Starting From Below Zero
My $280,000 Tuition in Humility
Hey, I’m Eric. I first heard about FIRE—Financial Independence, Retire Early—back in 2019 as I finished nursing school. Six years later, I’m in serious debt.
I’m a travel nurse paying $5,000 a month on a lease for a business that no longer exists, and I owe my parents hundreds of thousands of dollars I wish they’d never lent me.
This isn’t a story about retiring early. It’s about a long road of rebuilding through faith and humility.
The Rise — How It Started
It was March of 2019, and I felt like I had discovered the secret of life. It started with Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, which led me to countless other books and podcasts that I consumed like wildfire. I dove deep into the biggest FIRE and personal-finance shows—ChooseFI, BiggerPockets Money, and BiggerPockets.
By the time I graduated, I was ready to live frugally for ten years and then retire from my newfound profession. So, I started working. Living off about 20% of my nursing income, I was able to save a good amount in just a few years and bought a duplex to live in—doing something I’d read about on BiggerPockets called house hacking.
After a year of living in one side and renting out the other, I moved out and bought another duplex in 2022. I ended up selling the first one since it was in a rough neighborhood and figured that by 2024 I’d be buying a third. Everything seemed to be working—until more money arrived and discipline left.
In 2023, I started travel nursing for a bit. Now I was making the big bucks. So I did what any young man with too much money and not enough brains would do: I bought a new Tesla. This was my first major jump off the FIRE curriculum. Lifestyle creep incarnate.
The Fall — Buying My First Business
Early in 2024, I decided two things without much reflection: I was tired of nursing, and I was going to buy a profitable business like the influencers who seemed to retire overnight.
I spent a few months looking online for businesses and found one that fit my “buy box”—criteria a business would have to meet for me to buy it. The listing claimed $100,000-plus per year in cash flow and was somewhat local. That was the extent of my buy box—a clear mistake, in hindsight. The business had nothing to do with my skills or strengths, but I continued trudging ahead through the due-diligence process.
I had already used my savings to buy my second duplex and my fast car. But I had a false sense of confidence that I could lead this business to greatness. To my deepest regret, I involved my parents, asking them to front the capital needed to buy the business with the intent that I’d pay them back over the course of five or so years—a decision that still weighs on me the most.
With a loan of $330,000, I thought I was on the path to financial greatness.
Unfortunately, because I didn’t do enough due diligence, naively trusted the seller, and never placed any faith in God during this process, the deal ended up putting me in worse debt than I’d ever experienced before.
Within weeks, employees quit, invoices piled up, and the numbers I’d trusted started to crumble.
Panic, shame, and defeat followed—but one emotion shone through it all: self-loathing for failing my parents.
The Aftermath — Now
Fast forward to 2025, and the business has collapsed. I owe $5,000 a month for the next three years on its iron-clad lease (totaling $280,000). I owe my parents $330,000, have massive credit-card debt from my year without pay, and have recently returned to travel nursing.
I’m also selling my duplex since I haven’t been able to get it rented in four months.
This all sounds bad, yeah? Some days, I’d agree. Other days, I think of it as a huge, ugly opportunity to learn.
It’s tuition, not tragedy.
Back in 2019, I started worshiping money—making it the only priority in my life. That’s not to say I think FIRE is wrong or evil; I’m still pursuing it, just differently now. I’m trying to keep Jesus first and at the center.
More than any other mistake in that failed acquisition, I’ve come to realize the biggest one was not involving God in any of it. I didn’t pray once—not for wisdom, guidance, or discernment.
Now I’m trying to change that. I’ve gone back to what I believe is my calling—nursing—even though I don’t enjoy it. I’m being a better steward of my money, paying off credit cards, and will pay my parents back after the lease expires.
I’m doing my best to put Jesus first. I don’t know how long this will take, but I do know Who’s guiding me now.
If you’ve ever blown up your finances or walked off the path, this space is for you. I’m certainly no expert; I’m just rebuilding out loud—one contract at a time.
If any of this sounds familiar, subscribe to follow the climb back to zero—and beyond.