When Vivian Tu became a junior trader on Wall Street, she not only got a fancy new job and salary, but also found a money mentor who changed her life. Now she’s become the “rich BFF” to anyone who needs a little help with their finances.
“My mentor became the model for what I do and who I am now,” Tu writes in her book, “Rich AF: The Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life.” “She was pulling back the curtain on wealth and teaching me the stuff that I never learned within the four walls of a classroom.”
Years later, after Tu left J.P. Morgan and pivoted to sales at Buzzfeed, she was getting so many questions from friends that she started “a little passion project” to share what she knew on TikTok. The followers came so quickly that just over a year later, Tu decided to run Your Rich BFF full-time.
She encourages everyone to “talk about money. Because when we talk about money, everyone benefits,” she writes in her book. “More people can get the raises they deserve. More people learn what credits, refunds, and discount programs they’re eligible for. More people walk away from bad deals, money sucks, and rip-offs. More people get more money. More people live Rich AF.”
To get our community talking about money, we chose “Rich AF” to be Make It’s August book club pick.
Tu’s first goal is “to reveal the secrets the rich have been passing down within their family lines and social circles for generations,” she writes, the ones the rest of us aren’t usually privy to. Her book also covers the basics of personal finance — or what she likes to call “FUN-ance” — and “the fundamentals of getting rich,” like saving and investing.
No matter what your starting point, she assures, “it’s never too late, so you’re going to learn now. And it’s going to work.”
Ready to dive in? Start reading, request to join our LinkedIn group, and come chat with us and Tu on Wednesday, September 3, at 10 a.m. ET, at our next CNBC Make It Book Club discussion.
Any questions for the author? Email them to us in advance at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Question for Vivian Tu.”
Hoping to get ahead on the next books? Here’s a sneak peek: Our September pick is “Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge” by Make It contributor Melody Wilding, and our October pick is “The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life” by Sahil Bloom.
Have suggestions for future picks? Send them to us at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Make It book club suggestion.”
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