This Couple Once Broke Up Over Money And Now They've Made It Their Mission To Teach Others About Building Wealth
Julien and Kiersten Saunders met in 2012 while working for the same company and they quickly fell for one another. However, their whirlwind romance was cut short following an extravagant vacation. When they got home from Panama, reality set in, and they were forced to have a tough conversation about money after they both had different opinions on recouping the money spent on the vacation.
Prior to their baecation, they had agreed to split everything and used credit cards to help pay their traveling costs. Julien had always been conservative with his money whereas Kiersten was a little more liberal but those differences became more glaring after Kiersten continued going out while Julien was budgeting. As a result of the fallout over money, they would ultimately break up. Shortly after, however, they decided to give their love a chance once more and are now married with a son, running a successful blog and podcast helping others to learn financial literacy and build wealth.
Their blog Rich and Regular was inspired by the conversations they had with one another about money. Launched in 2017, they have used the blog to share their personal struggles and wins regarding money as well as making it a platform for Black people to gain knowledge about investing, entrepreneurship, and much more.
“It all sort of turned into what can we do to attract more people of color, especially Black professionals to think like this, to have these conversations to think like this, to re-evaluate their careers and their approach to investing for a myriad of reasons,” Julien says. “One, obviously Black wealth is important to the Black community, two, Black marriages are a core part of that community and that equation, and three, all of the other kinds of issues that affect our community that we don’t have time to solve because our lives are basically spent working.”
According to Business Insider, opposing attitudes about money is one of the biggest culprits leading many marriages to end in divorce. Kiersten and Julien were able to overcome this hurdle that many couples face, so they know a thing or two about the importance of having the money conversation early on.
“Once you hit that part when you start talking about goals and future plans, which for some people they come out the gate with that,” says Kiersten. “They want something very serious and they want to know that the person they’re spending time with aligns [with] them and their ambitions but as soon as you start having those conversations about the kind of life that you want, money is a huge tool to enable all of that life. So, you also want to make sure there is an accommodating financial plan to try to achieve this white picket fence, home ownership, multiple children and pets, and travel.”
The Atlanta couple also wrote the book Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away, a guide to reaching financial freedom, which they both have managed to do. As life partners and business partners, Kiersten and Julien have experienced many trials and errors to maintain a thriving marriage and business. They agreed that the key to being successful at both has a lot to do with the type of environment you create in the home.
“We also make it a point to play to our strengths. We do that in our marriage and in our business where regardless of what gender roles or the patriarchy or what traditional marriage advice is, if I’m not good at something or if he’s not good at something, we don’t force the issue,” Kiersten explains. “So something as simple as cooking–Julien is a professionally trained culinary student and so cooking is far easier for him to do even though traditionally women are the ones who [are] supposed to cook but he does 99% of the cooking in our household and that’s just one example."
"We really audit every task, every project, every goal that we have to decide who’s gonna do what. Nothing really is on autopilot in that way and we’re true partners. It’s a bit unconventional because a lot of people kind of opt into roles because that’s what they’ve seen done [by] their mom or their parents or on television, whereas for us, it's a conversation to be like does that make sense?”
What once broke them up now has helped them amass wealth, become financially independent, and be adept at helping others achieve similar goals. Currently, they are working on launching the Cashing Out podcast to accompany their book and they are gearing up to release season three of their YouTube series “Money on the Table.” But while a lot has changed, some things still remain the same.
“We’ve both developed hacks to get around our natural tendencies but there’s also these limits so that you don’t create conflict. I still like to spend freely,” Kiersten admits, “but my workaround is to make sure we pay ourselves first, make sure we’ve invested, make sure we’ve set aside money for savings, the bills are taken care of and then I can do whatever I want with the rest.”
Julien shares that they now respect each other’s differences and even learn from them. “We have evolved to appreciate the other person’s approach or I think more so in the broader setup, financial characteristics that you may use to define who you are as opposed to spender or saver,” Julien says. “It’s more complex than that.”
“And so I think we’ve grown to appreciate that but I also think that as your money grows, as you have more of it, and as you continue to have more conversations about money, you just kinda get better at it. So, it's not really so much of a need to be so tight as you may be or may be required to be at the beginning when you’re really trying to dig out of debt or tryna to accomplish some lofty goal. If you’re past that then you can kind of afford to ease up a little bit and I think we’ve learned to do that. I’ve learned for sure.”
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Feature image courtesy of Julien and Kiersten Saunders
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London Alexaundria is the contributing editor for xoNecole. She is an alum of Clark Atlanta University, where she majored in Mass Media Arts and has worked in journalism for over ten years. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok @theselfcarewriter
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy