¶ Intro / Opening
Mandra, Do you know what I need? I need to walk in these streets in my BA swag. You know what I'm really looking forward to? First of all, be your own Brown Boost. What an awesome phrase. I cannot wait to wear that on my chest like Superman. And what I'm really excited for, though, is I am a sweatshirt and like hoodie girl. So the classic Brown Ambition logo sweatshirt has my name all over it.
But where can I go? Where can I find it?
I was hoping you would ask Young Tiffany. Tiffany, get your Brown Ambition swag at Brown Ambitionstore dot com. Five years in the game, we finally have merch for you guys. So get your Brown Ambition hoodie, your Brown Ambition crew neck tea, get a onesie for your littles. We got toddler teas. Oh my goodness, there's something for everyone. Be your own Brown Boost T shirt for sure. We have a Brown Ambition mug, which my family is most excited about.
I had to do the fifteen out size for my big sister because she drinks coffee Like nobody's business.
Oh you know, I'm the budget nesh to write any special offer.
I'm also very glad you asked that question, Tiffany. Yes, with Brown Ambition fifteen, that's promo code Brown Ambition fifteen all one word, you can get fifteen percent off your order at Brown ambitionstore dot com.
I can't wait to see y'all in these BA streets repping bapam with your BA swag.
Ho ho ho wait? Is that too early? Hey? Hey?
I mean I'm not mad at it. I am in full holiday mode.
We deserve because we're back, we're black, we're Brown Ambition. But yeah, I'm not gonna lie. If I wasn't so lazy, I would have had my tree apart ready because I just feel like we deserve.
We deserve.
We deserve all of fa la la la las and the decking the halls. However, you deck your halls if you're not into Christmas, if you're a Hanka family, Kwan's a family, or just whatever non denominational celebration family, this time is always so magical. Yeah, people are figuring out, trying to figure out how they're going to celebrate the pandemic holiday season, which is sad. But I'm just trying, like my mom has been, you know, she's been in her feeling she's been having a little pity party. If
she's listening, Mom, this is fair. She looks, you know, because she's missing not only Thanksgiving, but it's Rio's first birthday on Thanksgiving this week, and I'm just trying to be like, look, we have to like make the most of it. I'm trying to figure out how to do a virtual birthday extravaganza where there's like activities, and maybe I'm like trying to do too much. I just want folks to feel to still have an experience and not be like so sad.
I know, and I thought, like for a moment, my mom is she's avkia of nurse. I said, Mommy, you know you guys are going to come over for Thanksgiving. Will keep it really small, just like I couldn't even finish. She's like no, I said nope.
I was like nope.
She think my dad doesn't listen to podcasts, so I can spills a little shade. She's like, why don't you ask your dad? He likes gallivanting around when there's a pandemic.
About it, don't All the older men in our lives love love a good grocery store trip in.
The middle of the day, just the gallivants.
I was like, well she you know, She's like, honestly, it's serious business.
You know. She's like, I'm in my sixties, your dad is in his seventies. It's just not safe.
And I'm like, you know what, She's right, So we're honestly not It's just going to be who's here. My sister Carol that lives up the street with the two kids, and my sister Lisa Superman family, they all are like, nope, We're going to be in our own houses. So yeah, it's this will be the smallest Thanksgiving I've ever celebrated. And still I'm not cooking already. It's so crazy. I call Vonda, who does like all of the because looking for my major holidays. I didn't even I just said, hey, banda,
she said, got you for Thanksgiving? I said, okay, bye girl. She already bless her yes, cause my husband asked, he said, you gotta cook. I was like, do you want to have a good Thanksgiving or not?
I love Thanksgiving cooking. Oh but that's amazing. Listen, you do your thing if that because like I can, that also sounds amazing. Just to have the food show up and you're like in your cozy socks and out whatever you're gonna wear.
And if I was a good cook, honestly, I would be like, you know what, I'm going to spend the time, But is that what we're doing?
You want my cooking for thanks?
Again, I'm not the worst, but I could give you a good salmon you know, pallet sandwich. Meanwhile, just the salmon burger that you know you get from Trader Joe's that those.
Are good, Those are good, real talk. If they want to respond to the show, I would. I would wax poetic about their salmon burgers for a very long time. Yeah, I have a whole I took this week off of work and in true Mandy fashion, listen, my therapist at this point just laughs. I don't know if we're supposed to be laughing as much as we do on our calls, but anyway, because I was like, yeah, I'm taking the
week off work. But here's my plan. We are gonna surprise Abuela Enrique's mom tomorrow with We're gonna take her Christmas tree. Because speaking of grandma's getting in their fields, she's all, you know, sad. Because I made the executive decision not to do a traditional Christmas tree in my house because I'm sorry, God gave me a spider monkey for a baby, not an actual human, and I really don't want to have to go to the emergency room when he pulls that tree down on top of himself.
So I decided no Christmas tree inside, but we're gonna get a tree for the front yard anyway, so we're gonna surprise her tomorrow. And then I'm listen, I started to like hire people for stuff, like for Rio's birthday, which is on Thanksgiving, I was like, okay, we can go to that same bakery. I got, you know, a cake from before for his birthday cake. And then you know, I had a really cool balloon arch at my baby shower and I was like, let me get their phone number.
