The Financial Griot

On this special episode, the Ladies of the Turnt 30 podcast drop in for a joint conversation and it gets contentious. Will they battle it out or will they (well Lawrence) come to a consensus. The topic du jour, "Being Single by Choice." While some could argue that you are happily free and chilling, others could argue that you are simply single because you weren't chosen.  Eeesh, writing that sound...

Today's episode features Jay, one of the two Js from the Turnt 30 Podcast were we discuss if Men give other men gifts? Crazy enough, it's something we never considered so it had to be a podcast. While out numbered, Lawrence holds his own and shares why he believes that men don't give each other gifts. And the ladies banded together like Voltron in opposition. All in jest but none the less an amazi...

What I Post, Why I post and How I post about my experience is all intentional" LDG In this episode of the Financial Griot, we discuss the toxic recipe of materialism and the void of purpose that it steals. While the world enters in the late stage of our expansion with a recession looming, it's not even optional to be financial literate any more. Becoming financial literacy and materially free is n...

By most account, America’s young consumers are stereotyped as a selfish, impulsive, highly indulged bunch. More so than other age groups, Gen Y has been shown to splurge on restaurant meals they probably can’t afford, pamper themselves with impulse buys , and partake in “self-gifting” during the holidays. They’ve also been criticized in the workplace for focusing on their own needs rather than on-...

CNBC penned an Op-Ed, "What millennials, Gen Z need to succeed against the economic odds?" Well the answer is simple; parents who are financially prepared for retirement. It's estimated that each underfunded retirement plan will cost kids and caregiver upward to $3,000 per month for each aging adult. By 2050, it will get very expensive. As such, the financial griot invested special guest Ecclessia...

Writing a powerful resumé has never been easy. But in today’s online, mobile and tech-driven employment landscape, it’s especially challenging. That’s why it’s critical to learn how to optimize your resumé for electronic scanning systems and human readers if you want to get hired in 2022 and Beyond. In this episode of the Financial Griot, we are joined by special guest Michael Theodore , a Higher...

In this episode of the Financial Griot, the crew discusses work-life balance or lack there of. The last few months have been tough and filled with challenges and competing interests. Ironically, it's kinda of always been this way. On top of that, these challenges are both necessary and unavoidable on the path of changes. Not going to lie to you, it's hard out here but you have to learn and adapt t...

In this episode of the Financial Griot, we are taking you to task as a listener and asking "Who are you building for?". Around this time of the year, New Year's resolution are a thing of the past. You are likely back to paying bills and surviving again. The question is why? Lovely, Lawrence and Alainta share their own shortcomings as an olive branch so that you can set forth and do your own intros...

Turns out Love costs over $24 Billion (with a B) annually. Valentines date range anywhere from $80 to over $300 if you include new outfits, hair and makeup, transportation, gas and those pesky hallmark cards. Over 145 million Valentine's Day cards are purchased each year, just behind Christmas cards, which are the most popular seasonal cards. On top of the Hallmark channel, the brand is banking on...

"Don't be too quick to give up your agency, time and happiness for vanity" This episode of The Financial Griot is centered around Consumption and the draining effect on your purpose. Too often, we get stuck in a never ending loop where we buy into a lifestyle only to be indebted to it for even longer. For example, the college experience is an expensive pseudo inflated lifestyle that mirrors afflue...

In this episode of the Financial Griot podcast, we talk about the importance of curating your physical, mental and virtual space. The world is getting more complicated while tasks are becoming easier, and that's not a good thing. While it might sound ridiculous, you are suppose to have just 5 friends compared to Facebook's 5,000 limit. In truth, Social scientist Robin Dunbar hypothesized that an i...

Spending for Blacks in the US has gone up to $1.6 Trillion but wages and standards of living are dropping. What gives? The Financial Griot podcast crew will discuss how to manage money in a time of uncertainty and how to make a way out of no way in lieu of external circumstances such as systematic oppression and a painful history. or decades and decades, Black consumers have been regularly overloo...

