Hey, hey, hey, we're back. We're black, We're brown. Ambisious ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition, Managine, That's why I was a little bit late because I had just taken a shower and I was like, oh, I'm gonna wear when I'm gonna wear, so weave on this shirt.
We're free balling, but not ball we're freeing.
I have like underwear, but I just have like you know, just like you know what it's hot anyway, So I'm just here with a shirt on.
Sin. I love that for you. And I actually have shorts on only because I had to go to my kids school. But the we were just talking about, like the underwear, the leak underwear, which you know was coming out like a few years ago, period underwear, period underwear. But I'm like, for the way that I use it, it's for leaks and squeaks and anything that should you know, just stay a little contained anyway. But like I get the big shorts. Why are we talking about this? You
started it and they passed for shorts. I might take the garbage out in those sometimes to the design Thank you whoever invented them, thank you, oh man. Well, I love that we have our our sunshine oranges on today. I love this color orange that I have on with a red lip. I live. It is color combo.
So that's orange. It looks yellow, does it?
It's like a marigold. It's that really pretty. Do you ever see the specific color marigolds that they use an Indian culture like they always have, like the Maria color.
I feel like it's the colors that I'm wearing it. It looks like, well, it could be both.
Tiffany Gosh I had a whole point. She's like, some is that the color? We're going to start one of those internet memes where it's like what color is it? Is it orange?
Is it yellow?
Anyway?
I was like, yes, curls come through.
Oh thank you. She showered. It's just a little shower. Now I'm gonna have to get goddamn Rihanna's hair care too. Damn it.
I know that's a good thing about having locks. I'm not gonna lie. Let's talk about the financials behind locks that in the beginning, it can be quite pricey because as your hair is locking, you have to see your locksiction more often, but as your hair locks, you see them less frequently, and quite honestly, because my hair is locked.
It needs way less product even though it's like really long, because the product actually doesn't absorb into the hair because the hair is like, you know, so tightly locked together. So it gets less and less expensive. I mean, my hair is like cost me next to nothing now, but it was a lot of money to get them started. A few hundred dollars, some people even a thousand plus to get them started, or if you want sister locks.
You know, as I'm thinking as you're saying that, I'm kind of realizing that I think natural like this, Sorry, all hair this is not Your hair is natural too, but like the what do you call this? I don't know currently, just as it comes out of your head.
Hairstyle is like the is the hair version of people who prefer stick shift, you know, Like why would you get a car that's hard to drive, or like an old timey car that you have to, like, I don't know, pull some gizmos and gadgets to get the wipers to go on. Like some people like a hobby, and some people like something that takes a little bit more like time and effort because it's like part of their personality.
And I think I do enjoy the manipulation, the creative, the creativity of like the this hair kind of style, like the versatility of it. And but that's the only place in my life where I'm like, if I'm gonna be like my husband when he washes the car. There are when I tell you about product. Don't look at black women, look at the mountain you wash cars. The number of brushes, paint brushes and dust brushes and different rags,
special rag washing detergent. Yeah, various buckets. He made a whole custom cart so we can wheel all of his stuff out. It's ridunculous, but that's like his thing, that's his creative.
That was my dad. Every weekend he would he would wash his car and it was a very specific process. So yeah, we have our own like you know, but I do say like when I had my fro, it was way more costly as it relates to products, because my fro was thirsty and.
So I know it's very expensive. Yeah, yes, oh my.
Gosh, cause that hair is like, girl, that's all you got. I need the whole bottle, Yes, you know, I need a whole bottle?
What a dime sized portion of what? Girl?
The laughter?
We chose different paths. Okay, we did. We're gonna jump into brown Buzzworthy because there's some topics in the news that are kind of juicy juice. Should we start with market stuff or start with some fun stuff?
Yes, I had seen the market. So one of my favorites named is let me see, I'm going to Better Wallet. What is his name? We had him on the show.
Right better while? Oh? Mark?
Yeah, yeah, Mark. I was gonna say, is his name Mark us something like that. So anyway, I love following Mark because he like really breaks down like all things market.
Oh he is Wait a second, he is going to I'm gonna have to text him and say, listen to the show because he stands for you. And I disappointed him so much when I rolled up to fin Con a couple of years ago by myself and he just told me how much he loved you, and I was like, I'll pass it on. Oh anyway, that's he just had Marcus tell me what you like all about him.
