Listen: Secrets From a Social Media Influencer

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Welcome to Play That Back, where we spotlight conversations from our main show that are worth a second look. Most of us will never know what it's like to have tens of thousands of followers on Instagram or TikTok waiting to hear what we think about money. For most of us, posting anything, let alone giving financial advice on camera, is enough to make us want to hide under a blanket.

So when someone's so good at doing just that, and they're able to make a living from it, it's fascinating. That's why we wanted to bring back this conversation with personal finance superstar and New York Times Best Seller Tiffany Aliche, aka The Budgetnista. She gives a look at life behind the influencer curtain and shares lessons that we all can use, like leaning on mentors and simple mindset shifts that can help us all feel more capable with money.

So enough from me. Let's play that back.

You are the ultimate finfluencer. Right? You are on social media. You are on TV. So there's so much financial content and so much going on in the world.

How do you focus in on specific topics as you, you know, as you're putting your content out? How do you come up with that? And is there something right now in—happening that you think is the most important thing to focus in on?

One thing I learned from teaching for so many years: that a good teacher is an even better learner and listener. I don't decide. I let my audience decide. And so I, you know, because I'll know.

Like, in the beginning, I didn't used to do that. I'm like, I would create these elaborate classes and work on them for months and months and months, and then nobody would sign up. And I would say, “Why? This is so good.”

They're like, “Yeah, but I don't want that,” And then finally, was like, “Wait. Tiffany, did you ask what they wanted?”

And then they would come in droves, and I thought, “Hello?” And so I read comments. I—Sometimes, I literally just ask, “Hey. What are you guys struggling with?”

I would love to create a thing or teach a free class or do a live on, and people will tell me. And that's what we build.

Okay. You know? You give people what they want. Yes.

Yes. That part is really critical.

So yeah. So just asking people what they want, leaning and listening, and then developing alongside. So I used to do finished product, and then we would have worked so much and spent so much money on the finished product only for it not to land. So now when I'm building, I will build a little and say “Like this? Oh, no. Like this. Like this.” And I build and share, build and share until we have a collaborative, like, course or whatever it is I'm building.

And I know I built it specifically with my audience in mind. They're going to be happy and so will I.

Oh, so you're continuing to be open to recreating that content based upon what's going on in the need, and that makes you relevant. For someone trying to kind of break into that, what are some tips that you would have for them?

Well, then you have to be, well, you don't actually have to be visible unless you wanted to be visible. You know? But so if it's because you like, you want to be like a financial personality, then you have to consistently show up and be visible even when just one person is watching. I can remember, Cherry, that one time, like, who was it?

It was the library, like, New York Public Library. They invited me to, like, I don't know, maybe, like, their library in the Bronx and said, “Oh, come to a financial, you know, session.” If they weren't paying, but I just said, “Okay.” I came.

There was me, the security guard, and one lady.

Oh, I've been there too.

Totally. You know? But we took—me and the security guard—we took a picture, and I said, I posted online and said, “Had so much fun teaching you financial education.”

Here's a couple of the people that came, because it was a couple.

Yeah. It still counts. They count.

Yes. And so, but that's the thing. I think people don't understand that consistently showing up, because it went from two people then twenty. Yeah. And twenty to fifty, then fifty to two hundred, and then it grows.

And so I think that the key is the consistency. So many people give up because it doesn't, like, spark right away. But quite honestly, like, it's not supposed to. It's a cumulative effort.

And so I would just say keep showing up.

Don't be afraid to do things for free. Yeah. And take away a lesson from every, every, every time you show up. So every time I would do a speaking engagement, I used to have a notebook to write down, like, what I said that's the crowd seemed to like, what they didn't like, where I kind of felt a little unsure until I got really good at presentations.

Oh, wow. That is some great advice. You know, critiquing yourself, even taking feedback from others just to make yourself better and saying yes to every opportunity out there, I think that's so important. Is there a mentor or someone in your life that you take financial advice from?

