October 23, 2024 • 29 mins
Tanya Taylor embodies the American dream, and her journey from arriving in the United States at just 16 with $100 to becoming a millionaire by the age of 48 is nothing short of extraordinary. Join us as we unravel her story—a tale of resilience, determination, and strategic financial planning. Tanya, a dynamic CPA, shares how she skillfully navigated her roles as a wife, mother, author, and entrepreneur, all while staying present for her children. Learn how her passion for personal finance led her to leave the corporate world and pursue entrepreneurship, driven by a desire to educate and inspire others through practical financial literacy strategies.
Tanya's path was filled with hurdles, from entering a new country without a green card to overcoming educational and financial challenges. Yet, her focus on her goals never wavered. Discover the power of mentorship in her life, including her decision to start an investment club, and how early investments in a 401k and rental income paved the way for her success. Tanya candidly recounts financial missteps, such as the consequences of co-signing loans, illustrating the importance of cautious financial decisions. Her story is a testament to the strength and tenacity required to turn adversity into opportunity.
The road to financial prosperity wasn't always smooth, as Tanya faced trials like a car accident and her daughter's medical expenses, which tested her financial resilience. She emphasizes the need for an emergency fund and disability insurance, crucial elements of her financial strategy. As Tanya looks to the future, her commitment to philanthropy and financial education shines through, with a focus on leaving a legacy for future generations. Tap into Tanya's wealth of knowledge and discover the resources she offers, including her website and TED talk, filled with insightful advice for anyone eager to build a secure financial foundation.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that
focuses on how to use the moneyyou have, make the money you
need and save the money you want.
Now here is your host, Ms KimChapman.
Welcome back for anotherexciting episode of Money
Matters.
Today we have a truly inspiringguest, Ms Tanya Taylor.
(00:22):
She is a CPA who embodies theAmerican dream.
Look at, just age 16, Tanyaarrived in the US from Jamaica
with only $100 in her pocket.
Can you imagine, 16 years old,$100 in your pocket?
But let's fast forward by age48, she built herself into a
(00:42):
millionaire.
Now, this is some story that Iam sure you want to hear,
because I'm excited for her toshare her journey with us.
So in this episode, we're goingto be diving deep into her
incredible journey from beingbroke to building wealth.
Tanya, welcome, I'm sorry,Tanya, welcome.
I'm so glad that you decided tojoin us today.
How's everything where you arein New York City?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Thank you.
It's very good to be here andit's very warm outside.
I just came back from a runabout an hour ago, so it's a
beautiful day.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Yes, it's still hot here, so we're hoping for cooler
days in Louisiana, but we'rejust going to hold on until then
.
So, new York City.
So I mean, when I heard aboutyour story, I was just really,
really excited, especiallyteaching financial literacy.
So many people think that to bewealthy, that you have to be
born in wealth, you have to winthe lottery.
(01:36):
You know they think so manydifferent things, but when I
think about your story, you had$100 and then you came to a
place where you were not evenfamiliar with any of the
information.
So you wear a lot of hats,let's just kind of talk about
today.
You're a wife, you're a mother,a CPA, you're an author, a
business owner.
I mean, what don't you do?
But can you start by telling uswho you are today and what each
(01:58):
of these roles mean to you?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Sure, yeah, so I am all those things.
But first and foremost I'mTanya Taylor with big dreams.
From the time I came to AmericaI had those big dreams and you
know that morphed into manydifferent things.
They got my MBA, and being awife and mom carries its own
(02:24):
like sense of pride and sense ofwork.
So I have two daughters who are17 and 19.
One is away at college andthat's sort of a big deal for me
being a mom and just being ableto help to guide them into who
they need to become and thensort of set them out and set
them out into the world.
And then being a business owner.
(02:45):
That comes with its own sets ofjoys and challenges as well
Just navigating now, no longerworking for an employer and just
getting earning your own incomefrom a business.
So you know, having all ofthose facets, you sort of have
to compartmentalize and justreally focus on each piece when
you need to, just to make surethat you're sort of fulfilling
(03:05):
the whole.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
So how do you manage to do it?
I mean, you've achieved andaccomplished a lot of things.
And then when I hear the agesof your daughters, teenagers, I
imagine you know that can be avery trying experience because
they can be sweet, as they wantto be, but then you know, at 17
and 19,.
They're trying ages.
So you know, how do you balancethose demands of being a
(03:27):
successful business person, awife and a mother?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
So I worked in corporate for 24 years and I was
very deliberate.
When I was in corporate Ididn't think that I could be a
business owner and really spendtime with my children, and that
was really important for me,especially having to leave my
parents at 16,.
Coming here and being on my own, I realized how much I missed
out on right, so I wanted toalways be there for my children.
(03:55):
So when I was in corporate Ihad a job that allowed me the
flexibility to spend time withthem and with that I was able to
still continue to pursue mypassion of personal finance.
So I taught that I did thatmore on a volunteer basis, and
writing a book was just one ofthose things that came naturally
for me.
I just wanted to do it.
(04:16):
I wanted to put it out therebecause I felt like there was so
much information that I hadinside of me that I could share
with people at a very low costand that could be impactful.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Wow.
So what would people find inthis book?
What is going to be?
What do you hope is theirbiggest takeaway from your book?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
So my goal when I wrote this book was for anyone
who needs financial literacy tobe able to pick that book up,
read it and be able to implementthe strategies that are in that
book.
And just from some of thereviews that I've read on Amazon
, I think I've accomplished thatgoal, because I've had a high
school student who said acollege student who said I'm in
(04:54):
college, I'm so glad I foundthis book because it's giving me
the foundations that I need tostart building wealth and it
will help me to level up and Ihave someone who seems to be in
their 50s or 60s who's saying Iwish I discovered this book
earlier.
But now that I've discovered it,I'm really learning personal
finance and I'm really learningto put certain things in place.
(05:15):
The book really, it'sfoundational budget, credit,
debt.
It takes you into that aspectand then it teaches you about
investing and diversification,risk management, and then even
go as far as telling you alittle bit about the economy,
how it works, how you shouldplan in different cycles of the
economy and then giving back,because for me that's a big
thing.
They said to who much is given,much is required, and so I
(05:39):
really believe in giving backand I also have a part of it on
entrepreneurship.
And the good thing about thebook is that you don't have to
read it chapter by chapter.
