With every new year comes new goals or resolutions that people want to accomplish, and usually, they fall in either the fitness/ health category or the finances category. When it comes to financial goals, USA Today reports that 55.70% of people are saving for a rainy day, followed by 52.90% of people saving for retirement, and so on. To hit those goals, budgeting comes into play. However, it can be hard to know where to start. Ebony Beckford of Fin Lit Kids created a financial literacy platform for kids and parents who want to teach their kids about the importance of the dollar. After becoming a mother, the entrepreneur was inspired to give her daughter Madison a head start by teaching her about financial literacy, which was something that she wasn’t exposed to in her childhood.
“My mother passed away when I was 18, and my sister had passed the year before her. And my sister had three small children and I obviously was pretty young myself. And so when I got pregnant with my daughter Madison in 2019, I started to reflect on that period in my life where I was trying to figure out the world without any adult supervision,” she tells xoNecole. “And I started to reflect on like, the things that I wish I would have known and could have done differently. And at the core of all of my issues following the death of my mother and my other family members really was that I didn't have money. It was economics.”
That’s why it was important for Ebony to build Fin Lit Kids because educating people while they are young is the best way to change the landscape and mindset surrounding wealth in our communities. However, you can still get a jumpstart on your financial goals today through three key things, and Ebony explains how below:
Ebony Beckford with her daughter Madison.
Photo courtesy
Budgeting
Oh, budgeting. Some people love it, others despise it. But if you want to meet your financial goals, this is usually the first step, no matter your lifestyle. “It goes back to our values. Figuring out what matters to you most, right? Obviously, we have the essentials that we need to focus on. So pay your bills first. Get the things you need first, but after that, you have to ask yourself, what do you value?” She says.
“Because, like I know, people say, have your emergency fund. Which is important. And I know people say investing, but I think understanding what that means to you. So, investing for me right now is building my business, right? It's not necessarily investing in the stock market, which I do have that, right? But it's figuring out what is going to get you through the next year, right? And then the next year.”
Changing Your Mindset Around Money
Another reason why people may struggle with meeting their financial goals is due to having a negative mindset about money. It can be due to a number of things such as your upbringing. “I grew up in the Bronx. I grew up poor, and I considered myself to be just a poor girl from the Bronx for years after I had built a life for myself. So that was completely different, right? So, I started to realize me and like being poor became a part of my identity,” she shares. “I wasn't walking around being fabulous or not even wanting to be seen because my identity was a poor girl. So I had to do a lot of work within myself to be like no girl, you, your parents, the circumstances that you know your parents were feeling when you came into the world has nothing to do with who you are and what you come from. You come from so much.”
Investing in the Future
Fin Lit Kids tagline is “restoring generational wealth” and one of the ways Ebony suggests people do that is by investing in their kids with not only money, but time. “I think a lot times because of the things that have been done to us it feels like we come from nothing, but we come from immense wealth. And so what we're doing now is not building generational wealth we're restoring it and the key way to restore it is financial literacy,” she suggests.
“And so I think what people, I don't want to say doing wrong, but I think there's a hyper focus on assets, right? Building and creating and generating assets. And so you have parents who are super focused, they're working like crazy. They're not available to their kids because they're trying to make enough money to pass it on to the kids. And then they pass it on and their kids, they blow it. They don't know what to do with it. And so I think people when thinking about building generational wealth, we have to also understand that like financial literacy is a key component of that, as well as the time that we spend with our kids and investing in them and making them understand what our values are and why things are important.”
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Feature image by PeopleImages/ Getty Images
RELATED
My hair was fresh out of braids, so my natural hair desperately needed a little TLC (and gray coverage).
Most of us have experienced a silk press or, as it was known when we were growing up: a press and curl. But the process looks a little different with natural hair because without the proper steps, you'll walk outside, and your hair will say absolutely not.
So, I want to take you through my appointment and share the tips and tricks I learned.
