Frugaling

Save more, live well, give generously

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Popular
    • Archives
  • Recommended
  • Contact
  • Save Money
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • Save Money with Mindfulness
    • Save at Starbucks
    • Psychological Trick To Reduce Your Online Shopping
    • Best Freebies
  • Minimalism
    • 8 TED Talks To Become A Minimalist
    • We Rent This Life
    • Everything Must Go
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • The Purchase Paradox: Wanting, Until You Own It
    • Nothing In My Pockets
  • Social Justice
    • Destroy The 40-Hour Workweek
    • Too Poor To Protest: Income Inequality
    • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
    • Hunter Gatherers vs. 21st Century Desk-sitters
  • Make Money
    • Make $10k in 10 Months
    • Monetize Your Blog
    • Side Hustle for Serious Cash
  • Loans
    • 5 Rules To Follow Before Accepting Student Loans
    • Would You Marry Me?
    • Should I Have a Credit Card If I’m In Debt?
    • $50k in Scholarships in 70 Minutes

I Am LaTisha Styles, Founder Of Young Finances, And This Is How I Work

By Frugaling 7 Comments

Share This:

Latina Styles Headshot
Latina Styles

Over the last couple months I have interviewed a growing number of top bloggers and writers to get their input on personal finance (e.g., the founders of Budgets Are Sexy, The Broke And Beautiful Life, Frugal Rules,Debt Roundup, and Modest Money). Today, I’m excited to share with you another terrific interview with one of the top personal finance writers on the Internet.

LaTisha Styles founded a popular website called Young Finances. Since 2010, she has become an Investment Analyst, entrepreneur, and was featured in a variety of publications. Here’s my interview with her. Thanks again, LaTisha!

What inspired you to begin Young Finances?

I started Young Finances because I graduated college in 2010 and I was having a hard time finding a job. I had a degree in Finance and learned a lot about the correct way to manage personal finances after recovering from several bad decisions I made with my money. I decided to start writing about what I learned to help other young adults.

How did people (friends, family, etc.) react when you first started? How long have you been blogging?

Almost all of my friends were supportive. I used to share each post on Facebook and I got a lot of good feedback and encouragement. I started the site in December of 2010, but I have been blogging much longer. I started an e-zine when I was 14 and I just found an old issue! It was such a blast from the past.

What was your experience with design, code, web work prior to starting your site?

I graduated with a business degree, and had to learn the basics of HTML and CSS in our business information systems class. We had a group project that involved creating a single page website from scratch using Dreamweaver. I later taught myself more using W3 Schools to understand the basics of PHP and Javascript for WordPress. I personally did a few customizations to my site but on the next redesign I would probably hire a professional coder.

What advice would you give to those thinking about starting their own site?

logoYTDon’t be afraid to just get started. You don’t have to know everything when you are first starting out and you won’t know everything. If you don’t like the name of your site you can always change it. More than once. I started out as Financial Success for Young Adults then moved to Young Adult Finances and now my happy home is Young Finances. I think this is where we’ll stay.

How do you make money from your site? Where does most of your revenue come from?

My site generates revenue primarily through affiliate marketing. When I first started, I sold text links and sponsored posts but I decided to focus on more stable revenue. If you’re like me and interested to see income reports, I share the income that comes from my web properties each month at TravelTish.com. Mostly I learn about the best financial tools and I test them out for myself before recommending them to my audience.

What do you think you’ve learned from your readers and fans?

I’ve learned not to be so scared. I used to be really scared about putting personal information out there and sharing my money mishaps. But once I starting sharing, more people (and even close friends!) started reaching out to share their stories about money. It makes me sad that personal finance is such a taboo subject because I think that we could all learn a lot from the mistakes and successes of others.

How I Work Youtube Latisha Styles Office
LaTisha’s workspace where she films YouTube videos

How can somebody in lower incomes best overcome financial hurdles and prosper?

I can only speak from my own experience here. I come from a low-income family and I was determined to set the bar high for myself. I was fortunate that my parents made school a priority and taught me smart study habits. I decided to learn about how money works and how banks and businesses make money. Learning the system is the best way to beat it.

Wherever you are starting, you can do it. I always imagined that someone held me back at the starting line of my financial life, but I just had to exert that much more effort to win and achieve my own financial success. And I’m still gunning for first place.

