Episode 370: Paying Off $102K of Student Loans & Buying a House in NYC on a Teacher’s Salary w/ Melissa Jean-Baptiste

Melissa Jean-Baptiste, financial educator and author of “So This Is Why I’m Broke” is a first-generation Haitian American and former NYC high school teacher. Melissa joins us this week to recount her journey of paying off $102,000 in student loans and buying her first home, all on a teacher’s salary. As the founder of Millennial In Debt, she creates a shame-free digital platform dedicated to helping Millennials and Gen Z restructure their relationships with money, obtain financial freedom, build generational wealth and become future millionaires. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How Melissa’s student loans grew from graduating with $50K owed to $80K in 3 years due to an interest-only payment plan she didn’t fully understand and how she successfully paid it all off in 2018 through selling her teaching lesson plans as a side hustle. 
• Her venture into homeownership and the challenges encountered during the home buying process. Melissa underlines the importance of obtaining an independent home inspection alongside the bank’s appraisal.
• How she transitioned from teaching to dedicating herself entirely to content creation and entrepreneurship within her “zone of genius”.
• The significance of having a supportive community, both online and offline, to navigate significant life and career transitions effectively + much more!

Other Links Mentioned in episode:

• Get your copy of my book: Your Journey To Financial Freedom
• Leave Your Journey To Financial Freedom a review!
• Get The Budget Bootcamp for FREE
• Check out my personal website here.
• Join The Weekly Newsletter List
• Leave me a voicemail– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast!
• YNAB –  Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link.
• What stage of the financial journey are you on? Are you working on financial stability or work flexibility? Find out with this free assessment and get a curated list of the 10 next best episodes for you to listen to depending on your stage. Check it out here!

Connect with Melissa:

• Website
• Instagram: MillennialInDebt
• Facebook: MillennialInDebt
• YouTube: MillennialInDebt

Connect with me:

• Instagram: @Journeytolaunch
• Twitter: @JourneyToLaunch
• Facebook: @Journey To Launch
• Join the Private Facebook Group
• Join the Waitlist for My FI Course
• Get The Free Jumpstart Guide
• Get The Budget Bootcamp for FREE