Here is my story and why I feel everyone needs to understand finance and financial planning in life.

Life as a Young Adult (No Understanding of Personal Finance)

I came from India and moved to Norway in 2011 at the age of 26 for my Master’s degree, and I was working happily in Norway.
In 2015, the oil crisis hit the Norwegian economy, and by 2016 many engineers lost their jobs, including me.

I was young at that time, and most people would be sad or eager to find a new job, but I used that time to travel around Europe
and India for 5 months using my savings (YES, savings come in handy—please have an emergency savings fund for yourself and your family).

And as a young boy, I was foolish enough to spend all my savings on traveling. Reality hit me hard when I realized I needed to find a new job to pay my bills.

Welcome to Sweden (Awareness of Personal Finance Begins)

When the oil industry was in crisis and no matter how educated or qualified I was, finding a job was challenging.
I decided to apply for jobs in Sweden and moved to Karlstad with my spouse in 2017.

Most expats, when they move to Sweden, experience a single-income household as one person gets a new job and the family follows.
My spouse and I decided to educate ourselves on money management, savings, and monitoring our expenses to ensure we could live comfortably
and travel the world, which is our passion.

This also meant sacrificing certain things in our lives, such as not owning a car, eating out less often, and avoiding unnecessary spending.
Instead, we focused on spending our money on what truly brought us happiness, like travelling to new places and countries.

Read more at International Citizen Hub Lund:

https://internationalcitizenhub.com