New Investor - Triangle Area NC

[Stephen Herring]

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to introduce myself as I am new to the site and to investing!  I live just outside Raleigh NC and am looking to invest in this area, as well to as far east as Wilson NC and south to my hometown of Fayetteville NC.

I've been reading over the reams of free content here and watching/listening to the podcasts, and a few books as well (including the ever popular Rich Dad, Poor Dad, of course), and I am so impressed by this community and how much information you guys are willing to share to help out others on their journey.

So anyway, just a bit about me:

I am 38 years old and married with 2 wonderful sons, and I work in banking.  I was in the US Air Force for 6 years, then went through some trying times after I got out and had to basically rebuild my life from the bottom up.  For the first time in my adult life I finally consider myself "comfortable", and I immediately began looking for the next thing to put my focus into.  I bought my first home three years ago and (despite all the myriad warnings I received from everyone and their brothers) I didn't find the process of buying or owning a home even slightly overwhelming.  I've enjoyed every minute of it!

That being said, I've always had a keen interest in finance and economics and I've always had my sights on someday being a landowner (like, a lot of land) and so I naturally began to look into the merits of investing in real estate.  The very first thing I bought was the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", and I began to get intrigued in the idea.  Then, I stumbled upon the BP Youtube page and fell down the podcast rabbit hole, and within a couple weeks, my interest-o-meter was pinging 11.  

So, here I am, getting involved and already looking for my first investment opportunity.  My one big regret is that I went this long before finding a thing that interested me so much.  My entire life I've felt a bit aimless, trying to succeed but never really knowing what I wanted to succeed at.  I've always had the ability, the courage, and the drive to succeed, but never the goal.  And now I truly believe I've found it...

Anyway, I hope all of you are well, and I look forward to speaking with as many of you as I can over the coming days, weeks, and years as we all go on this journey together!