I had to be willing to be different. Turn off the TV, start reading about successful people, figure out the formula. It will take time but you can do it. And look for role models and mentors. Tell them about your goals.

“When you really want something to happen, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it.”

That’s from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho one of my favorite books.

Who are your financial role models?

I admire the stories of ‘regular people’ as my financial role models. People who started with nothing and worked hard. Author J.K. Rowling who worked day and night on a book that helped pull her out of poverty and rapper B.o.B. who came from humble beginnings in Decatur, GA and played no name venues as he gained his fan base. I really admire that strong work ethic that unites successful people.

What personal finance sites do you read?

As a personal finance blogger, I like to read the sites that are very different. RomeoJeremiah.com has interesting posts about life and personal finance. I really enjoy reading AffordAnything.com. Paula really appeals to the rebel in me. I discover new blogs everyday but these are two that I come back to often.

To be honest, I would love to see more video personal finance bloggers. I enjoy watching FatGuyOnYoutube.com and of course, YoungFinances.com/tv.

What else would you care to share with the readers of Frugaling?

I would love to share my dancing skills! (And a bit of business advice). Please head over to this video and watch me do the hustle: youngfinances.com/sidehustle

Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: Affiliate Marketing, Business, Entrepreneur, Income, LaTisha Styles, low-income, Side Hustle, TV, wordpress, Young Finances, Youtube

I Am Stefanie OConnell, Founder Of The Broke And Beautiful Life, And This Is How I Work

By Frugaling 15 Comments

Share This:

h5My grandparents were storytellers. I could sit down with any of them and become engrossed in their words. I loved their insight, experience, and thoughtfulness. That love of learning about others continues, and now I’ve been spending some time interviewing the best of the personal finance community (like the founders of Budgets Are Sexy and Modest Money).

Surprisingly, it’s a tight-knit group of writers and financial experts. Some are certified financial planners, while others (like me) are experts in another field. The latter feel like the Supermen of the personal finance world: regular employees by day, financial bloggers by night.

Today, I have the privilege of interviewing one of the top financial bloggers, Stefanie O’Connell from The Broke and Beautiful Life. Her work has been featured around the top personal finance sites, and even on Frugaling. Here’s my interview with her:

What inspired you to begin TheBrokeAndBeautifulLife.com?

Oh, lots of things:

  1. I spent the first several years of my acting career on tour where we would get a per diem for housing, food, and other day-to-day expenses. My goal was not only to live entirely off that modest allowance (rather than dipping into my salary), but also, to save as much of the per diem as possible. Unemployment is an inevitable reality in the acting world. Every job ends, I knew that going in, so I prepared accordingly. By implementing this strategy, I learned lots of ways to scrimp and save that I felt I should share.
  2. Some actors are terrible with their money. I knew it would make for an uncomfortable working environment if I walked up to them and told them they were being stupid with their spending, so I decided to write about it instead.
  3. I heard so many stories about actors in Broadway shows who were left with zero savings when the show closed because they had inflated their lifestyle so much during that time. (The minimum salary for an actor in a Broadway show is $1,807/week; yep, that’s some serious spending).

All in all, I just wanted to spread financial literacy in the acting community. If anyone needs to know how to budget well and make money last, it’s actors.

How did people (friends, family, etc.) react when you first started?

I’m not really sure. I think people may have been skeptical because they knew I was a “theatre person.” I don’t think anyone ever expected me to make a career writing about money.

What was your experience with design, code, web work prior to starting your site?

The Broke And Beautiful Life Screenshot Website
Screenshot of TheBrokeAndBeautifulLife.com

Zero! I started out on a free blogger template. After toying around with that for a year I decided to get a logo, hire a designer for the site, and setup self-hosting. As soon as I made that financial commitment to the blog, I suddenly felt committed to myself as a business owner–I needed to make the investment worthwhile.

What advice would you give to those thinking about starting their own site?

Two things:

  1. Define what you want from creating your own website. Are you looking to start a business? Are you looking to have a hobby? Do you want to use it as a portal to market yourself or your service? Are you looking to make a lot of money? Clarifying your goal for the site will help guide a lot of your initial decision making.
  2. Embrace your YOU. When I decided to transition to a self-hosted site, I hired a blog coach to help me figure out where I wanted to go with it. After talking to her for five minutes she said, “I’ve read through your entire site and I didn’t know until just now that you were an actor.” I had been afraid to pigeonhole myself and make myself irrelevant to non-artists, but the truth is, it’s my perspective and experience as an actor that sets me apart from all the other finance sites out there. Heck, that’s why I started writing in the first place!