You could pick it up and readpieces that is applicable to you
, and so there is a lot in thissmall book that an individual
can take away from it.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So while we're on the topic of the book, where can
they find it?
Is it an audio form?
Can you get the audio digital?
Where can they find the book?
It is on.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Amazon.
There's a Kindle version,there's a hard copy and I am
working on the audio version.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's just taking a little bit, and so the name of
it again, of course, is FromBroke to Wealth.
It's Broke to Wealth.
I love that title because it'sself-explanatory and I think
people can really identify withit.
If they're having a financialhardship, they may use those
words or maybe another word tosay, hey, I'm broke.
Maybe they're living paycheckto paycheck.
(06:30):
But wealth is different thanjust saying riches.
It really encompasses buildingsomething into having financial
stability.
Yes, so, cpa, you came here atage 16.
Did you know that you want togo into accounting, or how did
you get into that field?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
That was interesting because when I came here, most
people around me they wereliving paycheck to paycheck and
a lot of them did jobs likecertified nurse's aide or
something in the hospital, andit really was just a job, not a
career.
And I knew I wanted a careerbecause I felt that with a
career there's like the incomepossibility was sort of
unlimited.
And I went to school and I wentback to high school even though
(07:11):
I graduated high school inJamaica and a college counselor
kind of pulled me out because Iwas extremely well in school and
she didn't understand how comeI wasn't applying to top schools
.
And then I explained to her mysituation.
I was undocumented, I had noone to pay tuition for me, I had
to work.
And she suggested I go tocommunity college.
And she asked me what I wantedto major in.
I said business, becausescience is just not for me.
(07:33):
And she said, instead of doingbusiness, why don't you narrow
it down to accounting?
And so I went into communitycollege with accounting.
I didn't know what a CPA was atthe time, but my first
accounting professor was a CPAand he basically told us that it
was a really difficult exam andnone of us would pass it, so we
should not even attempt to doit.
And I decided on that day thatI was going to become a CPA
(07:55):
because I wanted to.
If he could do it and he's sucha I won't say the word I can
become a CPA as well.
And that's how I went down thatpath.
And I also realized, as I wasresearching what a CPA does, the
potential possibilities for me.
So not only did I want to provehim wrong, but I also realized
that it was just such alucrative career to be in.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
So you arrived here with just $100.
You said you went back toschool.
How did you manage to surviveand thrive with such limited
resources?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So I was making $75 a week when I first came and that
$75 was to pay my $20 in rentbecause the people I stayed with
they charged me rent.
That was weekly and I needed tosend a little bit back to my
parents, my family home.
But in Jamaica and theCaribbean, I think in the
African diaspora, we have thisthing called a susu and
(08:49):
basically you take money everyweek and you put it in a pot and
you save it.
So I was saving $20 a week.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And because I was 75.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Out of the 75, I was paying 20 for rent.
I was saving 20 every week andthe rest had to manage.
I had to manage on that.
I never ate out at all likeever because I couldn't afford
it.
It was really like every pennycounted and I was able to save
with a SUSU pay my way throughcollege.
So I ended up never havingstudent loan and obviously over
(09:20):
time my income increased and asmy income increased, the great
thing was I would continue tolive on my little shoestring
budget and I would take all myextra savings and I would save
it, because I was really seriousabout, one, getting out of
poverty to getting an educationto get out of poverty.
(09:41):
And three, I just never wantedto go back to my situation that
I came from and I needed to helpmy family.
So saving was huge for me andso I made a lot of sacrifices
earlier on to be able to do that.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
And you mentioned that we're a shoestring budget.
So did you come here with thatmindset that I'm going to make
some money, but I know that I'mgoing to have to do X, y and Z?
Or was that something that youlearned just as each day went by
?
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Well, when you're in Jamaica and you hear about
America, it's sort of like thisland of milk and honey and you
go there and everything's goingto be great.
So no, I didn't come herethinking I was going to make $75
a week.
I thought I was going to comehere and make a lot of money and
get rich.
And you talked about rich andwealth and there is a
distinction.
But after I came here, I waslike, okay, I'm making $75.
(10:30):
And I don't see a prospect ofmaking any more, at least for
another year.
So I need to make this work.
And I sat and I made a budget.
Now, when I was in Jamaica, oneof the things that I did my my
mom was always ill and I becamesort of like the person who went
to the market and shopped forthe family and I was given a
certain dollar and I had to comeback.
You had to buy enough groceryfor the household for the week.
(10:53):
So from that not realizing itat the time how beneficial that
would be, it really taught meabout how to allocate money to
different things.
And so when I had to do it withmy $75, I actually sat and made
my budget and literally everypenny was counted in that budget
.
So I couldn't go to work latebecause if I did or miss a day
(11:14):
that would be a shortage and Ineeded to figure out how to
navigate that shortage.
So I sat and made my budget andI also sat and wrote my vision
board.
That was something.
I don't know where that camefrom, to be quite honest, but
that was something that I didvery, very, very early on after
I came here.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
And what do you think was the drive to help you stick
to the budget?
Because you know what Lots ofpeople make budgets and it
sounds good and it looks good onpaper and then you were young
and I imagine your friends wereeating out and having fun and
you mentioned that you didn't dothose things.
So what really drove you tostick to your budget?
Speaker 2 (11:51):
I did not want to stay in poverty.
I wanted to help my family.
We were so poor in Jamaica andI felt like if I didn't do
certain things then oursituation would never change.
And I also felt that I don'twant to look back like in 10
years.
I looked around me and not tocast judgment on people, but
(12:12):
there was a lot of people whocame here much earlier than me
and I look at their financialsituation and they had negative
credit.
They were living paycheck topaycheck.
They couldn't afford anythingand I didn't want that to be me
and I felt like I had thisopportunity and this is going to
take me to somewhere completelydifferent.
And I think one of the thingsthat I tell people all the time
(12:34):
is that when you have a goal andyou set that goal, all the
other things kind of fall away,because if you're truly working
towards that goal, then a lot ofother stuff is noise.
So when my friends went out, Iwould probably go with them, but
I probably wouldn't eat, orprobably buy a drink and that's
it, or go to the park instead ofgoing to I don't know
McDonald's, and so I found ways.
(12:55):
Plus, I was working full timeand going to school full time, I
also didn't have a ton of timeto hang out anyway.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
That helps a little bit too, I'm sure.
