EFFORTPOST 33 year old bio major turned door to door solar salesman, 50'000 in student loan debt

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aoYP4nw4bqM

Michael, 33, Richmond VA

Self-rated: 1/10

Career:

  • Door to door solar salesman

    • Started working for them in February

    • Claims it's one of the best markets in the country for it

    • All commission, no base pay

    • Income so far this year, he brought a spreadsheet timestamp

      • Jan - $2163

      • Feb - $630 (Started Door to Door Solar here)

      • March - $3220

      • April - $3125

      • May - About $9000

    • Believes it will settle between 7'000 and 10'000

    • Payment model -

      • Paid 175 they see the presentation

      • $225 if they buy

      • 8-10 people -

      • Who in the world first answers their door to salesmen and two actually lets them do a presentation timestamp

        • "It happens, all the time" :marseyxd:

        • Apparently old people are a tougher sell, usually younger demographic

      • Talks to about 20-30 people a day, thinks he should be doing more

        • Started out doing 4-6 hours a day, started working 10 hour days in May tripling his income
  • Worked for a different Door to Door solar prior, made about 45'000, his first year doing it

    • Did it for 4 hours a day

Personal Life:

  • Last year was a "little chaotic" timestamp

    • Started a business for online marketing

      • Wanted to fill the rest of the day since he was only putting in 4 hours a day at the prior solar company
    • Goes more into this "business" later on when explaining Debts

      • "So basically you get access to a platform, right? And you can uh you can start your business from there" timestamp

    • Also sold roofs in Florida for 3 months?

  • "I've been in debt since I was probably... eighteen years old"

    • "About to completely run out of money" last Decemberish

    • Tries explaining how he got in this situation in broad terms timestamp

Debts/Expenses:

  • "Special Financing Company LLC" $4'012 timestamp:

    • Down to about 3'000 now

    • Minimum payment $320

      • 240 to principal, 80 to finance charge?
    • Personal loan he took out to start the marketing business

    • Doesn't remember what the initial amount was

  • Taxes due timestamp:

    • Has not paid the IRS jannies :marseychad:

    • filed extension so he has until September

  • Interpersonal debts

    • Borrowed from them since he only made 600 in Feb?

    • Owes roommate about a $1'000

      • Paid off
    • Owes parents about $2'000

      • Not paid off
  • Student Loans timestamp

    • $49'845

    • Got a biology degree from "Old Dominion University" (Not sure I heard the name right)

    • Thinks it's between 4% and 6%

    • Probably minimum payment of $500

  • Another shot of The Spreadsheet, debts section this time timestamp

    • Verizon $1321

      • Financed an iPad and iPhone
    • Credit Card $6'628 timestamp

      • Cut it up sometime last month when he started making more money

      • Losing $100 in interest every month (18% in interest)

      • $164 minimum payment

      • Made $68 in purchases

Savings:

  • Nothing set aside for taxes currently

  • Nothing saved for Retirement

  • $4000 in his checking

  • Savings account 2100 ending balance timestamp

    • 3600 in 2000 out this month, might have gone to checking? Some Dave Ramsey thing about maintaining 1000 in savings

    • He starts going through all the debit transactions

      • Mysterious $148 charge from Alient timestamp

        • thinks he knows but doesnt want to say :marseythinkorino:

        • When I google Alient I only see a ceramics company and something that seems to have been acquired by AT&T

      • Best Buy $742 timestamp

        • Doesn't remember what this was, seems genuine this time :marseyxd:
57
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This guy just needs to grindmaxx, $9k per month is easily enough to pay off all of that debt in a year

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Remember this is very likely pre-tax and doesn't include health insurance etc

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I'd bet $3k/mo is closer to his long-term average and the $9k month was an anomaly. People who are bad with money always frame shit like that, like "I make $X/mo" when they made that one month and their average is way lower.

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He has a feminized brain. You're only supposed to do MLM if you have a husband with a stable job (until he kills you and boots your kids down an oil tank).

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Yeah, I kept waiting to hear about a crippling car payment with a payday loan used for the downpayment or something but it never came.

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