How do you make money from your site?

While I make a fair amount of money blogging, it’s mostly from freelance writing (hire Stefanie!). My blog has served as a kind of active, online portfolio/resume to get me jobs writing for other websites.

Going forward, I’d like to generate more from the site itself through affiliate income and direct advertising. I’ve got a little bit of that going on now, but maximizing that earning potential is definitely my next big goal.

What do you think you’ve learned from your readers and fans?

I am a huge fan of alternative perspectives. Reading through the comments on each of my posts is always exciting and enlightening. I truly value the different opinions I come across, even when I don’t agree.

How can somebody in lower incomes best overcome financial hurdles and prosper?

Everybody has challenges, some of us more so than others, but the steps for overcoming them are universal: S.M.A.R.T. goals coupled with defined action steps. Chances are, you already know what you need to do, as Nike says, “just do it.”

Brooklyn-Bridge_Park-1

Who are your financial role models?

Honestly, it was Suze Orman who really got me interested in my finances. I read her book, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke, and I was hooked; not necessarily because she had some life changing techniques or advice, but because I found her engaging and interesting. That’s what I hope to do with my blog, engage people enough that they want to take control and learn more.

What personal finance sites do you read?

I once tried making a list of all the blogs I read on a regular basis and it just got to be too long. Somewhere between 50-100 (maybe more), and they’re all fantastic in their own way.

What else would you care to share with the readers of Frugaling?

One of the big messages on my site, and one that you’ve undoubtedly heard before, is balance. I’m all about pursuing dreams, while earning income, saving for the future, and living in the present. You can have it all if you’re willing to prioritize. I don’t do the daily latte, but I’m going to Europe next month. It doesn’t feel like a sacrifice when you’re thinking about the big goals.

Want to read more interviews like this one? Read the entire interview series here!

Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: Acting, blogger, broke and beautiful life, freelance, Marketing, money, New York City, NYC, Personal Finance, readers, site, Suze Orman, web, wordpress, writer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Best Of

  • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
    The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
  • 8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist
    8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist
  • Debt Is The Illusion Of Success
    Debt Is The Illusion Of Success
  • Who Are Your Financial Role Models?
    Who Are Your Financial Role Models?
  • This Statistic On Greed Will Shock You: Have Less? You'll Give More.
    This Statistic On Greed Will Shock You: Have Less? You'll Give More.
  • Is Frozen Juice Cheaper?
    Is Frozen Juice Cheaper?

Recent Posts

  • How to Pay Off Medical Debt
  • 5 Ways to Save Money Before a New Baby
  • 4 Ways to Save Money on Streaming Services
  • 5 Ways to Save Thousands in Mortgage Interest
  • Why Professional Maintenance on Your Vehicle Saves You Money in the Long Run

Search

Archives

  • January 2023 (1)
  • March 2022 (3)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (4)
  • July 2021 (5)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • May 2021 (2)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • December 2020 (2)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (3)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • May 2020 (2)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (3)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (5)
  • March 2018 (6)
  • February 2018 (4)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (10)
  • November 2017 (3)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (5)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (8)
  • March 2017 (4)
  • February 2017 (3)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (4)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (4)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (3)
  • April 2016 (4)
  • March 2016 (5)
  • February 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (3)
  • November 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (5)
  • September 2015 (4)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (8)
  • June 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (14)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (13)
  • February 2015 (12)
  • January 2015 (15)
  • December 2014 (10)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (7)
  • August 2014 (12)
  • July 2014 (11)
  • June 2014 (12)
  • May 2014 (16)
  • April 2014 (13)
  • March 2014 (13)
  • February 2014 (9)
  • January 2014 (20)
  • December 2013 (9)
  • November 2013 (18)
  • October 2013 (15)
  • September 2013 (11)
  • August 2013 (11)
  • July 2013 (27)
  • June 2013 (18)
  • May 2013 (16)

Best Of

  • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
  • 8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist
  • Debt Is The Illusion Of Success

Recent Posts

  • How to Pay Off Medical Debt
  • 5 Ways to Save Money Before a New Baby
  • 4 Ways to Save Money on Streaming Services

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in