Money Musings: Be your own money coach 👏
Happy Lunar New Year to all those who celebrate!
Today I am excited to combine some of our favorite things: Financial Adulting (my book and generally) ✅, consumer activism ✅, AND free gifts for you ✅.
Ok here we go....
When you order my new book, you’ll get a bunch of incredible freebies.
I want to talk to you about one specifically - The Financial Adulting Challenge. 💥
The Financial Adulting Challenge will help you make some MAJOR money moves, will be SO fun, and is completely free when you preorder.
Here’s how it works:
💰 Each week, you’ll receive an email with the weekly Financial Adulting challenge.
💰 This will include a money move (sometimes a few money moves) you can take.
💰 Accountability and community make all the difference. I created a private Slack channel for you to cheer each other on 👏 and to share your wins, questions and setbacks.
When you preorder, you have a chance to use your money to vote with your dollars.
We put together this list of Black-owned bookstores that carry Financial Adulting by state. The list links directly to the book (to make it as easy as possible).
This list is by no means exhaustive. If the list is missing your favorite - call them up and preorder from them directly.
Then, fill out this form when you do so you can get on the list!
P.S. I received many messages from you in response to the Money Musing about important family convos. I wanted to send along a response I got from Heather (below). I'm sure you'll be moved by her experience.
P.P.S. We have a new blog post on how to stick with your 2022 money goals (and we featured some of your tips!). Check it out here!
MONEY MOVE OF THE WEEK
DEFINE YOUR 2022 GOALS.
If we really want to achieve our goals, making them SMART can help: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound. If your goal is to save more money in 2022, answer these questions to make it SMART.
Specific: How much do you want to save?
Measurable: Will you know when you achieve it? Luckily with numbers, the answer is yes!
Attainable: Is it possible? Can you reach this goal? Is the outcome in your control?
Relevant: Are you motivated by this goal? Is it worthwhile?
Time Bound: By when will you achieve it?
"I’m going to save more in 2022" becomes "I’m going to save $250 per month in 2022 so that I’ll have $3,000 at the end of the year!" It even sounds more powerful! 👊
Need ideas for goals? Here are some important money goals to consider adding to your list (if you haven’t achieved them already):
Rainy-day fund (a.k.a. an emergency fund)
Retirement (a.k.a. work-optional)
Paying down high-interest debt (a.k.a. paying off credit cards)
Investing (a.k.a. making your money grow)
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH BY DOING THESE THINGS.
Black History Month is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the incredible contributions and history of the Black community. For non-Black folks it’s also an opportunity to educate ourselves and continue to recommit to anti-racism work.
Celebrate Black History Month (virtually!) with these amazing events and resources:
Lava Thomas Astist Lecture: Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press (Tuesday, Feb 9 @ 7 pm EST - online event)
LaTosha Brown: Black History Month keynote address (Tuesday, Feb 15 @ 6pm EST - online event)
The Color of Abolition: How a Printer, a Prophet, and a Contessa Moved a Nation (Monday, February 28 @ 6pm EST - online event)
Check out the online programming at the New York Public Library
Check out one (or all) of these Netflix documentaries
The Black Truth Project by Change Cadet x REP.co (in partnership with lululemon)
Please send along any events you plan to attend / are organizing and we'll share them with the Fiscal Femme community!