If I were being honest with you and myself, I had fatherhood all wrong. It's not as scary as I initially thought it would be. I've learned that I am very capable of changing a diaper (even with one hand when necessary). Juggling the demands of family life and work is a matter of scheduling life around them and not scheduling them around life (still working on this, by the way). And despite all of my flaws and shortcomings, an abundance of financial resources, or the lack ther

I take the back roads to work each morning because I lack willpower. As soon as I catch a whiff of coffee or freshly baked biscuits or pastries, I pull over to buy something that I shouldn't. So I have created a routine that helps me avoid the things that cause me to struggle with my budget and yoyoing waistline. But I digress. While taking the back road to work one morning, I noticed a gentleman riding on his tractor, breaking up the land beneath it. I typically wouldn't tak

Financial vulnerability is the optimal financial growth strategy. If you follow me on #IG (@ModomSolutions), you'll note that I post this sentiment a few times a month. I believe in the power of vulnerability: that being vulnerable - of course, in the right circles - is the genesis for exponential financial growth. Why? Well, canned financial strategies don't always address the real issue(s) we face. In some instances, they simplify serve as an insufficient bandage that we la

A client of mine exceeded her financial baseline the other day. It was a proud moment. She went from saving 20 dollars a week to 25 dollars a week. I was pumped!!! You should have heard me. I was screaming, 'Let's go!!!!' during our meeting. She was amused but did not understand why I was so excited. She quipped, "It's only five additional dollars." I said, 'Only??? Only???? No. Those five additional dollars represent how you've steadied the ship and have greater financial s

If you've ever suffered through hearing me speak in a class, during an online course, or at a conference - LOL!, you've heard me say that we have to find the delicate balance between the personal and relational sides of money. Money is personal because we have to be mindful of our beliefs (limiting or freeing), attitudes (optimistic or pessimistic), and behaviors (optimal or suboptimal) about money. Money is relational because we have to know how someone else's beliefs, attit

Homeownership is not enough to close the wealth gap. There. I said it. Studies consistently show that Black households seek homeownership later, pay more over the life of their mortgage, are less likely to sustain said home, and see less home appreciation than their White counterparts. Homeownership is a step in the right direction, but we have to address the why behind these other issues. If careful consideration is not taken when purchasing a home, an unsuccessful attempt a

Yo, real talk, I have been criticized every step of my financial wellness journey. None of those criticisms have deterred me from living my best life. I'm just built different. Everything I've done to improve my financial well-being, I did it before it was fashionable in the Black community. I cut my cable before cutting the cable bill was cool. I haven't had a car note for nearly 14 years. In fact, I've had the same car for 14 years. Now you know you get no love in the hood

Admit it. We crave connection, acceptance, and intimacy. Finding and establishing a sense of belonging with our tribe is one of life's greatest joys. There is nothing more rewarding than experiencing the ups and downs of life with people who know, see, and accept us for who we are. Our social tendencies do, however, come with one major downside. Given enough time, we will either hurt or be hurt by someone close to us - oftentimes, family. This is not an "If" but rather a matt

Honestly, I think the title says it all. Just because someone has a different financial perspective, method, or strategy than you do, it does not make their stance deficient. When we deny the space within our hearts to receive another person's ideas, we are signaling our deficiencies - not theirs. Instead of accepting the life-giving light of a new perspective, many of us prefer to droop like an unattended Peace Lilly. I hate to admit it, but I've allowed my ego to cause me t

Awhile back, I had the opportunity to give a presentation to about 30 couples who wanted to improve their finances. The crowd was a mix of young and old, naive and mature. They were all rich, however, in their unique experiences with money. I enjoyed listening to them more than I enjoyed presenting. There is something powerful about hearing people's life stories. At least, for me, there is. During one part of the presentation, we would conduct a visualization exercise. The pa

Believe it or not, you can be out of debt and still be broke. "How?" Well, let me explain. Being out of debt means, in most cases, that you are no longer using debt to finance your lifestyle. You have sufficient cash flow to meet your lifestyle needs. This is a wonderful thing given that high-interest debt can be costly and place a real strain on your discretionary income. Discretionary income is the money you have left over after paying for taxes and necessary living expense

For those who might be wondering, Modom Solutions, LLC was inspired by the good book. It's the combination of two words from one of my favorite passages on money - Ecclesiaties 7:11-12: "Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life. Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life." Modom is the combination of Money and Wisdom from this biblical context. Although money precedes wisdom in the way I meshed

Have you ever experienced a fresh, straight out of the baptismal pool, saved, sanctified, and filled with the holy ghost Christian? You know...The one that used to be heavy in the streets - like heavy, heavy. The one that was never hesitant to tell you where you could take Jesus and stick him. The one who referred to your pastor as a pimp and the church as his... I digress. You get my point - LOl! Yeah, that friend, family, member, or associate. Once that person got saved, th

I was scrolling through social media the other day and came across a video that proclaimed "Five Tax Hacks You Should Know!" Immediately intrigued, I stopped scrolling and lasered in on the content desperately wanting to hear something mindblowing. As I had suspected, the person on the opposite side of the screen rattled off fundamental and clear guidance readily available and easily accessible to every U.S. citizen. The content was not a hack, a hustle, or a secret only acce

When we use shame as a tool for behavioral change, we have made a clear statement: We have chosen not to see the person and systems, internal and external, that influence their current decisions. And because these things are not known - the person is not known - we can absolve ourselves from any wrong doing. We can rationalize our efforts as lending a helping hand instead of it being, what it is, a damning rebuke of one's character and values. As a result, we force those that

It might be time to focus on you...

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One of my favorite lines from Training Day besides "King Kong ain't got nothin' on me!" is when Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) tells Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), "The shit's chess. It ain't checkers." If you do not know what I am talking about, I encourage you to watch Training Day. It's one of my favorites, along with Paid in Full, but I digress. My point is this: How many times have you heard someone say, "Life is a game of chess," or "It's chess, not checkers!"? Probably a

Black culture has no bounds. You are enough.

Are you still lying to yourself?