Tiffany Aliche: From Debtor to Dream Maker
WeBADD! series
(Celebrating the passion, perseverance, and grit of Black women in the public sector, business, and community activism)
Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche’s sunbeam smile greets 159 followers watching an Instagram live tour of her mostly-completed New York City condo; she jokes about her hair, expresses admiration for an oversized wall picture of a young African woman, gushes over one bathroom’s imported marble tile, and boasts about the customized wooden cabinets and shelves.
“It’s nice to not worry about costs,” she laughingly admits.
Sixteen years ago, Aliche, was a pre-school teacher in Newark, NJ, saddled with $85,000 in debt. With no formal training in finance, she dug herself out of a money hole to become a financial guru, best-selling author, award-winning podcaster, public speaker, and governmental policy advisor.
Aliche’s superpowers are her relatability, vulnerability, and honesty. Despite her multimillionaire status, she comes across as “just another sista,” passionate about educating women about saving, budgeting, credit card pitfalls, and investing using commonsense wisdom: “You cannot budget your way to wealth. Money has to be put to work intentionally to grow.” One can imagine that her success could be yours.
Her two million followers, or “Dream Catchers,” gain access her to financial acumen (and her team of financial advisors) through an online course, Live Richer Academy, The Budgetnista Blog, and an award-winning podcast, Brown Ambition.
Aliche has authored a New York Times best-selling book, Get Good with Money, and is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of The One Week Budget and the Live Richer Challenge series. In 2020, she published Happy Birthday Mali More, a children’s book.
Her latest book is Made Whole: The Practical Guide to Reaching Your Financial Goals (2023).
In 2015, then New Jersey Assemblywoman Angela V. McKnight, asked Aliche to help with developing a financial literacy bill; hence, Aliche attended committee meetings, assisted with the language of the bill, and helped with social media promotions. Assembly bill, A1414, passed in 2018 and requires financial literacy instruction to pupils enrolled in grades kindergarten through eight.
The Other Side of Success
In a January 2024 interview for the Cut, Aliche said that she suffers with “’post-traumatic broke syndrome’”—I was broke for so long, and it was so hard, that I’m afraid of going back there.” She revealed that the pressures of running a multi-faceted business enterprise adversely affected her physically--her blood pressure was high, and she was 30 pounds overweight.
With the same drive and determination that helped her whittle down a mountain of debt, Aliche focused on re-regaining her health and well-being. She established a routine: Arise at 6:00 a.m. Walk up to two hours daily. Set boundaries. Rely on family for support. To maintain a delicate balance between work and private life, Aliche consults with a business coach and a therapist, who keep her grounded, and on-track for future success.
The death of her husband, Jerrel Smith, (from a brain aneurysm in December 2021) affected how Aliche approached business. In a January 2024 YouTube video interview, she said, “My philosophy was hustle, hustle, hustle … and if I'm being candid, I used to be like ‘there's more to have life’ why don't you want more … his thing was always ‘as long as you're okay and (his daughter) is okay, I'm okay.’” These days Aliche enjoys sharing her success with family. Two of her sisters, Tracey and Carol, live with and work for her.
She told the Cut. “People know that I’m wealthy. I’m candid about where I am now. So, I think about this a lot: What should my new role be going forward? I want to serve my audience in a way that’s honest.”
Honestly, her followers would expect nothing less from the Budgetnista.
© 2024 wistajohnson.com (Reprint by permission only.) Photo: courtesy of The Budgetnista