But then the dollar started to add up, and then I started to google, like how much is a balloon tape? Like how long? What's a helium tank cost? Like can I do this myself? And next thing you know, I'm making a whole dam's loth cake carved caricature cake, and a whole damn balloon arch from scratch, and I'm doing a whole damn Thanksgiving lunch and it's gonna be delicious. And we're having turkey and sweet potato soufle and dressing and all the trimmings and it's gonna be great. So
this is my week off. Yeah, but I'll know it makes me happy though it's not. You know, I enjoyed. I enjoy crafts, I always have. I enjoy cooking, So this this brings joy. And I had to literally convince my therapist to like, get on board. I was like, get on board, Lauren, get on board. This is what's happening. I'm in a great mood. I'm amazing. She's like, are you Yes, It's gonna be fabulous. I just can't wait to see Rio's face when he sees his his cake
and all the balloons. I feel like he's gonna have a really fun reaction.
Yes, balloons and kid. I feel like balloons and bubbles are like kids' best friends.
Yeah, he was never in I remember and got him like a balloon a bubble machine over this, and he would just stare at it with the deadest of stairs, like the digits of stairs doesn't.
Make that noise.
Because I have to say that I've seen a lot of times kids don't like the bubble machine noise, because I definitely got my nephew and he was like, girl, do.
You want to kill me? Is that what this is?
But the actual bubbles themselves, he was like, Okay, these are cute.
I can pop these, these are cute.
My mom My mom was like, look at this viral video of this baby sing bubbles for the first time. It's adorable. And then it's one of those things where you're like, yeah, I recreate that. No. I mean, he couldn't have been less interested in the bubbles. But the things we do for.
The cheatment, right, I'm talking about these kids, you just be shady out here. The other day, my nephew asked my sister. He was like, how old are you? Because now he's you know, they get to an age where they're like, wait, people are like different ages.
He's how old are you? And she said, oh, I'm thirty nine. He said, oh, so almost.
Forty yo, Mandy the way, And at first I thought he's not wrong.
How can you not congratulate him on being so smart?
And at first I thought he knew the shade because he's fine. I was like, how does he know the shade? I'm like, girl, you get old, right, But and then I realized, oh, like he's just rounding, because then he was like, I'm almost six because I'm five.
Amelia is almost four because she's three.
And I realized, oh, he doesn't understand the social dynamic of being forty, and like, you know, I'm all.
That comes along. I really could for a minute. Then I was like, oh, Robin is wait. Oh we don't know. The shame the way he looks. She looked like, oh, that's what we're doing, hen't he don't know?
Because a baby, you know your numbers.
Oh but yeah, these babies out here, no, oh, definitely postpics because you know, I love picks.
Of real I'm so excited. I'm dreaming of cakes now. I'm just I have all the accessories. Listen, you ever been to a Wegman's, Tiffany, I feel.
Like maybe once before. They're pretty fancy, aren't.
They They're I mean, they're fancy, but they're just like I guess, down south, we have publics and like in North Carolina there's Harris Heaters. Up here, there's something called and we finally have one. And listen when I tell you their bakery section, they're like bake, not their bakery section, which is amazing, but they're actual like accessories where you have like piping bags and all the sprinkles. Girl, I probably spend like two hundred dollars in that section, just
like getting I'm very, very excited. Ultimately, it will indeed cost far more to make the cake myself than it would have to outsource it. But I'm calling it in an investment, you know, like, who know, this won't be the last cake I make.
No. I love it, especially with all that's been going on. It's pretty crazy. This is a random side.
Now, what are you thinking about the the ugh.
Not the pandemic, darn it?
The vaccine? How comfortable do you feel about being in line for a vaccine?
Listen? I would just go back to what Kamala Harris said during the vice presidential debate when she was like, listen, if doctor Fauci and the scientists tell me to take the vaccine, I'll be first in line. And I feel the same way. I trust science and I'm super excited that.
You know.
I think the third of the pharmaceutical companies that were working on a vaccine released preliminary results and it was it wasn't like the ninety percent the first two got, but it was still really high for the success rate. That's freaking exciting. I don't think even the general public will have a chance to get it till like the spring, though maybe the summer. So but you know, when when it's out here, I'll definitely be really listening to what
the researchers say. I did, though, you know, in terms of how you know black households, black people tend to feel about vaccines. It ain't great. We can't forget the early Testigee, like the Testigee experiment where they use black men. I think it was it was just black men, right, We're told they were going to get you know, could be getting given treatment for syphilis, but we're just left
to suffer. So and I was reading about this that there's actually it's really difficult to get Black Americans to participate in these types of trials. And it's important for people to participate from all voices and genders and stuff, just on the off chance that there may be something that causes one to react differently. But yeah, they had a hard time getting a large sample size for black Americans. But I totally I get oh, thousand percent. I get it,
and there's like, it's this. I mean, there's just this level of suspicion for government, for you know, especially big pharma, Like listen, they're gonna make boku boku money off of this. We all know this. But I'll definitely be letting science and whatever I read, like, really looking at the sources of what I read to before we line up to get the vaccine.
What about you, Yeah, I mean, well, I think the good thing is that I've got a lot of medical folks in my family, So definitely reaching out to her mom and her friends, Definitely reaching out my my sister's husband actually works with the Navy.
He's a he's a doctor, a medical doctor.
So even I remember when Corona first first first came out, of course we all ran to ask him, and he what's happening now is exactly what he said was going to happen. He's like, honestly, the vast majority of people at some point are going to get COVID. Most people will be fine, some people will actually get sick, and you know, and some people will get sick and in past, but you know, not the majority of people. But I just remember thinking, like, no, most people can't get it.
