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Leaving The Matrix
Cover of Disqualified by Luke Vasilion: a man in a hooded jacket walks beside his small daughter through a muddy puddle, under a red stamp reading DISQUALIFIED.

New book · Luke Vasilion

Disqualified

From Financially Clueless to Financially Free, One Hard Lesson at a Time

The Army told me I was permanently disqualified. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to my money.

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How I learned it

I can see the line now.

I couldn't see it while I was living it.

This isn't a finance textbook. It's the story of a kid from the Lansing area who grew up on food stamps, made a whole pile of dumb money decisions, and figured it out the hard way. Every chapter is a real chapter of my life, and every one ends with a few small things you can do that week. By the end, you'll know what your time is really worth, how to build an emergency fund, how to get out of a car you're upside down on, how to start investing, and how to talk money with your partner without a fight.

  1. Two houses

    What fear, and a total lack of structure, do to money.

  2. Working at fourteen

    What an hour is actually worth.

  3. Running track to get out

    What consistency and discipline can actually do.

  4. Learning to ask

    Not to be afraid of hearing no.

  5. The Challenger

    What a bad decision costs.

  6. The hearing booth

    To always have a Plan B.

  7. Ten dollars an hour

    That income is the biggest lever.

  8. The raise that changed nothing

    That it's only a lever.

  9. The 2020 rally

    That I had to get smarter. The tariff crash showed me I finally had.

  10. My daughter

    Gave all of it a reason.

I got disqualified from the life I thought I wanted. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me, because it put me on the road to this one.

What you walk away with

Everything I learned the hard way, in plain English.

  • 01

    Know your money script

    Why you handle money the way you do, and which rules you inherited without ever agreeing to them.

  • 02

    Build your Plan B

    Your runway, an emergency fund that comes before everything else, and where to keep it.

  • 03

    Get out from under it

    Credit scores, minimum payments, avalanche vs. snowball, and getting right-side up on a car.

  • 04

    Earn more, and keep it

    Your real hourly rate, how to ask for more, and why a bigger number on the offer letter isn't enough.

  • 05

    Invest like a grown-up

    How the market works, why crashes are normal, compounding, the first two accounts, and a one-page plan.

  • 06

    Run it as a family

    Talking money without the fight, living on one income, deciding what your money is for, and building something you own.

How every chapter works

  1. What happened

    The real story, mistakes included.

  2. What I know now

    The lesson in plain English, with real numbers.

  3. Your move this week

    A few small things to do in the next seven days. Not someday. This week.

Your first 30 days

It ends with a plan, not a pep talk.

Every move from the book, in the order I'd actually do them. Work through it over the next 30 days and you'll be further along than I was at 25.

  1. Week 1

    See where you stand

    Your reason, your money rules, your real hourly rate, and every payment you owe.

  2. Week 2

    Build the safety net

    Your runway, a high-yield Plan B account, and your first $1,000.

  3. Week 3

    Stop the leaks

    Rank your biggest expenses, call for a better rate, and pick your first debt to kill.

  4. Week 4

    Start building

    Get the full 401(k) match, open a Roth IRA, write your investing plan, and have the money talk.

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What's inside

Every chapter is a real chapter

Eighteen chapters, each with its own lesson, and a 30-day plan to finish.

  1. 00 Disqualified Why you need a Plan B before you need one
  2. 01 Every Other Week The money rules you inherited without knowing it
  3. 02 The Four-Wheeler Giving every dollar a job
  4. 03 Working at 14 What your time is really worth
  5. 04 Paying for the Path Out Getting through college without the loans
  6. 05 Soul Searching What it costs you to never ask
  7. 06 Austin, and Nothing Without Her Credit scores, minimum payments, and getting out of debt
  8. 07 The Challenger, and the Truck That Got Me Out Negative equity, and the real cost of a car
  9. 08 Disqualified Building your emergency fund
  10. 09 Plan B Why income is your biggest lever
  11. 10 The COVID Wake-Up Call How the stock market works, and why crashes are normal
  12. 11 23 Acres and Nobody to Ride With Deciding what your money is for
  13. 12 The Keymaker's Van Inflation, and how to make things worth more
  14. 13 Buying NVIDIA on the Way Down Building a portfolio like a grown-up
  15. 14 The Flip, and the Fire How a house actually makes you money
  16. 15 The Raise That Changed Nothing Why the number on your offer letter lies
  17. 16 One Income Running money as a couple
  18. 17 Owning Things That Pay You Building something you own
  19. 18 The Reason Finding the thing that keeps you going
  20. + Plus Your First 30 Days, every move from the book in one plan, and a plain-English glossary

Who it's for

This is for you if

  • You're doing everything right and still living paycheck to paycheck.
  • Nobody ever sat you down and explained money, and you don't want your kids to have to figure it out alone.
  • You want real numbers and real mistakes, not a lecture.

About the author

Luke Vasilion

Luke Vasilion grew up in the Lansing, Michigan area, splitting every other week between two houses and two completely different ideas about money. He got through college on a track scholarship and zero student loans, got permanently disqualified from Army Special Forces at 24, and started over selling cars for ten dollars an hour. Today he leads a front-end team building software used on NASA missions, runs Unyx Web Solutions, and founded Leaving the Matrix. He lives in Michigan with his wife, Bria, and their daughter.

FAQ

Questions

What do I get?
The full book as a PDF and an EPUB (works on Apple Books, Kindle via Send to Kindle, and most e-readers), delivered instantly.
How do I get it?
Download links appear right after checkout and are emailed to you. Lost them? Get fresh links here.
Refunds?
All sales are final, since you get the full book the moment you check out. If a file won't download or open, reply to your delivery email and I'll make it right.
Is this financial advice?
No. It's one person's story and what he learned. Your situation is your own, so talk to a qualified professional before big decisions.

You need a Plan B before you need a Plan B.

Disqualified · PDF + EPUB · $9.99

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