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Wealth and prosperity were two ideas at the top of Eloy and Monica Villamil’s minds when they immigrated to the United States as teenagers. They began in the food industry and sought out new and better opportunities every chance they could.

It was at the young age of 19 when Monica received an offer from a leading insurance and financial services company that the couple decided to jump in with both feet and dedicate their youth to hard work. Their focus was singular: no rest and no early gratification until they achieve the goal of one day owning their own business. Colleagues were critical and often laughed at their proclamation that eventually they would be millionaires, but a mentor set the couple up for success with a simple change in mindset. They adopted the idea of an alternative lifestyle to that of mainstream 9-to-5 America and developed a self-sufficient income generating system within the first 10 years of their careers which would enable wealth and retirement at a young age.

They continued to work hard and save money, and attributed their financial success to a key concept: living below their means. “The secret is living below your means,” revealed Eloy. “We used to live with 30% of our income and invested the rest.”

Not before long, the couple saved enough money to purchase their first flip, then their first rental, and as the years went by their business expanded exponentially. “We believe in selling real estate to survive, flipping homes to grow capital, and buying and holding properties to retire,” said Eloy. Operating their business with this concept, the Villamils reached their first million in income at the young age of 28.

In December 2015, they expanded their business by purchasing a building and gave life to RE/MAX Innovative, a 25 agent office in Bellflower, California. With their dream of entrepreneurship realized, and having made enough to generate wealth for early retirement, the couple is still going strong and enjoying the journey of working and sharing their knowledge of mature wealth creation.

Additional Reading

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Modesty Really is the Best Policy

Living modestly does not equate to living like a pauper. It is simply a realization that the sacrifices made now are beneficial to the future. Living modestly does not mean that you have to pinch every penny, clip every coupon, and take advantage of every sale on toothpaste. It is sacrificing in larger areas such as housing, vehicles, and clothing long enough to meet your financial goals.

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10 Bad Financial Habits You Need to Break to Get Out of Debt

We all have our creature comforts – those habits that we indulge on a daily basis. However, while a regular morning latte or a new pair of shoes might seem harmless, you’ve got to consider their effect on your bottom line. A dollar here and a dollar there add up over time – and, despite your efforts in other areas, they could be one of many reasons you’re still mired in debt. By watching out for these 10 habits, you might be able to stop some of those bad habits in their tracks and reassess the way you think about money and wealth.

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Why Is It Psychologically Difficult to Be Financially Responsible?

Financial success is a little bit like fitness — we all know what we should be doing, but for a lot of us, ramping up our retirement savings and jumping on the treadmill are two things that just don’t happen. Even though making the rational decision to save or exercise is in our best interests, it’s awfully difficult to make the right long-term decision in our day-to-day lives. The question is, why? When we all know the right decisions to make, why is it so difficult to make it happen? Psychologists and behavioral economists have some answers.

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Frugality Lessons from Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg

Whether you love or hate the Facebook founder, everyone can agree that Mark Zuckerberg is one of the top frugal billionaires around. At a $40.7 billion net worth, Zuckerberg is worth over 100 Kardashian families (that’s right, the whole family 100 times over and still have over $1 billion in his pocket). Although Zuckerberg is rolling in the dough, his lifestyle emulates a lifestyle closer to the average Joe. Here are some frugality lessons we can learn from one of the richest men in America.

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