My grandfather’s mindset about ownership left a lasting mark on me.
He believed ownership was about freedom. He saved diligently and prioritized security over luxury.
My goal is to own enough so I never feel like another holds the keys to my freedom. I’ve succeeded.
My grandfather was born and spent his young adult life under Portugal’s Estado Novo dictatorship, which ended in 1974.
He saw firsthand how financial insecurity could be used as a weapon — loans denied, costs inflated, and livelihoods threatened based on arbitrary labels of unreliability, like involvement in union organizing.
For him, ownership wasn’t just about accumulating assets; it was about gaining a sense of freedom and security in an otherwise authoritarian environment.
His mindset about ownership left a lasting mark on me and governed how I’ve approached my career and finances my whole life.
From the time I was a young boy, my grandfather would stress the importance of not being owned and being your own master. He lived by this principle, working tirelessly and being prudent in his spending.
My grandfather saved diligently throughout his life. Family vacations were rare and always on a tight budget. He only allowed expensive food like cheese, red meat, and olives during Christmas.
He launched multiple businesses in port operations and financial services, ventures that remain in our family. He invested in financial markets, real estate, and his cherished coins and stamps while spending most of his life debt-free.
His daughter — my mother — received the same lessons growing up. After the dictatorship ended, while many of her peers were taking advantage of cheap credit to buy new cars and other status symbols, she taught me one of my first finance lessons: A car is a mobility solution.
If I can buy a car for $10,000 and I choose a $20,000 model, I’m not just buying transportation — I’m spending $10,000 on a luxury upgrade.
She wasn’t telling me this was a dumb purchase. She was giving me a crucial sense of perspective that I’ve kept with me ever since.
When I was old enough, I left Madeira Island and traveled all over Portugal for the next eight years but always with the goal of making it back home.
I started my business career while traveling in Portugal. Like my grandfather, I’ve launched multiple businesses to build wealth and increase my future freedom in Portugal.
Some of those ventures — like the tutoring program and tourist activities businesses — flopped. Others are holding strong, like my consultancy and real estate businesses.
When borrowing funds, I did it in controlled amounts. I used credit lines for young investors that required no personal guarantees and could only claim the funds my business partners and I had already committed to the business.
I’ve never had credit card debt or taken out a car loan. Up until last year, my only debt was my home mortgage, but I decided to pay my 30-year mortgage off early.
Shortly after returning home to Madeira in 2016, my wife and I bought our first house. Eager to start a place of our own and start building our life, we moved quickly — completing the entire process of buying, restoring, and moving in within just six months of returning to the island.
The lesson my grandfather valued and repeated the most was that you should own your home outright.
To him, a house wasn’t just a place to live — it was a shield against uncertainty, a guarantee that no matter what happened, his family would always have a roof over their heads.
He worked hard and saved relentlessly to buy his home. He prioritized security over luxury. And because of his influence, it became my priority, too.
Yes, if I had chosen to invest instead of aggressively paying off my mortgage in seven years, my net worth might be higher. However, owning my home outright has given me something far more valuable: the feeling of freedom and accomplishment.
Deciding to rent or keep a mortgage was often framed to me as a way to maximize financial performance through time — an Excel problem to be solved. However, my home means more than just numbers on a spreadsheet.
At this stage in my life, I am debt-free, which gives me the flexibility to combine my funds with strategic borrowing to invest in worthwhile opportunities.
More importantly, I have the peace of mind to raise my newborn son without financial stress.
My goal has been to build a life where I have enough to own what I call mine, and enough to never feel like someone else holds the keys to my freedom.
I have been able to return from mainland Portugal to my home island, live unburdened by debt, travel frequently with my family, pick up new hobbies, and choose my career path based on passion rather than financial reward.
Time has shown that this was the right decision for my family. Owning my freedom — financially and personally — has been worth more than any investment return.
