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8 Black Financial Influencers to Follow in Honor of Black History Month

Admin February 15, 2021

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This photo is comprised of three different photos of black people who are black financial experts everyone should know about.

Kevin L. Matthews II, left, is a former financial adviser turned investment educator. Bola Sokunbi, middle, empowers women with financial knowledge to make good changes in their lives. Amon and Christina Browning retired young, moved overseas and now share smart advice on how to do the same on their blog. Photo courtesy of Kevin Matthews, Caroline Beffa Photography and Amon Browning

February is Black History Month, a time to acknowledge and reflect on the achievements Black people have made to American society.

We’d like to recognize Black History Month by highlighting several Black influencers who enrich the personal finance arena with their unique perspectives and expert advice.

Whether you’re looking for a new podcast to listen to, a personal finance book to read or a course to increase your financial literacy, check out these Black money gurus.

8 Black Financial Influencers to Follow

Time for some inspiration:

1. Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche

Tiffany Aliche — better known as “The Budgetnista” — is a former preschool teacher who used her financial know-how to bounce back from job loss, foreclosure and debt to grow a multi-million-dollar business based on personal finance education.

Aliche created an online school, the Live Richer Academy, and has over 466,000 members in her Dream Catchers community group on Facebook. She’s an author whose latest book, “Get Good With Money,” comes out in March 2021.

Aliche was also the driving force behind getting a law passed in her home state of New Jersey to make financial education mandatory for all middle school students.

2. Talaat and Tai McNeely of His and Her Money

Talaat and Tai McNeely are podcasters, YouTubers and bloggers who use their platform His and Her Money to share inspirational money stories from their own lives and the lives of others.

Tune into His and Her Money for lessons on entrepreneurship, side hustles, money management and debt payoff — including how the McNeelys paid off their 30-year mortgage in five years.

Christina Browning, Melea Browning, 12, Sunoa Browning, 14, and Amon Browning are photographed in Lisbon, Portugal. The Brownings have courses in investing, moving overseas and pursuing FIRE on their blog, Our Rich Journey. Photo courtesy of Amon Browning

3. Amon and Christina Browning of Our Rich Journey

Amon and Christina Browning of Our Rich Journey are former government employees who retired at age 39 and 41, moved overseas and now share smart advice on how to do the same.

The Brownings offer courses in investing, relocating to Portugal and pursuing FIRE (which stands for Financial Independence Retire Early). You can also check out their videos on investing, financial habits, early retirement and more on the Our Rich Journey YouTube channel.

4. Kiersten and Julien Saunders of Rich and Regular

Kiersten and Julien Saunders want to shatter the notion that talking about money is taboo. With their platform Rich and Regular, this couple’s mission is to inspire better conversations about money.

Watch the Saunders’ web series “Money on the Table” on YouTube where they chat about topics like being Black in corporate America and the expenses of raising kids. Or keep up with their blog for updates on their journey to financial independence.

5. Michelle Singletary

Michelle Singletary is an award-winning financial journalist and author. She pens “The Color of Money” personal finance column for The Washington Post, which is syndicated in newspapers nationwide.

Singletary is also the author of several personal finance books, including “The 21-Day Financial Fast” and “Spend Well, Live Rich.” She has made numerous television and radio appearances, sharing her financial expertise with the masses.

Matthews’ platform BuildingBread helps beginning investors. Photo courtesy of Kevin Matthews

6. Kevin L. Matthews II of BuildingBread

Kevin L. Matthews II is a former financial adviser turned investment educator. He has taken what he learned helping clients manage multi-million-dollar portfolios and created a platform, BuildingBread, where he helps beginners start investing and building generational wealth.

Sign up for the Breadwinner’s Circle — a free weekly newsletter with tips for new investors — or check out one of Matthews’ courses on investing. Matthews is also the author of “Starting Point: How to Create Wealth That Lasts.”

7. Tonya Rapley of My Fab Finance

Tonya Rapley is the face behind My Fab Finance, a personal finance website that focuses on helping millennials become financially free. She has been named the “New Face of Wealth Building” by Black Enterprise and a “modern-day history maker” by TV One.

In addition to My Fab Finance, Rapley offers an exclusive community group — the Blue Ribbon Club — to support members on their journey to break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, improve their relationship with money and stay accountable to their goals.

Bola Sokunbi poses for a portrait while wearing a white blazer and white shirt. She was able to save $100,00 in a little over three years without a six-figured salary. — Sokunbi saved $100,000 in a little over three years on a starting salary of $54,000. Photo courtesy of Caroline Beffa Photography

8. Bola Sokunbi of Clever Girl Finance

Bola Sokunbi is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI), and she’s all about empowering women with the financial knowledge they need to make positive changes in their lives. One of Sokunbi’s inspiring accomplishments: She was able to save her first $100,000 in a little over three years without a six-figure annual salary.