Don't give me a trouble. You know, I've got a boot now, not like that, you know what I mean? Anyway, his name is Mark Russell's financial coach. He has an IG account called Better Wallet. But I really like about Marcus that sometimes you like, you know, I'll look at what CNBC and all the girls are saying, but Mark breaks them in such a way that I'm like, oh,
is that what they mean? Okay? So anyway, it was really geeked because I saw that he shared, like, you know, like if you had put money in the stock market in the beginning of the year, you'd be up nearly twenty five percent. So I was just like, you know, how many of us have been too afraid to get into the market because obviously that there are ups and they are downs, and there's some years that are terrible
and some years that are amazing. But if you have like ten years before you actually need your money, five to ten years before you need your money, especially if you have ten years plus before you need your money, the likelihood that you're going to end on the up is significantly more likely than not. And so I just wanted to say that They're like, you know, the market is marketing and you know what's so strange though, and we talked about this before that externally they say job costs,
I mean, jobs are there are so many? The job market looks good, the market is strong, and yet I don't know about you, Mandy, but there is nobody who I know that is feeling good about the economy. Although if you're looking at it from an objective standpoint, the economy is in a better place now more than ever before, when I'll say ever before, But you know, like, and yet that's not how the people are feeling.
Yeah, it's such an interesting disconnect. Well, I think this is like very much. It's we've been talking about the theme for the past, like I feel maybe fifteen years and since I studied or started working as a business journalist,
has been the squeezing of the middle class. And how you know, the definition of middle class is always changing, but that basically if you're not really really rich, or you're not like you know, so if you're not, it's weird comfortably poor but poor enough or earn little enough to qualify for the resources that we have, like the people in the middle especially those like on the CUSP where it's like technically the irs and the government says
that I'm not struggling, so I don't qualify for support, so I got to pay for everything. And the people who are I think benefiting from times like this are people who are in the market, like business savvy people. They tend to not look like us as much as we love BA FAM and I would say the vast majority of you guys are already investing because you're listening
to us, So that's a good indication. But the reality is that most people investing and benefiting from these tax breaks that have been in that are going on eight years now, that have been implemented during the Trump years. Like that's who's really profiting and who's doing really well. And plus these businesses that are charging us more under the cloak of inflation and additional labor costs, like that's
all trickling down to the majority of people. I think that the question is what are we going to do with our discomfort? Because if we're getting these signs that like, oh, the economy is great and all of that, I would not you have to go off of what your personal economy is, Like you can't. I'm worried about this sense of oh, well, they're saying the economy is good, so yeah, I'll go ahead and you know, get put that on credit.
Things will work out next year, yeah, or yeah, maybe I'll you know, maybe I will just stay where I'm at because I should be, you know, confident that I'll get a raise or that you know, some opportunities will come to me, and like you're not thinking strategically about your career or asking for that raise or promotion or whatever it may be. It's always got to come back to what is happening for you personally and what are your goals? And headlines are headlines? Yes, you know, because.
At the end of the day, the day will end. So wow, wait, that's very very that's very like that. That's very girl podcast. I just hurt. Yes, I was gonna say.
It reminds me that video of you and all the other black Lady influencers be like, at the end of the day, the day is going to end.
No, okay, But.
When you said the stock markets going up, I went to log into Vanguard, and I love it when it forgets who I am because that's how little I check it, which is exactly what you should be doing. I'm like, oh, Yang, good credit, how you cuter? I don't know. I don't know my password right now. I just I'll find out later.
Honestly. I mean, I'm not gonna send my net worth, but I'm not gonna lie. This has been the last two years. I'm like, oh, there's been a definitely, Well.
What about the increase? The percentage increase, that's what you can focus on. How much of you give it's.
Going to flee. Let me see if he's going to slay. I'm logging in right now because I'm like Mandy.
First of all, can we just talk about how terrible the Vanguard? Uh? I'm sure there's nice people who work there, and hey, y'all got cheap index funds and we love you for that, but like, your face.
Is the their interface is the worst. What am I up? Well, I don't know. They say it's up, it's up.
Because economic sense.
Well I'll say this that I I don't know how to because I'm like, child, let's see what percentage is that? Because I know the number of year to date, Like what it's up?
But I'm like, show you the percentage? What am I doing wrong?
It is?
I'm up twelve percent? That's something?
But are you just like what are you invested in? Are you invested across the stork?
Okay, oh that's cute. My ire my individual four one k, so my solo four one K is up twenty five point one percent, So I think that is like one hundred percent invested in the stock market.
That's what I say, yes, because if you're invested in, because you have to remember that, somebody you might be looking and say, hey, I'm not invested, but it's like no, no, no, no are you. That's just like we're talking about the S and P five hundred, Like if you invested in the overall stock market, but if you have maybe some NA Video whatever that company is called, some apples and
this and that, then it's going to look different. If you're just invested in like what the S and P five hundred is currently doing, then you should be up around like you said, like your your four one k about five about which is great. This is why you
don't have to necessarily pick individuals. Like that's the thing, right that I think it was like the last one hundred years or so, on average, the stock market has brought back annually on the low end seven to eight percent, on the higher end ten percent, right, And so certain years it's been down, down, down. Let's just say it was down thirty percent, and we know during the recession it was hugely down. But then we have some years where it's tremendously up and so it evens its way
out to about eight to ten percent. And the thing is you just have to be in it and not to take your money out when it's down and have those realized losses. But then knowing that if you're needing the money, let's just say you're needing the money to purchase home or car or retirement. The closer you get to that time of needing the money, the more you should kind of excuse yourself from the market because you don't know what year is going to hit and what
year is not, you know. And so that's why I like about those target day funds that kind of like rebalance yourself for you. So if you're like my dad is eighty four, so he does not need to be heavily into the market, even though he'd be doing what he want to do, I'm like, he's like, you never know. I'm like, so eighty four, you're living on borrow time.
