Part 2/8:
The speaker’s first mistake revolved around his student loans. After graduating high school in 1988, he took four years to complete his associate’s degree, funding it upfront but later accumulating student loans while pursuing further education. By the year 2000, he and his wife found themselves burdened with $50,000 in combined student loans, which ballooned to $775,000 by 2012 due to deferred payments and accruing interest.