Speaker 1: It's time for the va qa. Y'all know I hate
Speaker 1: doing this song without Tiffany, but I'm gonna try anyway.
Speaker 1: It's time for the va qa. A. Hello ba fan,
Speaker 1: it's Mandra. I am here live with you this week
Speaker 1: for our ba q and a live and solo. I
Speaker 1: should say so as TIF continues to galivand around Egypt
Speaker 1: and send me the most you know, fomo inducing photos
Speaker 1: to WhatsApp. I'm here for it. Okay, she's having an
Speaker 1: amazing time. But I decided I don't want to just
Speaker 1: be alone in the studio listening answering people's questions, reading
Speaker 1: them off with spreadsheets, So I invited a couple of
Speaker 1: listeners to the show this week to ask me their
Speaker 1: questions live now. As a reminder, if y'all want to
Speaker 1: have a chance to be in the studio or the
Speaker 1: stud as TIF calls it, all you have to do
Speaker 1: is run over to our Instagram page. We are at
Speaker 1: Branna Bishenpot. There you can send us a DM, but
Speaker 1: very importantly send us a voice note. You got sixty
Speaker 1: seconds to get your question out and typing it out.
Speaker 1: I will recommend before you even do that, send us
Speaker 1: your question submit it via ig and you may hear
Speaker 1: from our producer inviting you to be in the studio
Speaker 1: with us to ask your questions live. So for today,
Speaker 1: we have a super well a super adorable and curls
Speaker 1: pop in. I love a glasses moment.
Speaker 2: We're twin.
Speaker 1: You have the a listener Brianna in the house.
Speaker 2: Hi Brianna, Welcome, Hilandy. Thank you so much for having
Speaker 2: me on. I'm so excited about this.
Speaker 1: Thanks for submitting your question. And first of all, I
Speaker 1: just want to say, well, you're from Dallas, right.
Speaker 2: Uh huh, Well I'm from Ohio, but I am in Dallas.
Speaker 1: Sorry. Okay, so she still claims Ohio.
Speaker 2: Yeah, not a sexing yet.
Speaker 1: I know I still have my four or four area
Speaker 1: code twelve years after I left Atlanta, so you know,
Speaker 1: no judgment here. But Brianna has a really interesting question
Speaker 1: and one that I have a lot of feelings about
Speaker 1: and I had to do some reflection before I even
Speaker 1: answered you on what my response would be. So before
Speaker 1: we get into it, let's hear Brianna's question that she
Speaker 1: submitted to the show.
Speaker 3: Hi, Mandy and Tiffany, my name is Brianna and I
Speaker 3: could really really use your help. So I recently graduated
Speaker 3: with my Masters of Health Administration and I landed my
Speaker 3: dream job. This job is paying six figures and has
Speaker 3: really incredible benefits. However, while I was in graduate school,
Speaker 3: I did accumulate some debt in student loans and in
Speaker 3: credit card bills. Well, I know what's a priority to
Speaker 3: pay down my debt. I have this urge to upgrade
Speaker 3: my lifestyle. I want to get a new apartment and
Speaker 3: I've been eyeing a new car.
Speaker 2: But I don't know how much is too much.
Speaker 3: So I would love to hear your thoughts on the
Speaker 3: balance between bossing up a little bit, but also you know,
Speaker 3: keeping a level head if you will, around spending even
Speaker 3: though I got such a huge bump and pay.
Speaker 2: I love the show.
Speaker 3: Thank you guys for your hope, and I hope you
Speaker 3: guys can answer my question.
Speaker 1: Bye, Okay, honest, So you feel cute now you got
Speaker 1: your six figure salary? And what give me a sense
Speaker 1: of how much of a raise was that from what
Speaker 1: you were earning before? About fifty six, fifty or sixteen?
Speaker 2: About fifty or sixty thousand? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Did you move from Cincinnati to Dallas for this job?
Speaker 2: I did, so. I started in a fellowship role, which
Speaker 2: is similar to like an internship, so they pay you,
Speaker 2: you know, significantly less, and then you sort of get
Speaker 2: the next role.
Speaker 1: Nice. And how long have you been there at this point?
Speaker 2: It's two years?
