

Are you interested in investing your money? Do you want to learn the ins and outs of the stock market? Maconomics star Ro$ Mac is all about his coin and doesn't mind sharing his knowledge either. Not only is he the first Wall Street rapper but his weekly segment on Revolt TV has really set the bar for what it means to pour back into the black community. Mac secures the bag, but also makes sure to pay it forward by spearheading a message of black wealth and providing the keys to the kingdom through financial literacy on social media.
Together, money and knowledge is true power and Mac's platform is proof of that fact. His videos are short, direct, and most importantly informative when it comes to the dos and the don'ts of all things investing. Mac is advocating for breaking generational curses and building generational wealth one post at a time. Recently, xoNecole had the privilege of chopping it up with the financial expert about Maconomics, the stock market, and why black wealth matters.
xoNecole: How did you make the transition from working on Wall Street to becoming a Wall Street Rapper?
Ro$$ Mac: When it came to making a transition, it wasn't that I had to choose one or the other which I was extremely grateful for. I was able to balance both roles and it was a blessing. I was able to hear myself on the radio on my way to work on Wall Street. To be honest, when I first started working on Wall Street while making music, I was very self-conscious about my co-workers knowing about the other side of me. Being a black person working in corporate America, you are very conscious of how you are perceived. Being a rapper was not how I wanted to be perceived.
What inspired you to become so well-versed with the stock market?
What truly inspired me was when I moved back home to Chicago and I was still working in finance at the time. After reconnecting and interacting with my homies that I grew up with, I realized there was a vast difference where people were in their lives based on exposure. I was considering how I could give back to my community in a dope way while simultaneously still being myself. I created Maconomics to bring Wall Street to the main street. I wanted to drop the same gems that I've been exposed to with the same people that come from where I come from. If someone is my brother, they don't necessarily have to travel the same path that I've traveled to benefit from the knowledge that I have. Life for me is about passing on the knowledge and not being selfish with it.
"I created Maconomics to bring Wall Street to the main street. I wanted to drop the same gems that I've been exposed to with the same people that come from where I come from. If someone is my brother, they don't necessarily have to travel the same path that I've traveled to benefit from the knowledge that I have. Life for me is about passing on the knowledge and not being selfish with it."
At what age did you invest in your first stock?
I was 18 and in college when I first invested in the stock market. I saw a kid trading stocks in one of my classes. I asked my economics professor what would be a good stock to invest in and she told me that no matter what, people will always need their utilities. I ended up buying G.E. for 7 bucks and it didn't really make me any money but it was a good start.
What can people expect to learn from your show 'Maconomics'?
People can expect to learn financial literacy for black culture. Maconomics allows people to learn about themselves by me addressing questions that people are too afraid or shy to discuss. Black people don't like discussing finances which are taboo in certain communities. Maconomics is a platform to bring financial literacy with a twist. I'm able to make people laugh while also educating and informing you. I'm able to give you the facts and tell you what other communities are doing and why they are richer. Maconomics is all about financial literacy and bringing it to my audience in both a comedic and entertaining way so that it will stick with you and be easy to digest.
You have started the campaign “Black Wealth Matters”. How has that decision contributed to your life and others? What does black wealth mean to you?
Black wealth is the solution to racial injustices. Living in a capitalist society, those without capital tend not to have any power. The moment that black people have more access to attaining wealth and capital, and better knowledge about getting it and keeping it. I believe from a social justice standpoint we will get a lot further in life by expanding our financial literacy. Black wealth has been kept from us in a very systematic and intentional way. When you look at what happened on Black Wall Street, redlining, and bank loans. Everything that was done in the past was done with great intent. The average black household net worth is less than 10 times of a white family. There are a lot of things that will make it right and black wealth is one of them. Black wealth is the equalizer and will take us a lot further in life.
"Black wealth has been kept from us in a very systematic and intentional way. Everything that was done in the past was done with great intent. The average black household net worth is less than 10 times of a white family. There are a lot of things that will make it right and black wealth is one of them. Black wealth is the equalizer and will take us a lot further in life."
What are some of the biggest mistakes that you have made financially?
I don't have too many financial mistakes but I have made bad investments. My biggest mistake would be the lost revenue that I missed from not investing in certain stocks.
What is the biggest misconception about investing in stocks and finances overall?
The biggest misconception is thinking that you need to be rich to start investing. You can literally start investing with $25-$50. The other misconception is that you have to be a rocket scientist to invest and that saving money is enough. All you need to do is buy an index, the S&P 500, or Nasdaq and over the long haul, you can make about 10% annually. People need to understand that saving money is not enough considering the power of inflation. Money is losing its value every year. You need to be investing your money as well.