Well, still my dad. He's eighty-five and as sharp as ever. I mean, to this day, I have of course, I have a CFO, which is a Chief Financial Officer.

I have a CPA, an accountant. Right? And I also have my, oh, what is Angelie? She's a CFP.

Okay.

I'm—this is just for the audience. I know you know, Cherry, but, like, oh, what is a CFP? A Certified Financial Planner. Right?

Yes.

Even with all of that, you know, my dad will say, “Let me see those taxes. Let me make sure they did them right,” And he's like, “Ask them this question. Why did they do this?”

You know? And so I love that, though. So yeah. So he is still one of my go-tos, but I also have others, because of this amazing space I'm in, I know people who are, like, experts in specific components of personal finance.

It's really important that if you're going be a teacher, you have to be a better student because I cannot possibly be an expert in every single thing, and so I lean into people. My friend Cabral who is from a legacy business, his family owns an eyeglass center called Elegant Eyes here in Newark, and it's over sixty years old. His grandparents started it, then his mother, now him and his siblings. And so they have seen every level of business.

Yeah. And so whenever I have a question, if he doesn't know how to answer to, I'm like, “Can you ask Miss Denise?” That's his mom—because she has seen it all. You know, after sixty years, she's like, “Oh, well, in ‘85, we went through that. This is what you should do.”

What's something you think people underestimate about personal finance?

I think people underestimate their capability of being able to do it. That most people have a confidence issue. It's not a capability issue. You know? As a teacher, I can see it. I'm like, “Wait. So you raised two human beings and you think that budgeting is hard? I promise you, bedtime is way harder than setting a budget together.”

Right. Right.

You know what I mean? Yeah. That like, I think I wish people knew just how capable of the work they were—yeah. That it sometimes—it's the language that's confusing, but not the actual doing. Oftentimes, it's kind of like a set it and forget it. Like, oh, if I put these things in place, like, I love to tell people, “Split it before you get it.”

This is a way of budgeting without budgeting. You go to HR or payroll and say, “Hey, I actually want to split my paycheck into four different accounts.” Two checking, two savings. Checking one, that is for my bills.

Do a little math and decide how much per paycheck needs to go into a bank account just for your bills. Checking two: for spending. So typically, this is what's going be left over. So after you do a little math, you realize, “Well after I pay bills and I save and things, this is what's left over for groceries and entertainment and grooming.” That goes into checking account number two. I tell people for your bills account, tell them, “You don't want a debit card because I don't want you swiping your bills at your local store.” Right. You know?

Yeah. But for your spending account, absolutely, you know, get a debit card for that. Then savings account number one, I tell people this is for emergency savings. You ideally wanna get to at least three months, ideally six months or more of your basic expenses.

That way, if an emergency hits, you have the money. Then, savings account number two is for goals. You might not even get to savings account number two right away, and that's fine. But if you want to buy a house or a car or whatever that is, you can start to stash it away there.

So those four accounts, two checking, two savings, if you split your money before you get your money, you can do that. It might take you thirty to forty-five minutes to do the math at home. Then you go to HR or payroll, ask them to make the split, and then literally, you know, when money comes in, your bills are sent to bills, your savings are sent to savings, what's on your debit card you can use for spending, and you don't have to be as disciplined as you think. And something like that, I'm like, “If you're getting up every morning getting dressed and figuring out, does this blue go with this green, you can do that.”

Yeah. Absolutely. Love it. Something simple, tangible, and they can do right away. Yes. And, yeah, everyone can do that.

Pay That Bill is a podcast designed to entertain and, more importantly, educate. The show is produced by Virginia Credit Union and is developed alongside our award-winning Financial Education team. We have a library full of free resources available online that can help you on your journey to financial success. If you want to learn more about what we talked about today, check out the links we have in the description of this episode.

The information provided in Pay That Bill is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. While we aim to share helpful insights and general strategies, every listener's financial situation is unique. Consult with a qualified professional for any investment or financial advice. The hosts and guests of this podcast are not responsible for any outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content discussed.