• Lifestyle

by spencera

May 15, 2024

Want to Retire Early? Follow These Tips From Twin Sisters Who Retired In Their 30s

Here are three tips from the Carter sisters to set yourself up for early retirement success.

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Originally Published Sept. 3, 2021.

These twin sisters retired in their 30s and have advice for anyone who wants to do the same. 

Nadia and Nicole Carter—the bloggers behind Wealth Twins—left their careers in finance after applying some financial strategy to their lives. Nicole retired at 33 and has been retired for 10 years, and her sister, Nadia, retired at 35 and has been job-free for over eight years, Business Insider reported. 

Both sisters are still based in New York City. 

Here are three tips from the Carter sisters to set yourself up for early retirement success:

Try a mini-retirement first 

Nicole and Nadia believe it’s a good idea to give early retirement a trial run before fully committing. While it may sound great, it’s not for everyone, the sisters said. Both took months of leave from work to be sure they knew what they were getting into, lifestyle-wise and financially. 

Nicole took a break from work to finish business school and lived off her savings. Nadia took a six-month sabbatical from her job and returned after. 

“It helps you build your confidence to let you know, ‘Hey, I can do this. These numbers are all working out,’ just to check yourself in the real world,” Nicole said about her mini-retirement.

Invest, save, and live below your means

The sisters told Business Insider they both saved and invested about 75% of their paychecks to save enough for early retirement. 

They did this by keeping their living costs steady, even as earnings increased. This helped them avoid the make-more-spend-more lifestyle that sometimes comes with a growing paycheck. After bills were paid, they saved and invested the rest. 

“We lived like we lived on our first salaries,” Nadia said. “That was one of the biggest things that helped us. We didn’t have to think about it, you just sock it away.”

Keep your housing costs low

Ever heard of house hacking? Nadia used this income-producing strategy to lower her living expenses, generate passive income, and feel more secure. She bought a multi-unit property in New York City, where she lived in one unit and rented out the rest. 

“I said to myself, ‘How can I get a place that if I did lose my job, I wouldn’t have to worry about the mortgage?’” Nadia said. “And the first thing that came to mind would be to get a multi-family property.”

Nadia said house hacking is a great tool for early retirement, “because we lived for free, and all your money can go into your savings.”

RELATED CONTENT: Trailblazing Investor Terri Burns Launches Own VC Firm, Type Capital

Meta hosted its first-ever Elevate HBCU Hackathon, a one-day intensive for students interested in marketing and engineering to solve issues faced by Black-owned businesses with the support of Facebook design experts.

“Black-owned small businesses have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic with higher closure rates and lost sales,” Irene Walker, Meta Elevate Program Director, told AfroTech. “In an effort to help solve the problems these businesses are facing, we’re excited to kick off the Meta Elevate HBCU Hackathon. We’re excited to partner with HBCUs to provide an opportunity for students to join us in creating solutions to support Black-owned small businesses.”

Meta’s Elevate HBCU Hackathon, which took place on Nov. 6, placed HBCU students into teams and paired them with small, local Black-owned businesses. Students were guided through the design processes for their solutions with the help of mentors at Facebook. 

Nasir B, a student at Morehouse College, said participating in the event brought him closer to his career goals. 

“This was my first ever hackathon and participating in the process felt like a huge step in my journey to becoming a software engineer,” he said. “I feel more confident in my ability to work with a team, receive mentorship and work under a deadline and I appreciate Meta for the experience.”  

The hackathon included a judging session where teams pitched their prototypes to a panel of judges made up of Facebook employees and community entrepreneurs. The winning team included students from Alabama A&M University, Bowie State University, Morehouse College and Philander Smith College. 

“Hackathons build community by bringing together diverse backgrounds to solve problems. The Meta Elevate HBCU Hackathon empowered students to work with Meta employees, and solve problems for Black-owned small businesses,” Meta Hackathon Program Manager, Neta Retter, said. ”The students who participated exemplified leadership and empathy to make real change for businesses who needed support, while gaining valuable skills and experience for their future.” 

Zoe Oli, 9, the CEO of Beautiful Curly Me, shared the inspiration behind her Black doll line in conversation with Meta’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg on Monday. 

Beautiful Curly Me sells 18-inch dolls with curly or braided hair. The dolls, named Leyla and Anika, are offered in different skin tones. The company also provides hair care and empowering books for young girls written by Zoe.

Zoe received a $4,000 grant from Meta as part of its $100 million investment in Black-owned small businesses. The Beautiful Curly Me CEO plans to launch a podcast and write more books in the future.