He's like, no, most people at some point are going to get COVID, and maybe we won't even know they have it. Like for example, in Newark where I live. So New Jersey is ten percent of the population currently has COVID, this is what they're estimating. And Newark is up to twenty. But that's because of one particular area in Newark. It's the Ironbound section. It's largely Portuguese and it's a community that is super community oriented, like lots
of families live together. It's also really tight enit. They're not that many parking spots, so people walk a lot. I mean, you can go into like it's one of my favorite places to eat because the food is amazing.
You can go you could walk from spot to spot to spot. So I'm not surprised they're up to forty percent.
Oh, because of the close quarters and so you know when he said, you know, most people at some point are going to give COVID, and this is what he told me in the very very beginning when it broke, I didn't really see how that was possible, and now I see how it could run the population.
So I'm just hoping.
That these vaccines work because honestly, it's like, how do we get back to normal life if there's not a vaccine?
You know, Well, there's also you know, I think there are some treatments and some what are they called some some therapies, some types of therapies that have proven to be effective against COVID, Like when you're when you're being treated for it in the hospital, you know, maybe they'll come up with something and continue to advance, you know, the types of medical care you can receive if you get it. It's just a big unknown, and you know, I think people are also afraid of potential long term
impacts of COVID. You know, we don't necessarily know what the long term implications can be. You know, will you have like long issues in the future. I do feel like shit, I mean, I don't know that I haven't had it. I don't know that I've not had it because I obviously don't get tested every day. When I have been tested, it's negative. But part of me is just like, Okay, we just got to hang in there, y'all, listen. Like I have had some family, close family who's who's
gotten it in other states. But I'm just like let's just keep it together. Can we just not get COVID? Just hang in there so I and I understand what you're saying about you and your brother in law about you know, community spread, and eventually people will get it, just just because that's that's the nature of these things. But I think we can agree that in the US it did not have to.
Be this bad.
It did not It did not have to be if y'all just wore your damn masks, if there wasn't I mean, if I mean, honestly, I mean, it should be criminal what people like what the Trump administration has put out there in terms of trying to break people's trust in medicine and in science. It should be criminal because I really do think it's caused lives, and you know, I just that it's kind of like when you I think of it the way that my mom would think about
me going out and learning to drive. She's like, baby, I'm not afraid of you not being a good driver. It's everyone else on the road that's the problem.
I agree, And.
I think that's the thing with COVID. It's it's maybe you're taking all your precautions and wearing your mask and limiting where you go. And you go to the one event, but how do you trust everyone else at that event has been you know, I can't as you have. So yeah, here I sit in this that's.
I'm ordering everything all I'm like, shut and I'm like, who's on my list? My saying a list naughty or nice? I'm like, everything's coming directly to the house. I'm just like I'm not. I have not even like thankfully, I see that, you know, the folks have brought up all the toilet paper as usual.
But really I thought we were over this, I know.
So what I did was last time, when when things were decent, I knew it was going to happen again, honestly, So when things were decent, had gone to Costco maybe like two months ago and got like four months worth of stuff because I was just like, I don't like going food shopping or anything shopping really, so we are still living off of that. We have plenty, So I just but I remember that that was going to happen. Besidewhile this is random, do you have one of those?
This is for the audience too, because they're kind of pricey, so you know me, I'm not really one for spending a ton of money, you know, those like is that a temperate tempora pedic bed? What's the beds that go that go up and down?
I think that's gonna be repedic.
Yeah right, But so I lately, like my like, my shoulder has been like killing me. I'm a I'm a shoulder sleeper, and I don't know if it's just because of age.
And so my husband too, he's like, oh, my shoulder. I'm like you too, it's but you know, our bet is not that old. It's maybe like a year and a half old. And lately our shoulders have been like killing us because we're both like shoulders. I'm a I'm a stomach sleeper and a shoulder sleeper.
It depends.
But I don't know what I'm doing in the middle of the night, you know. But I'm like, lately my shoulder has been killing me, and I'm like, is that I want to bed? I know it's gonna cost because beds always cost a bajillion dollars, But for those of you are out there with those temper pedic whatever bajillion dollar beds, is it worth it now that my body's getting all beat.
Up and old?
I'm like, oh, I can't even sleep on my shoulder anymore. Roman is right, you almost forty, except for I'm not almost. I am forty forty one. Yeah, I know it sounds random, but I'm like, cause you know, it's one of those things where it's like Peloton, it's expensive, but it seems to be worth the price because you love yours and honestly, most people that I know that paid for Peloton, I
have to say I haven't. I've heard very few people that have said I regret it, but like of my friends that I've bought it, but is it one of those buys where it's like, girl, I didn't need this tempopedic, like it feels the same as my regular bed, or you're like, girl, it's expensive, but it's so worth it.
So I'd love to.
Now, hold on't get me started on a peloton. I'm going to make a hard left from that topic because I will go on and on. I'm turning into one
of those people. Okay, back to mattresses. I would say, talk to a chiropractor or talk to like someone on there such thing as a yeah chiropractor is a back doctor, right, and just see what they think about the temper pedick and where you're having pain, because if you're going to sleep on your shoulder regardless, maybe it's just you shouldn't do that anymore, I know, on your back.
Like if I wake up in the middle of the night and I realize I am, i roll on to my back. But you know, you're like you don't know when you're sleeping because you know when the sleep gets good to you get in your comfort position.
