-
A Study Found that Thriving U.S. Families Need to Make $150K a Year. Where Do You Fall?
The recent study, Measuring the True Cost of Economic Security, conducted by the Urban Institute, found that a well-off household needs to make at least $150,000 annually. The news hit social media like an expected tidal wave. This economic security threshold reminds us that the cost of living in the U.S. has ramped up dramatically. As the U.S. loses its political standing, along with the global increase in middle-class standards, the future is more expensive. U.S. households are already feeling the squeeze. Many of whom are surviving on less than $80,000 per year. Based on 2024–2025 Census Bureau data, median household income varies significantly by race. Asian (-led) households earn the highest…
-
Falling Behind: The Economic State of Black Men, 2025
Black men are often left out of the conversation when it comes to their economic and social position in the United States. As a second pillar in a household and often the primary breadwinner, their contribution shouldn’t be overlooked, but alas, I have to write this because they/we are. With over 600,000 black men entering unemployment since November 2025, some experts expect the number to climb to a million by November 2026. There is a palpable degree of financial security and stability that Black men can provide in an era of rising costs, inflation, and global turmoil. Their absence may equal a structural and sustained collapse of black communities. At…
-
Retiring Early? Now What? What We Plan to Do.
Retiring soon and now what? Everything needs a well thought out plan in my opinion. I have a ton of ideas that will be tweaked.
-
Which is Better Generational Renting or a 50-year Mortgage?
Recently, Ms. Constance Carter, Wealth Advocate, wrote an opinion piece on “the 50-Year Mortgage Is a Trap, not a Path to Black Wealth.” She goes at length into contextually the 50-year home loan as a bondage, but that’s not accurate. Considering you can pay off your debt as soon as possible through expedited payments with your lender, her Op-Ed is far from accurate. Go beyond that, her attack on home ownership seems negligent to the point of full advocacy of becoming generational renters. Since the peak in 1860, black homeownership plateaued at around 44%. This wouldn’t be so bad if most of that ownership centered around the Boomer generation. You…
-
This is Why Early Retirement Goes Wrong!
I was watching one of my favorite ‘Retire Early and Travel the World’ couples the other day and found that they have been struggling. After watching the 1 hour and 23 minutes YouTube vlog, it was clear that they weren’t ready for retirement. To be fair, no one is ever truly ready to retire. Even the Financial Samurai blogger had regrets. In April 2024, they sold everything, and for the first few months, Gean and Kristine (Fire We Go) were locked in. Typically, people will downsize and even trade in their bigger homes for something smaller. In addition to this, this couple set out to see the world and take…
-
How to Navigate Finances in High Price-Inflation Waters. Q/A Recap
I was recently invited to participate in a panel titled, “How to navigate finances in 2025”. Given the change in the U.S. administration, global wars, and financial instability, this was the right call for Florida State University’s Black Alumni Association. By the time the bat signal went up, America dove $600 trillion into the muck of tariffs and supposed liberations. When the panel came around, we’ve all but rebounded. It’s pretty much pandemonium. JPMorgan said we are headed into a recession one day, and the next month stated that we will be in a +8% performance year. The financial experts don’t know what will happen at any given turn. Deuces…
-
Here’s How To Adjust Your Investment Strategy for the Rest of 2025
With all the noise from tariffs, wars and Trump, it's best to lean into your own investment strategy. It's ok to keep it simple.
-
How to Retire at 50. How Much We Intend to Spend Monthly in Early Retirement
With inflation, tariffs, and the changing geopolitical dominance, will this generation of Americans be able to retire? Maybe, you don’t know until you try. Most people don’t even think about retirement until they hit their mid-50s. By then, it’s harder to pull off without undue financial stress. As people approach the age of 59, they often consider transitioning into retirement with less than $200,000 saved. For most Americans, that transition culminates at 68 if their bodies don’t give out. By that time, navigating retiring successfully, will require significant adjustments to their budget and lifestyle. While every individual has different spending habits during their golden years, it’s important to note how…
-
How to Survive Trumpflation 2025 for Long-Term Investors
2025 is feeling more and more like 2022 for investors. As of March 2025, the S&P500 hit a massive correction cycle. We will likely be here through Q3 2025. 2023 seemed like a long time ago. The market rebounded and Nvidia $NVDA started to take off. Consumer savings were down, debt was up, yet consumer confidence gained. It was a year of pure American revenge-spending resilience. 2024 followed by a long-awaited shift in monetary policy. The Fed claimed an early victory against a recession that was long denied and all seemed to be leaning on our collective favor. Until… Housing demand stayed flat. Inflation spiked once again. Layoffs continued under…
-
What to Focus On In Order to Build Wealth in 2025
Due to higher-than-average returns in Q4 2024, financial experts are setting their expectations low. This way, we’ll feel less frustrated the next time some exogenous variable causes stocks to sell off again in Q1 2025. Unfortunately, they were right. The Trump/Elon administration rally was short-lived. As of February 26, 2025, Tesla’s stock price is down 20%. Bitcoin is down 8%. How the mighty have fallen. Flanked by increasing federal layoffs and higher energy costs, the average American household is surviving on the razor’s edge. Instead of focusing on stock market returns, I’m focusing on boosting our cash flow. Calculating the income coming in and doing the most with what remains…