Here's a bit about our background and who we are: The Financial Griot is a play on two words (Finance + Griot) that hold significance in closing the racial wealth gap.  Merriam-Webster defines a Griot as a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, or musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition and is often seen as a leader due to their position as an advisor to royal pers...

In this episode (rant), the Financial Griot crew discusses love and money while listening to social media highlights. Alainta, Lawrence and Lovely gives their take on society at large on the lies and mirages that people cast on social media. Additionally, they drop tips and thoughts on how you can become more confident in your inner voice so that you don't end up being a victim of scams and scamme...

This episode is simple.  The Financial Griot crew is cooking up major heat with their Book recommendations. That being said, these are masterclass books that you need to get you in motion this year. Don't miss out on these life changing authors and let us know your recommendation as well.  Best Vision-Oriented Book: Atomic Habits Best Strategy Building Book: 12 Week Year Best Self-Reflection Book:...

"If the vision is weak so are the results." In this episode of the Financial Griot podcast, the crew talk about how to set your atomic habits to match your grand vision and vice versa. By February, most people already failed in their yearlong resolution to change. We told you, New Year Same You. There are ways to set the tone and start anew. If you want to be above average and you want to move bey...

To quote a great tweet from @sista_theology , "A God that co-signs everything I do, say, think and believe, is not a God; but an idol of my own making." Too often in this day and age, we relegate the work that needs to be done to others versus gaining a true understanding of our roles. We are here to serve. No man is an island, devoid of the purpose of service and being in service with his fellow...

Hey look social media is doing a thing again and Lawrence doesn't want to participate. Sucks for him, the Financial Griot podcast is doing a full episode based on the #10yearchallenge. Alainta Alcin, Lovely Merdelus and Lawrence Delva-Gonzalez will be talking about their financial experiences going all the way back to 2012 and the hard pivots that they had to make in order to set themselves up for...

Alainta Alcin otherwise known as ATL gets a bae again. I could have sworn we did this before. Fans requested the modern dating How To(s) since ATL keeps finding quality guys to go on dates with. Find out how you can set up your own power of attraction to hopefully leave this season with a new bae or at least a better version of you. As always it's all love. In an attempt to snoop around for detail...

In this episode, Lovely Merdelus is recording her first solo episode. It's going to be pure Flame. She is discussing her journey as a social entrepreneur and now as a full fledged business entrepreneur. Her journey was one of acceptance, mental shifting and purpose. In the long run, she knows that her purpose is to teach and help small businesses scale up. Her experience in big tech and growing in...

In this episode, Lovely and Lawrence talk about Atomic Habits by James Clear. A truly phenomenal mindset shifting book that we highly recommend.  What started as a conversation on changing our identity, shifted to a pseudo book review since there are a lot of great takeaways that everyone can use.  Wealth is not as expensive as we perceived but it has a cost. You have to be willing to adopt new na...

In this episode, Lovely and Lawrence talk about the growth of the #DebtFreedomJourney and how it's not always as great as it seems. Popularized by Dave Ramsey in the 2000s, Debt Freedom and #FinancialPeaceUniversity have been re-positioned as an emotional argument when in truth, money management is at the intersection of arithmetics and critical thinking.  For example, local bank savings account i...

Wait isn't that just counseling? In this episode of The Financial Griot, we are introducing Doreen (Lawrence's Wife)! Yep, this is a special couple's episode where we discuss our thoughts on a social media influencer's position on getting per-marital counseling in the dating phase? We dish out our perspectives as newlyweds. It's crazy how the dating game has changed, and how challenging/expensive...

"New Year and New Me" is tired right now. Just go out and set a trajectory of forward movement. In this episode of the Financial Griot, Alainta Alcin and Lawrence Delva-Gonzalez discuss their important thoughts on Don Lemon and being drunk on camera, and what not to do during the New Year. Ahead of time, we apologize for the sound issue. It is all Lawrence's fault so blame him. Alainta, on the oth...