I've lived at home since I was little.
Yes, it is embarrassing because I'm 32 and I live at home, but there
are reasons why I still live at home.
It's not because I want to mooch off my parents.
My dad is getting older and his health is changing.
So I've been there for my mom to help when needed.
Hi, my name is Chance Wimberley.
I'm 32 years old. I make $39,000 a year and I live in Colbert,
Oklahoma. I'm
unofficially a paralegal.
We work for attorneys who represent our state in child support
hearings and proceedings.
I prepare legal documents, prepare for hearings and do case research
for them. Our agency as a whole transitioned to work from home in
April and I work from home Monday through Friday, 8 to 5.
We grew up somewhat poor.
We lived on less than $700 a month.
We didn't have the electronics that many kids probably had at the
time. Granted, it was in the 90's and it's shaped me who I am today.
For a lot of people, money is of utmost importance.
But as a kid, all I remember is my sister and I enjoying our life and
my mom and my dad giving me the love that any parent should give.
And that's all that mattered.
Right after high school, my dad had developed a gambling addiction and
we were behind on our house payments.
We were foreclosed on a few times due to that.
There were times when, you know, my dad would have to borrow money
from me and I never refused because, as I said, my mom is my rock and
we were able to get through it together.
I pay for my food expenses.
Thankfully with family I get a deep discount on rent, but I pay for my
car payment, my auto insurance, phone bill.
After taxes, my net income is about $2,500.
There are some months when I might buy a shirt or a pair of jeans or a
new pair of shoes, but it typically just goes to my bank account.
My philosophy is I never know when I will need it, so I should
probably save it. I've initially
wanted to be a nurse since I enrolled in college, but I didn't have
confidence in myself.
So I pursued another major that I knew I would excel in:
History, political science.
And so I went down that road knowing that my true dream was to be a
nurse. And when the pandemic hit, it made me realize that life is too
short and I need to pursue my dreams.
I'm leaning toward preventative medicine because a few years ago I had
a health scare where I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
So I started losing weight and I was able to stop the Type 2 diabetes.
And then I realized that's what I would enjoy doing with other people,
is making them realize that they can change their life.
I looked at debt like it was nothing.
I applied for as many credit cards as I possibly could.
Basically allowed myself to drown under the debt because I didn't have
the income to make the payments.
So my credit was ruined for 7 years.
So I rebuilt my credit from scratch.
Gradually, I had to make payments on time to show the lenders that I
could manage my money responsibly.
I was paying $100 a month until the pandemic hit.
And then, of course, the government deferred those loans until January
1st and after January 1st, I will defer them for two more years for
nursing school. Once nursing school is over, I will start paying them
off. And I hope to be debt free by the time I'm 36.
I intend to pay off my car loan, which will be $17,500.
Once that is eliminated, my debt will shrink considerably.
I have a credit card that has $1,000 balance on it and I'm intending
to pay that off in December as well on top of a personal loan that I
will be paying off.
In Oklahoma, people are defined by their tribe and I am a member of
The Chickasaw Nation, which is a tribe headquartered about two hours
from my house. Colbert is actually named for my ancestors who
traveled here on the Trail of Tears.
So my family has lived here in this little city for over 160 years.
People are surprised to find out that I'm Native American because I'm
very white, but it really helps define who I am.
I'm very proud of my Native American heritage.
I participate in the genealogy conferences.
I've also organized family reunions for the Colbert family.
There are thousands of cousins within the Colbert family and I was
able to organize a reunion for the Colberts located in Oklahoma.
I'm not savvy when it comes to investing.
I do have a 401(k) through my job, but beyond that, I'm frightened to
invest money because I don't want to lose it.
Because it goes back to when I was little and I was scared that we
wouldn't have anything. I don't want to be in that position of not
having any money.
I have $35,000 in my savings.
I typically place $100 a month into a separate account.
Right now I'm using Qapital with a Q.
I just try to put some money there each month.
So when the pandemic ends, I can take a nice vacation.
I taught myself about money, but beyond that I had no guidance.
It was all self-taught.
Before the pandemic, I had started traveling a bit, but when that
happened, everything stopped.
Besides traveling, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends
and also exploring small cities across Texas.
I'm actually politically active and I serve on the local board for our
political party. One of the political parties in my county.
And I also serve on the election board for my county.
Politics has been an interest of mine since I was 14 years old when I
was able to serve as a page for my state senator in Oklahoma City.
So I always ask and encourage people to exercise their right to vote.
My hope is to move to Los Angeles because I was out there on vacation
a few years ago and it was the only place that I've ever been where I
felt free. I could be who I am without fear of judgment.
I'm actually, I'm openly gay and living in this area, religion plays a
major emphasis or role in people's lives here.
And those religious beliefs have shaped how people feel.
Granted, I've never experienced any homophobic attacks, but it would
just be nice to live in an area where I can walk down the road with
my partner and not feel like people are staring at us.
In five years, I want to have a master's degree in nursing and I'm
hopeful that I will be a nurse practitioner somewhere in this country
practicing preventative medicine.
I hope people realize that if they're making $25,000 a year, they can
still save. It's not the end of the world.
They are no less than the person who makes $100,000 or $150,000 a
year.