Today I attended the Los Angeles Financial Planning Day Event held at The Los Angeles Central Library.  I didn’t get much sleep before attending, but…what else is new.  I stayed awake the best I could.

I’m always surprised at the low turnout for an event such as this.  But, I guess 10 years ago, I would have been one of those same people not showing up.  I’ve always been a seeker of knowledge, but not necessarily in the area of personal finance.  Thankfully, that has changed.  It was a good, informative event for me. 

At the end I sat down for a one-on-one meeting with a consultant about my situation.  I told him where I was financially 6-7 years ago and where I am now.   I also showed him my credit report and my net/debt worth statement.  He was very impressed with my journey.  I told him that I felt I was saving a little too much for retirement and not enough to be liquid, emergency funds, etc.  He agreed and suggested I slow down on my Roth IRA contributions and start saving for a condo/house while continuing my 401(k) at the restaurant.  For the most part I agree with that, but I really just want to make more money acting and use that for a down payment on some real estate.  It’s going to be really difficult for me to stop contributing to my Roth IRA…we’ll see.

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