“Not only is she beautiful with her curly hair, but she’s anatomically correct. This is a real girl,” Sandberg said. “You are helping girls feel good about their hair, their skin and their bodies. That is so wonderfully important.”

 

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Zoe’s vision has helped empower hundreds of girls to love themselves. Through an initiative launched by Beautiful Curly Me, the company donates one doll to a girl in need for every doll purchased. To date, they’ve donated 733 dolls. 

“It all started when I was 6 years old, and I did not like my hair,” Zoe told Sandberg on Instagram Live. “I wished my hair was straight like my classmates.”

Zoe said her mother, Evana Oli, tried to make her feel better by buying her a Black doll, but she didn’t find any comfort because the doll’s hair was straight and silky. So, she told her mother she wanted to start a business, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. 

“I was taken aback,” Evana said during the interview. “She was 6 years old.”

“About 66% of the world has curly hair,” Evana said. “We really want to go global with this brand. Zoe has huge dreams and aspirations.”

Zoe’s advice to aspiring business owners is to “Get started. Done is better than perfect.”

“A lot of people think it has to be the perfect time to start. But if you wait for that, you are going to wait forever,” she said.

Broadway history has been made by a Black artist once again. For the first time in more than 18 years, the production of Wicked will be led by a Black woman full-time. 

People reported that Brittney Johnson will take over the stage play’s lead role, Glinda the Good, on Feb. 14, 2022. The actress previously understudied the role and, on Jan. 10, 2019, became the first person of color to play the part on Broadway. 

While full-time, she’ll take the stage as Glinda eight times a week at the Gershwin Theatre.

“It’s an honor,” she told People. “I only had a few people who I feel like I could look up to when I was starting this journey, and it’s still a little surreal for me when people send me messages and write me letters saying that I am the reason why they feel like they can pursue their dream, that I am the person that they are looking up to. It feels like an awesome responsibility and one that I am grateful for.”

Johnson recalls being at a loss for words when she received the offer from Wicked producer David Stone.

“He was like, ‘So, we would love for you to take over for Glinda,’ and then there was silence because I probably was sitting on the other line just like not breathing!” she said about the phone call. “He was like, ‘Hello? Are you there? Are you excited?’ I was like, ‘Yes, I’m very excited.’ He had to wake me up because I feel like I’m in a dream.”

Before stepping into the spotlight, Kristin Chenoweth—who opened as Glinda when the musical arrived on Broadway in 2003—gave Johnson her blessings. 

“I am so proud of you,” she told Johnson in a video message. “You’ll be handling the wand and crown just as I did, and probably better. I even wore pink for you! I’m saying congratulations, break a leg, and you know I love you, baby!”

• Health and Wellness

by spencera

December 9, 2021

Nigerian Medical Student, Self-Taught Artist, Goes Viral After Posting Illustration Of Black Baby In the Womb

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A medical student from Nigeria took it upon himself to solve a major problem in the healthcare industry—lack of Black representation in textbooks and diagrams. 

Chidiebere Sunday Ibe, 25, recently went viral after posting an illustration he created of a Black mother and fetus on social media. The first-year student at Ukraine’s Kyiv Medical University taught himself to draw while on lockdown and has been spreading the message of medical equity and inclusion ever since, Artnet.com reported. 

“Textbooks are essential to medical training,” the Ebonyi State native wrote in a video on YouTube. “They walk medical trainees through conditions they will encounter during their practice. The skin is an important organ that protects us and can signal when something is wrong in our body. Yet, most medical illustrations are based on the Caucasian skin. This lack of diversity has important implications for medical trainees and their future patients because many conditions and signs look different based on the patient’s skin color.”

 

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A post shared by Chidiebere Ibe (@ebereillustrate)

Ibe currently serves as the chief medical illustrator and creative director at the Journal of Global Neurosurgery.

His drawing caught the attention of people worldwide, garnering over 88,000 likes on Instagram since Dec. 2. For many people, coming across his work was the first time they’d seen a medical illustration featuring Black people.

Ibe, who plans to become a pediatric neurosurgeon, told HuffPost UK he didn’t expect the image to go viral, but he’s glad.

“This image was created like every other image; I never expected it to be viral,” he said. “The whole purpose was to keep talking about what I’m passionate about—equity in healthcare—and also to show the beauty of Black people…I feel great seeing it going viral, I never expected it, and it feels good that the message is out and it will challenge current systems.”

