Meet James

Hello I’m James.

I’m 31 years old and have bought, sold and developed more than 2,000 properties. I own 5 properties of my own and have essentially set myself up so that I’ll never have to worry about money again. What’s more, I’ve educated thousands of Australians to do the same.

But it didn’t start that way…

I don’t come from money; my parents have been broke three times. Perhaps more importantly, 10 years ago my personal finances were out of control. I had to learn how to build my wealth and, before that, get my finances under control. All the while discovering a way to do it when I’m naturally conservative and cautious, and saw ‘debt’ and ‘risk’ as four-letter words.
I’d had a perfect middle class upbringing, gone to great schools, received a fantastic university education and yet I had no idea where to start when it came to getting control of my money and getting ahead in life.

Then I got a little bit lucky. I started working for and being mentored by my uncle, best selling author and self-made millionaire John Fitzgerald. For the past 11 years he has taught me a different way of thinking and given me the tools and skills required to get control of my personal finances and, more importantly, get myself to the point where I never have to worry about money.

It involved learning the difference between working smarter and harder, and how to manage risk. By doing that, I’ve been able to build total control and confidence when it comes to money.

I lost my Dad in March 2019. It was tragic and unexpected. I learned in the process that he had suffered anxiety for more than 30 years because of the state of his personal finances. To the point he took sleeping tablets every night just to get to sleep and engaged in a cocktail of coping mechanisms that was gambling, alcohol, drugs and misguided financial decisions.

So on the 1 year anniversary of his death I started writing my book, Bulletproof Investing. In it I share my story and the experiences of my parents, but also all of the knowledge, skills and tools I’ve been so lucky to learn from my uncle John and others at such a young age.

I wrote it to use what I know to help remove personal finances from the growing list of worries that keep Australians awake at night and anxious.

Enjoy!