And I'm just joking, not for today's episode, but I want to dive into senior citizens. You get mortgages and like a thirty year mortgage.
I want to go to have a Mandy's.
But like I get it though, you know, you know you think about that and I hate this word so much. Amortizee. I need to like warm up before I say it.
Me Me, me, me, I'm still stuck one pepper.
Thirty eight. Amortization. Amorization. Yes, amortorization. So that is what when you when you get a mortgage and you have your mortgage monthly mortgage payments, if you actually look at how much goes to your actual principal payment, like what you versus interest, Yeah, it's like ninety nine point nine percent is interest payments. And I'm like, oh, I get it.
That's why they're giving thirty year mortgages to senior citizens, Hi, daddy, because like they're not They're like, oh, we're going to get them while they're still here. And then you're but then you're not actually creating a lot of equity for your your area family unless the market is going crazy.
But it's giving fun, fact, right, is giving? Okay, I'm fever.
Yeah, capitalism because I was just shocked. I'm like, dad, don't they only want you to get like a fifteen year old? It's terrible all right?
Anyway, moving on, state farm agents are small business owners too, so they know how to help you choose personalized policies that fig your needs, like a good neighbor state farm is there? Talk to your local agent today. Moving on to some other shady news. So what do you know about Shean or Sheen, Sheen or she And?
You said Sheen? I said she And I know that the girlies love Slash hate Shean and that if you read the news, it's pretty easy to find out that it's horrible for the environment and for people. Yes, but it's fast fashion.
Yes, fast fashion. So so as of who is this, I believe this is CNBC and I'm on right, so I'm I'm literally just here today June twenty fourth, fast fashioned giant. She And has confidently filed for a public listing in London. So confidentially, I know because they're trying to be on a low look because they know people will be mad at them. So you like, so An I p O and.
And oh initial public offering, girl, I'm like.
I was, like I had done. That's basically when they come to market and they say, hey, we're not gonna be a private company anymore. You guys want a piece of the company, and so it's the first time a company kind of like says you can have a piece of us, and that's an initial public offering. And so they applied for one in the United States in November, but there was a lot of pushback because the girls were like, hey, one, you know you there's allegations of
forced labor in your supply chain. And two I would think it was because they're also like notoriously known for like just poisoning the environment. And so now they file for one in London. I guess to see, like, well, let's see if we can have the girls buy stocks in US in London town. Just touch down in London Town. We're the hottest in the world right now. Just touch down and remember American book.
Oh I know that song, but I don't know what you raise me, take me, That's.
What she says. Just touch down in London Town anyway. But yeah, so, so how do you feel about that? Because I feel conflicted? I am, because it's almost like follow me with this weirdest analogy and I'm a good
for word. That's analogy. It's like when the girlies will loose balloon release balloons because their loved ones, you know, or graduation or whatever, and then you find out that the balloons land in the ocean, so then you feel bad, and so it's like, okay, so the girlies are like, I want to look cute, but child, the way my budget is budgeting, I need to stick within a tight budget, and so I can give me a two dollars three dollars four dollar piece of shine, okay, but unfortunately that
piece of sine is likely going to like lay in a landfill, you know, not be able to be absorbed back into the into nature. And allegedly, you know, they don't treat their people very well, like they they I think I saw it was on Instagram. It was like these machine workers sleeping in the factories. Very reminiscent of like the twenties when people used to work in factories and you know in New York and you know, until they can like caught fire and burn down.
Or do they produce that I'm assuming in Asia, in China and China, I mean China is like the capital and many countries like the other outside of the US and beyond, like many places like or the capital of you know, child labor abuse, adult labor, just labor practice, horrible labor practices in general. I think that well, first of all, San deserves all this negative attention, but it did not invent fast fashion. So can we talk about old navy? We talked about Target. Sorry in advance for Target,
but sorry not sorry because the quality. I have had to stop buying Target, like basic brand stuff because the quality is so shite. I can actually like the sweaters all like the little like cause they swap out their looks with every season and almost like every month there's new looks and it makes you want to like get new stuff. But I have found that when I am donating clothes, bags and bags of like shitty Target stuff to them is another one.
Although it was like hmmm yeah, Sam, yeah forever twe low key high key Zara.