And I'm just lately, I'm like.
If you're like squishing your shoulder, but I wholeheartedly believe in a good night's sleep. Whatever you need to get there. Like it's a crime that I have not replaced my lumpy ass sad pillow in a long time because I have all this neck pain when I wake up. I need to do that. So while you guys are giving tiffany mattress recommendations, let me know, holler about a good pillow.
Yes, because if you had, if you had, if you're I'm man if was sure that it's the mattress, you know, like I said, it's not some cheap mattress. But I'm just like, oh, is this age, this is how we live now? Is this half your little stretch my shoulder, like, is this life? Now?
I don't want it to be life?
Listen, Oh, man aging is a privilege, right, it is a privilege. All right, Well, should we take a quick break and come back to answer some questions from other people?
Yes? We should?
All right, be right back guys with y'all's questions. All right, we are back with your questions. We love when you guys send us your questions. You can hit us up at Brand Ambition Podcast on Instagram or Brand Ambition Podcast.
At gmail dot com.
Your old school. All right, let's uh, let's shake up this reader mail bag. Tiffany, I don't know if you remember, well, silly,
¶ How can I make sure I'm not the victim of a racist appraiser?
of course you remember because you were interviewed for their freaking New York Times about this but a few months ago, doesn't it feel like years over the summer when you were interviewed in the Times about your experience with your the home appraisal experience because you were gonna what were you gonna do? You're gonna get a cash out REFI on the investment property that y'all.
On the on the on my primary house because it's paid off. I was basically, I want to pull out the money that the house was worth at least partially because I wanted to invest it. So yeah, so we we we Basically you have to go through almost as if you're buying a house. You have to you know, go to like a mortgage broker and and they have to send a praiser to your house and how is it worth? And I was like that seems low and yeah, and it was.
But yeah, so I remember that. I remember.
I remember around that same time we were talking about it, there was that viral video and y'all still we still get messages from listeners forwarding us this story of the where were they from? Florida? I think there was a biracial couple, black women as black guys white and they they experimented because their appraisal came in low for their house.
And the woman was like, Okay, I'm going to take down all the black art, all the black paraphernalia, whatever indicators that I'm black, And by the way, I'm gonna take my own black self and our child and go somewhere else when the appraiser comes back and just leave my white husband. And of course, the appraisal came in again above expectations. And what was interesting about this, you know, the past few months is it does feel like people are more willing to discuss racism and how it can
hurt people in terms of home value. But I wanted to preface, like say all that because the question, our first question actually comes from someone who's who says that they're refinancing their home, which means an appraiser is coming to appraise it. They want to know, how do I make sure I'm not a victim of anti black racism? Tiffany, Well, how do you erase your blackness? Well, it's freaking sad.
It is, And I would say this one. You want to look at your appraisal. So this is what the New York Times did for me. They asked me for my appraisal and I was like okay, And then once she when the report came back, they didn't end up using me for the story because there are people.
Who had way worse thing, which is terrible.
But she gave me the feedback of like what their independent appraiser said that he was looking for. So they're looking for one, are the comparables which ours weren't. Are they comparable? So comparable is other homes in the area that have recently sold, and they are are kind of a match for your home. They have three bedrooms, you have three bedrooms. They have two bathrooms, You have two bathrooms. They're you know, twenty five hundred twenty five one hundred
scrap feet you're twenty five hundred squriffeet Are they comparable? Like, for example, for our home, we had recently renovated, like I'm talking about, like you know, new plumbing, new electric, new everything. The comps that they had and our appraisal were not renovated at all. Some of them were actually like really broken down. So you're literally comparing apple to spoiled apples.
So that's one, that's what you're going to look for. Two.
Some other ways that sometimes appraisers can get sneaky with it is that they will budge the rooms sizes. So know what, what are the dimensions of your bedrooms, of your bathrooms, of your common areas? To make sure that the dimensions of your home are they is it the same what's in the appraisal? You know?
Also Two, can you ask for a copy? I forget Actually yeah, I remember getting a copy of my appraisal now that I'm talking out loud, So you should definitely review that.
Yeah, and you can get it typically because it's the it's the bank, because the bank is wanting to see how much is this house worth if for whatever reason, you cannot afford this mortgage. If I have to snatch this house from you, will I get my money back? So it's the bank that is in charge of the appraiser, of picking the appraiser, sending them out and getting you
the report. So you have to ask you you typically they'll send it to you the bank, but you could say, hey, can I get my appraisal report?
So you're looking for things like that something else too.
There's a code that they give you, and I believe it starts with the A sea. It's like C one, C two, C three. This is how our racist appraiser tried to get over is that he knew the house was newly renovated. And there's a code like C two for example, for brand new renovated house. Not brand new house, but newly renovated house. He put us down for C three normal wear and tear house. So there's a cap for how much house that is not renovated can be worth versus a house that we hadn't even lived here
for five months. Yet when we got it and he kept remarking, upon wasn't an accident, it was intentionally done because he was this is what's so funny. He was so nice and he kept saying, this house.
Is so beautiful, beautiful in the house when he came, this renovation is so great.
So he said those things, hi stuff, and we said, yep, were newly renovated and new plumbing, new electric. We showed him all the new pipes, everything. So for him to put down this to classify us as a house that has not been renovated but in fact has normal wear and tear, which we say, which we for example, like my parents' house, it is well cut, but that's not newly renovated, you know.