Speaker 1: Okay? Two years? All right. That's really helpful for me
Speaker 1: to know, because when I first listened to the question,
Speaker 1: I was like, you, you haven't earned the six figures yet.
Speaker 1: So what I like to avoid doing is like spending
Speaker 1: the money before it's really mine to spend, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean. But I'm curious. So two years in,
Speaker 1: where do you stand with the debt that you accrued
Speaker 1: during grad school? The student loans, the credit card debt.
Speaker 2: I'm going to be honest, please do guys sills. A'm
Speaker 2: standing in it. Okay, Yeah, I have not really paid
Speaker 2: anything towards it. I graduated in twenty twenty one, so
Speaker 2: newly required to pay, but I have not.
Speaker 1: Started the student loans okay, student loans?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: And are those like federal or do you have a
Speaker 1: mix of federal private?
Speaker 2: Uh? They're federal?
Speaker 1: Okay. What's the balance? Like, how much do you owe?
Speaker 2: Fifty k?
Speaker 1: Fifty k? Okay? Well, I mean that's student loan debt
Speaker 1: and you haven't had to pay right for the past forever,
Speaker 1: and it's probably going to be extended again and again. Okay, yeah,
Speaker 1: so talk to me about the credit card debt because
Speaker 1: that's my probably mine annual bigger concern.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, when I got to Dallas, I was in
Speaker 2: the mindset of having the six figures, but I didn't
Speaker 2: actually have the six figures.
Speaker 1: I wish I was catching you early. I thought I
Speaker 1: was catching you early because I was like, no.
Speaker 2: No, the dirt has already been laid. I'm lying in
Speaker 2: the bed now. Yeah. Yeah, So I was bawling when
Speaker 2: I got here, and then I kind of I got
Speaker 2: myself in this rhythm of like I'm going to spend
Speaker 2: the credit card, pay it off, spend the credit card,
Speaker 2: and then they gave me a credit limit increase, and
Speaker 2: then from there I lost control.
Speaker 1: Okay, thanks for admitting that. It's really easy, you know,
Speaker 1: I actually I have been there, you know, even like
Speaker 1: from when I was not earning a lot and times
Speaker 1: when I was earning a lot, it can easily spiral
Speaker 1: out of control. So how much credit card debt are
Speaker 1: you looking at right now?
Speaker 3: Right now?
Speaker 2: It's about six thousand, Like that's rounding up high fives. Yeah,
Speaker 2: so it's not like I'm not drowning, but it's not true.
Speaker 1: Not great, And like, you know, tell me about your
Speaker 1: disposable income. So you've got what you're looking for a
Speaker 1: new car and a better apartment now or did you
Speaker 1: get those things?
Speaker 2: So I'm looking I was looking for a new car
Speaker 2: and a better apartment when I talk to you. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I have stopped doing that, okay, yeah, stop doing that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, with new cars. I wonder how is your credit?
Speaker 2: It can be better. I would say, like they call
Speaker 2: it fair if I look at credits like like six
Speaker 2: fifty to seven. Yeah, I think I'm more in the
Speaker 2: sixth though.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because the thing right now is like debt is
Speaker 1: so expensive, you know, and I'm assuming you would have
Speaker 1: to get an auto loan for the car, right plus
Speaker 1: your credit card debt has only gotten more expensive than
Speaker 1: when you, you know, you first had your cards, because
Speaker 1: like the average APR is over twenty percent now, you know.
Speaker 1: So for me, I just feel like I wouldn't be
Speaker 1: if you're fine without the car right now? Do you
Speaker 1: have other transportation? Like can you get around and get
Speaker 1: to work?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I can, But it's like it's one of those
Speaker 2: things where like I keep having to put money into
Speaker 2: my car, like things keep just happening, whites keep coming on.
Speaker 2: And so I was like, well, maybe I should get
Speaker 2: a new car. And then my parents suggested a cash car.
Speaker 2: But I was like, I'm kind of balling a little
Speaker 2: bit now, So like maybe I should get like a
Speaker 2: nicer car than like.