What do you think was the mostsignificant challenge you faced
when you first arrived, and howdid you overcome it?
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Because I didn't have a green card at the time.
There were things that I wantedto do that I just wasn't able
to do Because, even going tocollege, I was ranked in the top
three I think I was top threein my class and had a really
great SAT score but I couldn'tapply to certain colleges
because I didn't know the systemwell enough.
(13:32):
And I also knew that, even if Iwent away to a college which I
didn't know the system wellenough, and I also knew that if
I went away even if I went awayto a college which I didn't know
that I could at the time Iwouldn't be able to help my
family.
And so there was this tensionof I want to do so much but I
can't because I don't have theresources, and I also need to
think about helping my familyback home as well.
So these are the things that Ican do now in order to be able
(13:56):
to do that.
And so, yeah, I did see likewhen I graduated junior college,
right, I got a scholarship tothis university with three other
friends and then went on to theuniversity because I didn't
have my green card and I was Ididn't have enough savings to
pay for the difference in thetuition.
So I ended up not going touniversity when I was supposed
(14:17):
to start and they ended uptaking the larger part of the
scholarship from me, and so thatwas.
That was really hard for me.
I ended up becoming ababysitter after graduating
college.
Instead of going back touniversity for four years, I
ended up being a babysitter fora year and a half, saving money
so that I could go back toschool.
That was very challenging.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
It really sounds like you had really clear focus and
really clear determination,because your story sounds like
so many other individuals inthat they come up out of poverty
and then they haveopportunities and they set goals
.
And, like everybody else, therewere challenges, there were
barriers, but it looks like youwere able to overcome those
barriers and not give up.
(14:55):
And so your story is one ofgoing from broke to wealth.
Tell us, maybe, some of the keyfinancial decisions or
strategies that help you startbuilding wealth, because this is
where you kind of separateyourself from the rest of the
crowd.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Yeah, well, again, starting with the budget, right.
But before even the budget, Istarted with just a shift in
mindset, like what are my goals?
And being very clear about mygoals and and when I want to
achieve them.
By then I did the budget.
And then, when I got to makingmore money instead of sort of
(15:30):
doing the keeping up with theJoneses or going out and buying
more, because a lot of timeswhen our income increase we tend
to spend more I did theopposite.
I started saving more.
And when I was 21, I got thisjob where they had a 401k plan.
I didn't even know what a 401kplan was, but they were like if
you put money in now, when youretire, you'll have X amount of
(15:54):
dollars and you put it in beforetax, that you're going to be
saving on taxes.
That's all they needed to tellme and they said they matched.
So I said, okay, I'm going toput at least what they match.
And then the rest I was savingbecause now I wanted to buy a
home.
When I came here for my entirelife until I was 25, when I
bought my first home, I hadnever had a bed for myself.
(16:15):
I was sharing a room with threechildren, so with three other
young men.
So the idea for me was OK, Idon't want to pay rent and I had
found someone who was helpingto mentor me and he talked to me
about, well, if you're going tobuy a home because I was going
to buy a condo he said, whydon't you buy a house?
And then you could rent partsof it out and that will help to
(16:37):
pay for your mortgage and thenyou can live literally rent free
and be able to save more money.
So he was one of my lifesaversin terms of mentorship and
things that I would do goingforward in my life to help me
think strategically financially,and so those are some of the
(16:58):
things that I did and I justcontinued to save over time.
When I got to 25, graduatedcollege, a couple of colleagues
on the IA said hey guys, let'sstart an investment club because
we're not gonna be able to getrich from just our salary.
So we started a stock marketinvestment club, another way to
build wealth as opposed to justour paycheck.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Are there any particular mistakes that you can
remember that you made alongthe way that if you had it to do
all over again, that you woulddo differently?
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Yes, so I think two of the biggest mistakes that I
made.
One was I co-signed on loansfor people and they it ruined my
credit.
So I've had bad.
I had bad credit for most of myadult life and it was not
because I didn't pay my bills ontime.
It was because I co-signed onloans for individuals and they
(17:51):
just didn't pay their bills.
And the second mistake that Imade is that after I purchased
my home, I had the same familythat I came to stay with.
Let's talk about life comingfull circle.
They ended up moving into myhome and I felt like and they, I
guess they felt like I owedthem a debt because they took me
in when I came to America andthey basically lived in my home
(18:13):
and they didn't pay their bills.
So I was always or theywouldn't pay it on time.
They would owe me thousandsLike sometimes the $30,000, they
would owe me from not payingtheir bills, where I would end
up paying their bills on theirbehalf.
So having to do it again like Iwould have never allowed them
in my home.
It was very traumatizing.
I still go to therapy now todeal with it.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Wow, that is really, really incredible.
So, and I imagine you know, youhad a goal, you were focused
and you were just living life,but what was the moment like
when you realized that you wereon the path to becoming a
millionaire?
And then how did that impactyour mindset?
Clearly, you were alreadydriven, but what was that like
when you realized it?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
So the path to millionaire for me was it
started early.
I started when I started my andthis was just millionaire
retirement, because I have otherinvestments and other things.
But I did a calculation of whenI could become a millionaire by
and I had given myself to age45, that I should have a million
(19:17):
dollars in my retirement and Iwould track that.
I managed my retirement so thatI could have a million dollars
by 45.
And some things happened inbetween and I didn't get it at
45, but I got it, I would say,around 47.
So I was.
I I knew when I was going tohit it.
(19:38):
Uh, because it was planned for,it wasn't like a random act.
I was like, oh my God, I wokeup and I'm like, oh my God, I
look at my bank account as amillionaire.
I would take my retirement planwhenever I left my job and I
would manage it on my own,because one of the things that I
was doing, what I did initiallywas I gave my money to be
managed by a financial personand it wasn't growing, and so I
(20:00):
learned how to do it on my ownso that I could stay on track,
so I could hit millionairestatus by 45.
And I didn't hit it by 45, butI hit it by around 47.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Wow, do you remember what age you started that plan?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Maybe around 25, 26.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
That's really incredible.
But I like what you mentionedis that you were very
intentional, and I tell peopleall the time you have to be
intentional about how you planyour money, how you spend it,
that nobody accidentally savesmoney, and I'm glad to hear that
you can kind of you know,cooperate that particular fact
because you have to be sointentional about it.
Wow, I mean just really reallygood story.
