How many of us thought about where we would be if it were not for the global pandemic? Perhaps, you’ve thought about that vacation you would have taken, that place you would have moved, that soulmate you would have met, or that loved one you would have spent more time with. Those years were catastrophic, claiming the lives of over 1M Americans and many more around the globe. However, while we can all agree the pandemic was devastating to many of us, it did allow some of us a chance to capitalize on the opportunities it presented. MAYbe you finally got to work from home like you always wanted. MAYbe you got some much needed downtown with an unexpected layoff. MAYbe you finally started that business. MAYbe you purchased that dream home because of the record low interest rates. MAYbe you took advantage of low cost traveling and finally went on that trip. MAYbe you realized black lives do matter. Either way I would imagine most of us had a philosophical moment during the pandemic when we got to analyze our lives and take stock of what’s important. So today, I wanted to share how my life was redirected due to the pandemic. 

I began the new year still trying to recover from a financial hardship from the prior years. On New Year’s day I moved from my luxury apartment in Charlotte to a modest bedroom in a townhouse of my hometown. I moved in with family in hopes of saving enough money to move back to San Diego, a city I had falling in love with when I lived there 2 years prior. A couple of months into my stay the world had abruptly shutdown; my plans were stalled. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the state of the economy and spending money to move seemed irresponsible at the time. So I saved but with no goal in mind. In fact, the unanticipated savings seem to have extended to most people around the country. The Federal Reserve recently issued an Economic Well-Being report which it indicated self-reported financial well-being has spiked since 2013 with more than 70 percent of adults confirming they are doing okay or living comfortably financially.

Now that I was able to save along with other Americans I thought about ways to invest my new windfall. I decided to pursue a few passion projects like going back to school. I always had a desire to help people with there finances and following a conversation I had with my mentor I concluded a career as a financial planner would be a great fit for me. I enrolled in an accelerate financial planning program at UCLA Extension in the fall and completed the program that following spring. I paid for the program and corresponding materials out of pocket.

While addressing my career goals I began to ponder my personal goals. I had always joked about having a baby with a sperm donor. Turns out, I was not joking. I wanted to be a mom and I had no prospects or interest in in dating during that time. So, I decided to pursue a path to parenthood on my own. In 2020, I went through my first round of IVF treatment which resulted in 2 pregnancies, 1 miscarriage, and 1 live birth a year in the half later. Welcome to the world, son.

The 3rd passion project I pursued was writing. It had always been a longterm goal of mine to write. I first imagined I would author a book but instead I started a blog where I got to write many short stories. In the first year of my blog I wrote 22 posts chronicling my fertility and financial planning journey. The entire experience has been cathartic. Of course I had high hopes it would be lucrative too but I have not quite figured out how to monetize this passion project.

In conclusion, 2020 was a terrible year with a lot of challenges but if some of us are being honest 2020 redirected the course of our lives in a positive way. If it were not for 2020 I know my life would be totally different. MAYbe I would be living in San Diego. MAYbe I would still be complaining about working in compliance instead of finance like I always wanted (I still complain about that sometimes). MAYbe I would have found satisfaction in just being the cool, single, and childless Auntie. MAYbe we would have a different president. There are a lot of MAYbes but only one reality and I am quite satisfied with my new reality. Comment below and share what your MAYbes were in 2020!