In an economy where “soft life” is trending—that is, prioritizing ease and personal well-being over stress and hustle—but financial survival feels like an Olympic sport, Tiffany Aliche is the rare voice cutting through the noise with both heart and hard numbers.
Long before talking about money became sexy on TikTok or politically urgent on the Senate floor, the financial educator, also known as “The Budgetnista,” was in the trenches helping women make sense of their investments in a world that doesn’t seem built for them.
“You have to own something,” she tells Glamour. Whether that’s a business, an index fund, or the quiet clarity of your own priorities, Aliche urges women—especially women of color—to start shifting from survival mode to strategy. To stop being ashamed of what they don’t know, and start building wealth rooted in intention.
She’s not just talk, either. She’s teaching. Tiffany Aliche’s “Get Good With Money Challenge” intends to help women build better financial habits one day at a time through bite-sized, practical steps that shift not just your budget but your entire money mindset. Her signature “Split It Before You Get It” method—which recommends automating your income into designated accounts for spending, saving, and bills—has become a go-to for anyone tired of budgeting after the damage is done. And her New York Times bestselling book, Get Good With Money and follow-up guide, Made Whole, distill her framework for what she calls “financial wholeness.” When Get Good With Money aired as a PBS special earlier this year, it proved what Aliche has known all along: Financial education belongs everywhere, and with everyone—on shelves, online, and on every screen. In addition to partnering with PBS in order bring accessible financial education to public television, she’s helped pass legislation, too: New Jersey’s Budgetnista Law, which mandates financial literacy in schools.
Put another way, Aliche is proof that empowerment isn’t just aesthetic. It’s practical. Tactical. And deeply personal. She’s helped countless women climb out of debt, emotionally and financially, because she’s done it herself. This isn’t Instagram advice dressed up as inspiration. This is generational healing. This is economic truth-telling. And in a culture that celebrates the performance of wealth more than its stability, Tiffany reminds us: Real luxury is lack of worry. In a time when everything feels expensive, that kind of freedom is priceless.
For our latest installment of Doing the Work, we caught up with Aliche to learn the best money advice she’s ever gotten, how she maintains balance, and more.
Glamour: What advice do you wish you could give your younger self?
Tiffany Aliche: I’d tell my younger self, “There’s nothing wrong with you, who you are, how you show up, how you exist in the world. You are exactly as you were created to be.”
How are you navigating boundaries this season?
Ever since my husband passed away in 2021, boundaries were something I really struggled with. I grew up in a culture—I’m African—where girls aren’t encouraged to have boundaries. You’re just expected to be good, to say yes, to adapt. But these days, I navigate boundaries by first getting clear on what feels comfortable for me and what I actually want the outcome to be. Then I communicate that, with the expectation that people will meet me there.
And I’ve learned not to be afraid to reiterate those boundaries. I used to think that setting or reasserting them made me mean or difficult, but therapy taught me otherwise. Now I know: Being clear is being kind. I’m not aiming to be “nice” anymore, I’m aiming to be kind. And kindness sometimes looks like saying, “This is what I need, and this is what I expect,” and standing firm in that. If someone can’t meet me there, that’s okay. We can part ways with love, but I no longer abandon myself just to maintain connection.
Yeah, this whole idea of us always playing nice? I’m over it.
Same. I’m done shrinking for the sake of being palatable. Kindness with clarity, that’s the new standard.
You’ve helped so many women get out of debt. But once they’re out, where do they go emotionally? Especially for women of color, there’s often a mindset shift required to go from survival to stewardship.
That part is so real. When I hit rock bottom, I was facing credit card debt, student loans, and a house I had just purchased. Then the recession hit, and I lost my job. I spiraled. I was over $300,000 in debt, sleeping on my childhood bed, then on my sister’s couch. Eventually, I was renting a room and dealing with what I now call “post traumatic broke syndrome.” When you’ve grown up in survival mode, especially in communities where poverty is generational, it is hard to emotionally accept that you are no longer broke. There is a moment of relief, and then comes the fear. What if I go back? That fear can keep you stuck, even when your bank account says you are okay.
The only way I moved through that was by getting help. Therapy was my first step. Financial therapy is a real resource. My friend Aja is a financial therapist, and it helped me identify the emotional wounds underneath my money patterns. I also hired a certified financial planner. Even though I already knew a lot, I needed someone to walk me through it step by step because fear was still leading my decisions. In therapy, I learned to ask myself what version of me was reacting. Sometimes it was nine-year-old me. Sometimes it was college me, overwhelmed by credit card debt. I had to ask what she needed. Maybe it was forgiveness. Maybe it was guidance. Either way, I had to show up for her. That is how we begin to heal. Not just financially, but emotionally.
What’s the best piece of money advice you’ve ever gotten?
The best piece of money advice I’ve ever received is: Keep your overhead low. From the very beginning, my dad drilled it into me: Live within your means. That one principle unlocks everything else. It allows you to save for security and invest for the future. Because ultimately, it’s the investments that will sustain you when you no longer want, or are able, to work. And another piece of advice I hold onto: If you don’t know, ask. Don’t walk around in the dark, making avoidable mistakes just because you’re afraid to look uninformed. Financial literacy starts with curiosity, not perfection.
What are the top questions every woman should ask herself before spending a single dollar, whether it’s on an investment, a vacation, or that really great coat?