Speaker 1: Hash car, meaning like a used car that you just
Speaker 1: pay for the cash.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't hate your parents there, And I'm because
Speaker 1: my thing is it doesn't have to be a new car,
Speaker 1: doesn't have to mean a brand new off the lot car.
Speaker 1: I mean, I in my I don't know, I've had
Speaker 1: cars since I was like sixteen. I only bought a
Speaker 1: new car because we had to. When we got our
Speaker 1: car this past summer. It was an electronic vehicle, electric vehicle.
Speaker 1: But I'm always going for the pre certified, pre owned, certified,
Speaker 1: pre owned models because like, for example, when we got
Speaker 1: our first car as a couple, it was a Mazdax
Speaker 1: something or other. I don't know car models, but it
Speaker 1: was like a year or two old and it had
Speaker 1: been a rental cars, you know, vehicle, and just by
Speaker 1: like getting a car that's it's still Newish. You know,
Speaker 1: it's only been like a year since it's been out there,
Speaker 1: but we saved thousands of dollars. You know, as soon
Speaker 1: as you drive off the lot, cars depreciate something like
Speaker 1: fifteen percent. It's kind of insane.
Speaker 2: Both then where do I I don't know. I kind
Speaker 2: of have this feeling like I want to treat myself
Speaker 2: to something. Yeah, and I want to do like a
Speaker 2: you know, like a big my first, big girl job,
Speaker 2: big girl purchase sort of thing. But I don't know
Speaker 2: if it's the right time. And I don't know.
Speaker 1: I mean, if you want to have a really nice
Speaker 1: car to drive around and while you're stressing about your
Speaker 1: credit card debt, then like maybe.
Speaker 2: I'm stressing right now in a mun so it's stress
Speaker 2: in an audi.
Speaker 1: Well, the thing is, an Audi won't make you feel better.
Speaker 1: I know that. It's like it's really about I mean,
Speaker 1: and this is a personal choice, right at the end
Speaker 1: of the day. You have to choose what will bring
Speaker 1: you happiness. But for me, the peace of mind of
Speaker 1: having debt paid down is so worth more than space,
Speaker 1: worth more than anything plus six thousand dollars on your salary.
Speaker 1: I feel like if you really went for it. You
Speaker 1: could probably pay that down in a few paychecks, Am
Speaker 1: I wrong?
Speaker 2: Like much?
Speaker 1: Where's your extra money going that you're you know, are
Speaker 1: you saving it right now?
Speaker 2: No? It is going to everything else. So I'm I
Speaker 2: am traveling. It feels like every month there's something I
Speaker 2: need to buy and so I buy it, you know,
Speaker 2: like if it's a birthday gift or I'm terrible about
Speaker 2: saving money.
Speaker 1: Okay, So what are your savings like right now?
Speaker 2: Under five hundred?
Speaker 1: Under five hundred? Okay, yeah, you're gonna feel so I'm
Speaker 1: promised like the you will feel. I feel rich every
Speaker 1: day and like my you know, crappy old Navy clearance
Speaker 1: shirt because I know that I don't have to worry,
Speaker 1: Like I know that if one of us lost our incomes,
Speaker 1: like we would be okay, you know for a certain
Speaker 1: amount of time because of our savings. And that peace
Speaker 1: of mind like that for me is what defines wealth
Speaker 1: and you know, prosperity. And it's the peace of mind
Speaker 1: that you can buy yourself when you're earning more. And
Speaker 1: I just don't want you because right now are you single?
Speaker 1: You got kids?
Speaker 2: I'm single, no babies, living life, no fur babies.
Speaker 1: It's only going to get harder and like think about
Speaker 1: think about the things that you're going to want, you know,
Speaker 1: five ten years now, maybe you want to buy a condo,
Speaker 1: you know, buy a house. If you start to think
Speaker 1: about the future, like the future goals, and I know
Speaker 1: that these things that pop up months a month, they
Speaker 1: feel like, Okay, I gotta do this. It's right in
Speaker 1: front of me right now. But that's why I love
Speaker 1: naming my savings account after a certain goal. For example,
Speaker 1: like a lot of banks now will let you have
Speaker 1: multiple savings accounts, and if you name one future down
Speaker 1: payment or luxury vacation, you know, twenty twenty four or
Speaker 1: something like that, it's going to give you something tangible
Speaker 1: that then you're saying no to. If you say yes
Speaker 1: to those like immediate things in front of you. You know,
Speaker 1: all right, ba fam, you are listening to the ba
Speaker 1: qa A. We are going to take a quick break
Speaker 1: and be right back with more of your questions and
Speaker 1: our answers. Okay, va fan, we are back answering more
Speaker 1: of your questions for the baqa Let's go.
