Tiani Wright on Getting to Know Your Taxes [125]

Coffee workers—or really anyone who has ever worked in service or earned tips as part of their wages—has likely been told a number of conflicting things about taxes. Declare your cash tips. Don’t declare your cash tips. Your tips cannot be taxed. You owe a tax liability at the end of the year. The varying narratives we’ve been told about taxes can be confusing at best, and financially harmful at worst.

My guest today is Tiani Wright, a tax professional and founder of the group Coffee and Tax. Tiani wants to help coffee folks get financially literate, and a lot of that has to do with being open about talking about money. Tiani encourages people to get to know their pay stubs, ask questions about their W2’s, make sure their bosses are deducting the right amount of money from their wages. Being financially literate means being in control of your financial future, and knowing where your money is going.