So those are things you want to look out for too.
So when that happens, what you can do is your recourse is you can report them. There's like a if you do your Google's, there's like a report. There's a special agency I can't remember where you can report appraisers.
But even better, you want to go back to the to the mortgage, your lender and say, hey, this appraisal seems under here are the discrepancies you might also want to reach out to your personal your realtor and ask them to pull like equitable comps so they can show like, oh, the comparables in this area, say otherwise than what the appraiser has put in here.
It's so crazy.
Like I said, I'm working on a law with Assembly Women Angelobe M.
Knight in the state of New Jersey to make.
It illegal to appraise someone's house lower or higher based upon their gender, their sexual orientation, or their race, because even though they're not allowed to, it is not there's no legal statute that I want the statue to say. If you're caught doing so, you lose your license. So you think once twice thrice about walking into a black home in New Jersey and appraising otherwise. Yeah, So unfortunately
that's that's like, that's the recourse that you have. And at the end of the day, you know the bank wants a fair appraisal because you know, they're wanting to make sure they get their their money, so they have to take the house so you can go back to the bank and they can send out another appraiser. Now, the problem is is that you pay for the appraisal. So it's frustrating because I think my appraisal was like
maybe like eight hundred bucks. So if I wanted to pay for another appraisal that might be another eight hundred bucks, then you might not have that. So yeah, it's it's it's not fun times over there when you're when you're worried.
But I do think, do you think, because I mean, you know, it's still an it's an ongoing issue and it kills me. But do you think and you your plan originally was to like not be in the house, right you're going to have a white friend. I mean, do you think that people should do that?
Yes? Is that absolutely sad?
Is that the tip just go don't be there?
Yea, honestly, because here's the thing.
It's almost like saying like if I do I think that like in you know, in Mississippi at night, should I walk the streets?
Absolutely not not as a black person.
So I my plan was, and honestly, it's a shame that I have to make this recommendation that if you are black, to take down your black pictures. I see we took down our pictures and things, but we were here. My plan was to have my friend Catherine, she's white, for her to be me because you don't have to be here. You can anybody can say hey, I'm Tiffany, and.
So that was my plan.
But it was literally in March when the pandemic hit and it got to be really crazy and we were heavily quarantined, so she couldn't come here.
So that was my plan to not be here.
I know we would have gotten a different outcome, honestly, but yeah, it's some shame that you have to even think like that, but absolutely mm hm.
Well thank you for Actually I realized she sent us a question before that that's mostly the answer. This really quick because I don't want her thinking that, you know, we ignore her other question. This is an interesting one. She said, Well, this isn't necessarily new, but she's looking
¶ What's your perspective on taking some money out of a savings account and putting it towards stocks or an ETF?
at her bank account and how the interest rates for savings have gone down to, you know, much lower, so an online only bank, y'all know, we love our online only banks because they tend to offer rates that are way, way, way higher than national savings rates, especially for big banks. She asks, what's your perspective on taking some money out of my savings account and putting it towards stocks or an ETF to ensure my money is working for me.
Well, here is my perspective that your emergency fund is your first line of events, and if you are going to invest some of it, I would leave.
At least at least three.
Months liquid cash available to you, because if something should happen, it gives you three months to figure out how are you going to sell some I said, are you gonna sell some stocks?
Are you gonna are you gonna liquidate some things? You know? Whatever? That looks like.
So a lot of people ask me that, A lot like ooh girl, like I have six months or I have got my three months and it's not making any money.
It's not that is not supposed to Yeah.
Right, it's not supposed to work. You don't need to expect that. I think people are expecting too much other little safety.
Yeah, it's almost like you get hurt, right, and you're like, my band aid's not cute, girl.
The band is not about.
Cute body it belongs or is it okay?
It's worth Yes, the band aid is literally there to protect your your skin from further infection. That's literally it. And then you know you can put on other things to make yourself cute. So at the very least keep your three months, I say six months or more. I'm I'm I'm at a one year because I just like, I'm super paranoid. But yeah, it's it's literally supposed to be there, to be like it's an actual emergency. Who thank goodness, I have some money here, not at it's
an emergency. Oh my gosh, the market is down. We actually don't have as much money as we thought.
We did. What we're gonna do?
No, yeah, exactly you should when you put money in the savings account, you should think of it and its purpose a lot differently, and it's to be there for you. It's and I guess maybe you know, we can take some response, but we do get very excited about savings rates and online only banks, which is great. It's nice to make some money off your money, but it's not the you know, that's not the primary reason that you're
you know, putting that savings. I don't really consider my savings a technically an investment unless you're talking about investing against or protecting me from future risks. But uh yeah, definitely a fair question. All right, let's move on to a last question. Do okay, whoa You're just going to ignore that sound of pots and pans falling on the floor upstairs. All right. This comes from listener who wants to go with a name Yes men love it Yeah,
¶ I have $1,000 left on my car note, I have a o% interest credit card balance transfer at $10,000, and $6,000 on a high interest credit card. I've been focusing more on paying down debt during the pandemic. My car loan will be paid off in December and I'm wondering how best to allocate those funds. Should I pay down more debt or save?
and then says I have one thousand dollars left to pay off my card note, which I intend to pay off in December. I recently did a balance transfer with my credit union for ten thousand dollars at zero percent for twenty two months, but I've still got six thousand dollars on another credit card with an APR of twenty point four percent APR. I've been focusing on paying off debt and less on savings during the pandemic, since my
overall expenditures have decreased. But as I begin to restructure my finances so I no longer have a car loan to pay on, I'm wondering where I should allocate those funds. Do you recommend paying off my other credit card or aggressively paying off the balance transfer credit card which has ten thousand dollars on it, or with all the pandemic uncertainty, should I put money in savings. Thank you for your recommendation. This was interesting, Yasmin.