Speaker 2: Can I ask you something about so when my check
Speaker 2: comes in, I just spend the check. Spend the check
Speaker 2: spend the check till it's nothing, and then pray that
Speaker 2: I get to the end of the month till I
Speaker 2: get my next.
Speaker 1: Paycheck that's really paid once a month.
Speaker 2: I want. I'm plaid monthly.
Speaker 1: Oh I used to hate that when I got paid monthly.
Speaker 2: Oh it's yeah, it's hard.
Speaker 1: Sure, Okay, that's good.
Speaker 2: And so I know, so when my check comes in,
Speaker 2: what would Mandy do with it?
Speaker 1: I'll tell you exactly what I did with it when
Speaker 1: I was in your position, when I was finally earning
Speaker 1: enough money to have to be able to do other
Speaker 1: things besides just pay the rent. Automate everything, like, automate
Speaker 1: it through your payroll so that things are like by
Speaker 1: the time you get your paycheck, it has like everyone's
Speaker 1: gotten their share, you know, your savings accounts, your retirement,
Speaker 1: you know whatever, your checking account for your bills. I
Speaker 1: don't know how you have your account structured, but I
Speaker 1: I'm word the same in the sense that I would
Speaker 1: have the same issue, you know, when I was paid,
Speaker 1: if it would just go, you know and be gone.
Speaker 1: And it wasn't until I got on the back end
Speaker 1: and automated my savings and automated my investing in all
Speaker 1: of that. The automation saved me. Automation is why I
Speaker 1: was able to get to where I was, you know,
Speaker 1: financially in my career. Are you automating anything right now?
Speaker 2: I automate some bills, like my renters into the small ones.
Speaker 2: I automate those.
Speaker 1: See, it's not the bills that I think you should automate.
Speaker 1: It's the savings and the investing. Okay, are you putting
Speaker 1: anything into your like your four to one K Now.
Speaker 2: It is automatic that it automatically goes in, So that's yeah,
Speaker 2: how much helpful? I don't exactly know. If I looked
Speaker 2: at my paste, i'd be able to tell you, but
Speaker 2: it's pretty significant. I would say it's at least in
Speaker 2: my pension. It's at least I would say two hundred
Speaker 2: hundred dollars at check maybe okay?
Speaker 1: And how much is each? Won't You don't have to
Speaker 1: tell me your business like that, but like just I would,
Speaker 1: I would know, like what percentage you're putting away? Yeah,
Speaker 1: and because you know you're at the how old are
Speaker 1: you now? I'm twenty eight, You're so young. I would
Speaker 1: go for it. I would. I never invested more from
Speaker 1: my retirement than when I was single and had, you know,
Speaker 1: just myself to worry about. I was putting like ten percent,
Speaker 1: sometimes fifteen percent. So go into your back end and
Speaker 1: I would check and at least understand what your percentages are.
Speaker 1: You know that you're investing. You have that automated. Awesome,
Speaker 1: Just do the same for your savings and when you actually,
Speaker 1: like when it's automated and you don't have to think
Speaker 1: about it, you're going to be less likely to miss
Speaker 1: that money, you know, because you're going to see what's
Speaker 1: in your paycheck and you're going to be like, oh,
Speaker 1: I can actually play with this, or you know what
Speaker 1: I mean, like I can use this for bills. I'm
Speaker 1: not saying. And you have to decide how much you
Speaker 1: know to save each month. So and it's going to
Speaker 1: come down to, you know, how much do you need
Speaker 1: to cover your expenses shopping, whatever bills you have, et cetera.
Speaker 1: And then whatever is left over you can split that
Speaker 1: between some savings and paying down that credit card debt.
Speaker 1: That would be for me how you could do both
Speaker 1: at one time?