Expert Tips for a Flawless Silk Press
First: Detangle
Detangling from root to ends is essential before your hair meets with shampoo and H2O. And this is especially important after removing braids, or you run the risk of product and hair buildup tangling and, subsequently, causing hair loss and damage.
Edwards ran his fingers through my hair as if it wasn't a tangly mess. That's how I knew I was in good hands. He ran his fingers from the root to the ends of my hair, detangling it section by section. If finger detangling isn't your preferred method, a wide-tooth comb or Felicia Leatherwood Brush makes excellent detangling tools.
Shampoo and Condition
Now it was time for my favorite part: the shampoo. As we were shampooing, I asked if the type of shampoo and conditioner makes a difference when preparing the hair for a silk press. And the answer is yes.
"They are very important because you always want to use a shampoo and conditioner that will aid the final look or style that you're trying to achieve," Edwards tells xoNecole.
In your shampoo, you want to look for a sulfate-free option that clarifies without stripping the natural oils from your scalp that also combats frizz in preparation for thermal styling. And after a good cleanse, of course, conditioning is a must. Look for vitamin E and omega fatty acid-rich oils like argan, avocado, and jojoba-infused options.
Mizani Press Agent Smoothing Sulfate-Free Shampoo, $22
Courtesy of Bianca Lambert
The Blow Dry
Now that my hair was cleansed, and conditioned, and my grays were covered, Edwards detangled and sectioned my hair into four quadrants. Next, he went section by section, applying a leave-in conditioner and following up with a blow-dry cream. If you're ever tempted to skip your leave-in and a product to protect your hair from heat damage, don't. Here's why.
“A leave-in is the foundation to any style you are trying to achieve or create," Edwards shares. This is largely because a leave-in adds and seals in moisture, gives the hair slip for detangling and helps protect it when heat styling. Mizani's Miracle Milk Heat Protectant Leave-In Conditioner is among his favorites because it's a multitasker acting as a leave-in and heat protectant. And it's a product I never complete a wash day without because it keeps my hair nourished for days. And if my natural curls need a moisture pick-me-up, I spray a little on in the shower midweek.
In addition, he adds, "Serums and creams are essential because they protect your hair from damage caused by the heat throughout the whole silk press process from beginning to end. [And], the creams and serums will also aid in retaining moisture and sealing the cuticle." After the leave-in and blow-dry cream was layered into my curls, Edwards used a paddle brush with a blow dryer to smooth my hair from root to tip.
Mizani's Miracle Milk Heat Protectant Leave-In Conditioner, $38
Courtesy of Bianca Lambert
The Press and Wave
I was always in a rush when I flat ironed my hair at home—flat ironing my thick hair in large chunks. One thing I noticed was how tiny the sections of hair were as Edwards moved the flat iron slowly down the lengths of my hair. After each strand of my hair was silky to the touch, it was time for a trim. A piece of the process I recommend leaving to the experts.
And after that was complete, I asked for a bump. Edwards told me no (haha!). He refused to send me out like a '90s baby with a bump that looked more like a James Brown do. Instead, he gave me loose waves that I shook like I was in the star of my own hair commercial.
Courtesy of Bianca Lambert
Post-Silk Press Maintenance
After your silk press, there are a couple of things Edwards recommends. First things first, wrap those strands. "[Wrapping the hair at night] helps you maintain the style and moisture in your hair from root to end." He also suggests investing in a silk bonnet, head wrap, or silk pillowcase. I use both a silk bonnet and pillowcase because we all know our bonnets like to slip off in the middle of the night and go to the fridge for a drink of water.
Courtesy of Bianca Lambert
Lastly, Edwards emphasizes: "Put the flat iron down." He means if you get tempted to re-lay the silkiness with more heat, don’t do it. One thing I've learned to accept with silk pressing and natural hair is gaining volume post-flat iron is just the name of the game. But, Edwards says, alternatives like silk rollers, flexi rods, or of course, wrapping your hair can help maintain your style sans adding any extra heat.
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Featured image by Bianca Lambert
Originally published on October 18, 2022