Hey Fam! Vanessa Adekoya here and I am your money girl!

In this category, I will be exploring all things finance and money! I felt it was important to start with this very important topic because it serves as a foundation for a strong financial future. So let’s talk about a few money things you ought to know and practice before you meet the one.

Girl, you are in the best season of your life, boo. This is the time to be selfish and fill your cup up until it overflows. Then grab another cup and store some up for a rainy day. Because listen, once you get that bling and a few babies pop out of you, you wouldn’t just get extra skin, you’ll also get extra bills and a milked out bank account to match. To put it mildly, it’ll be giving season for you.

So now that it’s totally not giving season for you yet, how about you invest in yourself and your future, boo? Let’s talk about the money things you should be doing at the moment to set yourself up for a future filled with abundance, shall we?

I heard you say yes, so here goes:

Raise Your Earning Potential

I know Instagram would have you believe that self-care is wearing a skincare mask, sipping champagne and watching Netflix. Those are cool and they would bring you momentary pleasure, but guess what’s even cooler? Setting your future self up for total badassery. Imagine how grateful future you would be if you:

• Took that certification exam
• Positioned yourself for that raise
• Applied to the higher-paying role
• Got that second degree
• Started mastering that craft

Your ability to earn more money tomorrow starts with the action steps you take today. Make a list and start crossing things off, sweet friend!

Set Up A Budget

Nobody is saying don’t be boujie. By all means, have nice hair, go on those trips, eat at those restaurants, step on our necks! But make sure there’s actually room for those things in your budget. Don’t even have a budget? Let’s fix that. Start with the simplest budgeting framework: the 50/30/20 rule. Make a list of all the income you expect to receive next month, allocate 50% to your vital needs, 30% to your future self (for saving & investments) and 20% for the boujie stuff. Budgets help you keep the main thing the main thing.

 Automate Your Savings

I wish I could promise to be there to remind you to pay yourself first (save) every month but you’ll have to pay me big bucks to do that. So a cheaper and more efficient alternative is to automate your savings. Pick up your phone, call your bank (or stand in those smelly long lines because, sis, whatever it takes) and tell them that you’ll like to automatically transfer a certain amount from your checking account to your savings account every single month. If your bank doesn’t offer this service, ditch that bank or cheat with another.

Set Up An Emergency Fund

Girl, don’t even lie, this 2020 has kicked your butt a little bit. It’s kicked all our butts in one way or another. But it has also revealed a very important lesson about life: it happens. Life happens. My professional take? Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready, gurl!

Remember the savings account we discussed in point 3? Yeah, you’re gonna need more than one actually. But the first and most important is an emergency fund. Focus on stacking up a minimum of 6 months of your living expenses in that account.
Trust me, you don’t want to get caught slipping in these streets. Build that emergency fund before doing anything else.

 Diversify Your Income

By now, we both agree that your financial goals come before flexing. But if you absolutely must live that baby girl life, then make more money. In this video, I share a few ways that you can make extra money to support your need for enjoyment. But watch it after reading this article to the end. You still need points 6-10.

It’s 2020. There’s no pride in struggling to pay your bills with a white-collar job that pays like a blue-collar job. What’s that, please?

Become Financially Literate

School should have done a better job of teaching us how to actually do life. News flash: it didn’t.

But guess what? If you’ve adulted for any amount of time, you’ll know that that’s not an excuse. Nobody is coming to save you. You’re responsible for your own personal development. Find resources. Pay for resources. Learn and execute.

Set Up A Brokerage Account

You’re a big girl now; you’re not a little princess anymore. You can’t only have a checking and a savings account. You need a brokerage account too. Once your emergency fund is stacked, you should be investing.

There are a ton of brokerage services available these days: in the form of fintech apps and traditional banks. Find what works for you and sign up!

Build Your Network

After all, is said and done, it’s also great to have rich friends. Just kidding! But am I though? Let me explain.

Sometimes, other humans hold the keys to a lot of the opportunities that can set you up for financial freedom. Sometimes, other humans decide who gets to be in the room and sit at the table. But here’s one thing I want you to take away from this point: be an asset first.

Having a rich network is not about who you know. It’s about who knows you. Who can vouch for your work ethic? Who can put their name behind your brand? Don’t be out here knowing the whole world with nothing to offer. Work; then let people see your work.

I am so glad that you made it this far. I see you’re ready to become the whole bag. He’ll be lucky to have you! Please don’t forget to drop your thoughts in the comments section and share this with your tribe on WhatsApp and Instagram. Love you and rooting for you. See you in the next one, sweet friend!