Is 2016 the year that you will get your family’s finances back on track? Well, I hope you are not making the mistake of tackling the family finances alone. To bring prosperity to you and your loved ones, it needs to be a family affair. Start Having Monthly Money Meetings Money can be a touchy topic to talk about in some families if it is not talked about regularly and … [Read more...]
5 Beauty and Budget Must-Haves for Brown Girls on the Go
There’s something really wonderful and empowering about being your own woman in all ways. I’m talking about having your stuff together from the inside out: your career is on the move, you’re handling your finances like a champ, and you’re attention to your personal appearance is impeccable. For some brown girls, this is a lofty dream punctuated and mired with bouts of … [Read more...]
5 Jacked Up Things Your Friends Will Say to Keep You Living Broke
When you decide to pull-up your big girl panties and take charge of your finances like a grown woman, you may begin to realize that everyone will not be happy with your new frugal lifestyle. Your shopaholic friends will become your new financial frenemies and say things to keep you chained to the door of revolving credit, conspicuous consumption, and living beyond your … [Read more...]
Money Monday: These 5 Numbers Are the Secret to Taking Control of Your Finances
With the New Year just around the corner, many of us will vow to make 2016 the year we finally get our finances in order. But in order to be successful, experts agree that we must first understand a few basic numbers. Knowing these figures will help us make the right decisions for a financially fit future. Debt is the cancer that consumes your financial well being from the … [Read more...]
This Amazing and Free Tool Will Help You Lose Weight and Slash Debt at the Same Time
A few years ago, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine published Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research findings which concluded that keeping a food diary can double an individual’s weight loss effort. Similarly, a study in The New England Journal of Medicine uncovered that those who did not jot down their food intake on a daily basis underestimated their … [Read more...]
Money Monday: 5 Ways to Keep Christmas from Sending You to the Poor House
The season to celebrate the Prince of Peace is anything but peaceful for many of us. Hijacked by our culture of consumerism, we’ll spend far too much of our time shopping for others with money we do not have. According to a recent survey conducted by Experian Consumer Services, shoppers anticipate spending nearly $800 this year for gifts alone, with forty-nine percent of … [Read more...]
These 6 Home Buying Rules of Thumb Let You Know If It’s Time to Ditch the Rent
For the last three years, I had been ambivalent about home ownership. But with a recent (disrespectful) rent hike, and a conversation with my husband that determined that we will be planting roots in our current city, I figured it was time to buy a home that we could afford. In speaking with my friend Danielle Douglas, journalist and banking reporter at The Washington Post … [Read more...]
Singles: Should a Woman Date a Man Who Makes Less Money than She Does?
If you have a high achieving sister with a salary that is more than some two-person households combined, you may have found dating is a bit more challenging for you. So the question becomes: Should a woman date a man who makes less than she does? And what does a man REALLY think about women who may be more financially successful than he is? I've asked many high quality men … [Read more...]
Money Monday: How A High School Teacher Became A Millionaire Before Age 38
The Book: Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned In School The Big Idea: You can beat the financial pros and become wealthy by simply investing in low risk, low cost index funds. The Author: Andrew Hallam worked as a high school teacher but didn’t let his teacher’s salary hamper his dreams of attaining wealth. By controlling his spending … [Read more...]
Want a Marriage That Will Last a Lifetime? Throw Some Money At It!
I had a conversation with my mentor about improving my sales strategy to better position myself to help my Frugal Feminista community solve their biggest and ugliest financial problems. In our conversation, he shared the backend of his business operations with me. He was able to pinpoint one of his best customers; let’s name him "Mr. Love"—what he bought, what videos he … [Read more...]
Money Monday: 3 Ways African-Americans are Making Huge Financial Strides that Mainstream Media Won’t Share with You
Despite the never-ending onslaught of headlines bemoaning the dismal financial state of Black America, all is not as bad as we’re led to believe. In fact, in many areas, African-Americans are making huge financial strides. Here are three pieces of good news to provide you with relief from the usual stories of financial gloom and doom. We’ve caught the entrepreneurial … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Save Yourself From Nickel and Diming Your Way Into the Poorhouse
One of the interesting things that I see as a personal finance coach supporting black women trying to regain control of their finances is that these women are in debt or have bad credit. It's not that they are poorly compensated and, as a result, have to resort to charging basic necessities on their credit cards. Rather, it is because they have money management issues. They … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Twelve Money Secrets Your Rich Friends Won’t Share With You
Chances are you know someone who is extremely wealthy, but they’re not going to tell you. No, they’re content enjoying life without the need for Trump-like gloating or over-the-top displays of wealth. Author Thomas Stanley calls them the “millionaires next door.” So if your “millionaire next door” acquaintance was to share her money secrets, what might she tell you? 1. I … [Read more...]
Have Debt? Have No Savings? Make These 4 Breakthrough Money Moves to Easily Live Below Your Means
I was speaking to a girlfriend that was looking for advice on how to manage her finances better. She was proud to share that she had no debt, but when it came to savings, she had none of that either. Living Beyond Your Means I know for some, this is a hard concept to grasp. We usually hear of people living in debt and with no savings. It seems like it’s one problem. However, … [Read more...]
Money Monday: The One Key Habit of the Wealthy That Will Prepare You For a Lifetime of Success
Reading is the secret sauce to success. It’s hard to obtain financial freedom or career excellence without it. Billionaire Mark Cuban, in his book How to Win at the Sport of Business, credits much of his success to reading: I read every book and magazine I could. Heck, three bucks for a magazine, twenty bucks for a book. One good idea would lead to a customer or a solution, … [Read more...]