Oh Zara can sometimes too, so yeah, it definitely is on a Shan problem. It's just a consumerism problem. Like we are the fast fashion industry and the Internet and influencers and the TikTok halls.
You've seen the halls they were like, oh I got these three hundred pieces and I mean low key, high key. I am part of the problem. I'm sorry. Mother Beyonce had us all where the silver and there was uptick of silver being sold and then did you hear later how it was all trickled his way down to the good of the wheel and all those other drift shops. All of our silver, I mean, some of my top is there and my sneakers.
Wait you sent that to That was a hot little haulter top. You donated that, Yeah.
Because I'm like, it's not really me. My back was at you know, I was swinging on one of.
It looks like you.
Way, I know what I I just say all that to say it is a struggle, right, because it's like, not that I can't afford better quality clothes, but certainly, you know, back in the day, people you know, you had a handful of clothes because you like made them, and there was a hole. I remember distinctly, if there was a hole, my mother would would like she would do the laundring, you know that. What is it called, like the sewing, you know, like once a week, like socks, yeah,
the dot Yeah. But now it's just like tossome. And I remember I had an awakening and I don't know why I never thought about this before. It was maybe like a few years back. I was in Burlington co Factory and I was looking for something and I just looked, and the one I was in in New Jersey was so huge, and it was Rose and Rose and Rose and Rose and Rosa clothes. And for the first time ever, I thought to myself, there's no way all of these clothes, even most of them, are going to be sold. Where
did they go? It was the first time I ever thought about that. I thought, where do all these clothes that will never be sold go? And then I thought, this is just one Burlington in this, you know, in Newsey, in this one town in New Jersey. What about the Burlington two towns over and the other one another? And how many Burlington's and not to pick on Burlington, but how many of them nationwide? And then how many and
then Targets and how many other stores? And I got like a pang in my heart of like wow, like so much waste. And so I am trying I reach out to my friend Jessica and to Mongo. She's like the first black woman to travel to every recorder, to travel to every country in the United and in the world, and then also every state in the United States, and
then every something else. She did too. I kept every continent, so she's been to every continent every state, every country, the first black woman in period.
To do all that. Wow.
Anyway, So I love the way Jessica dresses really comfortable, a really beautiful, very afrocentric chic, and I said, girl, I want to upgrade my style. And I think with my new kindo and new place, Mandy, I want to be mindful of not having a ton of stuff, of really picking things that I enjoy and then I can wear again and again and so yeah, because I'm like, I don't want to be part of the Yes.
On the other hand, I'm like, the fight against stuff is just it is like it's like a curse upon us. This is just like that we're we're going to be fighting our parents' stuff because you know, they come from the generation that love the stuff, and I think that we are repeating a lot of those same mistakes, just
in different ways. You know, my mom and her my former step dad, like they would love buying infomercial stuff, like we had the like individual egg like little thing to make yeah, and like little like the the vacuum ceiling was like a huge thing and like the chopping thing that could chop the ca like onions like yeah, and that m hm, and like we make a lot of fun like, Okay, Boomer, but this is the same shit on TikTok. Do you know that people are obsessed
with literally like ice cube trays. Now I go to home goods and I can see what's on TikTok because it's all on the wall. It's like, do I need flower ice cubes and honeybeecomb ice cubes and the letter G ice cubes? It's all gonna melt like and you have to have the storage containers for those things, and just yeah, I think it's it's important to be conscious
conscious of it. At the same time, it is so overwhelming to try to be good for the environment, you know, like good for sustainability, and wow, why are the firefighters?
Like what did she do?
That happened with Dshaw? What if she was on the show Dsha Dyer whatever? I think I did double thumbs up and that's what And I don't even know what I was thumbing up.
But cyber a whole request of that. Why do we need.
Blame chat GPT? Like that's just the root of all evil Right now, you guys can check out YouTube for what the heck just happened on my screen? Okay, any who. I think it's good to have the conversations. I can only do so much, and so the small things every day that I do to try to not be a problem.
Is composting for me is a way easier problem. So like by taking my kitchen scraps, and I have my little jar of kitchen scraps that my husband loves to like complain about, but I don't care because I'm like, I am putting it back in the earth, and this is my little thing. And I will try to not buy stuff that I don't need in terms of like clothing, but I could say the same for these kids toys and all this like plastic coming into the house and
oh my gosh. But my thing with like clothing is I have to make peace with needing to buy new clothes sometimes at my price point, because my body is changing and I'm not comfortable in clothes that I was three years ago. I'm not one of those people who can say I've had this since I was in the third grade and look it still fits. My friend Julie came over and every time I'm like, oh, it's a cue jumpsuit, She's like, oh, this whole thing I've had this for like seventeen years. I'm like, I just I'm
happy for you. But I was like, yeah, I don't have that.
