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This guest post from Cody is part of the “money stories” feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success — or failure. These stories feature folks from all stages of financial maturity.

In January, I attended Camp FI in Florida. While most of the attendees were thirty- or forty-somethings pursuing early retirement, one young man stood out. We were all amazed at the presence of Cody Berman, a 21-year-old hustler who defies the Millennial stereotype. Cody works hard, saves tons, and has a vision for his future. I asked if he’d be willing to share his story with GRS readers. Here it is.

Here’s a new thing for me: Yesterday, I met with a friend to give her financial advice. Believe it or not, in the twelve years since I started Get Rich Slowly, nobody has ever asked me to sit down with them and review their budget and investments. Pamela is the first. (And because I forgot to ask her permission to share this info, for this article I am totally changing anything that might identify Pamela.)

I’ve known Pamela for almost six years. She cuts Kim’s hair, and sometimes she cuts mine. She knows I write about money, but I don’t think she’s ever read anything I’ve written.

Note: During the month of March, I’m migrating old Money Boss material to Get Rich Slowly — including the articles that describe the “Money Boss method”. This is the second of those articles. Part one answered the question, “What is financial independence?”

For the past several years — since I published the Get Rich Slowly course in 2014 — I’ve been trying to teach people to think like a CFO. Here’s my fundamental premise: You should manage your personal finances the way a business owner would manage hers.

To illustrate why I think this is so important, let me introduce you to my friend Harlan…

This article is by GRS contributor William Cowie.

Life is full of little bumps … like how our furnace went out at the onset of last season’s most severe cold snap. It’s bad enough that an emergency like that seems to happen at the most inopportune time, but what’s worse is the $6,000 bill that accompanies it. Where do you get $6,000 quickly when you need it?

If you’ve set money aside for a rainy day, you’ll be less likely to go into debt — or to tap your retirement funds — when the bill comes. But recently, I heard Suze Orman advocate using your Roth Individual Retirement Arrangement (Roth IRA) as your emergency fund in a public television fundraiser broadcast.