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The Calum Johnson Show

The Money Expert: How To BREAK The Poverty Cycle & Be A 9-5 Millionaire | Budgetnista

(DM Tiffany the word "Goals" and she will send you her custom goal sheet) Watch our episode with George Acheampong on how to manage your finances and build wealth

Tiffany AlicheguestCalum Johnsonhost

Aug 5, 20241h 55mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Why Financial Education Matters and the Budgetnista Law
Calum opens by asking about the law Tiffany helped pass requiring financial education in New Jersey middle schools. She explains how her parents taught her about money and how she saw the law's impact through her neighbor's daughter.
- •Tiffany's parents taught her money lessons at home, which left her unafraid of money
- •She worked with an assemblywoman friend on the bill for about three years
- •The law is A1414, called the Budgetnista Law
- •Seeing a middle schooler with money homework showed her the law's direct impact
Why So Many Americans Struggle Financially
Calum reads statistics on paycheck-to-paycheck living and low savings and asks for the main cause. Tiffany points to a lack of accessible education and, above all, costs that have outpaced wages, so that good money is no longer good enough.
- •Calum cites that 78% live paycheck to paycheck and 34% have $0 in savings
- •Tiffany says many finance books are inaccessible to ordinary readers
- •College and housing costs have risen faster than wages
- •A physician's assistant earning $255,000 household income in San Jose still can't afford a home
- •Tiffany calls this a social justice problem that goes beyond budgeting and saving
Early Money Lessons: Ice Cream Day and Childhood Joy
Tiffany recounts growing up one of five girls with limited money. Her dad used ice cream day to teach her about the water bill, and the family later tied lower light bills to a vacation jar. She describes the joy and community of her childhood.
- •Her dad tied running water to her ice cream dollar so she would self-police
- •Lower light bills went into a vacation jar to incentivize the kids
- •She knew the family had less but still felt joy and abundance
- •Community is part of the answer to how people solve money problems
Aspirations, Service, and Being Told She'd Be Rich
Tiffany shares that she always wanted to be a teacher and felt people would know her name. Grandmothers and her financial planner predicted wealth. She keeps a mindset of service and enough for everyone, and still can't see in herself what others see.
- •She wanted to be a teacher and sensed early that many would know her name
- •Friends' grandmothers repeatedly told her she'd be rich
- •Her financial planner said she'd have a net worth of $50 to $100 million based on her, not the company
- •Her business has made about $50 million over 15 years, yet she still sees herself as a preschool teacher
- •Her secret sauce is asking who else benefits, not just herself
Financially Perfect, Then Scammed by Jake
Tiffany describes being financially disciplined in her 20s, following her dad's advice and saving $30,000 by 25. She then trusted a man she calls Jake the Thief, took cash advances for a bogus investment, and also bought a scam coaching program, ending with $30,000 in debt.
- •She followed her dad's advice: pay cards in full, buy a used car, share rent with a sister
- •By 25 she had $30,000 saved and bought a condo with an 800 credit score
- •Jake told her to use other people's money, and she pulled cash off credit cards for his scheme
- •She also spent about $10,000 on a coaching program that turned out to be a scam
- •He disappeared, and she later learned others had been scammed too
Rock Bottom: Job Loss, Depression, and Moving Home
Tiffany lost her job when her school closed, her boyfriend left, and she fell into depression and hid out of shame. Her friend Linda helped her see she wasn't alone, and she moved back to her parents' home, hitting rock bottom on her 30th birthday.
- •She waited a year without paying down the debt because she didn't want to own her role
- •Her school closed three days before the school year, in the middle of a recession
- •Shame kept her isolated until Linda pushed her way in and told her to join the broke club
- •On her 30th birthday in her middle school bed she felt she had less money than at 12
"Is It True?" and Rebuilding as the Budgetnista
Using the question her therapist taught her, Tiffany inventoried what she still had and began rebuilding. She rented out her condo, taught friends, landed a United Way class for $300, and used Facebook to launch The Budgetnista.
- •She asks herself whether something is true and whether it is the only truth available
- •Renting out her condo for $1,200 against a $1,660 mortgage gave her income
- •She chose to bet on herself because she saw that even teaching jobs could be taken away
- •A United Way class at $300 each led to $1,500 a month
- •Facebook promotion under the Budgetnista name brought more teaching requests
Giving Voice to Shame
Calum asks Tiffany to take him into the rock bottom moment, and she explains how shame shields solutions and thrives on silence. They discuss how a broken identity deepens depression and what to do first: confide in someone who loves you.
- •Shame shields solutions and loves silence; saying it aloud releases it
- •Tiffany had measured herself by being good with money, so a mistake felt like being a mistake
- •Calum describes the mask that falls last when life is in shambles
- •Tiffany advises finding one loving person to bear witness, as Linda did for her
- •The African proverb says fear makes the wolf bigger than he is