I can't I can't fit jeans I had six months ago.
Yeah, no, amen and amen, amen, amen. And you don't want to walk around uncomfortable, And it's like, what am I going to feel so shitty about myself because like this is bad for the environment, But like I just really need a pair of shorts like that don't ride up my ass and make my thighs chafe. I just want to like walk with dignity into the world, into the stopping shop, you know what I mean. Yeah, So
it's a balance. So I feel you guys, if you're listening and you're like, God cannot live and you know, but just just food for thought, don't let it.
Yeah, just something to think about as you're buying, think about. We're not here to judge. I get it, you know. I'm like, you know, I get it. I want to not destroy this world at the same time figure out how to live in it while I'm currently here.
So yeah, just give yourself grace and give each other grace, all right, And then a quick little pop culture buzzy well, you say it's pop culture, it's more like a sports pop sports.
Char call Richardson.
She runs real fast, real fast in a sport that you're gonna tell us about.
Ah, it's track, honey, which one is it?
The fact? Like the short one? I think?
So I never see her? Yeah, I mean she might have. I don't know if I've ever seen her relay, but it's it's pretty short from what I could tell. She's not long distance track. She's like explosive, which is like the exciting one sprint. So she she made the so for I saw all the clips, you know, everything's on ig. I saw the clip. I guess she got out of the block pretty slowly. But she made up for baby because she won the race that qualified her to go to the Paris Olympics. I don't know if this is
her first time going. I don't know, but I.
Really thought this was the Olympics, not me being like, oh she go congrat Oh well so oh so she It.
Was like a qualification, yes, right now, everybody's qualifying to get into the Paris Olympics.
It was this summer is it that last minute? Is it summer Olympics or winter? It's got to be summer. I do not know.
So let me see, girl, you got me. Let me get to googleing. When is the Olympics?
Oh? You know what I always remember because when Enrique and I started to date, it was during the Olympics of twenty twelve, and we went on my birthday that was in August.
Okay, okay, so it's the end of July there, Friday, July twenty sixth to August eleventh.
Wow. Core memory. Okay, so that's very last minute. That's exciting.
Okay, Oh, you're giving boomerades right now. I'm supposed to be the one who's like, what what happened?
Now?
So yeah, that's really great because you know, remember remember she got this qualified before because somebody being important to her passed away. I think it was her mother passed away and she smoked a little something something, oh John, if you will, and then you know, as a result, she you know, she owned it. It was like, you know, I knew I wasn't supposed to, but quite honestly, I was really struggling. Young woman made a mistake, owned up
to it. You know a lot of people came down on her, and you know, she didn't do well for a few races after that, if I remember correctly, But since then she's been on fire and our girl is back and so yeah, you know, people love to bring you up. But what I love about it is that she gets it now. She's like, she's not so invested in Chad. Y'all put me up on your shoulders before and then you threw me down the moment that I had trouble so you could keep all that. Yeah, I'm you know, I edified myself.
Okay, oh, very smart, because goddamn, like they just some of the mayor in Baltimore released like one hundred thousand or pardoned one hundred thousand inmates who had low level marijuana offenses or whatever possession offenses, and the tides are changing. But I still feel like in the in the public's eye, when a black woman or black man you know, smokes, it is still not as like accept did or you know, it's still more frowned upon them, more likely to be
criticized than you know. Elon Musk, who has you know, talked about like his love for drugs or whatever.
Girl the girls be out here doing muscle, all kind of foolishness, all kind of ski slopes, snowing all kinds.
Of trailers for euphoria.
I know what they do, girl, I please. I went to I we to Westfield High School. I saw what they do. Okay, yeah, I had intentions.
I know what. You know, you can do a little wed you know.
Then, I mean, I ain't doing nothing of that stuff because I was scared. I have African parents at home. But you know, yeah, it's just a shame. And then you think about the financial ramifications of not having people home for something like that. But yeah, so we are proud of you. Shakiri Shakaari, Shakari Richardson, Miss ma'am, go ahead onto the it's gonna between you and the Jamaicans because you know the make us be a little fast, honey,
may be all fast. I ain't gonna lie either way as long as you black or want you away you know what, non black to win. It's just that, like I'm mooty for everybody black, so everybody, Yeah, should we take up breaky mm hmm.
Good note for Tanya. When that happens, Can you just edit out us tripping over each other? That's always I like it, you do, listen, it's annoying. I think no I think we don't do it very often, and we do it often do it? I don't know. I'm very I'm always self conscious of it and I'm like, dang, where's our rhythm? Like we off the rhythm double Dutch.
Keep keep all of this in listeners. You tell us if do you hate it, like oh my god, you guys are always tripping over each other, or you're like, no, girls, so cute little one two one two, and then you guys get back on track. So we're gonna leave all of that in and you're gonna let us know and our DMS Branda Vision podcast on our g and just say like, girl, you fine, or like actually I hate it, but keep it cute because we do black. I mean, you could be honest, but honestly I mean nasty.