Speaker 2: How much money should I have to for free? Because
Speaker 2: I feel a little uneasy sometimes when I like, because
Speaker 2: I have tried to think about dividing my checkout, and
Speaker 2: then I was like, well, I only have like one
Speaker 2: hundred or two hundred dollars of like free money, So
Speaker 2: what's reasonable free money?
Speaker 1: What does that mean?
Speaker 2: Like after what after like everything went to its proper home,
Speaker 2: the money that I could just like if someone wants
Speaker 2: to go to the movies, someone lets whatever, to just
Speaker 2: kind of have free.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm kind of finding it hard to believe
Speaker 1: you only have one hundred dollars. I mean, I know
Speaker 1: that six figures. First of all, six figures sounds so sexy,
Speaker 1: but like in today's America, it's.
Speaker 2: With taxes inflation, it's really not too much.
Speaker 1: It's not that much. I know for sure. The only
Speaker 1: thing to do is you can look for other ways
Speaker 1: to bring an income, or you could revisit your budget
Speaker 1: and cut some expenses so that you just get more.
Speaker 1: And also what that's telling me is like you really
Speaker 1: can't I mean afford that much more like at a
Speaker 1: bigger car payment at interest rates today, like I mean
Speaker 1: car payments with a fair credit score, I could look
Speaker 1: it up really quickly, but I feel like interests would
Speaker 1: be like six seven percent maybe more. Like that's expensive
Speaker 1: and that and then it's going to take you longer
Speaker 1: to pay off that car note. You know, more of
Speaker 1: your payments are going to go to interest versus actually
Speaker 1: the principle. So I think you almost need to like
Speaker 1: shift the mindset of Okay, I'm making six figures and
Speaker 1: that's good, but it's not a luxury lifestyle salary yet,
Speaker 1: you know, And I think you'll regret not investing time
Speaker 1: and energy into your savings, into paying down this debt.
Speaker 1: What if something were to happen and you know, you
Speaker 1: lost this job. You're like on the fringe, like you're
Speaker 1: making ends meet right now, but you're vulnerable to like
Speaker 1: if something were to happen and you know, you were
Speaker 1: to get let go or whatever. And I just feel
Speaker 1: like it's a it's a vulnerable position, and I want
Speaker 1: you to feel more secure.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I want to feel more secure as well. I
Speaker 2: was part of the people that got kind of mixed
Speaker 2: up in the Southwest debacle with the snowstorm, and I
Speaker 2: couldn't and the amount of plane tickets I had to
Speaker 2: buy and whatever. I got in a position where I
Speaker 2: couldn't afford to get out of the airport and I
Speaker 2: had to call my parents and be like Hey, can
Speaker 2: you loan me two hundred three hundred dollars for a
Speaker 2: plane ticket? Because I literally couldn't afford it. And I
Speaker 2: think it was then that I realized, Okay, I can't
Speaker 2: live this Instagram lifestyle because what Instagram doesn't show you
Speaker 2: is that life happens, and I don't have a safety
Speaker 2: net to protect myself.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's such like a vivid that's such a vivid
Speaker 1: like visual for me too, just you and that airport,
Speaker 1: being like, Wow, I really don't have it, and it's
Speaker 1: hard to think I'm earning this much, so shouldn't I
Speaker 1: have it like you have it for the other things
Speaker 1: that come once a month and all that. But that's
Speaker 1: exactly what I feel like you saying no to some things,
Speaker 1: but saying yes to security, yes to financial freedom. It's
Speaker 1: just going to be a game changer for you. It's like,
Speaker 1: what are you valuing more? The cute the Audi? You know, Audi?
Speaker 1: I don't know how Audi Audi?
Speaker 2: You can't afford it?
Speaker 1: I don't know ye, Like you know, I just had
Speaker 1: a chat with my financial planner too, and like I
Speaker 1: don't have all my shit together all the time either.
