Money is essential, but there's so much we aren't taught about it.

In fact, while I was in college, I've racked up $20,000 in credit card debt on top of my student loan.

That was all before I actually learned anything about money.

I'm Janelia Spinal, an online new podcast financially inclined from Marketplace.

I'll teach you simple money lessons so you don't make the same mistakes I did.

Listen to financially inclined wherever you get your podcasts.

Truth be told wherever you get your podcasts.

We were playing this amazing symphony by Mahler, his third symphony.

Eric was a clarinet player in a university symphony.

And in the last movement at the great climax of this piece, I was overtaken by these shivers and

unbelievable feelings of joy.

It's just like an upward scale, but within the context of all the instruments, it's just like,

but I mean, it's just huge.

You know, I'm not doing it justice here.

The music completely overwhelmed him to the point where he felt like crying.

Just from feeling that, I knew that music was exactly what I had to do with my life.

I'm Erie Macheres and welcome to This Is Uncomfortable, a podcast from Marketplace about life

and how money messes with it. This week, a crazy story about one guy's dreams and an unexpected

price tag.

For as long as Eric could remember, he'd been around music.

His mom played in a plasma band and as he grew up watching them perform, he felt mesmerized

by the clarinet. When he was seven, he convinced his parents to let him take lessons.

...