Hard Lessons Learned

"In the best-seller The Millionaire Next Door, authors Thomas Stanley and William Danko revealed that a majority of people who have amassed great wealth did it slowly and steadily. The authors discovered that millionaires tended to have several common characteristics, including living within their means, and striving for financial independence rather than buying fancy cars, houses and lots of stuff.

These are lessons United First Financial co-founders Skyler Witman and John Washenko learned early in life. They were friends as far back as they can remember, and their bond of friendship was cemented when their families suffered similar fates - overwhelming debt left them both homeless, facing a despair nearly impossible to overcome.

As the repo truck backed up to their home to collect his family's belongings, Skyler Witman remembers thinking, "Why us" Why does this have to happen?" It left such an indelible mark on his childhood that it still affects him today. It's what drove him to succeed in business - so he could help others avoid his experience.

"As I got older, I realized that my parents' problems were due to debt," Skyler says. "debt is not always bad, but mismanagement of debt can be debilitating." Together, the boyhood friends vowed to change their course for the future and to help others do the same."

"Debt has been ripping apart families in increasing numbers - especially in recent years. Having built their own successful Utah-based mortgage company, Accelerated Equity & Development... countless hours were spent scouring existing financial systems from around the world. UFirst's co-founders picked and chose the best attributes of the most successful plans and sought the help of an aeronautical engineer to compile them into a tidy software package."

And here we have the Money Merge Account System. Not only does this system help you pay off your mortgage and other debts, but it also is an educational tool and a financial dashboard that helps you track your financial goals.