E26: Let's Talk About Money with Christian Lopez

On today's episode, I invite a friend and personal finance professional, Christian Lopez,  to join me in discussing the topic of money. With the threat of automation on the port and with the middle class getting smaller and smaller everyday, we thought it was time for a serious discussion about money.   Christian Lopez is a local financial professional, business owner and landlord here in San Pedro. At the age of 24 he bought his first home and now him and his wife own a few rental properties and have achieved impressive goals in their personal finance.  You might have heard his wife, Stephanie Trevizo-Lopez, in episode 17, in which her and I had discussed the Tiny House movement and real estate investing.  Christian and his team have a mission to reduce the local poverty level by 10%.  In Christian's episode we focus more on money and the financial strategies that can help the families of the community get ahead. This episode is a general conversation about money but I believe it will be the first of many money related discussions on the podcast.  Christian shares his background in the landscaping business where he really developed his work ethic. He remembers not enjoying his Saturdays like his friends because he had to go to work with his family. After high school he went to a trade school instead of the traditional college route which led him on a path to becoming a Jaguar Technician and eventually a Master Jaguar Technician. When the economy slowed down in 2008 he describes living paycheck to paycheck and watching his paychecks getting smaller. At this point he chose to go back to school and get his Bachelors degree in Project Management.  Christian on  achieving financial freedom :   "'If you really want true financial freedom there's three things you got to have and that's some type of real estate (which is income property or things like that), paper assets, and you want to have a business." - Christian Lopez With the threat of automation on our Ports, with the redevelopment in the area driving up home prices, and with homelessness on the rise,  it's kind of a scary time for San Pedrans. Christian and I discuss how to prepare for the worst and make sure our families are taken care of in this time of uncertainty.  Website https://wfgconnects.com/christianlopez Christian's Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/lopezchristianc/ Christian's contact info  [email protected] (818) 573-7323 SPONSORS Cryptospace https://www.cryptospaceus.com/ https://www.instagram.com/cryptospace.us/ Badfish https://badfishclothing.com/  https://www.instagram.com/badfishclothing/