(20:42):
So what are some key thingsthat, if somebody is listening
to this story and they're likeyou know, I want to live like
Tanya does.
I want to be able to use thestrategies that she did.
What are the key takeaways thatyou'd want them to get from
this podcast?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
So the first thing I would say to them is to set
clear goals.
I've already talked about thatand why that is so important,
and some of it has come acrossin my story.
The second thing is that youmust have a budget Like.
It's so important that you knowhow much you have coming in and
how much you're spending.
And please don't try to keep upwith the Joneses, because most
times they're broke, no matterhow you see their living.
So just focus on what you aredoing and what you want, and if
(21:27):
you, if you align your spendingwith your goals, you will get
there and then maintain goodcredit.
Credit can be very, very costly.
Negative credit can be costly,and I've experienced that full
time.
So if you can maintain goodcredit, try your best.
It's not that difficult torepair your credit either.
So if you have bad credit,repair your credit.
Learn how to manage your debt.
That's really critical and ifyou really create a budget and
(21:48):
you have that goal, you're goingto realize that you're getting
less and less in debt, becausedebt reduction is going to be
one of your strategies, so thatyou can start investing.
A lot of people are scared ofinvesting.
It's not that scary.
You don't have to take majorrisks.
There are a lot of differentinvestment vehicles that you can
use, and so start investing.
(22:09):
You get passive income in.
Put money in your retirement Iknow I'm like one, two, three,
four, five Put money in yourretirement plan, especially if
your employer is matching.
Put at least that minimum.
And another thing that I did,which a lot of times people
overlook but if your company isa public company, which means
that they trade on the New YorkStock Exchange, some of them
(22:32):
will offer you an opportunity topurchase stock at a discounted
price.
If you're working for a solidcompany, that is a strong,
foundational, buy those stocksat a discount.
You will see a tremendousdifference.
They'll automatically take itout of your paycheck.
And one of the things that Ididn't say that I preach daily
(22:55):
pay yourself first, no matterhow much you're making.
Take some money and put it away, because if you don't, and
automate it, that's the bestthing to do.
If you don't, once you get yourpaycheck, you're going to find
a reason to spend it.
So have yourself automaticallytake that money out and create
(23:15):
an emergency fund as well.
All of these things and I'mgoing to say one last thing,
because it's super, superimportant and I'll touch on it
really quickly.
And I'm going to say one lastthing, because it's super, super
important and I'll touch on itreally quickly, and it's
disability happens.
I became disabled three yearsago and my job offered me
long-term disability, but itonly covers 60% of my paycheck,
(23:39):
so and I still have to pay mymedical benefits out of it and I
still have to pay taxes out ofit.
If you can, I stronglyrecommend that you purchase a
long term disabilitysupplemental policy that's going
to supplement your income.
I recently did a TED talk onthis topic and it's generated a
(24:01):
lot of views because I thinkthis is such an important topic
to that is not talked about.
You could go bankrupt if youbecome disabled and you don't
have that supplemental incomebecause most of us don't even
have an emergency fund, so we'renot going to be able to live
off 60% of our paycheck aftertaxes deducted.
(24:21):
So I know I said a mouthful,but hopefully those of you who
are listening there are a coupleof pieces that you could pull
out of it and start implementing.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
I know absolutely as a matter of fact.
I'm glad you brought it upbecause I was definitely going
to do it and ask you about, orhave you touched on the fact
that you know, once you became amillionaire, it was an easy
street.
After that, you faced thosechallenges, you ran into the
situation with a disability andit threw you for a loop.
And so that you know, once youachieve that, it's still hard
work, right.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Absolutely, and you know, fortunately I didn't have
to go into my retirement plan topull money out.
You know, into my retirementplan to pull money out, you know
.
But it's because I had thatsupplemental disability, because
when I had that car accident,not only that happened, one of
my daughters became ill and hermedical cost was not covered by
the insurance.
So we were spending thousandsof dollars a month.
(25:15):
That emergency fund that I had,it got depleted really really
fast.
Emergency fund that I had, itgot depleted really really fast.
And even the disability ittakes a while before it kicks in
.
The short-term disability itmay kick in right away, but it's
not a hundred percent.
And if you've already used upyour short-term disability or if
it's for a short period, you'rekind of left trying to figure
(25:37):
out how you're going to makethat money stretch.
And that's what I had to do.
It was a lot of.
It was really difficult periodthat I went through, despite the
fact that I had almost one yearemergency fund saved up,
because of all the expenses thatwere coming up for me.
Fortunately, with thatsupplemental disability and over
(25:57):
time recalibrating my budget, Iwas able to sort of land in a
good place.
But it's still a lot of work todo.
Even I had to take on debt,which is something that I never
really had before, to figure out.
How do I pay that debt off andall that different thing.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Yep.
So what's next for you and whatare your financial goals now?
Speaker 2 (26:19):
So what's next for me ?
So I really I took a pause frommy business because I needed to
heal and my passion is reallyhelping people to realize that
they can build wealth, and I ama true example of that.
And it's not a get rich quick.
It takes time, but with certainactions you can do it.
(26:41):
So my plan is to really educateas many people as I can.
I do have a financial educationprogram and I really want to
bring people in and justtransform their lives.
I'm also a big traveler and so Ialways set these goals about
traveling.
I've been to like 61 countriesso far and I want to keep
traveling with my daughter going, my younger daughter going off
(27:04):
to college next year.
I'll have freedom to do that.
So the plan is to travel to asmany countries as possible over
the next couple of years.
And also, in terms of financialgoals, I want to leave a legacy
for not my children, but acouple of generations of
grandchildren, if my children dochoose to have children or to
(27:26):
charity, and so a lot of myfinancial goals for the longer
term is to see how much I couldbuild to leave to charity.
I have certain dollar amountthat I want to donate to charity
on an annual basis and tocontribute to charities in
different ways, and so that's mybiggest thing.
I often say now that I createdthis business to help people,
(27:48):
but the income that I plan togenerate from it is for my
philanthropic effort, because Ifeel like that's my ultimate
purpose in the next couple ofyears is to really do some
philanthropic work.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
This is an incredible story and I know so many of our
listeners.
We have their attention, andyou mentioned your financial
education program.
How can our listeners learnmore about your stories or even
reach out to you?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
So I am.
I do have a website.
