Before the financial crisis in 2008, I admit my finances were pretty insecure. I was living in a house that was too expensive on a mortgage I couldn’t afford. I was driving a brand new car with a ridiculous monthly payment. I was confident that the growth in the markets and growth in my career would continue. And, like so many in America and across the world, I was wrong. Very, very wrong. I don’t want to go into too deep of details, but I’ll say that my family and I were deeply impacted. We hit rock bottom in the middle of 2009 and, staring down the barrel of losing our home. I knew I had to make some major changes, for the sake of my family and the sake of my sanity. Here’s what I did to find my way back from almost losing it all in 2008. I Changed My Lifestyle This is probably the least fun one on this list, but it made a huge difference. I encourage you to take a look at your life and see if you can really afford it. Many of us are living off of credit cards, outsize loans, and an obsession with constantly upgrading our material goods. It’s not healthy, and it’s not productive. Not to mention, many of us are saddled by debts ranging from student loans to mortgages. So get real: are you driving a car you shouldn’t be? Is your auto insurance impossible? Could you bike to work? Can you move to a smaller house? Ask yourself the hard questions. It could literally save you thousands of dollars. Isn’t that worth it? I Learned To Trade Don’t miss out on the potential to make your own money on the market. It’s easy to think that the skillset needed is for professionals only. I waited for years to trade on the markets because I thought I needed a degree. I was wrong.What I needed was two things: an education and an opportunity. Try2BFunded was the place for both. Not only was I able to spend 6 weeks learning exactly how to trade and how to manage my different strategies, I was given access to the most important thing of all: cash. $100,000 to be precise. After 7 weeks, Try2BFunded gave me access to $100,000 to trade with. What did I do with that $100,000? Made more money. And then more. After 2 weeks, I saw 60% of the profits hitting my bank account. That meant I had two incomes at the same time. I hope to get my wife in on the action next. 3. I Made Plans For The Next Crisis No one wants to live in fear, but you have to live reasonably. And, as any economist will tell you, another recession will come. So what did I do? I made a plan. On top of learning to trade at Try2BFunded and changing my lifestyle, I set up a strict budget that let me put aside money in an emergency fund. On top of that, I set up accounts for my kids’ education and contributed regularly. Even when it was difficult, I put aside a bit of money. Additionally, I got more strict about what I was saving. 10% wasn’t cutting it. My life currently is leaner than it’s been before, but I also feel more prepared for what may come.