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Welcome to this bonus episode of Optimal Finance Daily.

I'm your new host and self-proclaimed personal finance

enthusiast, Diana Merriam.

I am absolutely thrilled to be the new host of this incredible show and so thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce myself.

One of the first things you might notice about me is the weird spelling to my name. Yes I have an extra I in my name. It's spelled

D I A A N I A but it's pronounced Diana. I will say that I do find it a bit ironic that there's a silent eye in the name of

someone who literally never shuts up but on the bright side this is a

conversation I get to have every day.

So thanks, mom.

I jumped on the opportunity to host this podcast

because getting my own financial house in order

completely change the trajectory of my life. I'm fascinated by how

others approach the topic of personal finance because it really is a personal

thing that tends to be a bit taboo to talk about. So reading personal kind of content to more people who might benefit the way I have, just perfectly

aligns with how I want to be using my time. I know I love a good financial freedom

story, so I'm going to walk you through a little bit of mine just so you can see why I'm so gung-ho

about being your new host and helping you optimize your life. My financial journey started back in the fall of 2015 when I was living in New York City and found myself in 30 grand of debt.

...