It's calledgrowyourwealth10xcom, so they
can find me there.
They can also find me onLinkedIn, tanya Taylor, cpa, mba
.
I would highly recommend thatthey watch my TED talk, which is
called dreams to disability howto protect yourself from life.
Unexpected just because it ithas key takeaways that they can
(28:34):
start implementing now andthey'll hear a little bit you
know about, about my story, butabout what they need to do,
because that's really critical.
And they can also find me on onInstagram at
growyourwealth10xcom.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Well, there you have it.
I mean, this is a busy lady ona mission, driven and focused,
from broke to wealth.
It says it all.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
Thank you very much for havingme.
This was this is wonderful,thank you.
We'll have to check in with youin a couple more months and see
what else you've accomplished.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Absolutely.
I'd love to talk again.
Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that
focuses on how to use the moneyyou have, make the money you
need and save the money you want.
Now here is your host, Ms KimChapman.
Welcome back for anotherexciting episode of Money
Matters.
Today we have a truly inspiringguest, Ms Tanya Taylor.
(00:22):
She is a CPA who embodies theAmerican dream.
Look at, just age 16, Tanyaarrived in the US from Jamaica
with only $100 in her pocket.
Can you imagine, 16 years old,$100 in your pocket?
But let's fast forward by age48, she built herself into a
(00:42):
millionaire.
Now, this is some story that Iam sure you want to hear,
because I'm excited for her toshare her journey with us.
So in this episode, we're goingto be diving deep into her
incredible journey from beingbroke to building wealth.
Tanya, welcome, I'm sorry,Tanya, welcome.
I'm so glad that you decided tojoin us today.
How's everything where you arein New York City?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Thank you.
It's very good to be here andit's very warm outside.
I just came back from a runabout an hour ago, so it's a
beautiful day.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Yes, it's still hot here, so we're hoping for cooler
days in Louisiana, but we'rejust going to hold on until then
.
So, new York City.
So I mean, when I heard aboutyour story, I was just really,
really excited, especiallyteaching financial literacy.
So many people think that to bewealthy, that you have to be
born in wealth, you have to winthe lottery.
(01:36):
You know they think so manydifferent things, but when I
think about your story, you had$100 and then you came to a
place where you were not evenfamiliar with any of the
information.
So you wear a lot of hats,let's just kind of talk about
today.
You're a wife, you're a mother,a CPA, you're an author, a
business owner.
I mean, what don't you do?
But can you start by telling uswho you are today and what each
(01:58):
of these roles mean to you?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Sure, yeah, so I am all those things.
But first and foremost I'mTanya Taylor with big dreams.
From the time I came to AmericaI had those big dreams and you
know that morphed into manydifferent things.
They got my MBA, and being awife and mom carries its own
(02:24):
like sense of pride and sense ofwork.
So I have two daughters who are17 and 19.
One is away at college andthat's sort of a big deal for me
being a mom and just being ableto help to guide them into who
they need to become and thensort of set them out and set
them out into the world.
And then being a business owner.
(02:45):
That comes with its own sets ofjoys and challenges as well
Just navigating now, no longerworking for an employer and just
getting earning your own incomefrom a business.
So you know, having all ofthose facets, you sort of have
to compartmentalize and justreally focus on each piece when
you need to, just to make surethat you're sort of fulfilling
(03:05):
the whole.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
So how do you manage to do it?
I mean, you've achieved andaccomplished a lot of things.
And then when I hear the agesof your daughters, teenagers, I
imagine you know that can be avery trying experience because
they can be sweet, as they wantto be, but then you know, at 17
and 19,.
They're trying ages.
So you know, how do you balancethose demands of being a
(03:27):
successful business person, awife and a mother?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
So I worked in corporate for 24 years and I was
very deliberate.
When I was in corporate Ididn't think that I could be a
business owner and really spendtime with my children, and that
was really important for me,especially having to leave my
parents at 16,.
Coming here and being on my own, I realized how much I missed
out on right, so I wanted toalways be there for my children.
(03:55):
So when I was in corporate Ihad a job that allowed me the
flexibility to spend time withthem and with that I was able to
still continue to pursue mypassion of personal finance.
So I taught that I did thatmore on a volunteer basis, and
writing a book was just one ofthose things that came naturally
for me.
I just wanted to do it.
(04:16):
I wanted to put it out therebecause I felt like there was so
much information that I hadinside of me that I could share
with people at a very low costand that could be impactful.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Wow.
So what would people find inthis book?
What is going to be?
What do you hope is theirbiggest takeaway from your book?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
So my goal when I wrote this book was for anyone
who needs financial literacy tobe able to pick that book up,
read it and be able to implementthe strategies that are in that
book.
And just from some of thereviews that I've read on Amazon
, I think I've accomplished thatgoal, because I've had a high
school student who said acollege student who said I'm in
(04:54):
college, I'm so glad I foundthis book because it's giving me
the foundations that I need tostart building wealth and it
will help me to level up and Ihave someone who seems to be in
their 50s or 60s who's saying Iwish I discovered this book
earlier.
But now that I've discovered it,I'm really learning personal
finance and I'm really learningto put certain things in place.
(05:15):
The book really, it'sfoundational budget, credit,
debt.
It takes you into that aspectand then it teaches you about
investing and diversification,risk management, and then even
go as far as telling you alittle bit about the economy,
how it works, how you shouldplan in different cycles of the
economy and then giving back,because for me that's a big
thing.
They said to who much is given,much is required, and so I
(05:39):
really believe in giving backand I also have a part of it on
entrepreneurship.
And the good thing about thebook is that you don't have to
read it chapter by chapter.
You could pick it up and readpieces that is applicable to you
, and so there is a lot in thissmall book that an individual
can take away from it.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So while we're on the topic of the book, where can
they find it?
Is it an audio form?
Can you get the audio digital?
Where can they find the book?
It is on.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Amazon.
There's a Kindle version,there's a hard copy and I am
working on the audio version.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's just taking a little bit, and so the name of
it again, of course, is FromBroke to Wealth.
It's Broke to Wealth.
I love that title because it'sself-explanatory and I think
people can really identify withit.
If they're having a financialhardship, they may use those
words or maybe another word tosay, hey, I'm broke.
Maybe they're living paycheckto paycheck.
(06:30):
But wealth is different thanjust saying riches.
It really encompasses buildingsomething into having financial
stability.