"You can literally start investing with $25-$50. The other misconception is that you have to be a rocket scientist to invest and that saving money is enough. All you need to do is buy an index, the S&P 500, or Nasdaq and over the long haul, you can make about 10% annually. People need to understand that saving money is not enough considering the power of inflation."
What do you have to say to people of color that have a strong interest in breaking generational curses and building generational wealth?
Key practices when it comes to building generational wealth is starting now and being unselfish when it comes to thinking about the next generation. It can just be helping your kids not graduate with thousands of dollars in debt. Paying $20 a month for some type of life insurance policy in order to potentially leave your children $500,000-$1 million. Or you can open a 529 plan to invest in the stock market so that you will be investing in the stock market and your money will be growing tax-free. Try owning some type of real estate to pass to the next generation. There are so many ways to build generational wealth, you just have to get started.
It’s a fact that most Americans aren’t saving and live paycheck to paycheck, how do you advise someone who doesn’t prioritize savings to start doing so and build their emergency fund? What’s your golden rule when it comes to emergency funds?
Everyone should have at least 6 months worth of emergency funds. Start treating savings like it's a bill. Don't just pay your bills without paying yourself first. Automation makes it easier to save. Before you have the opportunity to spend that money, it's already set aside and you're able to invest in your retirement without even thinking.
Let’s say, we want to retire as millionaires, what are some seeds we could be planting now to ensure that we reap the fruits of our labor when we’re ready to retire?
If you want to retire a millionaire, practice investing every month. Investing $300 every month in an equity portfolio that will get you on average 8-10% which is a million dollars in 30 years. Making investing easy and not hard by automation. Try to invest a few hundred dollars every month. Find power through the power of compounded interest. Interest on interest is equivalent to racks on racks.
"Find power through the power of compounded interest. Interest on interest is equivalent to racks on racks."
With this being a season of unemployment in epic proportions and a recession looming, answer this important question: should you be dating while broke?
Dating while broke is very crucial. I don't think you should do anything beyond your means. Dating while broke is the same as clubbing while broke. Why would you be in the club spending money you don't have? I believe you can date on your way to being financially free but I don't think you need to incur unnecessary debt while dating. Date within your own budget and means. You can date for free. You have to be honest with the person you are dating. Don't lose track of your financial goals because you are trying to impress someone. The issue is when people don't stick to their financial plan. It's all about having a conversation about your dating expectations.
For more of Ross, follow him on Instagram and catch him on Revolt TV's Maconomics.
Featured image courtesy of Ro$ Mac
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
10 Women Tell Me Why They Made The Decision To Be Estranged From Their Parent(s)
Although there are many quotes that I have used in these articles throughout the years, I’d be almost shocked if the one that hasn’t been included the most is “Adulthood is surviving childhood.”
I thought about that one, again, recently, when I checked out a BuzzFeed article entitled, “People Are Just Now Realizing They Had An 'Eggshell Parent' And The Ways It's Secretly Impacting Their Adult Lives.” If you’ve never heard of “eggshelling” before, it’s a term that is used for if you felt like you had to walk on eggshells as a kid because your parents' emotions were super erratic and hella unpredictable. SMDH.
Personally, that is just one of the things I experienced while growing up, although the main reason why I’ve been estranged from my mother for (I think) about six years now (I honestly haven’t really been keeping track at this point) is because she simply doesn’t respect my boundaries. Even well into my adulthood, she has refused to do it and it was messing with my inner peace and personal growth on a few different levels — and y’all, I don’t care who it is, no one should have that kind of power over someone else’s life (if you want to read more about my journey with estrangement, I tackle the topic in my latest book).
And before some of you come with the ever-so-manipulated Bible verse “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12), I hope you also remember that there is a Scripture that says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4 — NKJV) To provoke is “to stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity)”; know what else it is: “to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.” Funny how it is not preached or taught nearly enough that parents are absolutely not supposed to raise their kids or treat their adult children in a way that angers, enrages, exasperates, or vexes them — and think about it: when’s the last time you heard a sermon on that? I’ll wait.
Besides, unless you’re someone who has made the courageous decision to put distance between the person/people who’ve raised you, you honestly don’t get how much of a sacrifice it can be. Very few of us are flippant about that decision. Very few of us saw our adult life without our parent(s) in it. Very few of us wanted to deal with all of the “fallout” that comes with making that kind of choice because listen, for me, it’s almost like being in witness protection in the sense of having to also leave certain people who are associated with her alone as well because either they also don’t respect boundaries or they try further victimize me by attempting to impose their opinions into something that they absolutely shouldn’t (for instance, when I shared what I went through with her, one of my closest friends at the time, more than once called me “petty”…yeah, he had to go; you don’t have to defend why you need to protect yourself…if you are doing that, those are unsafe people you are talking to).
