This Millionaire Lawyer Proves Principles And Strategy Can Still Lead To Wealth

On her background 

Well, I’m originally from Baltimore, Maryland, but I was primarily raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was heavy into entertainment and sports growing up. Actually, in high school and college, I had my own radio show. But college is when I got into technology, Bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies. I’ve always loved research and the idea of being ahead of my time. I think that’s what led to a lot of my work.

My background includes working in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, behind the scenes in production at companies like NBC Universal and Lionsgate, and then I transitioned into technology. Now, I’m the Chief Legal Officer of a large tech company that also incorporates entertainment and sports. So it’s full circle.

A lot of past experiences from the industry and in general, led me here. Entertainment, sports, and tech taught me to save, make, and invest money and set myself and my family up for a successful future.

I don't feel like I would have gotten that in other industries that are non-financial. I think you see a lot of people making mistakes in entertainment and sports. I've been taught about management of funds, not only by my parents but from my experiences at work.

On her relationship with money

So I grew up well, I always start with that to give my parents credit. But one of the reasons I’m so passionate about sharing my voice is because I noticed there was such a difference between my family in Arizona and my family in Maryland. The opportunities are vastly different.

I learned very early on about investments, stocks, and bonds. Also, I’ve never seen my mother work a regular job. She's always had her own business since I was young - so I learned the power of entrepreneurship. My mom would teach me about business and building something from the ground up. She started with not a lot and then skyrocketed into this massive business that took care of our family for over 20 years.

My Dad was really big into investments and stocks, learning about different currencies across the world and teaching about the importance of banking and the importance of saving. So from both of them, I had a pretty solid foundation that money is not everything. Being rooted in God and the Holy Spirit is what matters and being a blessing to others. But if you are not being a good steward of your finances, then how are you going to be a blessing for others?

I learned very early on about investments, stocks, and bonds. Also, I’ve never seen my mother work a regular job. She's always had her own business since I was young - so I learned the power of entrepreneurship. My mom would teach me about business and building something from the ground up. She started with not a lot and then skyrocketed into this massive business that took care of our family for over 20 years.

On unhealthy financial habits 

I would say for me, the number one thing was shopping. Because I had access to funds at a young age, I had to learn what’s important early. Just because you have it doesn't mean you should spend it. That's where saving comes in. It’s all about balance. I mean, some people save too much, and that can come from a survival mindset.

Some people just spend it all because they think that the fountain is endless and money will just keep coming. Both are terrible concepts and routes to go down. Personally, I just had to learn to reel it in with fashion purchases. It was my stress relief. Some people go to the gym, some people eat, some people read a book, right? I would go to the mall, right? I had to learn to save and spend - that took away the guilty feeling.

On budgeting

I’ll tell you about mine for the year. It’s basically all about my fixed bills (like rent, mortgage, utilities, our payments, things of that nature). Then, I also have a budget for food, beverages, and going out. And I have a shopping budget so that I stay within a certain range. Also, I have an investment budget.

The way that you can do that with the investments is to figure out how much you make, then make sure a certain percentage of what you're making - net income is going towards investments. I don't care if it's small, something that you think won't make a difference. You never know what it’ll do years from now, and make sure those investments are spread throughout wherever they go. Finally I also have a budget for saving.

People operate differently. You can actually take the money out of your account and put it in an envelope or transfer it to an entirely different account. Speaking of bank accounts, it’s good to have one where your check is deposited and then a certain portion that you transfer over. You can have different accounts for transferring to a single account, they transfer to an investment account, so you can keep track of where your money is flowing to.

On a time when she struggled financially

When the market crashed, things were just hard. The life we were accustomed to, we just weren’t able to live anymore. It was like 2008 or 2009. I want to say I was 18, and it was such I strange time. I remember thinking, how do we pivot?

It taught me how much the market has an impact on our families. The biggest lesson, though, was the importance of planning. For me, it was all about learning how to have a strong foundation. We just had to keep going no matter who was calling or what bills were coming - we just kept going. It taught me a lot about the power of mindset.

It taught me how much the market has an impact on our families. The biggest lesson, though, was the importance of planning. For me, it was all about learning how to have a strong foundation. We just had to keep going no matter who was calling or what bills were coming - we just kept going. It taught me a lot about the power of mindset.

On her multiple streams 

I have my salary that I make with the company that I work for. I work for a company called Gala. We're a blockchain technology company and entertainment company. And then, I also have what's called an unfamiliar term: nodes. Nodes are essentially what they distribute, what we call tokens. So, with the distribution of tokens, I make a certain amount of money each month.

Also, I have real estate. And then I have my money in a high-yield savings account, which you get money based off of your interest. I have a Goldman Sachs account called Marcus account. So [focus on] where you have your high-yield savings, your CDs. The idea is for your money to make money for you.

What I did is I would take Bitcoin [and] Ethereum cryptocurrencies; all of those are considered multiple streams, because I make money off of them. For example, this goes back to the investment. So if I have a property and I'm making a revenue stream off of that property, you double that revenue stream by putting it in different investments.

Then, at that point, let's say I make $100,000 a month off of one property, right? Let's say $25,000 of that is put into my Marcus account [with] a 4% interest rate, and then that money makes money for me. A portion of my salary goes to buying different cryptocurrencies. Make $100,000 free, then a portion of that is going to purchasing different currencies

On creating wealth with a 9-to-5

I tell people all the time if you're working a nine-to-five and you want to start your own business, use your salary and invest in a high-yield savings account. Don't just let it sit in your regular bank account, which is like point .001% or 3% account, and then the next thing you know, you can have an extra $10,000 to go towards the business that you want to start. The money should always be working for you.

I’m not for struggle vibes. I see so many people that are in my generation, that feel like they either have to be on social media to be successful. Being a millionaire at my age, I’m telling you, there's so many other routes! And you can do it at a young age; don’t wait until you’re 50 or 60 to start figuring it out.

On your final goal 

I want more properties - globally. I've already started to get into the hotel business. I want my future children to be able to have tangible assets. Basically, I want a very diverse portfolio and a lot of real estate. It’s very much about generational wealth.

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