Yes, so, cpa, you came here atage 16.
Did you know that you want togo into accounting, or how did
you get into that field?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
That was interesting because when I came here, most
people around me they wereliving paycheck to paycheck and
a lot of them did jobs likecertified nurse's aide or
something in the hospital, andit really was just a job, not a
career.
And I knew I wanted a careerbecause I felt that with a
career there's like the incomepossibility was sort of
unlimited.
And I went to school and I wentback to high school even though
(07:11):
I graduated high school inJamaica and a college counselor
kind of pulled me out because Iwas extremely well in school and
she didn't understand how comeI wasn't applying to top schools
.
And then I explained to her mysituation.
I was undocumented, I had noone to pay tuition for me, I had
to work.
And she suggested I go tocommunity college.
And she asked me what I wantedto major in.
I said business, becausescience is just not for me.
(07:33):
And she said, instead of doingbusiness, why don't you narrow
it down to accounting?
And so I went into communitycollege with accounting.
I didn't know what a CPA was atthe time, but my first
accounting professor was a CPAand he basically told us that it
was a really difficult exam andnone of us would pass it, so we
should not even attempt to doit.
And I decided on that day thatI was going to become a CPA
(07:55):
because I wanted to.
If he could do it and he's sucha I won't say the word I can
become a CPA as well.
And that's how I went down thatpath.
And I also realized, as I wasresearching what a CPA does, the
potential possibilities for me.
So not only did I want to provehim wrong, but I also realized
that it was just such alucrative career to be in.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
So you arrived here with just $100.
You said you went back toschool.
How did you manage to surviveand thrive with such limited
resources?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So I was making $75 a week when I first came and that
$75 was to pay my $20 in rentbecause the people I stayed with
they charged me rent.
That was weekly and I needed tosend a little bit back to my
parents, my family home.
But in Jamaica and theCaribbean, I think in the
African diaspora, we have thisthing called a susu and
(08:49):
basically you take money everyweek and you put it in a pot and
you save it.
So I was saving $20 a week.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And because I was 75.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Out of the 75, I was paying 20 for rent.
I was saving 20 every week andthe rest had to manage.
I had to manage on that.
I never ate out at all likeever because I couldn't afford
it.
It was really like every pennycounted and I was able to save
with a SUSU pay my way throughcollege.
So I ended up never havingstudent loan and obviously over
(09:20):
time my income increased and asmy income increased, the great
thing was I would continue tolive on my little shoestring
budget and I would take all myextra savings and I would save
it, because I was really seriousabout, one, getting out of
poverty to getting an educationto get out of poverty.
(09:41):
And three, I just never wantedto go back to my situation that
I came from and I needed to helpmy family.
So saving was huge for me andso I made a lot of sacrifices
earlier on to be able to do that.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
And you mentioned that we're a shoestring budget.
So did you come here with thatmindset that I'm going to make
some money, but I know that I'mgoing to have to do X, y and Z?
Or was that something that youlearned just as each day went by
?
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Well, when you're in Jamaica and you hear about
America, it's sort of like thisland of milk and honey and you
go there and everything's goingto be great.
So no, I didn't come herethinking I was going to make $75
a week.
I thought I was going to comehere and make a lot of money and
get rich.
And you talked about rich andwealth and there is a
distinction.
But after I came here, I waslike, okay, I'm making $75.
(10:30):
And I don't see a prospect ofmaking any more, at least for
another year.
So I need to make this work.
And I sat and I made a budget.
Now, when I was in Jamaica, oneof the things that I did my my
mom was always ill and I becamesort of like the person who went
to the market and shopped forthe family and I was given a
certain dollar and I had to comeback.
You had to buy enough groceryfor the household for the week.
(10:53):
So from that not realizing itat the time how beneficial that
would be, it really taught meabout how to allocate money to
different things.
And so when I had to do it withmy $75, I actually sat and made
my budget and literally everypenny was counted in that budget
.
So I couldn't go to work latebecause if I did or miss a day
(11:14):
that would be a shortage and Ineeded to figure out how to
navigate that shortage.
So I sat and made my budget andI also sat and wrote my vision
board.
That was something.
I don't know where that camefrom, to be quite honest, but
that was something that I didvery, very, very early on after
I came here.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
And what do you think was the drive to help you stick
to the budget?
Because you know what Lots ofpeople make budgets and it
sounds good and it looks good onpaper and then you were young
and I imagine your friends wereeating out and having fun and
you mentioned that you didn't dothose things.
So what really drove you tostick to your budget?
Speaker 2 (11:51):
I did not want to stay in poverty.
I wanted to help my family.
We were so poor in Jamaica andI felt like if I didn't do
certain things then oursituation would never change.
And I also felt that I don'twant to look back like in 10
years.
I looked around me and not tocast judgment on people, but
(12:12):
there was a lot of people whocame here much earlier than me
and I look at their financialsituation and they had negative
credit.
They were living paycheck topaycheck.
They couldn't afford anythingand I didn't want that to be me
and I felt like I had thisopportunity and this is going to
take me to somewhere completelydifferent.
And I think one of the thingsthat I tell people all the time
(12:34):
is that when you have a goal andyou set that goal, all the
other things kind of fall away,because if you're truly working
towards that goal, then a lot ofother stuff is noise.
So when my friends went out, Iwould probably go with them, but
I probably wouldn't eat, orprobably buy a drink and that's
it, or go to the park instead ofgoing to I don't know
McDonald's, and so I found ways.
(12:55):
Plus, I was working full timeand going to school full time, I
also didn't have a ton of timeto hang out anyway.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
That helps a little bit too, I'm sure.
What do you think was the mostsignificant challenge you faced
when you first arrived, and howdid you overcome it?
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Because I didn't have a green card at the time.
There were things that I wantedto do that I just wasn't able
to do Because, even going tocollege, I was ranked in the top
three I think I was top threein my class and had a really
great SAT score but I couldn'tapply to certain colleges
because I didn't know the systemwell enough.
(13:32):
And I also knew that, even if Iwent away to a college which I
didn't know the system wellenough, and I also knew that if
I went away even if I went awayto a college which I didn't know
that I could at the time Iwouldn't be able to help my
family.
And so there was this tensionof I want to do so much but I
can't because I don't have theresources, and I also need to
think about helping my familyback home as well.
So these are the things that Ican do now in order to be able
(13:56):
to do that.
