Brown Ambition Podcast

Brown Ambition is a weekly podcast about career, business, building wealth and living in this brown skin.

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 Battle of the Sexes with Paychecks & Balances

This is a show years in the making — we finally have our podcast pals Rich and Marcus from Paychecks and Balances on the show! The guys join us to tackle some awkward and controversial questions about money and relationships. Follow Rich and Marcus @paybalances. --

  Today's show is sponsored by Lola, a female-founded company offering a line of organic cotton tampons, pads, liners and all-natural cleansing wipes. LOLA products come in a simple, customizable subscription so you get exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.

  For 40% off all subscriptions, visit mylola.com and enter promo code BROWNAMBITION when you subscribe!

  Check out this episode!

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How Tela Holcomb Doubled Her 401(k) In 6 Months and "Traded" Her Way to Financial Independence

Tela Holcomb, is a self-described "mom, wife, six-figure stocks and options trader, 9 to 5 survivor, risk taker and freedom catcher." But she wasn't always a stock trading wiz. It wasn't until Tela lost her job in 2012 that she decided to dive into learning all she could about the stock market. Today, Tela supports herself on income she earns from a combination of short-term stock trading and long-term investing and saving, as well as income earned from teaching online courses on how to trade. She joins Brown Ambition today to offer tips* for beginner investors looking to get into the market — and gets real about what it really means to trade, day trade and invest (yep! they are all different). We talk about the good, the bad and the ugly side of the market and how you can avoid common pitfalls. If you're looking to start learning more about stock trading, check out Tela's free online course: telaholcomb.com/theexchange. And check her out elsewhere: Blog: telaholcomb.com Facebook: facebook.com/telaholcomb Instagram: instagram.com/telaholcomb YouTube: telaholcomb.com/youtube *Disclaimer: Any conversations on our show about investing and investing strategies shouldn’t be taken as investment advice. This is strictly for education purposes and if we mention companies or specific strategies, it’s not a recommendation but rather an example.

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Ep. 145 — Real Talk for the Debt Divas Out There

Happy Brown Ambition Wednesday! We're bi-coastal this week y'all, as Mandi gets into vacay mode on the West coast (kind of...) and Tiffany returns from her Universal Studios Budgetnista retreat. This week we dive into our reader mail bag to answer your burning debt questions. Have a question for us? Hit us up at Brownambitionpodcast.com or shoot us a note at [email protected].

Check out this episode!

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Ep. 144 — How The Recession Made Us Stronger...and How We're Preparing for the Next One

We reflect back on the financial crisis on the 10 year anniversary and talk about how it impacted our finances and career. We want to hear your recession comeback stories. Send us an email at [email protected] or tweet us @theBApodcast to let us know how the recession touched your life in good ways or bad and how you've changed since. *** Want help putting together a meal in a pinch? EveryPlate is the cheaper, healthier alternative to takeout or delivery. You get to enjoy amazing, chef-designed meals for just $4.99 per serving  EveryPlate is already super affordable but they put together an even sweeter deal for Brown Ambition listeners: Brown Ambition listeners can get 50% their first box of EveryPlate. Go to EveryPlate.com and enter promo code BROWNAMBITION.

Check out this episode!

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143 — Fertile fixer upper

Happy Brown Ambition Wednesday!

On today's show:

A long-awaited health/family update from Tiffany

What happens when taxes go unpaid?

When's the right time to ask for a credit limit increase? 

Resources mentioned: 

MagnifyMoney's guide to handling tax debt

XY Planning Network, a great resource if you're looking for a fee-only financial planner. 

Check out this episode!

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Ep. 142 — Think Outside the 401(k) — Tips to Invest for Wealth from Mandi's Financial Planner

We are kicking off Season 4 of Brown Ambition with a long-awaited investing episode. If you're wondering how you can start investing for wealth beyond your 401(k) this is the show for you. We're joined by Mandi's personal financial planner Helen Ngo of Capital Benchmark Partners to go step by step through the process — from choosing your investments to deciding which types of accounts to open. You can schedule a FREE consultation with Helen via her website. 

Check out this episode!

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How A Hand=Me-Down House Helped This Couple Pay off $110,000 of Debt

Eight years ago, Aja McClanahan and her husband were $110,000 in the hole and in a constant tug-of-war with debt collectors. So they decided to make a drastic move in order to tackle their debt head-on. Mandi sat down with Aja this week to chat about how they finally became debt-free and what advice she has for others out there feeling overwhelmed by their own debt. "You don't need a lot of money to do this," she says. "Being disciplined helped."  Brown ambition is back with new episodes on Sept. 12! Have a question you'd like featured on the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. 

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Awesomely Luvvie Ajayi

Happy Brown Ambition Wednesday!

We are looking back at our favorite episodes over the last (3!) years as we prepare for season 4 of the podcast. 

New episodes begin airing Sept. 10. 

Enjoy this look back at our EPIC interview with author, speaker and Luvvie Ajayi. And, if you haven't yet, get her book "I'm Judging You: The Do Better Manual" and check out her podcast "Rants and Randomness".

