Are you looking for inspirational African American financial experts? As a student studying a finance-related topic or just someone with an interest in the subject, following influencers is a great way to learn more. If you are hoping to replicate the success or draw inspiration from their careers, here are some great individuals to follow.
Patrice Washington
Otherwise known as the “Money Maven”, Patrice Washington is the Founder and CEO of Seek Wisdom Find Wealth. She is also a best-selling author, public speaker, a financial coach, and has a popular podcast. Her words and wisdom have also been published in hundreds of online and print publications including Essence Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and the New York Post.
She started her career in real estate and mortgage brokering at the age of 21. A year later, she had racked up credit card debts of $18,000 and, when the recession hit, she lost her business and owed more than $2 million. After filing for bankruptcy, she started again from nothing and, by 2009, she started a financial consulting firm to spread the lessons she learned throughout her life.
Michelle Singletary
Michelle is a widely-known personal finance columnist for The Washington Post. She also regularly appears on television, radio, and online and print media. The author of several books and the recipient of a number of awards, she gives advice on credit, education, avoiding debt, and how to achieve the lifestyle you want without bankrupting yourself.
She was educated at the University of Maryland and John Hopkins University where she received the Distinguished Alumni Award after she got her master’s in business and management. You can follow her by reading her column The Color of Money, watching her speak, tuning in when she is on TV, or by signing up to her newsletter.
Tiffany Aliche
Considered as one of America’s leading financial advisors, Tiffany Aliche aka “The Budgetnista” has helped more than 700,000 women save more than $100 million and pay off more than $75 million in debt. She has won awards and has made it her mission to empower women to take back control over their finances. By providing them with resources and tools to enable them to work towards better financial health, she places education at the core of her work.
She started her working life as a preschool teacher in Newark, a position she held for ten years. Aliche was also involved in writing a bill that made it mandatory for financial education to be integrated into the curriculum in New Jersey middle schools.
Chris Browning
The creator of the Popcorn Finance Podcast, Chris Browning works as a financial analyst and holds a bachelor’s degree in finance. However, after work and after dark, he runs an award-winning podcast, giving advice and information on personal finance. He was also named as one of the 12 African American Financial Gurus to follow in both 2018 and 2019. He attended California State University between 2005 and 2010.
How to get there
As a young African American who is looking ahead to the future, the most important thing you can do is stay involved. Knowledge is power, and the finance industry- a volatile and powerful market, moves quickly.
Markets can rise and fall in the blink of an eye and knowing what is happening is the key to your success in the financial world. A great way to stay up-to-date on the foreign exchange market is by using a forex broker. Not only can you trade forex on these platforms, but you can keep tabs on currencies as their values rise and fall. Knowing how these markets work, how to intelligently predict trends, and the correct way to navigate charts and graphs is extremely important.
Alongside this kind of hands-on learning, you should be sure to consume as much financial market news as possible. It’s not enough to just read your textbooks or a few superficial articles here and there. You need to be reading as much as possible from reliable, up to date, and factual sources.
The last word
Of course, none of these things guarantee your success in the financial world, but they will all help improve your grasp of the sector. Learning, trading, experimenting, and expanding your knowledge will be excellent additions to your degree or masters in a finance-related subject.