And so, yeah, I did see likewhen I graduated junior college,
right, I got a scholarship tothis university with three other
friends and then went on to theuniversity because I didn't
have my green card and I was Ididn't have enough savings to
pay for the difference in thetuition.
So I ended up not going touniversity when I was supposed
(14:17):
to start and they ended uptaking the larger part of the
scholarship from me, and so thatwas.
That was really hard for me.
I ended up becoming ababysitter after graduating
college.
Instead of going back touniversity for four years, I
ended up being a babysitter fora year and a half, saving money
so that I could go back toschool.
That was very challenging.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
It really sounds like you had really clear focus and
really clear determination,because your story sounds like
so many other individuals inthat they come up out of poverty
and then they haveopportunities and they set goals
.
And, like everybody else, therewere challenges, there were
barriers, but it looks like youwere able to overcome those
barriers and not give up.
(14:55):
And so your story is one ofgoing from broke to wealth.
Tell us, maybe, some of the keyfinancial decisions or
strategies that help you startbuilding wealth, because this is
where you kind of separateyourself from the rest of the
crowd.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Yeah, well, again, starting with the budget, right.
But before even the budget, Istarted with just a shift in
mindset, like what are my goals?
And being very clear about mygoals and and when I want to
achieve them.
By then I did the budget.
And then, when I got to makingmore money instead of sort of
(15:30):
doing the keeping up with theJoneses or going out and buying
more, because a lot of timeswhen our income increase we tend
to spend more I did theopposite.
I started saving more.
And when I was 21, I got thisjob where they had a 401k plan.
I didn't even know what a 401kplan was, but they were like if
you put money in now, when youretire, you'll have X amount of
(15:54):
dollars and you put it in beforetax, that you're going to be
saving on taxes.
That's all they needed to tellme and they said they matched.
So I said, okay, I'm going toput at least what they match.
And then the rest I was savingbecause now I wanted to buy a
home.
When I came here for my entirelife until I was 25, when I
bought my first home, I hadnever had a bed for myself.
(16:15):
I was sharing a room with threechildren, so with three other
young men.
So the idea for me was OK, Idon't want to pay rent and I had
found someone who was helpingto mentor me and he talked to me
about, well, if you're going tobuy a home because I was going
to buy a condo he said, whydon't you buy a house?
And then you could rent partsof it out and that will help to
(16:37):
pay for your mortgage and thenyou can live literally rent free
and be able to save more money.
So he was one of my lifesaversin terms of mentorship and
things that I would do goingforward in my life to help me
think strategically financially,and so those are some of the
(16:58):
things that I did and I justcontinued to save over time.
When I got to 25, graduatedcollege, a couple of colleagues
on the IA said hey guys, let'sstart an investment club because
we're not gonna be able to getrich from just our salary.
So we started a stock marketinvestment club, another way to
build wealth as opposed to justour paycheck.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Are there any particular mistakes that you can
remember that you made alongthe way that if you had it to do
all over again, that you woulddo differently?
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Yes, so I think two of the biggest mistakes that I
made.
One was I co-signed on loansfor people and they it ruined my
credit.
So I've had bad.
I had bad credit for most of myadult life and it was not
because I didn't pay my bills ontime.
It was because I co-signed onloans for individuals and they
(17:51):
just didn't pay their bills.
And the second mistake that Imade is that after I purchased
my home, I had the same familythat I came to stay with.
Let's talk about life comingfull circle.
They ended up moving into myhome and I felt like and they, I
guess they felt like I owedthem a debt because they took me
in when I came to America andthey basically lived in my home
(18:13):
and they didn't pay their bills.
So I was always or theywouldn't pay it on time.
They would owe me thousandsLike sometimes the $30,000, they
would owe me from not payingtheir bills, where I would end
up paying their bills on theirbehalf.
So having to do it again like Iwould have never allowed them
in my home.
It was very traumatizing.
I still go to therapy now todeal with it.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Wow, that is really, really incredible.
So, and I imagine you know, youhad a goal, you were focused
and you were just living life,but what was the moment like
when you realized that you wereon the path to becoming a
millionaire?
And then how did that impactyour mindset?
Clearly, you were alreadydriven, but what was that like
when you realized it?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
So the path to millionaire for me was it
started early.
I started when I started my andthis was just millionaire
retirement, because I have otherinvestments and other things.
But I did a calculation of whenI could become a millionaire by
and I had given myself to age45, that I should have a million
(19:17):
dollars in my retirement and Iwould track that.
I managed my retirement so thatI could have a million dollars
by 45.
And some things happened inbetween and I didn't get it at
45, but I got it, I would say,around 47.
So I was.
I I knew when I was going tohit it.
(19:38):
Uh, because it was planned for,it wasn't like a random act.
I was like, oh my God, I wokeup and I'm like, oh my God, I
look at my bank account as amillionaire.
I would take my retirement planwhenever I left my job and I
would manage it on my own,because one of the things that I
was doing, what I did initiallywas I gave my money to be
managed by a financial personand it wasn't growing, and so I
(20:00):
learned how to do it on my ownso that I could stay on track,
so I could hit millionairestatus by 45.
And I didn't hit it by 45, butI hit it by around 47.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Wow, do you remember what age you started that plan?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Maybe around 25, 26.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
That's really incredible.
But I like what you mentionedis that you were very
intentional, and I tell peopleall the time you have to be
intentional about how you planyour money, how you spend it,
that nobody accidentally savesmoney, and I'm glad to hear that
you can kind of you know,cooperate that particular fact
because you have to be sointentional about it.
Wow, I mean just really reallygood story.
(20:42):
So what are some key thingsthat, if somebody is listening
to this story and they're likeyou know, I want to live like
Tanya does.
I want to be able to use thestrategies that she did.
What are the key takeaways thatyou'd want them to get from
this podcast?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
So the first thing I would say to them is to set
clear goals.
I've already talked about thatand why that is so important,
and some of it has come acrossin my story.
The second thing is that youmust have a budget Like.
It's so important that you knowhow much you have coming in and
how much you're spending.
And please don't try to keep upwith the Joneses, because most
times they're broke, no matterhow you see their living.
So just focus on what you aredoing and what you want, and if
(21:27):
you, if you align your spendingwith your goals, you will get
there and then maintain goodcredit.
Credit can be very, very costly.