It’s not like I’m rare either. In fact, it’s been reported that close to 30 percent of adults are currently estranged from at least one of their parents (you can read about it here, here, here, here, and here). And with that being said, today, we’re going to hear from 10 women (well, technically 12 if you include the videos at the beginning and end) as they share their own reasons why they made the decision to go “no contact” with their own parent/parents.
If you are estranged, I hope you will see that you are not alone. If you aren’t, I hope it will help you to have more compassion for those who have made this kind of choice. Because although “adulthood is surviving childhood” is true for many of us, it actually wasn’t supposed to be that way. And so, we’ve had to take great lengths to go from “surviving” to “flourishing”…even if that meant doing it without the ones who — alongside God, of course — created us.
Article continues after the video.
*Middle names are used so that people can speak freely*
1. Michelle. 32. Estranged from Her Mother for Four Years.
“My mother is a narcissist — only I didn’t know it because I didn’t have much to compare her to because she kept me away from a lot of…everything. Ironically, that is a telling sign that you’ve got a narcissistic parent: they think you are an extension of them, so they try and make you do everything just like them. Since they are so bad at respecting boundaries, they don’t care how old you are — they think they have a say in every decision that you make because their ego is bigger than their love.
It took me years of therapy to recognize this but once I did and I told my mom that she was hypercritical, that she used to pit me and my siblings against each other, that she only knows how to gaslight and manipulate — she played the victim and told me that if I couldn’t accept her as she was, we couldn’t have a relationship.
That’s another thing about narcissist: they hate accountability. I think there should be more articles about parents who are estranged from their kids because they pull that ‘my way or the highway’ BS. I didn’t exactly leave my mom, but I did tell her what I wasn’t going to tolerate. We haven’t spoken in four years, ever since I drew that line. She left because she didn’t know how to humble herself, and I am fine with that. Arrogant people are toxic to be around.”
2. Iyan. 36. Estranged from Her Parents for 11 Years.
“I don’t think that a lot of parents get that they act like their kids should idolize them, which is crazy. We’re not toys or puppets who are supposed to do whatever they say, whenever they say it. Even as a parent myself, I think there is a difference between a child’s individuality and a child obeying me. Too many other parents have too much ego to think the differences through. To your question — I am estranged from my parents because they disapproved of who I chose to marry. He’s not the same faith as them but I don’t think that would even matter because they damn near betrothed me when I was a kid.
They wanted to choose my career path, my husband, my role in church — everything. It got to the point where they were disrespecting my husband, our relationship, and my feelings, and so it was time to boomerang their own Bible and remind them that when you get married, you ‘leave and cleave’ to your spouse and move on from your family. If your family accepts that, they can be in your life. If not, you’ve got to move on. They chose for me to be estranged, not me. I put my husband first, just like I was supposed to.”
3. Jahkai. 29. Estranged from Her Mother for Four Years.
“Sometimes I think that people just have children so that they can have someone to boss around as kids and intimidate when they become adults. My mother is one of those people because it’s like her whole existence centers around trying to force me to live the life that she wants me to live. I used to be so afraid of her, even if that just meant afraid of her rejection, that I would go along with it.
Then I got pregnant with my daughter and saw that she wasn’t even going to respect me as a mom — and when I saw signs that she was going to try and pull that shit with my own child? The claws came out. I tried expressing my concerns and setting some boundaries, but she dismissed my feelings and walked right over my boundaries, so she had to go. There was no way that she was going to try and raise the child I birthed. My child needs peace. So do I.”
4. Gillian. 24. Estranged from Her Parents for Almost Two Years.
“I’m bisexual. That’s the beginning and end of it. I personally think it’s creepy when a parent can be so invested into their grown child’s sexuality that it ends up wrecking their own world. You sleep with who you want to sleep with, and I will do the same.
My parents don’t see it that way. They told me that unless I stop loving women, we have nothing to talk about. You only love me if I love who and how you love? That doesn’t sound like love at all.
I don’t expect my parents to agree with my life or even like it. I just don’t want you penalizing me because we are different. Seems really immature to be any other way…to me, anyway.”
5. Aubrie. 27. Estranged from Father for Four Years.
“My father always wanted me to be an accountant, and I hate math. That’s insane. That’s what happens when you don’t make the time to get to know your own children. So many parents are egomaniacs in that way — just because I look like you doesn’t mean that I am you. Until my sophomore year in college, I just held my tongue and suffered through my education because when I was living at home, I didn’t really have a choice, and when I went to school, my parents paid for my education.
