Meet Marc Russell

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marc Russell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marc below.

Hi Marc, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Where did I get my resiliency from?

I didn’t have a choice.

I spent 13 years of my life in foster care… bouncing from home to home, learning early on that if I wanted anything in life, I had to go out and get it myself. No silver spoon, no safety net, no “Plan B.” Just grit.

I put myself through college by hustling hard. I cut hair in the dorms. I sold plasma more times than I can count. I referred people to random services for cash. I even handed out fliers on the street for small businesses. If it paid, I did it. That was my reality.

And I didn’t come from some wealthy suburb either. I came from Mount Union, Pennsylvania, one of the poorest small towns in the country. A place where opportunity doesn’t knock, you gotta build the damn door yourself.

So when people ask me where my resiliency comes from… it comes from surviving, adapting, and refusing to let my circumstances define my future.

That’s why I do what I do now – to help others build the financial life they deserve, no matter where they’re starting from.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

After growing up in foster care and putting myself through college by cutting hair, selling plasma, and doing whatever I could to make ends meet, I made a promise to myself: I’d figure out how money works and I’d teach everything I learned to people like me.

Eventually, I landed jobs at some of the top financial institutions in the world, including Vanguard, where I truly learned how to invest and more importantly, how to teach others how to do the same. I became a licensed financial advisor and stockbroker, helping people manage their money while quietly learning everything I could behind the scenes.

But I didn’t come in polished. I came into the industry raw, with zero financial background, surrounded by trust fund kids who grew up talking about stocks at the dinner table. Meanwhile, I was still learning the difference between a Roth IRA and a traditional one. It felt like drinking out of a fire hose but I stayed late, asked a million questions, and grinded until I knew this stuff inside and out.

Now, I help first-generation investors go from $0 to their first $100K and eventually $1M+ invested. I break down investing in a way that’s practical, not preachy. No fluff. Just real-life strategies that work for real people.

I teach through my free investing class at financesincheck.com/registration-page, and I run the Financially Bulletproof Investing Program® a step-by-step experience where I coach new investors on how to build wealth from A to Z through live sessions, easy-to-follow modules, and a supportive community. financesincheck.com/home

And because entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful ways to build wealth, I also help business owners build their brands from the ground up. You can grab my free business startup guide at financesincheck.com/cheatsheet.

At the end of the day, I’m here to help people take control of their financial story… especially the ones who never thought they could.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, the three things that impacted my journey the most weren’t things you learn in a textbook they were forged through experience:

Putting myself in rooms where I got my teeth kicked in.

I learned the most when I was uncomfortable… when I was the least experienced, the one asking the “dumb” questions, the one who had to grind just to keep up. That pressure forced me to level up. If you’re early in your journey, don’t run from those situations — seek them out. Growth comes from friction.

Learning sales – and more importantly, how to be relatable.

Whether you’re in finance, business, or building your personal brand, everything comes down to people. Learning how to sell (without being salesy) and communicate in a way that makes people feel heard and understood will take you further than almost any technical skill. Read books, role-play, study great communicators. This is a muscle – build it.

Being a tenacious learner.

When I started in the financial world, I didn’t know anything. I was surrounded by people who grew up with wealth, and I felt like an outsider. But I stayed late, asked questions, and studied relentlessly until I got it. That hunger to learn – especially when no one’s watching will set you apart. Never get too comfortable.

And if I can add one more piece of advice:

Pick a skill that sits at the center of your “Ikigai” — the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what people will pay for and become a master at it. Mine happened to be finance. That’s how you build a career and a life that’s both profitable and meaningful.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

Honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mentors.

Every time I hit a wall, professionally or personally, there was someone a few steps ahead of me who was willing to extend a hand, challenge my thinking, and show me a new way forward. Whether it was learning how to navigate corporate finance, understanding how to build wealth, or growing a business from scratch, my mentors helped me skip years of trial and error.

A good mentor doesn’t just give you answers, they give you perspective. They see your potential before you do. They help you avoid landmines, stay focused, and stay accountable. Most importantly, they remind you that you’re not in this alone.

That’s why I always tell people: get yourself in rooms where mentors live. Ask thoughtful questions. Be coachable. Don’t just chase money … chase proximity to people who are doing what you want to do at the highest level.

Because when you’re trying to break generational cycles and do something no one in your family has ever done, a mentor isn’t just helpful — they’re essential.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @betterwallet
• Facebook: @betterwallet
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmarcrussell/
• Twitter: @thebetterwallet