Negative credit can be costly,and I've experienced that full
time.
So if you can maintain goodcredit, try your best.
It's not that difficult torepair your credit either.
So if you have bad credit,repair your credit.
Learn how to manage your debt.
That's really critical and ifyou really create a budget and
(21:48):
you have that goal, you're goingto realize that you're getting
less and less in debt, becausedebt reduction is going to be
one of your strategies, so thatyou can start investing.
A lot of people are scared ofinvesting.
It's not that scary.
You don't have to take majorrisks.
There are a lot of differentinvestment vehicles that you can
use, and so start investing.
(22:09):
You get passive income in.
Put money in your retirement Iknow I'm like one, two, three,
four, five Put money in yourretirement plan, especially if
your employer is matching.
Put at least that minimum.
And another thing that I did,which a lot of times people
overlook but if your company isa public company, which means
that they trade on the New YorkStock Exchange, some of them
(22:32):
will offer you an opportunity topurchase stock at a discounted
price.
If you're working for a solidcompany, that is a strong,
foundational, buy those stocksat a discount.
You will see a tremendousdifference.
They'll automatically take itout of your paycheck.
And one of the things that Ididn't say that I preach daily
(22:55):
pay yourself first, no matterhow much you're making.
Take some money and put it away, because if you don't, and
automate it, that's the bestthing to do.
If you don't, once you get yourpaycheck, you're going to find
a reason to spend it.
So have yourself automaticallytake that money out and create
(23:15):
an emergency fund as well.
All of these things and I'mgoing to say one last thing,
because it's super, superimportant and I'll touch on it
really quickly.
And I'm going to say one lastthing, because it's super, super
important and I'll touch on itreally quickly, and it's
disability happens.
I became disabled three yearsago and my job offered me
long-term disability, but itonly covers 60% of my paycheck,
(23:39):
so and I still have to pay mymedical benefits out of it and I
still have to pay taxes out ofit.
If you can, I stronglyrecommend that you purchase a
long term disabilitysupplemental policy that's going
to supplement your income.
I recently did a TED talk onthis topic and it's generated a
(24:01):
lot of views because I thinkthis is such an important topic
to that is not talked about.
You could go bankrupt if youbecome disabled and you don't
have that supplemental incomebecause most of us don't even
have an emergency fund, so we'renot going to be able to live
off 60% of our paycheck aftertaxes deducted.
(24:21):
So I know I said a mouthful,but hopefully those of you who
are listening there are a coupleof pieces that you could pull
out of it and start implementing.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
I know absolutely as a matter of fact.
I'm glad you brought it upbecause I was definitely going
to do it and ask you about, orhave you touched on the fact
that you know, once you became amillionaire, it was an easy
street.
After that, you faced thosechallenges, you ran into the
situation with a disability andit threw you for a loop.
And so that you know, once youachieve that, it's still hard
work, right.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Absolutely, and you know, fortunately I didn't have
to go into my retirement plan topull money out.
You know, into my retirementplan to pull money out, you know
.
But it's because I had thatsupplemental disability, because
when I had that car accident,not only that happened, one of
my daughters became ill and hermedical cost was not covered by
the insurance.
So we were spending thousandsof dollars a month.
(25:15):
That emergency fund that I had,it got depleted really really
fast.
Emergency fund that I had, itgot depleted really really fast.
And even the disability ittakes a while before it kicks in
.
The short-term disability itmay kick in right away, but it's
not a hundred percent.
And if you've already used upyour short-term disability or if
it's for a short period, you'rekind of left trying to figure
(25:37):
out how you're going to makethat money stretch.
And that's what I had to do.
It was a lot of.
It was really difficult periodthat I went through, despite the
fact that I had almost one yearemergency fund saved up,
because of all the expenses thatwere coming up for me.
Fortunately, with thatsupplemental disability and over
(25:57):
time recalibrating my budget, Iwas able to sort of land in a
good place.
But it's still a lot of work todo.
Even I had to take on debt,which is something that I never
really had before, to figure out.
How do I pay that debt off andall that different thing.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Yep.
So what's next for you and whatare your financial goals now?
Speaker 2 (26:19):
So what's next for me ?
So I really I took a pause frommy business because I needed to
heal and my passion is reallyhelping people to realize that
they can build wealth, and I ama true example of that.
And it's not a get rich quick.
It takes time, but with certainactions you can do it.
(26:41):
So my plan is to really educateas many people as I can.
I do have a financial educationprogram and I really want to
bring people in and justtransform their lives.
I'm also a big traveler and so Ialways set these goals about
traveling.
I've been to like 61 countriesso far and I want to keep
traveling with my daughter going, my younger daughter going off
(27:04):
to college next year.
I'll have freedom to do that.
So the plan is to travel to asmany countries as possible over
the next couple of years.
And also, in terms of financialgoals, I want to leave a legacy
for not my children, but acouple of generations of
grandchildren, if my children dochoose to have children or to
(27:26):
charity, and so a lot of myfinancial goals for the longer
term is to see how much I couldbuild to leave to charity.
I have certain dollar amountthat I want to donate to charity
on an annual basis and tocontribute to charities in
different ways, and so that's mybiggest thing.
I often say now that I createdthis business to help people,
(27:48):
but the income that I plan togenerate from it is for my
philanthropic effort, because Ifeel like that's my ultimate
purpose in the next couple ofyears is to really do some
philanthropic work.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
This is an incredible story and I know so many of our
listeners.
We have their attention, andyou mentioned your financial
education program.
How can our listeners learnmore about your stories or even
reach out to you?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
So I am.
I do have a website.
It's calledgrowyourwealth10xcom, so they
can find me there.
They can also find me onLinkedIn, tanya Taylor, cpa, mba
.
I would highly recommend thatthey watch my TED talk, which is
called dreams to disability howto protect yourself from life.
Unexpected just because it ithas key takeaways that they can
(28:34):
start implementing now andthey'll hear a little bit you
know about, about my story, butabout what they need to do,
because that's really critical.
And they can also find me on onInstagram at
growyourwealth10xcom.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Well, there you have it.
I mean, this is a busy lady ona mission, driven and focused,
from broke to wealth.
It says it all.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
Thank you very much for havingme.
This was this is wonderful,thank you.
We'll have to check in with youin a couple more months and see
what else you've accomplished.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Absolutely.
I'd love to talk again.
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