawrence Gonzales: No, I don't think I'm in trouble as much more that I have, different perspectives and in a world where people are forced to decide left to right.

I'm neither or and I like just thinking my own. So when you do that, it typically kind of frustrates other people. Or your ideals frustrate other people. And I'm still like, Hey, it's just my idea. They're like, no, you're supposed to think like me. I'm not, it doesn't make any sense. And I will not think like you.

  it's a very interesting space that we live in a society now where people are telling you, you should be free to think anything you want to think. And then when I think freely, they're like, boo, that's not the way I want you to think. Change it. All right. Well, thank you, Lawrence. No, thank you.

Anne-Lyse Wealth: You said Lawrence with a bit of an accent there. Hey, you gave up your accent.Hey, I'm, French 

Lawrence Gonzales: speaker. Exactly. 

Anne-Lyse Wealth: That was Lawrence Delva Gonzalez. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Lawrence is a wealth of wisdom. His story is so inspiring, empowering, and I truly hope that, you get some value from this episode. Make sure that you subscribe to the channel so you never miss an episode.