Welcome to—

Prosper Pauper may appear to be a personal finance blog, but dare to venture deeper, and you’ll find that it is far more than that.

Behind this blog is someone who at one stage in life would have considered himself a pauper. A pauper not just in terms of material wealth, but also in spirit—someone who had lost the zest for life and saw the world in shades of gray.

Prosper Pauper was born out of years of financial mishaps and frustration as well as years of lost hopes and stifled ambitions. It is the culmination of all I have learned in the realm of finance, and all I have learned in the realm of life, while fighting victoriously to reclaim both.

It is the merging of both of these aspects which serve as the framework to all of the content that is published here.

Prosper Pauper is a testament to the triumph of the pauper over life’s adversities in achieving financial well-being and above all—happiness.

I’m Peter David—the creator of this blog, and the madness behind the method.

My mission in two bullet points:

• To teach you how to manage your finances
• To teach you how to manage your thoughts

Your Finances

Let’s face it. Personal finance isn’t that exciting, at least not at first, but I guarantee it gets better.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans that are clueless when it comes to your finances, the thought of managing your money is even less appealing.

Here’s the thing: Managing your finances isn’t unlike any other important task we know we have to get in order, but gets brushed aside ’till later.

This tendency repeats itself, and as time slips by your wealth erodes, your debt increases, and you’ve sunk further down the quicksand of financial ruin.

Generally, humans procrastinate not because some tasks are particularly arduous, but to avoid the negative emotions associated with them.

For example, it’s typical to feel anxiety, guilt, frustration, and even shame when we think of our unsound financial situation.

Going hand in hand with these emotions are feelings of inadequacy and incompetence. These mental conditions are the reasons preventing us from addressing the problem.

Personal finance is straightforward enough that I conclude this must be the case for those who willingly circumvent managing their hard-earned bread.

I know firsthand what this is like as this was also my predicament. 

But you needn’t spend too much time contemplating why it’s been cast aside for so long.

Speaking plainly—who gives a shit about what you could have done; our focal point should be the present day while keeping an ambitious eye towards the future. 

You’ll wonder:

“Where do I start?”. 

What’s important for now is that you set aside a small part of your day to allow for some serious introspection. Contemplate the life you want and how your finances will help you achieve them. Think of what exactly your financial goals are.

Once you’ve thought of a few, I want you to write them down, but before you put pen to paper, consider each one carefully and how achieving them will benefit you.

That’s your first step.

Believe it or not, simply the act of writing your financial goals down is your first expression of deliberate effort towards reaching them—this step is crucial—by writing them down, you’ve already begun, and your first step is by far your most important.

With your financial goals clearly stated and outlined, you should feel good about the fact that you’re here. You should feel good about the fact that you’re taking the necessary steps to get your financial house in order.

At Prosper Pauper, you can move forward with confidence knowing you’ll do just that.

All our situations vary quite broadly, so you’ll be pleased to hear that there will be no stone left unturned, and no concept, method, or strategy left behind. There’s something here for everyone regardless of the cards you’ve been dealt.

It’s up to you on how you decide to utilize them to your benefit, and I’ll do my best to act as a guide that steers you in the right direction.

The rest is really up to you.

Your Thoughts

Success comes to those who adopt a certain “winning” mentality.

Now, it’s not lost on me that this is in fact a tired cliche, but why is it that countless versions of embracing a certain mindset is repeated so often?

Why is it that the great men and women from the present generation to the days of yore have been advocating a particular mindset, belief, or philosophy as a fundamental component to success?

The answer is that there’s a profound element of truth in it. There is a prescribed way of thinking which engender certain qualities—qualities that are prerequisites to achievement.

I firmly believe that the person we are today, is the result of every thought we’ve sanctioned within ourselves. By this premise, a shift in our attitude will guarantee an eventual shift in our lives.

A mere pauper simply does not awaken one morning to discover that he is lavishly adorned and clad with the most exquisite of regalia.

A pauper must first believe he is worthy of such pomp and splendor. He must believe he is equal to the task of reaching the pinnacle of all his aspirations.

At Prosper Pauper, my first lesson in thought management is this: 

Believe in yourself.

I can’t stress this one enough. There’s no power greater in one’s life than a belief in one’s own ability.

Be under no illusion, failure is inevitable. You will fail countless times. And after that you’ll fail again, then you’ll fail, and fail, and fail.

Don’t fear failure as you have everything to gain from it. The sooner you can start to fail, even better.

Failure begets proficiency, and proficiency begets mastery as it accrues over time.

Throughout your journey of ups and downs, never stop believing in yourself—that is the one enduring quality that will propel you forward. 

The Convergence of Personal Finance and the Winning Mind

If you have deemed your lot in life to be unsatisfactory, that’s OK, you can take the necessary steps to remedy that, but pay heed to what I say next..

Believing in yourself is only half the battle. The other half is diligence.

Your life can and will change when you pair the appropriate attitude with unyielding diligence.

But beware, effort done for the sake of effort alone risks minimal returns, so be mindful of how you attend to your goals and responsibilities. 

Effort done through the application of knowledge will always render the swiftest and most effective use of your time.

Accordingly, knowledge promotes efficiency, and in the case of personal finance, being efficient with your money is your fastest one-way ticked to wealth.

An age-old adage elegantly summarizes this concept—work smarter, not harder.

In fact, had I replaced the former paragraph with this simple proverb, it would have been a precise demonstration of efficiency at work.

But take the following scenario. what choice would be the most financially efficient?

Suppose that you’ve inherited a windfall of a significant amount of money. What should you do?

• Pay down debt? 
• Invest in the stock market?
• Max out retirement contributions? 
• Make a down payment on first home? 
• Go back to college? 
• Divvy the money up among multiple options?

All of our circumstances vary, and there are many important considerations to ponder before you decide what the best option would be.

Needless to say, each decision has its benefits as well as its drawbacks, but there will always be a few choices that are superior in reaching your goals—a decision that will prove to be the most efficient means to your financial ends.

It’s the difference between making a choice that puts you two steps ahead instead of one.

By learning a few things about personal finance, you’ll be equipped to make better choices that align themselves with your goals; you’ll be working smarter, NOT harder.

By mixing the right attitude with everything you’ve learned about personal finance, you’ve effectively created a potent witch’s brew for success, limited only by the amount of ambition you decide to throw in the cauldron.

Personal Finance + Winning Mind = Success 🚀

You can do whatever you want to do—that’s what Prosper Pauper is really all about.