My first FinCon

The purposeful pursuit of finding my people.

I was walking the vendor marketplace floor at Invest Fest when I ran into the last booth on the far side of the expo hall.

“Money nerds unite,” the booth’s blue custom signage screamed. 

The company’s slogan instantly made me feel at home. Their mission statement, printed directly below, stopped me in my tracks.

“Helping financial influencers and brands create better content. Reach their audience. And make more money,” the signage read.

This was my first time hearing about FinCon. But it sounded like the place for me.

Libby sat at the company’s Invest Fest booth when I strolled by at 11 a.m. on Aug. 25. She happily enlightened me about the organization and told me its annual convention would be held in New Orleans. Libby then handed me a flyer promoting the event. On it, she wrote a 20 percent discount code.

As I began to walk off, Libby stopped me and asked, ‘Hey, do you want a shirt?’

The company’s slogan was emblazoned on it in blue letters. I gladly accepted.

Two months later, I excitedly traveled to New Orleans. I attended my first FinCon last week, gleefully surrounded by my fellow money nerds from Wednesday through Saturday. It was the continuation of my purposeful pursuit of my tribe.

I attended Invest Fest in August, the Plutus Impact Summit in September, FinCon in October and am scheduled to travel for one more business conference in November.

I’m doing everything I can to better myself. To increase my knowledge, sharpen my skills and develop relationships with the right people.

None of it feels comfortable. It’s not my nature. But it’s gotten easier and more enjoyable as I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and embraced discomfort. I’m proactively pursuing my passion, and I implore my daughter Parker to do the same. I believe that in time the pursuit pays off.

After 20 years working in media, this is the first credential I’ve worn with my family’s company’s name on it.

I wouldn’t have come across FinCon or the Plutus Impact Summit — which I learned of after registering for FinCon — if I didn’t attend my first Invest Fest. The chain of events was a reminder of the importance of intentionality. Stumbling into FinCon also showed me there’s truly a community for everyone. Be patient, stay true to who you are and you’re sure to find yours.

For four days and four nights, I was surrounded by personal finance bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, freelancers and influencers. They have become my people. Only recently did I learn they existed, within the FinCon community and beyond.

The conference jammed a wide-ranging selection of presentations and panel discussions designed to assist any content creator’s niche. Topics centered on taxes, retirement, money and mental health, building your brand on a budget and tips to maximize monetization, among many others.

The event’s partnering brands and other corporations were on hand to network and strike deals with up-and-coming creators and influencers. Podcasting and video booths were set up and used for live recordings.

With so many offerings, the structure made for a non-stop itinerary. Every minute could be spent at a session or in a side conversation, attending a niche meetup or sitting down for a networking meal. At the first timer’s orientation, they actually advise you to take a break and warn you to not wear yourself out.

I took 16 pages of notes despite missing multiple sessions in part because side conversations were so rich. I met people at all stages. Editors and executives. Start-ups and successes. Couples with small children in tow and couples who decided against children and have now reached financial freedom.

Lasso founder Andrew Fiebert leads a session on how to beat major competitors with a unique content approach at FinCon 2023 in New Orleans, La., on Oct. 20, 2022.

I met Paula Pant, awesome host of the Afford Anything podcast, which has been an instrumental resource early in my financial capability journey. She now knows how her voice has been in my ear for countless hours while I completed my elliptical time. On Saturday night, she stood next to me as we watched a parade go by.

I met Larry Jones, a popular stock trader from whom I’ve tried to learn. I met many more like-minded individuals who all share my mission of helping others become smarter with money. I anticipate my new connections will be as valuable as any information I learned from a session.

It’s why I tried to pack as much as I could into my first experience. I volunteered to help with the opening night party (they put me on the door, helping to check credentials). I attended a dinner club with five strangers. I mingled at a fairly large and uncomfortably loud happy hour. I tagged along for lunches, dinners and drinks even when I was exhausted. And I joined a group chat with more than 200 like-minded Black people, all from FinCon.

The total cost for my trip to FinCon 2023 in New Orleans seems reasonable now. Had you told me beforehand how much I would have to pay, I might not have understood the value.

All told, I paid approximately $1,550 for the experience. That included registration for the conference, four nights hotel accommodations, flight (which I purchased with airline points), meals, drinks and ground transportation. The hotel made the biggest dent at $923.14.

I was proud of keeping my meals to $150 and getting out of New Orleans paying only $85.14 for drinks.

And I have no regrets.

I made an investment in myself. I might not see the results tomorrow. But I know something good will come from my efforts.

I’m also cool with the cost because I concocted a sensible payment plan. Remember my first Treasury bill I told you about last week. Well, it matured at the perfect time. That experimental sum I deposited in April falls a little less than $300 shy of covering my FinCon expenses. It ensures I don’t have to dig deep into my current cash flow to cover last week’s costs.

Lowering my tax hit is the next goal. Surely my attendance at these conferences qualify as deductible business expenses.

Maybe one of my new personal finance friends will help me master write-offs.