Here's How a Pinoy Immigrant Became a Millionaire at 27 Years Old
My Zero To Millionaire Journey
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My friend recently invited me to speak at his event, Wealth in Waves, and wanted me to present on “How to Grow Wealth.”
I took the stage to share a framework that’s shaped my life and wealth-building journey:
The D.A.D. Framework.
This wasn’t just a “get-rich-quick” presentation but a step-by-step process I’ve used to define, build, and protect what matters most.
Because the truth is, real wealth isn’t about blindly following society’s script.
It’s about understanding your path and mastering your resources.
Something we’re not taught growing up.
In this newsletter, I’ll dive deeper into what I shared at the event and give you a roadmap for creating wealth on your terms.
How I Grew My Wealth
There’s a critical truth to building wealth that no one really talks about…
The real wealth you build starts with understanding yourself—your goals, your motivations, and your resources.
I’m here to share what I call the D.A.D. Framework
A system that starts with defining your path, auditing your resources, and making decisions that align with your goals.
This framework helped me break free from the script society handed me and build the life I actually wanted.
But it wasn’t easy to get here
Now, let me share a quick story with you…
College, Chipotle, and My First Real Questions
After high school, I did what everyone expected.
I went to college and got a job—because that’s “the way” to wealth.
But reality hit hard when I found myself working at Chipotle, surrounded by coworkers with degrees making the same $11 an hour as I was.
There’s something about spending four to six hours just to buy a pair of shoes that makes you question life.
That’s when things stopped making sense. Is this really what wealth looks like?
And this was the time I was confused, depressed, and felt lost.
Luckily 1 Day…
I reconnected with Alec, an old friend who’d gone from…
Customer service to COO
Making Six figures
Traveling the world
He was living the life I admired.
I remember venting to him about my confusion, how “reality” wasn’t matching society's promises.
He looked at me and said, “Bro, take this program.”
That was my first taste of personal development, which completely blew my mind.
It was my first time…
This was COMPLETELY new.
Growing up, the only financial advice I’d heard was to get a degree or become a nurse.
That’s what “wealth” meant.
But the wealth that society defined wasn’t what I wanted.
I wanted freedom.
A few months later…
My boss, Reggie, invited me to a Les Brown conference, the opportunity of a lifetime.
But it conflicted with my college classes.
That drive was a literal crossroads—I could turn right to head to class or drive straight to the conference.
I skipped class, chose straight, and drove to Sacramento State.
To my surprise, I ended up backstage before Les Brown’s presentation.
He mentioned he had some time and allowed the people in the room to ask him 1 question…
I asked Les Brown the question that had been eating at me:
“What’s your take on college?”
He looked me dead in the eyes and said,
I’ll never forget that moment.
That was the confirmation I needed.
On my way home, I drove right past college—never looked back.
The D.A.D. Framework
The D.A.D. Framework was born from these lessons and a few years of hard learning.
It’s simple but effective:
Let’s start with the first D in the D.A.D framework.
Define – What does wealth look like for you?
Not society’s version, not anyone else’s.
Wealth, to me, is freedom, security, and giving back to my family.
It’s personal, and it should be for you too.
Here is the Warren Buffet Exercise:
After you have defined what you want, you can now move on to step 2.
The A in the D.A.D. Framework
Audit – Where are your resources going?
Your Time, Attention, Money, Energy, Emotions, Relationships, Reputation, and Skillsets (TAMERRS) are the resources that make or break your progress.
I learned to audit each of these and put everything I had into what actually mattered.
After defining what you want, you can now move on to step 2.
The Last D in the D.A.D. Framework
Decide—Every day, you make choices that either bring you closer to your goals or pull you further away.
Every day, ask yourself,
“Is this decision aligned with my goals or not?”
Reflection Questions to Start Your Path to Wealth
The D.A.D. Framework isn’t about following someone else’s dream. It’s about building wealth on your terms. Here are a few questions to get you started:
What’s my #1 priority right now?
How am I managing my resources (TAMEERRS) to reach that priority?
Are my daily decisions moving me closer to my goals or pulling me further away?
Be honest.
The more real you are with yourself, the clearer your path forward will be.
If you want the slides, you can get access here: Presentation slides
Final Thoughts
The D.A.D. Framework helped me build a life I actually want to live.
By defining my own version of wealth, auditing my resources, and making decisions that aligned with my goals
I’ve created the freedom and security to take care of the people who matter most.
If you don’t sacrifice distractions for your goals, your goals become the sacrifice.
Control your resources, define your path, and let’s build a life YOU WANT, not what others want for you.
What’s Next?
Reflect, Adjust, and Act: Use the questions above as a starting point. Don’t just think about them—act on them.
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