I actually have four questions, not three. I even wear them as green bracelets on my wrist and featured them on the cover of my book. They go in this order: Do I need it? Do I love it? Do I like it? Do I want it? Needs come first. These are non-negotiables like housing, food, safety, and health. Most of us cover those. Loves are next. These are the things that will still bring you joy a year from now, like travel, art, or an unforgettable meal at a restaurant you waited months to get into. Likes are things that might bring you joy for a few months. Maybe it’s a dress, a dinner, or something you enjoy, but forget about not long after. Wants are all about instant gratification. For example, the lip gloss I buy, lose, and forget five minutes later.
The problem is, people often skip over their loves in favor of likes and wants, because those are cheaper and more accessible in the moment. Then when something truly meaningful comes along, like a trip, a bag you’ve dreamed of, or an investment in your future, you don’t have the funds because you’ve already spent them on things that didn’t last. I’m not saying don’t enjoy the little things. But I do want women to be intentional. When I’m about to buy something, I ask myself: Is this a need? No? Is it a love? If not, I pause. That’s not saying no to yourself. It’s saying a bigger yes to what brings lasting joy.
How can women financially prepare for systems that, frankly, still weren’t built with them in mind?
We have to do more than just budget and save, women need to learn how to invest. That’s the difference maker. The only women I know who aren’t financially stressed are the ones who’ve claimed some form of ownership over their income. That doesn’t always mean owning a business. Even when I was a preschool teacher, I was saving and investing. It’s about carving out a portion of what you make and putting it into something that can grow. Because investing is what gives you freedom, not just in the future, but right now.
I think about my friend Terry. She was taught to invest at 18 by her grandmother. Two decades later, she built a company teaching mostly women how to invest. Now she’s talking about stepping away to become a full-time philanthropist, not because she has millions, but because she knows how to go to the market and say, “Bring me back $100,000.” She can generate income on demand. That’s power. What’s brilliant about investing is that the market doesn’t care if you’re a woman, or Black, or a nurse, or a teacher. It’s one of the few places where you can build quietly, stealth wealth, without having to ask permission or explain your worth. So yes, the systems weren’t built for us. But investing? That’s one tool we can still make ours.
There’s been a lot of talk about the shame economy—this guilt people feel when spending, even if it’s within their budget. How can women reclaim joy in their spending while still being intentional? How do you find that balance?
You plan for it. Joyful spending feels different when you’ve already made space for it. I keep what I call a fun fund. It is a high yield savings account set aside for the unexpected good stuff. When Beyoncé drops tickets out of nowhere, I do not stress. I just think, good thing I planned for this. Sometimes I create specific savings buckets, like a Thailand fund or a Brazil fund. But the fun fund is for spontaneity. A concert, a last minute dinner, a new restaurant that suddenly has an opening. Because the money is already there, I can say yes without guilt.
That kind of planning eases financial anxiety across the board. It is the same feeling I get when I have prepped for a speaking engagement or a night out. I feel calm and confident because I planned ahead. Financial planning gives you that same peace. It turns the question of “Can I really afford this?” into “I already took care of it.”
One thing I talk about often with friends and colleagues is how struggle still gets romanticized. In cities like New York, where rent is wild, everyone seems to have side hustles on side hustles just to stay afloat. And then we see soft life culture online, where everything looks effortless. How do we tell the truth about money in a world that rewards the performance of success more than actual financial stability?
You start by surrounding yourself with people who are really doing the work. I love social media, and it helped me grow my business, but real truth comes from real life. Talk to people you can actually reach, people whose reality you can observe. Ask them, “What does it take to have what you have?”
I was talking to a friend who runs a business that brings in 20 to 30 million a year. At my company’s peak, we hit 10 million. We are now around five million with a 40 percent profit margin. She told me, “I used to make 20 million and bring home two. You make five, and also bring home two. Is the extra stress worth it for the same return?” That hit me. Because we look at the top line and assume success, but you have to ask: At what cost?
The truth comes when you ask the right questions and build relationships with people who are honest. I try to keep my own brand rooted in transparency. The people who appear perfect are often the ones struggling behind the scenes. I call it the brown blue check effect. I cannot tell you how many verified people have quietly reached out for help. The car, the clothes, the glam—it is not always real. Some of the wealthiest people I know have no fame, no platform, and no stress. The key is finding your real-life examples and learning from them, not the performance.
For women trying to budget while still expressing themselves through style, what do they need to know with all the tariffs we are seeing?
Honestly, now is the time to buckle down. It reminds me of the way people react when news breaks that TikTok might be banned. Every time it comes up, people panic for a second, then go back to business as usual. But if someone has told you three or four times that a platform might disappear, why haven’t you started building your email list or shifting to other platforms like YouTube or Instagram?
The same applies here. We have heard about these tariffs for a while now. The economy is clearly under pressure. So why aren’t more people adjusting? There are seasons when money flows and you can be a little more flexible. But this is not that moment. Right now, we are in a buckle down moment. That means less impulse spending, more thoughtful planning. Even with wealth, I am tightening up. Because I do not know what is coming. The people who are going to weather this moment best are the ones who recognize the cues and pivot early.
The post Tiffany Aliche Is Teaching Women How to Afford ‘the Soft Life’ appeared first on Glamour.