• Lifestyle

by spencera

December 9, 2021

Cincinnati Mother of Two Surprised With Fully-Furnished Apartment After Eviction

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A mother of two, and employee at Dunkin,’ was surprised with a fully furnished apartment after she and her family faced an eviction. 

Ebony Johnson, 33—known for her excellent service at a Dunkin’ location in Mount Healthy, OH—was surprised with a new apartment by one of her regular customers, Suzanne Burke, Today reported. 

Burke figured something was wrong when she noticed Johnson hadn’t worked at the drive-thru for a few weeks in March 2020. Johnson had been evicted that month. When she returned to work, she shared with Burke that her family needed to find housing. 

“I wanted to give up,” Johnson told Today. “I cried. I come to work every day and nobody knows what I’m going through because I always try to have a smile for our customers.” 

Burke, who has a background in social service work, offered to help. She reached out to different businesses and organizations to get Johnson the support she needed.

Her generosity paid off. After 21 months without permanent housing, Johnson and her family moved into their very own apartment on Dec. 3. Before then, they were living house-to-house with different family members and in cramped conditions. 

“Oh my God, it was so amazing, I just busted out crying,” Johnson recalled. “I never had a full furnished house. I never had help like this. I had been asking God to put us in a home before Christmas, and He really did. I’m just so thankful.”

“It was so exciting, we all cried,” Burke told Today. “I’ve got three kids, and I can’t imagine not having a home to go to and then to have to get up, get the kids to school, and show up at work with a positive, happy attitude? I’ve been in awe of her.”

Burke enlisted the help of Design to Market to furnish the home. The real estate staging company owned by her friend, Jo Potvin, donated the majority of the furniture. New Life Furniture Bank, a Cincinnati-based furniture bank, also helped to design the two-bedroom apartment.

Johnson can now enjoy the holidays with her children from the comfort of their own home.

“Last year we didn’t wake up to nothing,” she said. “It was depress and stress. This year is going to be good because we’re in our home. I get to cook in my own kitchen for my kids.”

• News

by spencera

December 9, 2021

Shaq’s Son, 6-foot-10 LSU Forward Shareef O’Neal, To Release NFT’s On His Personal Life And Basketball Career

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The son of NBA hall of famer Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef O’Neal, is making a grand slam entrance into the world of crypto. 

The student athlete at Louisiana State University signed a long-term name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with NFT Genius—a cryptocurrency start-up backed by the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, actor Ashton Kutcher and other investors. 

O’Neal, 21, will be releasing Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) as a part of NFT Genius’ BALLERZ collection, which includes 10,000 basketball-themed NFTs. The 6-foot-10 forward is using the project to share details about his personal life, in addition to his basketball career. 

“I see NFTs as an innovative medium to bring fans along my life’s journey — to join me and my family through our own successes and struggles and bring awareness to causes that are important to me,” O’Neal said, according to Forbes. 

He continued, “We want to reward everyone who secures my first NFTs that will reflect those things I am most passionate about — basketball, music, and giving back. We have a lot of surprises in store including winning signed memorabilia, free air drops, and access to some cool experiences with me and my family.”

O’Neal’s first NFT in the collection is scheduled to release on Dec. 13. 

On that day in 2018, he underwent open-heart surgery after being diagnosed with a right anomalous coronary artery—a birth defect that caused an artery to grow in the wrong place, USA Today reported. 

“It’s scary,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s something I’ve thought about probably 100 times a day ever since it happened. Every time I change my shirt, I see this big scar.”

When Forbes asked him how he felt about NFTs when he was approached with the deal, he said he was excited and plans to use it as a platform to have a larger conversation about his health advocacy. 

“I am here for it! I think NFTs are that new wave and it’s really a way give power to creators that want to innovate,” he told Forbes. “I can’t wait to use my NFTs to connect with fans and raise funds for a cause that I care about through my partnership with American Heart Association.”

An Afro-Colombian journalist worked behind-the-scenes for Disney to ensure its “Encanto” film told the story of her native Columbia in all of its rich Afro heritage and culture.

Edna Liliana Valencia, who’s focused her career and personal life on highlighting the importance of Afro representation, brought her expertise with her to Disney when they reached out for her help with the 2021 animated story. 

According to Travel Noire, she shared her contributions to the animated movie in an interview with Infobae. While working with Disney; she supported directors, producers and animators to create the most accurate representation of the Afro-Colombian people.

In the film, a family lives in a magical home in the hills of Colombia. Each of the family members has a super power—except for one child. 

“For me, it was important that the Afro-Colombian characters not be caricatured in an exaggerated or stereotyped way,” she shared. She also stated that Columbia is an extremely diverse country where no Afro-descendant is exactly like the other.