YESI girl, so it's not like me that guess he doesn't have much in savings, which makes me, and I'm sure you, Mandy, because you know we're savaholics, very nervous. I'm glad that, you know, I mean, I'm glad that you're being more responsible, you know, kind of like reconfiguring your your your debt so you can pay less and the money that you do pay out has packed more of a punch. But it's Showtime synergy. Some of y'all don't know what that's from. Where's that from, Mandy? It's Showtime energy?
Come on, Mandy, Wait, wait a second, because did you say that on a previous episode, because I got an email about it. Yes, y'all said y'all, and I was like, I don't think it.
Was me, but it was, well, you know, to be fair, you I don't even know. No.
So it's Gem and the Holograms. I used to watch when I was in the second grade, so clearly you were like Rio's age.
At that time. If that.
Yeah, So what happened in Jem and the Holograms is that she used to wear these these star earrings and Jericho was like the Clark Kent and then Jim was Superman, so she would touch the ear rings and say it's showtime synergy and she would turn into gem. So I'm just sharing that, like basically, now was the time to take like we're in it, now, you're on stage. You should have savings because if things don't, if things go left, what will you rely on. It's not the debt freedom.
Not to say you shouldn't pay off debt, but you certainly should have some savings at least at least at least three months of your bare bones savings that I like to call your noodle budget because it makes me nervous because you are assuming that everything's going to go right, you're going to keep your job, that the economy is not going to certainly like swerve to the left or to the right. Meanwhile, even the FED is not assuming
the economy is not going to swerve. They put on an article or they well, the bet is not a person, but basically the FED is the report said, I think it was a CNBC that they're going to keep interest rates this low to twenty twenty three, and so that should make everyone not nervous, but to put you on alert because the FED uses the interest rate as a gear when things are going really fast and good they're like, wh whoa, whoa, whoa, gear up, gear up, gear up,
raise interest rates so less people can borrow, slow down the economy when things are really slow and sluggish where we are now, and worries them.
They gear down and.
They say, okay, make interest rates as low as possible so more people can borrow to make money flow to the economy. So for them to say we are going to stay in the gear that is meant to bring the economy back to life until twenty twenty three, No, let you know how long we're going to be in this financially uncertain time.
At least for another two years.
So I say, saves, get your savings on at least three months, and then go back to aggressively putting putting away for debt.
Yeah.
I mean, it's interesting that you're so, and I understand it because your car is in your driveway and it just looks like debt and you want to pay it off and you want to feel that freedom of having a totally paid off car. You say, you've got one thousand dollars left to pay on that car. It's not
that much. I mean, if you're planning to pay that off in December, why don't you plan instead to put that in savings, Like one thousand dollars is a nice head start for your savings account, and you can keep
paying off your regular car note. And I'm saying that because your wealth the I'm trying to name banks, But anyway, her credit card that has the six thousand dollars on it and an APR of twenty point four percent, I'm guessing if you got to prove for it that suite of a balance transfer like she got ten k a zero percent for twenty two months, you need a pretty
decent credit score to qualify. So I'm going to guess that your car note is not a higher APR than that credit card that you have left that twenty point four APR. So even so, if you're really, you know, organizing your debts for the most expensive to least expensive, I would think your car note would come at the bottom of the priority list because it's not costing you
quite as much. But regardless, I do agree. I mean, if you're if you have you've gotten to a place where you have sixteen thousand dollars in debt, perhaps that is because you know you haven't had much in savings, or you have. You know, you're you've been spending more than you earn so and I'm glad to see to hear that you've been, you know, focusing on saving now that your expenses have decreased. But I would I really
like to see you continue that. So instead of paying off the car loan in December, I would say, I mean, eventually, hope you'll get there, but try to start funding your emergency fund and then focus on that six K balance on your Wells Fargo card. But don't sleep on that twenty two month balance transfer offer at zero percent. Definitely read the fine print and know what you're in for. If that balance is not paid off after twenty two months,
you can do another balance transfer. You know, hit when you hit twenty one months and you've still got like a thousand dollars or however much you know, let's say you have a little bit of money left on it. You just want to be sure to do another balance transfer or pay it off before that intro period ends. Because if they have our least favorite thing ever in
a balance transfer, it's called deferred interest. If they have a deferred interest clause, it could mean that they're going to go back to the beginning and pretend like you've been paying interest on that ten k for two years and add that to your balance, and you don't want that to happen, So set a calendar alert for around the twenty month mark, just to be safe and see where you're at, and then make a plan what you're
going to do next. Another balance transfer, pay it off with hopefully your fat savings account that you can related. But I'm you know, I think you're in. You're in pretty good shape. You're on the way out. It's just really focus on how do I avoid getting in this much credit card debt again? And like Tiffany said, the best way to do that is to shore up your your rainy day fund.
Exactly exactly, you know, hopefully, you know, hopefully that's some good advice for you, and you will, Yeah, you'll, you'll, you'll save, create a great foundation for yourself, and then prosper forward by getting rid of that deck. Congratulations to you, Jazzy, yazzy yeazzy.
