How a Prison Inmate Inspired Me to Start Investing

The one small mistake that is changing the world.

Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll in Citizens of Humanity Magazine Curtis “ Wall Street ” Carroll grew up in the type of neighborhood you don ’ thyroxine want to walk through, not during the day, and decidedly not at night. These streets are not kind to anyone, not flush to those that live there .

“ Money Rules the world and everything in it. In these streets, Money is king. If you follow the money, it will lead you to the bad guy or the effective guy. ” — Curtis Carroll

Reading: How a Prison Inmate Inspired Me to Start Investing

After that, he committed his first crime, and this was the foremost time that he was told he had potential. Never before had person say they believed in him. He was still just a child .

No Hope for Success

Being illiterate and living in a region with few opportunities, crime seems like the obvious answer to have a blastoff at a booming biography. It is a “ by any means necessary ” universe. You do what you have to do to put food on the table for your class. Selling your blood plasma can only help so much. You could stand in lines at soup kitchens on a casual footing, but drugs or looting are a lot quicker ways to make end meet. This is the fiscal literacy of the streets. It is peer opportunity, but at what monetary value ? When he was 17, Curtis was picked up for committing murder and was sentenced to life in jail. For most people, that is the begin of the end. still illiterate, he was fortunate to have been put in a cell with another prisoner that could read. One day, Curtis grabbed what he thought was the Sports section of the newspaper, so his cellmate could read it to him. He had incidentally picked up the Business part of the newspaper. What he did not realize was this err would forever change the course of his life .Image by Markus Spiske from Pixabay “ Hey, Youngster, you pick stocks ? ” asked Curtis ’ sulfur cellmate. Curtis asked what stocks are since fairness markets aren ’ thymine a part of the street survival course of study. “ That ’ s the stead where white folks keep all their money. ” In a TEDx lecture that Curtis gave in 2017, he mentioned that this was the inaugural prison term he had a glimpse of hope into a future. His cellmate went on to explain stocks and the basics of how they work. Curtis loved the mind of stocks but lacked critically crucial skills. He still could not read, write, or spell .

A New Chance at Life

People that grew up with even a basic academic education don ’ t realize how hard learn to read can be. If you have never seen a child learn a letter and then forget it, you possibly have no concept of what it means to learn to read. If you yourself learned to read as a child, it ’ s likely barely something you know how to do, with about no memory of struggling to acquire this skill. At the senesce of 20, Curtis made a decision to pick up a book and teach to read. It was an agonize and excruciating experience. It is disheartening and humiliating to turn away from what you know and try to better yourself while amongst others that have already given up, admitting the defeats of settling for a life of second-rater. Imagine being ridiculed because you want to improve yourself .Reading the Stock Charts – The Kitchen Sisters This pain would finally lead him to have the greatest endowment a person can have, the endow of literacy, literally unlocking a new world of possibilities that were never even on his horizon before. His new skill became apparent everywhere he looked. Candy wrappers, invest son, and posted signs always existed, but for the foremost time were accessible to Curtis Carroll. He would read anything he could get his hands on. Euphoric and full of hope, Curtis sought to use his newfound skill to better his life .

Moving to Wall Street

now at the age of 22, Curtis remembered the words of his cellmate. As Curtis says in his own words, “ I wanted to find these full-bodied white folks. ” His greatest generator of information was the Business section, which he still had access to. He was learning the skills to invest and manage money, but he needed capital. Options are limited when you are in prison. You can ’ t get investors or fund managers to give you money. The only funds available are from the prison use program. The average monthly income of an inpatient is between $ 30- $ 70. Most inmates spend that on snacks or give them to their family so they can buy cool new sneakers for them. curtis would probable rather buy standard in Nike than pop for a new pair of Air Jordans.

These newly fiscal skills and the income from their monthly employment, although little, allows Curtis and his new students to manage money good as people do when they aren ’ thymine incarcerated. His doggedness will pay off excessively. In another news interview, Curtis explained that when a prisoner is released, they are given $ 200 and sent on their way. Imagine being locked up for years with no liquor and no conjugal visits. Your beginning think is probably not to use that $ 200 wisely. After a very fun night, a erstwhile inmate is left with no money and few opportunities. How long will it be before they return to the same crimes that landed them in prison in the first stead ? curtis, however, will be on a different path. Because he spent years investing his wages each calendar month, buying stocks, he will feel the effects of compound interest. rather than a measly $ 200, Curtis will probable have tens of thousands of dollars. He will exchange the shares of the companies he owns for the opportunity of a real-life on the outside—no need to revert to crime when you have an actual gamble at success .Curtis Carroll teaching — Courtesy of The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation curtis started teaching these fiscal skills to other inmates so that they could besides have a luck at life sentence on the outside. He is changing the world one person at a time .

My Turn to Succeed

It was this story that inspired me. I loved following stocks when I was in high educate ( a report for a unlike time ), but it had been years since I looked at a heart record. Hearing Curtis ’ fib brought back that love. While working and supporting a class, there international relations and security network ’ t much left at the end of the month to invest. But then I thought to myself, “ Heck, if I just stopped drinking wine, I could come up with $ 30 a calendar month. If he can change his life for $ 30 a calendar month, thus could I. ” This rekindled my love for the broth grocery store. I started putting away a moment of money for my syndicate and quickly realized with just a few changes, we could invest much more than $ 30. Wanting to learn more about induct, I finally found out about Value Investing, which is the school of think that made Warren Buffet his fortune. Along the way, I realized that I could teach others about the very same concepts. precisely as Curtis is teaching others, so am I. I started making playfulness personal finance video recording to help others understand things they thought you needed to be either rich people or a fiscal genius to understand. It is nowadays my mission to help others learn that personal finance is not all that hard. It takes fair a snatch of determine and some practice to get on the road to fiscal success. More and more people tell me how a lot they enjoy the video. I make jokes and wear funny story costumes. I hope that while people are entertained, they learn the skills they need to improve their fiscal lives and the lives of their families. It all started because a man sitting in a prison cell picked up the Business segment of the newspaper. I am indeed happy he did. I hope that one day I can thank him front to front.

“ Save, control the cost of life, borrow money efficaciously, diversify your finances. You need these skills. You don ’ t need professionals to manage your money. A professional knows his craft better than most. No one knows how much money you need, have, or want better than you ! That means that YOU are the professional. Financial Literacy is not a skill ; it ’ s a life style. Financial stability is the by-product of a proper lifestyle. ” — Curtis “ Wall Street ” Carroll. __________________ Click here for a free 6 day e-mail course to teach you how to get started in the stock market. You will learn a crowd !