Over the year and a half process, Valencia contributed to the characters’ costumes, as well as hair and other features. For her, “Encanto” is historical because Colombian children now have a movie of their own to look up to. 

“The people of my generation grew up with the reference of a distant Disney princess, who did not look like us, who lived a life of queens that we could not have,” she said. “Now, the girls of this generation are going to grow up with a Disney character that looks just like them, dress just like them, with curly, wavy hair, who eats arepa and plays shuffleboard … it gives us the chance to believe that we are the protagonists of history and feel that we are part of that international narrative.”

Other Colombian-inspired details in the film included Chocó, the region where Valencia was born, and chonta marimba, African braids with colored shakiras. Valencia said she’s seen the movie many times with the team, as well as with loved ones. 

“In the end, I could take each character of the Madrigal family and compare it with someone in my family and I think it is something that can happen to all Colombians.”

Jade Yasmeen, a painter based in Los Angeles, debuted the first-ever hyperrealistic portrait of Harriet Tubman at the Aku World exhibit during Art Basel in Miami. 

In a post on Instagram, Yasmeen shared a photo of her standing next to the 74×60 colored painting and why she chose to honor Tubman. 

“I chose Harriet as a way to commemorate the past,” she wrote. “Our ancestry is so rich and deserves to be preserved. That’s my goal as an artist. To continue the legacy of those that came before myself and others. This is a moment in time I’ll never forget.” 

The portrait of Tubman, entitled “The Pain Below,” was accompanied by another piece by Yasmeen—a painting of Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel to space. 

 

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Yasmeen shared a photo of herself next to the large painting on Instagram, along with a message about the trailblazer. 

“Let’s not forget about Mae..,” she shared. “I’ve always looked up to Mae Jemison as a little girl because I recognized that she pushed the status quo. The first African-American woman in space! on the first multicultural crew as well. These icons deserve their flowers. Without them we wouldn’t know how limitless we are. Under an extreme time crunch I was able to include her into this show as well. And rightfully so.”

Yasmeen’s talent started at a young age, watching her parents paint and draw at their home in Tampa, Florida, Dutchess International Magazine reported. 

“I first discovered my creativity when I was about 5 yrs of age— I was the queen of making ‘messes’ on the walls of our house growing up. Drew on all the mail and my older siblings’ homework,” Yasmeen recalled. “My family couldn’t even stay mad at me because the doodles were pretty fire!”

In 2015, Yasmeen took a leap of faith and decided to pursue her artistry professionally. At the time, she was two years into earning a college degree in Elementary Education. 

“We have the power to make anything a reality,” she said. “Anyone who hones in on their innate ability to dream for something beyond their reach is capable of achieving it. It’s possible if we just muster the courage to create it.”

A Canada-based Black woman saw her artwork take off in NFT sales this year. In total, she’s earned more than $300,000. 

Lana Denina, 24, started selling her art as NFTs, or non fungible tokens, in February. She’s racked up through her presence on various platforms. As if she was sitting on a hidden gold mine,  just one month ago, she didn’t even know what an NFT was, CNBC reported.

After learning about blockchain, It didn’t take long for the Montreal resident to realize she’d found something “completely revolutionary.”

When she first started selling NFTs of her paintings, Denina sold single works. She later transitioned to offering entire collections. Her most recent collection, “Mona Lona,” was minted in November and sold out in weeks. 

 

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A post shared by LANA DENINA (@lanadenina__)

The Mona Lona collection featured 500 portraits of women. Each piece was generated by code with 112 different traits.

“It took off very fast. I was really surprised,” Denina said. “I don’t know if I got lucky. It was a big success for me and my partner. We worked a lot on this project, and we were really happy.”

She attributes the quick sales to representation. 

“When they saw the Mona Lana, they really wanted to buy an NFT,” she said. “Before that, they were looking at other projects, and they didn’t feel fully represented maybe.”

Due to the lack of diversity in traditional galleries, she said she “never felt fully attracted to it, especially as a woman of color.” Unlike traditional rules in the art world, NFTs and Web3 enable artists to create their own art galleries and control the price points for their work online. 

Denina, who earns 20% royalties on secondary sales of her work, considers traditional galleries “kind of like the old world.” Yet, she believes there’s still work to do surrounding inclusivity in online markets. 

As someone who’s experienced success with NFTs, Denina hopes others will take a chance on the emerging market. 

“I hope to inspire more creatives who look like me to step a foot into tech,” she said.