Graduate Exclusive! Brent S. Ballroom Dances, Travels, and Enjoys Date Nights With His Wife
We caught up with Brent to hear how life for him and his wife has changed since he graduated from Beyond Finance in November of 2023.
- Debt Amount: $27,835
- Started: November 2019
- Graduated: November 2023
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I live in Santa Fe Springs, near L.A., with my wife. I do medical elections and billing. I’ve been working from home — I love it. And my wife and I belong to a dance group. We have dances probably every month — we do ballroom dancing.
What was going on before you started working with Beyond Finance?
I got into debt through credit cards — spending on stuff that I shouldn’t have bought and that I didn’t need! Well, I was just drowning in debt. I couldn’t get ahead. I was just making the minimum payments.
I just felt a little depressed. It was frustrating. I was like, “Shoot — these balances are not going down. I’m never gonna pay this off.” It just hit me — something’s not going right here. I have to do something to get myself out of debt..
What was your experience like with us?
I looked you guys up — you had good ratings — so that’s why I went with you. It’s been a while, but I remember that the person on the phone put me at peace.
We can live freely. We couldn’t go anywhere before. We couldn’t do anything.
It’s like, “Hey, we’ll take care of it. We’ve got a whole process for you.” I got off the phone feeling like they really wanted to help me get out of debt.
That process was great. When I paid off my first account, I felt relief. It was like, “Oh man — finally I’m getting somewhere.”
What’s happened since you graduated?
Oh God, I was able to go on two vacations — that’s how much I saved! Last year we went to Hawaii for a week. This year we went to see my wife’s sister in Boise, Idaho.
I’m able to go out to dinner with my wife more now — like once a week. We can live freely. We couldn’t go anywhere before. We couldn’t do anything. Now we go out to lunch every Sunday. It’s really nice having that freedom.
I use my credit for some things, but I pay it off right away. Whatever I spend on my credit card, I pay off when the statement comes.
I also do a budget every month. I use an app called EveryDollar — it’s a zero-based budgeting app, where you put every dollar to where it needs to go until it gets down to zero. It keeps me on track!
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