I’m new to the forum and super excited to join this community to learn and get inspired. I’ve recently started thinking seriously about achieving financial independence, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed about where to start. Currently, I have around $5,000 in savings, but I’m unsure how to allocate it. Should I focus on paying off a small credit card balance ($1,200), building an emergency fund, or investing in something like ETFs? My ultimate goal is to save enough to live off passive income within the next 10-15 years. Here are a few things I’ve been considering:

Is it better to focus solely on debt elimination before starting to invest? Should I prioritize building a larger emergency fund first? For beginners, what investment strategies have worked for you?