Yeah, I talk to Perry. Fame is never nasty. I think it only happens when I get too caught in my own head and I get in like an anxious state and I forget to just like talk to you because I'm thinking about, oh, it should come next. I just need to be a little more present.
No, and also a girl, it's humane, Like, I mean, you know, when you talk to people sometimes we're both thinking to talk at the same time. It's natural. So anyway, yay, fam, you got a little behind the scenes. So we will be back and blacker than ever with our what did it not be a q A with our phone boost? We are back, y I fam, All right, we're gonna do and now it's time to boost up, break up, boost up, break up, boost up? Break Are you gonna boost?
Are you gonna break? What you're gonna do? What you're going to were boosting a breaking? And you want to go first, you want to go second.
I can go first since you did all the work involved with singing us in with backing vocals somehow at the same time, she is a multi hyphen it. I want to give myself a big brown boost because outside of like having kids and needing to prepare meals for them on the weekend, when I'm like, oh dang, three meals a day plus next there's a lot of work, I feel very adult in those moments. I'm like, when did I become a grown up? I have a new milestone of like, holy shit, I am a grown up.
I filed a grievance against my tax assessment, my property assessment of my house. So for those of you who are homeowners, you may live in a state where well a lot of most states have property taxes, right like, there's no zero percent property tax states are there? I don't know could I move there if there is? But anyway, you pay property taxes based on the assessed value of your home. So I don't know what kind of methods
these towns municipal offices used to like determine. They probably are on zillo like the rest of us, like figuring out what your home is worth, and that is directly what influences how much you pay in your annual taxes. My taxes, our taxes are insane. I know Jersey has high property taxes as well, but I think my husband and I are looking at like sixteen thousand a year
just in property taxes. And it's wild. Anyway, the annoying thing is that once a year you will get a letter or usually in the Atlasma you just got yours. Oh look at you.
Okay, I'm literally opening right now to be like what kind I'm own bout goheay?
So our property, it has gone up and up and up and up every year, and we always miss the little window to file a grievance. It's usually so for us, it was between June first through the eighteenth and the way I showed up and on June eighteenth with that piece of paper and all the application that you need or whatever. But I did it, and now it was it was not as scary of a process as I thought. I thought I'd have to like stand up and defend my home. But this is like the first step in
the process. So yeah, if you've received one of these letters, check them out and actually do the grievance. I'm very interested to see if we'll actually like get our assessment down. I know it's good, like for example, if I wanted to get a home equity loan or I wanted to sell my home, it's nice having a higher home value, right because you'll get more profit. But in terms of like just staying in your home, which I know a lot of homeowners are because rates are so high, like
your taxes are going up, and I don't know. In my neighborhood, there's lots of flips, Like people will come in they just write next door to me, they built like a nine hundred thousand dollars home, which is twice the value of many of the homes on my block that they were purchased for and so that they will look at the comps like next to you and say, well, then you know, we'll increase your property to by like twenty orth sorry, your assessment by like twenty or thirty
thousand dollars. And it's not always fair, it's not always right, but big points for me being a grown up.
Yeah, I love that, and I'm looking like mine amount. Dude says three thy nine hundred, So say three thousand times four, it's twelve thousand dollars. I'm like it was just ten thousand last year, so it's going up for girl.
Oh so that's so what you got is you're like, you pay quarterly then quarterly yep, okay, they just put it on our more. They just put it on our mortgage bill monthly.
Wh I got a mortgage carl?
Oh that's right, So that's all you pay? Yeah, gotcha? When we don't feel very bad, girl, bo'ts are. But it is based on your assessed value. So like has your assessed value?
Yeah up up, yeah yeah, because all these houses are selling for I'm like not a million dollars in our neighbor. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm happy about it. But at the same time, I will say what I have heard because a friend of mine did it. She had an attorney help, so I may actually reach out because one of my friends is a real estate attorney and that helps significantly. So I'm going to see because
it has been going. Like when I first moved here, girl, it was eight thousand, and now we're at twelve, five years later. It's cristy, so we fittishy. So I just literally work in Newark. Yeah, And meanwhile, Newark is actually
Essex County apparently, or Newark in particular. Now Essex County actually has some of the lowest which I'm like, this is low because, for example, like East Orange next to me, Like when I was looking for homes similar size in Newark, it would be like six to eight thousand dollars in Newark, and an East Orange would be twelve thousand or in
Orange Orange and the Stars, which I'm like, wow. And apparently there's some reasons that come into that that, like a lot of the businesses have what does that thing when you don't have to pay taxes for a while, not probate.
To pay tax now a while yeah, I forget.