Choosing to Be Delusional About the Good
Tiffany explains that people can ruminate in a negative story and says she would rather be delusional about the good. She shares her niece Amelia's expectation of great things and then the loss of her husband and how the same questions helped her.
- •Tiffany asks who benefits from the narrative that you have nothing
- •Her niece Amelia expects great things, leading to a White House visit and a Stevie Wonder connection
- •Her husband died suddenly of an aneurysm two and a half years ago
- •A trip to a shelter in Kenya led her to ask whether it was the worst thing, and she gave $10,000
- •She says she refuses to live in the dark place
Step One: You're Never Building From Nothing
Calum asks for step one for someone building from nothing. Tiffany says to gather the resources you have, forgive yourself, and monetize existing skills, illustrated by a data-minded Uber driver and out-of-work mechanics in a parking lot.
- •You are never building from nothing; list what you actually have
- •Forgive yourself for doing your best with the knowledge you had
- •Monetize skills you already have rather than learning something new
- •An Uber driver who was a statistician tracked rainy-day data and made $70,000
- •Out-of-work mechanics found their audience in an AutoZone parking lot
Maximizing Your Skills and Becoming Invaluable at Work
Tiffany says to start with small earnings because income grows cumulatively, and to make yourself invaluable at work. She tells of team member Ikisha who kept adding skills, and Calum notes that paying attention to a manager's pain points matters.
- •If you can make 20, you can make 200, because learning is cumulative
- •Kids with lawnmowers and lemonade stands show how simple starting can be
- •Ikisha moved from customer support to project management and tech troubleshooting
- •Skills make you valuable at your job or at another one
- •People leave power and money on the table
Getting Paid More: Illustrate Your Oprah and the Go Me File
Asked how to handle getting paid fairly, Tiffany says to know market pay, show your value, and quantify results with a go me file. She also describes the bonus pool she created for her own team.
- •Connect with people in your industry to know fair pay
- •Illustrate your Oprah: make your value obvious rather than hoping it's seen
- •Keep a go me file and quantify what you added or saved
- •If your employer can't pay, take your skills elsewhere
- •Tiffany's team bonus pool shares owner's draw after bills are paid
Simple and Soon Side Hustles, and Growing Beyond Brute Strength
Tiffany explains choosing a side hustle you can launch in 48 hours, then setting bigger financial goals that force strategic thinking. She traces her path from $100 one-on-ones to a $1,500 speaking gig and describes pulling herself out of the work to scale.
- •Simple and soon: pick the skill you can monetize fastest, like cooking or photography
- •Research prices by Googling or calling competitors
- •Set goals slightly beyond what feels possible and work backwards
- •A $1,500 speaking gig replaced the idea of 15 one-on-one clients
- •Getting to seven and eight figures required bringing on help
Write Down Your Goals
Calum says that writing goals down makes them real. Tiffany cites a Princeton study, her laminated check, journals, and vision boards, including a New York Times bestseller written before she had a book deal.
- •Tiffany says a Princeton study found written goals were 60 to 80% more likely to happen
- •She carried a laminated check and kept raising the amount
- •An old vision board listed Egypt and a New York Times bestseller before she had a book deal
- •Get dreams out of your head and onto something physical
The Overlooked Wealth Factor: Intentional Community and Networking
Asked what is ignored in personal finance, Tiffany says it is building community. She shares how a nine-figure opportunity and her first $100,000 brand contract came through relationships and says to network by giving, not taking.
- •Doors open only when someone on the inside brings you in
- •Network from what can I give, not what can I get
- •A woman championed her to a car brand for two years before a $100,000 contract
- •Maintain community by checking in and taking walks with friends in business
- •Tiffany cites Tony Hsieh's Delivering Happiness as an example
Using Social Media and Bringing a Toy to Reach Out
Calum raises the worry that people lack access to well-connected circles. Tiffany challenges that, saying social media connects people, and explains how to reach out with kindness or with value, like a child bringing a toy to the park.
- •Tiffany challenges the belief that you can't access those circles
- •Online communities, Facebook groups, and gaming friendships show real connections form online
- •Most cold outreach is extractive; messages of thanks or kindness stand out
- •Bring a toy: offer something of value, like a sample Reel
- •Kindness for its own sake can pay off years later
Closing Reflections and a Free Goal Sheet
Calum says he has no final question and thanks Tiffany for living out service. Tiffany asks what he sees in her, and he describes her presence and humanity. She offers a free goal sheet to anyone who DMs her the word goals.
- •Calum admires that she lives out what she preaches, including sharing her vulnerability
- •He says her core humanity and presence make people feel she is here with them
- •Tiffany offers her free Get Good With Money goal sheet via Instagram DM with the word goals
- •She says she is willing to be a safe space for people who need one

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