They didn’t want me to have any debt, and I appreciated that, but my spirit was going into debt anyway because my dad had me on a path that I didn’t like or want, and my mom was too weak to speak up for either one of us. By my junior year, I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to get student loans, so that I could start over and major in English. That pissed my dad off two ways because I was changing my major and I was going to take on debt.
We’re not estranged in the classic sense. It’s more like he doesn’t come to the phone whenever I call, and he grunts words over the holidays. So, I call less and go home even less than that. We’re headed towards ‘no contact’ if he doesn’t get over the fact that he has a life, and so do I.”
6. Lameeya. 41. Estranged from Her Mother for Eight Years.
“My mother? I just don’t like her — I never really have. I can’t stand how we’ll all agree that you should choose your friends wisely, but when it comes to your blood, it’s like you should be all in their lap simply because they are related to you. Toxic is toxic, and my mother is the embodiment of that. She plays mind games. She manipulates. She gaslights. She’s spoiled and entitled. I would never pick her as a friend. She drains me in every way. It’s like whenever I would even sense that she was going to call or come around, I would get hives, and it got to the point where it didn’t make sense that I should suffer just because she’s my mother. Who came up with that?”
7. Sloane. 25. Estranged from Her Mother for One Year.
“I grew up COGIC. If you know, you know. When you’re a kid, you don’t know any different or better, but once I started to seek out my own path, I realized that Christianity just wasn’t for me. My mother damn near lives at church and so, of course, I was declaring that I wanted to go to hell in her eyes when I told her that I had chosen the Baháʼí faith. Christians can be so rude. Somehow, they want you to respect what they believe, but they are so comfortable preaching hell and damnation if you don’t think like them.
Anyway, a part of why I chose Baháʼí is because it’s very peaceful to me, and religion never brought me peace in my mother’s house. Now that I’m all about this peace-filled life, anything that is ‘anti’ it has to go. She was on the top of my list. If you can’t respect what makes me ‘me,’ why are you here? It’s just been a year now. If we remain out of contact, that’s kind of on her, but I have no desire to hear her preach every time we speak. Be my mom. I don’t want a pastor.”
8. Torrin. 33. Estranged from Her Parents for Six Years.
“You have your own dysfunctional issues going on if you think that you owe someone your sanity simply because they birthed you. A good parent doesn’t just give you life — they provide a safe environment for that life, and my parents didn’t.
My mother was hell on wheels, and my father was a weak man who let her be that way. She was controlling, erratic, and exhausting, while he just let it all happen.
I recently read that Khloe Kardashian said that her mom didn’t like it when she first started therapy. Controlling parents never do. It took me a lot of therapy to stop beating myself up mentally the way that my mother did emotionally and sometimes physically, but once I got that she was the problem and healing was the solution, I had no problem letting them both go: her for being abusive and my father for being complacent.”
9. Kristine. 40. Estranged from Her Mother for Six Months.
“You always want your parents to get along with your husband — I just didn’t bet on my mother loving him more than me, especially now that we are divorced. That man cheated on me, more than once, and although I didn’t tell my mom while we were married about it, once we separated and I explained why I made what was a really difficult decision for me, she kept finding excuses for him and even tried to make me feel bad for not trying to make it work. Divorces are hard, and the last thing I needed was my mother trying to ‘beat me up’ for standing up for myself.
Now I’ve got questions about her marriage because if you think that I should tolerate nonsense, have you been tolerating your husband’s? Has he been tolerating yours? You get a certain age, and you start to wonder how much projecting your parents do onto you. Anyway, we haven’t talked to each other in six months. She and my ex apparently still go out to dinner, though. You two enjoy.”
10. Madolyn. 45. Estranged from her Father for 20 Years.
“I had an abusive father. He was an alcoholic while I was growing up, and so fear instead of love kept me in communication with him once I became an adult. The plot twist is, he got clean while I was in college, but he suddenly had all kinds of amnesia about the pain that he caused. His apologies were sh-t like ‘I don’t remember that, but if you need me to apologize, okay.’ So, our lives were a living hell, and that’s all you’ve got because it hurts you too much to face it? Ain’t that a bitch.
The last time we spoke was right before I turned 25. I think someone is more harmful when they can’t own their sh-t than when they are actually doing it, because that means they could do it again. No thanks. I’ll take wholeness.”
____
As you can see, being estranged from a parent, going “no contact” with them, it has many layers, reasons, and scenarios. For me, as I listened to all of these women, what did come to my mind, though, is — how beautiful is it that, if the “beauty for ashes” in their stories is they had the strength to become self-aware, self-sufficient and healthy adults in spite of the cracks in their foundation, then there is a silver lining in it all. You should never feel guilt or shame for protecting yourself in ways that your parents absolutely should have. NOT. EVER.
And so, the sacrifice was well worth it — because ladies, look at you now. Salute.
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