I turned 31 today. Fourteen years ago today, I was still in Vietnam, not knowing whether I would be able to go to college because of my parents' links with the former South Vietnamese government or able to afford the college tuition. There was no such thing as financial aids. God is good, very good. Today I am living the American dream. A college graduate, with advanced graduate degree. A job that pays well. A decent balance in my retirement fund with enough change in the bank. I own my own house, yes, with a mortgage just like most people my age have. But I am doing better than most with no other debt, no student loan payment, no car payment, no credit card payment, .... I pay off the balance every month on all credit cards I used since I started using them in my sophomore year in college. And like they said, the first million is always the hardest. Well, I don't have a million dollars yet but I can say that the first $100K was hard. After that, things get easier and easier.