$90K in Debt to Coast FI with $1.5M (Here's the Blueprint)

BiggerPockets Money Podcast

BiggerPockets

Investing, Education, Business

4.6 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ericka Young did what most people think is impossible—she went from 90k in debt to Coast FI with a seven-figure net worth. In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, she's pulling back the curtain on how she did it. What You'll Learn: How to eliminate massive debt without living in total deprivation The debt snowball method in action (and why it works psychologically) When to stop paying off debt and start investing aggressively Investment strategies that built $2.5 million in net worth The mindset shift from "getting by" to building real wealth Perfect for: Anyone in debt who wants a realistic path to financial independence, or for people looking to accelerate their wealth-building timeline. Ericka's a financial coach who's been exactly where you are. Her story is proof that financial freedom isn't reserved for high earners—it's about strategy, discipline, and knowing when to shift gears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What does it take to go from $90,000 in the red to CoastFi with $2.5 million?
0:06.7	Erica and her husband did exactly that.
0:08.9	And Erica is here to walk us through how they did it.
0:12.0	We're talking about their debt payoff, the investment approach that accelerated their wealth, and their portfolio today.
0:23.6	Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to the Bigger Pockets Money podcast.
0:26.8	My name is Mindy Jensen, and with me as always is my budgeting pro co-host, Scott Trench.
0:31.5	Thanks, Mindy.
0:32.0	Great to be here.
0:32.8	And today we're going to talk about a wonderful financial model in Erica and her fantastic journey.
0:39.0	We're so excited to welcome Erica Young, a financial coach who's experienced financial rock bottom so that you don't have to.
0:45.6	We're going to break down her journey from $90,000 in debt to $2.5 million in net worth and CoastFi
0:51.8	and discuss some of the options that she's considering with her own
0:54.6	personal portfolio, including whether to pay down her mortgage, buyer rental, or pursue other
0:59.5	investment alternatives like building a cash position. Welcome, Erica, to Bigger Pockets Money.
1:03.9	Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be here. Awesome. Well, let's kick things off and start with this
1:07.9	debt background. How did you rack up $90,000 in debt?
1:11.6	And what did that feel like? Yeah, you know, honestly, I was pursuing the American dream.
1:17.0	I think it's really easy to go in debt. It's just hard to get out. And or I would say you need
1:23.0	consistency to get out. And we did what everybody told us to do. My husband and I were both, you know,
1:29.7	people who wanted to get a good job. And we thought that was the path to go to college. And
1:34.5	that was some of the debt. That was a good portion, more than half of the debt. And then we wanted
1:40.2	decent cars. We're from the Motor City. And so you got to have a nice ride. And that came
	...

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