Speaker 1: She was like, you can't afford a second car right now,
Speaker 1: not if you want to do this, this, that, and
Speaker 1: the third and I'm having another baby and I'm like,
Speaker 1: but I'm making this much money. She's like, yeah, but
Speaker 1: the facts are the facts. And if you want to
Speaker 1: continue feeling comfortable, feeling like secure, a second car is
Speaker 1: going to put you in that red area, red zone
Speaker 1: of on the fringe. Any little thing can put you
Speaker 1: can like start spiraling, you know. So don't feel bad
Speaker 1: because you're in this position. Just be honest with yourself
Speaker 1: about what position you're in. That's all I want to say.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's honest.
Speaker 1: I love that, But good luck. The one last thing
Speaker 1: I will say, as far as the six thousand credit
Speaker 1: card debt, it's accruing interest right now. It's not like
Speaker 1: a promotional interest period or something like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a crewing interest right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And with a six fifty ish credit score, you
Speaker 1: could try to qualify for a balance transfer credit card.
Speaker 1: But my fear for you if you if you do
Speaker 1: qualify for a balance transfer, do you know what that is? No,
Speaker 1: So a balance transfer is basically credit card company is
Speaker 1: they love to get new business and they're like, oh,
Speaker 1: you're struggling to pay off that maxed out credit card.
Speaker 1: We'll let us pay it off for you. We'll put
Speaker 1: the balance on a bright, new shiny card that we're
Speaker 1: going to give you, and we're going to give you
Speaker 1: zero percent interest for the next twelve eighteen months. Really exciting, right.
Speaker 1: They typically charge like a little balance transfer fee, three
Speaker 1: percent something like that on the balance, but it helps
Speaker 1: give you relief in the sense that you don't have
Speaker 1: this credit card debt, you know, a double digit interest
Speaker 1: continuing to be stacked on it. It's wonderful as a
Speaker 1: tool for that the challenge. And we actually did surveys
Speaker 1: when I was in my last couple of roles ago
Speaker 1: at a personal finance site called Magnified Money. We would
Speaker 1: survey people and they would continue to wrack up debt
Speaker 1: because it's like the balance transfer gave them this concept
Speaker 1: in their mind that they were debt free or they
Speaker 1: had time, you know, and then they would just wrack
Speaker 1: up more and more and it was like a vicious cycle.
Speaker 1: So I would say no, yourself, like a balance transfer
Speaker 1: could be an option, but then I would really aggressively
Speaker 1: pay off that six thousand, even though it's earning six
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, zero percent just to get it done and
Speaker 1: then go on a bit of like a credit card
Speaker 1: diet slash cleanse, focus on your savings. And I feel
Speaker 1: like a year from now, six months to a year
Speaker 1: from now, you're going to be in a position where
Speaker 1: it's like, Okay, now I know what this feels like.
Speaker 1: Do I really still need the car? And if I do,
Speaker 1: am I willing to sacrifice this feeling of peace?
Speaker 2: I will commit to a six month credit card cleanse
Speaker 2: once I start paying it.
Speaker 1: Yeah for sure? All right, awesome, Well, thank you so
Speaker 1: much for all.
Speaker 2: This is so helpful. This was like the reminder that
Speaker 2: I needed. I love that we did this at the
Speaker 2: beginning of the year because this really kind of will
Speaker 2: jump start jump start my new transition. So thank you
Speaker 2: so much.
Speaker 1: Before summer comes and everyone goes I'm trying to put
Speaker 1: you in different directions.
Speaker 2: Outside, it gets dangerous, so thank you for ruling me
Speaker 2: in Now.
Speaker 1: Just you're on your own journey and like no one
Speaker 1: else is gonna save you. You know, when you're in that
Speaker 1: Southwest terminal again, you know, like you really got to
Speaker 1: look out for you. So good luck, You're going to
Speaker 1: do great, And congrats on this like huge promotion to
Speaker 1: the huge you know, step up, You're going in the
Speaker 1: right direction. Just keep going.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time today.
Speaker 1: Thanks Brianna, Hey ba fan. We could not do this
Speaker 1: show without your support or the support of our team
Speaker 1: behind the scenes. The Brand Ambition podcast is produced by
Speaker 1: Imani Crosby and Dennis and Plinsky is our in house
Speaker 1: tech guru. I am your co host Mandy Woodrif Santos,
Speaker 1: and we will see y'all next week. Be a fan
Speaker 1: him