Young, Financially Fit and Free

TCDRS Member Julie Brod is working her way toward financial freedom.

By Laura Mellett

 

As a commercial appraiser with Brazos County Appraisal Office, Julie Brod doesn’t mind working hard for her money. That’s because she has a plan to make it work hard for her one day.

Inspired by the book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Julie recently bought her first house, which is now her first investment property and something she hopes will provide supplemental income in retirement.

In addition to the deposits that are automatically made into her TCDRS account with every paycheck, the Texas A&M graduate also contributes to her Roth IRA, which she opened when she got her first job.

“We have to work now and pay now to ‘play’ later and choose how we want to spend our time and resources,” she says. “My advice would be to start now! Start reading about retirement and asking questions, and most importantly, start putting your money to work for you and stop working for it!”

This isn’t to say Julie didn’t have to learn some hard lessons along the way. After getting into a car accident much earlier in her career, she said she made an impulse purchase and got a BMW.

She quickly realized her mistake. “The payment ate me alive,” she says.

Thankfully, she was able to put that behind her, and now, she says she feels financially fit and free. She plans to purchase a second investment property soon and, hopefully, retire early at age 57.

“Retirement to me is to be able to choose what I want to do with my time,” she says. “Instead of having an employer tell me when and how long I need to work, I will be the one in charge of my time. When we no longer have to exchange time for money, that’s called freedom.  Freedom starts with educating yourself and becoming financially fit.”

Photo courtesy of Julie Brod

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