All right, y'all, that is it for questions.
And now it's time to boost to break for all our family. If you going booze, is you gonna break? What you're gonna do Mandy.
I thought that I was going to come up with something better, but I thought I would do a boost. I mean, maybe this is best. But I don't know if you've watched yet, but the fresh principal Lair had a reunion on AHBO Max definitely worthy year. However long it is forty five minutes hour of your time. It was so I didn't realize how much I needed to heal from one Aunt Viv was kicked off the show, but I really didn't need to heal, and so did she.
The actress who played Aunt Viv, whose name I am blinking on now, dang was her name?
I'm so oh oh yes.
Right, But that's the problem. We don't know her name because her career was ruined after you know, she had to leave the show. But I just loved that moment because Will surprises the cast. They're all, you know, sitting in the on the set, all the original cast, and it's with Aunt Viv two point oh is there, Hubert Janet? Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you. So first of all, she is still gorgeous, blasting that crack. I mean, we knew it when she was in that pink leotard, in
that dance scene. We knew that she was like going to age like a fine wine, but she looks gorgeous and it was really nice to see her and will Bury the hatchet and have they I don't know their conversation that they had where it was like I coused you pain, you caused me pain. You didn't know what I was going through and you know he was young at the time. I've this year has been the year where I've had those types of conversations and it and
I just thought it was so powerful. And if there's someone in your life who you haven't talked to in a long time, you had a falling out, you you exchange word, you hurt each other, and they're out of your life, but you want them back. I think it was a really beautiful moment. You know, even thirty years later, they could come back and and heal. So I really recommend watching that. And now I'm, you know, binging the French Fresh principal Air, which is not a bad way to spend my holiday week.
No.
I thought it looked amazing and I'm it did seem like I haven't watched it, but it did seem like, you know, she was going through a lot, and he was really really young, and neither one of them behave perfectly and so just to see them come together to both acknowledge that but then also acknowledge that, you know, here's where we could have done better, but here's where we are now. I'm just like, honest say, I had all the fields. I was like, yay, this is this
is lovely. So I'm definitely I was like, I didn't need enough streaming service, but I guess for this, I'm gonna I'm gonna get it. I'm not gonna lie. And also too, Nicki Minajs has the docuseries coming out, and I kind of want to know her business, so I'm gonna get it.
For that too. Was it about her? Yes, I kind of.
I like watching documentaries on you know, like kind of like current people to see how they navigate, Like Beyonce has a number of them, and I'm always fascinated, like, wow.
She does enough. There's enough.
There's never enough.
I still do behind the music on VH one that was my jam they used to.
I don't know, but it's really good to see.
I love stuff like that, like I don't I'm not even to talking about like you said, the pretty stuff. I like to know, like you know, the the Tea, not for gossip sake, but for learning sake.
So it's just and I don't.
Think there's enough out there about black figures in history and their flaws and what they went through. Because we're watching the Crown this week or this weekend rather, and it's you know, it's the Princess Diana season. Everyone's like flipping out, and I'm like, we have told this woman's story one hundred million times, Like I know her shoe size, I know way too much about her, like and I mean, it's a compelling story, but like why is it so?
Why is she captured our hearts in this way? And you know, and of course she's beautiful, princess blonde and blue whited all that, But I'm like, where are the other We need more? We need more or more? Yeah, there's got to be other stories out there to be told.
How do you like it?
Like, I'm gonna boosty breaky. I'll start with the break. It's a little like so I've seen this happen a couple of times, and I was kind of conflicted. So there's somebody who's following me on ig but I noticed recently, there's an uptick of her in my comments chatting with folks. She she teaches financial education as well. It's literally like her buyo financial education and power women.
It's cool.
But I noticed that she was chatting with folks like my page was her page.
Oh, she trying to go fishing. She's trying to fish on your peer.
And at first I was like that people are shady.
And at first I was like no, you know, because it was very like benign, like oh my gosh, congratulations, that's awesome, you know, like light things, or like oh, like maybe I wouldn't get a chance to answer a question. And she's like, oh no, no, you can go to experience dot com and check that out. So I'm like, okay, no problem, the problem And.
Then I know, sorry, So I'm Tiffany's number two.
So I let it slide and I'm gonna lie.
I looked at it and I was like, oh, that's a little weird, but I mean this is good information. I don't always get a chance to answer all my questions. And it wasn't crazy. It was enough that I was like, oh, these are four or five different answers that you did today. And then recently, I posted something and she said, oh my gosh to me, congratulations, you're my inspiration blah blah blah. So then I felt like, oh, well, girl, she's just being nice. And then today Instagram was like, girl, let
me let me hit you to something. Someone wrote, Hey, Tiffany, I just joined and I know I know she meant she joined the Literature Academy. I just joined, but I'm not really sure where to start. Super excited, so she goes in and it's giving her all this information about, oh, first start with your budgets and that, and Liddy was like, what are you talking about. I'm talking to Tiffany and
I'm talking about I joined her online school. And Lady's like, oh, well, in case you do want something else, you can always DM me girl with a quickness.
Yes.
And then so before now I felt hesitant. I said, I don't want to be a hater people. You know, people help people.
You can DM me, ma'am. And so I just blocked her. I felt I'm not glad.