Check out this episode!

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Ep. 141 — Confessions of an Entrepreneur

Happy #BrownAmbition Wednesday!

On today's show, Tiffany opens up about the pressures of scaling what was once a one-woman business into a multi-million-dollar juggernaut with full-time employees, benefits, and all the complications that come with it. 

"It's so much more than just the people who are involved. When I talk to [my employee] on the pone and I hear her baby crying I think oh my gosh it’s not just her. This has to work for all of us... There’s so many people are depending on this working. It's a lot of pressure but it’s also a lot of fulfillment to be able to do this work."

Also, on the show Tiff announces a special deal on the Live Richer Academy. Sign up at https://joinLRA.com!

  Check out this episode!

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Ep. 140 — Here's How Much You Should Save by Age 30

Welcome back to a new episode of Brown Ambition! On today's show, we dedicate some time to questions from our listeners. 

  One listener wants to know how much she should save by age 30. We take her question on the show and actually reveal how much WE saved by age 30 ourselves. Here's a link to the resource mentioned on the podcast, the JP Morgan Chase Guide to Retirement. The chart that suggests how much to save by different ages is on page 18! Also posting a screenshot below: 

  Check out this episode!

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Ep. 139 – The Personality Test That Can Totally Change the Way You Work

Happy Brown Ambition Wednesday!

On today's show: 

Tiffany's low-budget Greece vacation 

Mandi shares the workplace personality test that totally changed the way she communicates with others at work 

Is a 29.99% APR too high for a personal loan? Should you track your credit with all these data breaches going on? We've got the answers today when we open up our listener inbox to tackle your questions. 

Here are a few links to resources mentioned on today's show!

Free credit scores:

Discover Scorecard

MyLendingTree  

Compare personal loans so you know you're getting the best deal possible:

LendingTree's personal loan marketplace

MagnifyMoney's personal loan marketplace

DISC Assessment

Learn more at discprofile.com

Tony Robbins offers a stripped-down, free version of the DISC assessment. Just be aware that you'll be asked for your email and they will add you to his email list. 

Check out this episode!

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Ep. 139 — Miko Branch, co-founder of Miss Jessie's Hair Care

On today's show, we're joined by Miko Branch, who in 2004 co-founded Miss Jessie's curly hair products with her sister Titi, inspired by their grandmother's homemade recipes They have been serving the curly, kinky and wavy hair community ever since.

This episode originally aired on March 25, 2017.

    Check out this episode!

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Ep. 137 – Closing credit cards to cancel debt? Not so fast.

Happy Brown Ambition Wednesday!

On today's show: 

Tiffany's biggest tax lessons as an entrepreneur

A shoutout to Yelp Cash Back — check it out if you haven't yet! 

Today's Q&A features some great listener questions —1) Does interest stop accruing if you cancel a credit card? and 2) What should a husband do if his wife is hesitant to dip into their savings to pay off his student debt? Have a question for us? Hit is up at [email protected].

As mentioned on today's show, here are some helpful link: 

Compare Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers

Best Debt Consolidation Loans 

Check out this episode!

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Ep. 136 – In Our Feelings

On today's show: 

We shoutout listeners who Tweet or Instagram us on each show. Want a shoutout? Hit us up at @brownambitionpodcast on the gram or @theBApodcast on Twitter. 

We take a question from listener Sheena who wants to know if she should defer her student loans in order to pay off her car. 

Check out this episode!

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Ep.135 — Essencefest Recap; Bitcoin Woes; Homebuying Tips

Each week we feature comments/questions from our listeners on Twitter and Instagram! Want to get a shoutout? Hit is up @theBApodcast on Twitter or @brownambitionpodcast on the gram. 

As mentioned on the show, here are some great resources if you're looking for a low down payment mortgage program: 

LendingTree: Your Guide to First-Time Homebuyer Programs

MagnifyMoney: The Best Mortgages That Require No or Low Down Payment

HUD: Search down payment assistance programs in your area

Disclaimer: The Q&A segment on our show is when we give off the cuff advice and tips we hope can help you start moving in the right direction — these answers are not intended to serve in place of advice from a certified financial adviser or planner or other financial professional. 

Check out this episode!

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Ep. 134: Better a $400 lesson than $4,000 lesson

Happy Fourth of July! We're back with a fresh episode this week. 

We cover: 

Tiffany's $400 home improvement whoopsie (ok, it was Super Man's fault technically)

Risks of taking out a 401(k) loan for a home down payment

A listener asks us how we met our SOs and asks for tips on how to date in your 40s. Have a tip to share? Hit us up @theBApodcast on Twitter! 

Check out this episode!

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Ep. 133 — The Pregnancy Tax

We tackle some juicy topics on today's show:

Tiffany's decision on a $60,000 home upgrade (Yikes.)

NYT's sobering report on discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace

And we take YOUR questions on personal loans, credit cards and how young is too young to build credit.

Want to get a shoutout on next week's show?

Leave us a message on Twitter @TheBApodcast or Instagram @brownambitionpodcast.

  Check out this episode!