There's like a word for somebody right now is screaming at the saying the word. I'm like, whatever, gir I can't hear you. So whatever.
It is.
Basically, in order to attract businesses to certain cities, sometimes they'll waive their taxes for like however many years and apparently and it's either an Orange or East Orange. They did it for so long that they have to get so much money from the people who own homes and it's just crazy. So Newark has a lot of businesses, I guess to offset, so our taxes as far as Essex County go is some of the lowest of like in our county. But still I'm my girl anyway, I guess.
So if you're wondering, like if you're a homeowner, you're listening and you're wondering how to check to see if you can file a grievance, just google the name of your town and county and Grievance Day because that's what it's called. Grievance Day is the day. And for us at least it was a couple of weeks over that period we could have submitted it. But you need to submit it because if you missed a grievance day, then
that's your biggest window to like combat it. And then after that you may have to take on an attorney or there's actually like real realist realtors who also like have as a freelance offering. They will offer to file a file a late grievance or whatever and like appear in court and we're at the town municipal office to to argue against your assessment. So it's a grown up stuff, but we gotta do that.
We gotta do it well. Mine is I guess it is a booze. Yeah, it's a boost. So Supergirl has graduated high school. But now she went to prom. She looks so beautiful a prom. She's such a pretty girl. She went to prom and that was great and expensive girl, and then she she went to We just actually just went to her graduation the other day and then she had her party here. So she had proms send off at her mom's house and then she had her party here.
It was actually last night, so she had like her family come earlier and then she had her friends come later. So you know that was cool, and so was it when it came to it was I mean, you know they're seventeen eighteen, so you know, I could keep it like baby because the backyard that shair is all like laid out. I mean I was here, okay, I was leaving the kids alone, even though like at twelve thirty day was outside just talking talking. I was like, we
have neighbors, Galo. I had to come out in my auntie robe and Lena like opened the front door and Lena against the doorjam. They just looked at They're like, ooh, I'm so sorry. She texted me this morning. She was like, I'm so sorry Tiffany for my friends. I truly apologized. I was like, oh, I'll look at her all sweet. But no, they were like really respectful, nice kids. They
were just outside like talking like you know, unempolieding. I no job, you know, they were just like I said, girl, go tell your friends to get out my front lawn. But we are now like So she did get some scholarships for school. Her father left her money. I have money for her too, So navigating the financial component for her her is interesting because I want her. You know, it's hard because she's seventeen, so soon she turns eighteen.
The way the state works is that if you lose a parent, many times they will hold your your your the child's money and trust if the parent has left any sort of like life insurance, which which Jerrelle did, so they'll hold that money in trust for the for the child, and then in New Jersey it just gives it to them when they turn eighteen, which I feel like is so young, you know, you know, because it's like she could do whatever and it's not a little
bit of money. And so I am having her thankful because she turns eighteen in October, so we have some months away. So she's meeting with my financial advisor. It's Angelie. It's something that she offers to the children of her clients. Oh she's got to have a Yeah, several conversations, but by herself, like a Jelie and I have already spoken about what we thought it was best practices for what should happen next, but I think it's important. I spoke to Melissa's mom you know me, and you know, we've
been cool. We talked about like what do we think we shoul to do and she was like, honestly, Tiffany, I think that if you meet with her and Angelie at the same time, she's got to turn off her brain because she's going to say, there's an adult in the room. Tiffany got it, and so Angelie actually agreed too. I was like, oh, that's really that was really great
feedback from her mom. So we both talked about it, and she's like, I think she should meet with her separately because she's really smart, because she's gonna be like, wait, it's just me, let me focus and take notes. So I'm looking forward to that. Actually have to convict. I'm gonna I'm going to connect them via text this week so they can schedule a call because I want onto a few things. I want Angelie to look at, like,
you know, the school that she's going to. I want her to also look at the scholarship that she got, to really dissect the award letter to tell Alyta, this is how much is coming to you, and here is some some things you can do to make the most of that money, you know. And so I was stressed about it. I'm like, oh, what does she choose to in correctly? But I'm like, girl, I finally had to let that go because all I can do is I never understood my dad would say sometimes I could do
is advise. Sometimes he would say that to us when he was just like, I cannot at this big grown age, I can't tell you what to do. And then not that she's an adult, cause she's only seventeen. But ultimately when she turned to eighteen, it's her money. Yeah, and you know, one of the things Angelie said that she highly suggests is that to set aside a nice little piece of it, you know, not a quarter of it, but a little chunk that Alissa basically can do whatever
she wants with to ease some of that. It's my money. I do what I want.
Yeah, you know what I mean.
And so like whatever that is, it's like, okay, like I'm buying her car, you know, I told you she said she wanted to. The Audis are real cute. I'm like an Audi girl girl A bajillion dollars. I don't know, it's more than whatever I'm driving now.
Or anyone else's prios No.
