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gold stripes
Jeff Underwood on rainbow road

Who is this illusive HOMO Money™ character? I like to consider myself your wise-cracking gay best friend (GBF) who you cut it up with over a boozy brunch… but instead of celebrity gossip, we’re dishing about money! Like many Americans, I’ve had huge setbacks. In 2008, I was honorably discharged from the Navy (I know, that’s so Village People of

me, right?), I had a house and a condo in San Diego… but then, I lost it all in the market crash. At that point, I had cashed in my 401(k) and was $10,000 in credit card debt. To make matters worse, it was the Great Recession and I was barely making $10K/year working as a freelance video producer. But I got a stable government job  

and bounced back! Two investment properties and multiple income streams later, I’m on track to hit $1M in net worth by 2025. So, after feeling like a financial hot mess, I want to share the gospel of how anyone can make a comeback and how small pivots can lead to a yellow brick road made of gold, honey!

What are your qualifications, HOMO Money™?

I don’t hide the fact that I’m no financial advisor. I’m an average Joe (or Jane) consumer, like you. I’ve learned a lot, made plenty of mistakes along the way, and love to geek out over money with like-minded queens (and kings). I obsess over financial strategies, so that you don’t have to. Come with me if you want to live… in luxury.

Pink piggy back

So… are you, like, a millionaire or something?

In 2010, I was drowning in debt and my life preserver came in the form of a stable government job. Fast forward ten years later, and I have flipped the script on my financial pic. At the time of writing this (May 2021), I’m sitting at around $300K in real estate equity and $300K in investments. I max out my 401(k), an additional Roth IRA, Health Savings Account, and project that I’ll hit the $1M mark in about three years.

Gold bars

Why HOMO?

For one, I am taking back the word HOMO from something that has at times been used a negative. “No Homo.” I believe my homo grit and resilience has helped me rebound to a much better place than I’ve ever been financially, and I want to help others do the same. On this blog, you’ll find posts that fit into four categories of the HOMO Money™ journey. Follow me to the end of the rainbow and opulence can be yours as well, honey!

  • Hustle: (verb) how to be scrappy and learn to make more and save more.
  • Own: (verb) actively making moves to acquire a mindset that takes ownership of your finances by possibly owning good debt, and definitely not being owned by any of the bad debt.
  • Money: (noun) at this point, called by some as “Coast FI,” a person has saved up enough of a nest egg that the momentum is now driving itself. Here, I explore small pivots that will help your money work for you.
  • Opulence: (noun) called by some the point of “Financial Independence,” this is where you are in the driver’s seat to choose your best life while preserving the emerald city of Benjamins you’ve built.