I still felt kind of bad about it, but that was it, like, don't do that, y'all, Finn book. Yes, I'm all for you know, being in comments and being helpful, and sometimes I do that, Like, for example, somebody might say something like, let's just say I'm in you know, not that I go to the shade Room Instagram. I do, and let's just say it's a financial post.
It rarely is.
And then someone says something, I might say, oh, you know, you know you can. I might give a little bit of an advice, but I'm not going to be like, go to my website. But every once in a while that'll come up where I'll see something and it's so quick like, oh no, girl, that's not true.
Your credit score is not gonna affected by that.
I might say something like that, but to literally lay up in someone's comments and then to divert them from what they came to your thing, it said, no, no, I don't know if she listens to the podcast. And I'm such a punk because I still feel kind of bad about blocking her because I was.
Like, maybe I should just be out and say, hey, that's not appropriate. I'm like, girl, are we five?
She knows yeah, no, no, no, I think he did the right thing. I mean, also, it just it's I wish I could I'm trying to think of a really good analogy. But she is just trying to she's like a bottom feeder.
I was like, she.
Basically like I have a McDonald set up and she's she set up a barbecue grill outside my McDonald's.
Like I, yes, yes, that is exactly I was thinking of, like ticket scalpers outside of like a stenium or something.
Were like, how at any protest there's always the guy who selling the T shirts and the plates, like the you know, think about all the people hustling out there at the Joe Biden celebrations, Like all of a sudden there were shirts and plates to be sold, of course, but even that is but listen, if you're if you're going on the shade room, which listen, Instagram knows what I want to see and it's always a shade room first. But if you're going there, that's not a financial podcast,
that's not a financial page. So it's not like they're offering you know, personal finance tips. So that's that's that's different.
But I said, I don't really like, I'm not on the shame looking to answer financial questions just everyone, you know, something might randomly pop up, but yeah, so just don't do that, y'all. And if you're listening. Lady who are blocked. I'm not going to unblock you, but I will say, don't do that. It's not okay, don't do that. Don't people not a good one. But my my, my boost is super excited. I didn't even mention this because I'll be forgetting. But I applied for something called we Are
the Culture. I don't even remember. I vaguely remember. It might have been months and months and months ago. It was through Facebook. Facebook said that they want to amplify black and brown voices and as relates to creators, and so I I vaguely remember applying for it and I got it. So it's a year long partnership with Facebook. And I just create content like I normally would, but I have to. I do it basically for Facebook, and they, you know, they they support it.
So you'll see it on IG you'll see it on Facebook.
So I was trying to figure out, like, what was I gonna do versus because you could do literally.
Whatever you want.
So I decided to come up with a new series specifically for this, so you guys would know, Oh, this is the this is the Facebook series. It's called the budget needs to breakdown, you know, They're usually about five or six minutes, and I break down a term or something that's happening in the news, or a question that you guys some might have asked me. But yeah, I just I break it down and I try to keep it short and fun and brief. And just like Brianna Mission, it does not have a theme song either.
I sing in the beginning.
Literally, I say, the budget needs to breakdown. Please, somebody send me a song. I'm not gonna lie. A few people send me some songs.
You know, songs is okay, just a cold open.
Some of the songs, I'm not gonna lie. I'll just tried.
Just why don't you started with short time synergy? That's how she said it.
Oh my god. Some of the songs y'all got me.
First of all, one song, you know, not to be shady because if you're listening, but we cannot take Michael Jackson's I Want to Rock with You and make it the Budget's song.
G you trying to get me? So yeah, So I'm excited about it.
So that's really cool and shout out. I love that Facebooks doing that. I did not know that that is awesome. So well, and so it's not like a sponsored thing. It'll be so okay mm hmm.
So but you'll see it, like, you know, like it won't look any different than my other content. You'll just see more video to me. At least once a week, you'll see a.
Video where I'm breaking stuff down, and you are free in the comments to let me know what you want to break down, because I keep a list of them and then I take them and I you know, so it's not gonna look any different than my normal, Like I'm not.
It's gonna be on IG.
And Facebook, but it'll just be labeled budgeties to break down and I'll like, I think this past week I broke down. I still have the breakdown taxes as it relates to personal taxes and business taxes.
I broke down. Should you co sign?
I broke down something that I call illustrate your oprah, which just means like illustrate your value in such a strong way you're undeniable. And so it's only been one month and so yeah, it's a year long thing, and I was just like really geek to get it.
And I wanted to share the good news with y'all.
Yeah, can't wait to check it out.
The butet needs to breakdown. That's lovely. You know you're not like me. A little noation, little ration.
Oh lord, Well the early Turkey Day and hopefully you get in the holiday spirit. Are you going to start decorating this week?
Yes?
I told the kids. They're super excited. We're going to decorate on Thanksgiving.
So I'm excited. Thankfully.
I went really it was my first Christmas Thanksgiving last year, so I went really crazy on the decorations, like as far as buying them. So I'm excited because I don't have to go out to the stores because I already have a nauseous amount of nauseating amount of Christmas decoration never enough.
Also, you should watch the Christmas Home Makeover series on Netflix. It's a it's a feel good, fun type event. I can't wait to decorate, and I'm gonna put everything very high. But I am going to try to decorate so you know, I don't have any baby accidents. But I'm so excited. Ya yay, We'll have a good, safe Thanksgiving to all of you guys out there celebrating, you know, emphasize the word safe and distant. And we will see y'all after Turkey Day.
Yes, bye bye bye