I told her, we talked about it. I said, she's gonna get the typical freshman year car for a girl.
A girl classic.
I mean, it's a I'm a freshman and I just so she got I mean, shently she was like, oh, they are really cute. I'll say, yeah, girl, and you're getting a certified.
Pre owned one. So Audie is like cute, She's like anti TIPI does know about cars, so let me just this is like a start.
So I told her, I said, you got to get a certified pre owned hot toa civic like nothing older than probably twenty nineteen, twenty eighteen, something between twenty eighteen and like twenty twenty three. I told her, like, you know, it has to be as far below twenty thousand dollars as possible, and uh, just a bunch of other kind of like parameters I gave her. I told her why certified pre owned. I told her why. I gave her like some you know, Toyota, Honda or something else like
which are really reliable cars. She chose Honda, and so we just kind of talked through why she's getting this, you know, like why that car is going to be a good car for her. I also too, I sought, I want you to be able to drive. Everyone gets intoll like a little bit of a fender bender, and I don't want you to be feeling like you have
this fancy car. But I also want something safe, also something that's not going to break down in you all the time, which handas are notorious for being really reliable cars that don't need to be fixed all the time. So she's excited about it. But I also told her I will get you the car, but the insurance is on who you and Chuck E Cheese were you working?
And so that's what she worked at, Chucky Cheese.
Yes, I know, I'm not gonna lie.
She's a nice one though, because some of these people with chunky cheese is are.
Like no, she says, she has a good time. She was like me, first of all, she was like tippy. Your people don't like to tip. I'm like, who's bar people? She's like, no, they tipping compliments Nigeria Africans. I was like, don't do it.
She said.
They're like, oh wow, you're such a hord worker. You're so smart.
You.
So she's like, so does that Ben?
Wait? When would you tip someone a chuck? Like is she waiting? Ye? Managing the parties a bunch, that's stuff to you.
But I love that right because she's the only she hasn't really wanted for anything, and so there you know, there's responsibility, there's like, I love what she's like, I have to I have to call out. I got to get coverage. I'm like, oh, look, but these are the types of conversations you want to start to go to
have as soon as possible. But also, you know, I try my best to talk through talk through these kind of financial things with her, like, hey, you have money coming in, you know, Like, cause what I'm the biggest lessons I want her to learn is that that you have agency over the money that that you have, but that you should not navigate it alone. It's one of the biggest lessons that like, I do not now this
is the person that helps me. And if you don't, it's okay not to know what to do with your money. And here's how you vet for smart people to help you navigate. And here's how you make the plans ahead of time, you know, by deciding what your goals are and then making your money work for you. So you know, I'm like, I'm not stressed about anymore. She's smart and she's responsible and even if she blows some of it,
that is okay. And you know, she's not going to be unhoused and she's not going to be hungry we've got her, and if she I still have a pile for her that I'm not I'm watching how she navigates where her dad left versus what I've set aside for her, and you know, if she makes choices that are not the wisest, it might look like student loans, even though
I can make sure she doesn't have student loans. Sometimes you need to learn the hard way, and then when you're smarter, it's like, Okay, you're ready now to take in you know the rest. So you know, but I'm excited for this next stage for her. She's like really excited. She wants to go to what is that called exercise science? She wants to be theological therapist now a physical therapist.
Oh okay, yeah, well that's really great. I love that you are letting her meet alone because also she'll be less self conscious about asking questions, probably because she might be like, well, Tiffany thinks I should know this. Yeah, that's so great. I'm excited for her, and I think this is a perfect example of like how you can like not associate this whole NEPO baby thing that people
are talking about, like who gives you a life? I'm like, she has like y'all work so hard, and Superman with all the love that he had for her, made sure that she would be okay, And like she gets to move forward with options and move forward without that kind of stress. And that's such an incredible gift. And I'm so proud of Jarelle and the legacy that he left for her, and of you guys and how you have co parented her. I mean, she is the product. How
could she? I don't want to put pressure because she will make mistakes, of course, and like you expect that, but like you guys have given her the best foundation. And I feel like at this point, I'm talking a lot of like shit because I will probably be a basket case if Rio ever goes out into the money he goes out into the real world as an adult.
But like feels so good about the foundation that y'all gave her and she is going to be if if y'all's love and your foundation that you provided for her, like that is the best launch pad for wherever she's going to go in life. Yeah, yeah, it's amazing.
You still be worthy. You're like, girl, what can I drive the car? Do you have a short? Oh? It's sure.
Well, congrat Supergirl and other graduates of twenty twenty four. Yeah, congratulations, Pandemic babies.
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Okay, thank you, read a check? She says, I feel at home with this podcast. I learned loads of information in an authentic way. It's so precious and uplifting. Love. Thank you.
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I'll ven and say now do I don't think too much where we owe them money?
Just okay, bye,