Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche continues to prepare people to take control of their finances.

The Budgetnista

The Nigerian American and former Newark, NJ, preschool teacher may no longer be working a traditional 9-to-5, but she remains an educator. For 15 years, she has taught financial literacy, a lesson rooted in her upbringing.

“I grew up in a household where money was talked about all the time. My father was an accountant and a CFO … It wasn’t really until college that I realized that people didn’t get financial education at home,” she told attendees during the AFROTECH™ Conference 2025.

Aliche had a reckoning while teaching on a $39,000 salary, realizing that the corporate world was not her goal and she wasn’t willing to lose her soul for a paycheck, she explained. This led her to become a master of her finances, and she also taught the parents of her students how to do the same.

“The kids went to sleep during nap time, and I had Parent University during nap time. I showed them how to do their taxes … I showed them that if you get direct deposit at this bank, you don’t have to pay the monthly fee, and ‘The Budgetnista’ was born from that space,” Aliche explained.

“So from there, I started the business. It was really hard, but I’ve grown it in the 15 years to an eight-figure business,” she continued.

As the first millionaire in her family, Aliche wants to give the AFROTECH™ community a game plan with actionable steps to achieve financial freedom. She revealed a three-step process that can be applied to grow a business or to grow as an employee.

Check them out below.

Maximize Your Earning Potential

The first step is to earn. The secret sauce to unlocking your potential in this arena is to channel your inner Oprah Winfrey, Aliche says. In other words, learn how to effectively provide value and communicate it, whether to your customers or your employer.

“Some of y’all don’t have the raise you want, the job you want, the money you want, because you have not demonstrated your Oprah, they don’t know you,” she explained.

Taking it a step further, Aliche suggested you should quantify your value and consider ways you have saved or made the company money. Don’t wait for your annual review. Instead, check in quarterly with your manager and share specific updates that highlight your impact.

Another suggestion is pursuing a side hustle that you can balance while in your current job. It’s a bonus if you have a degree or certificate in this field, as this will increase your earning potential.

Manage your Earnings

As you earn, managing your money is just as important, if not more so. Self-awareness helps you understand how you use your money and where it goes. Establish a budget, which Aliche defines as a list of everything you spend over 30 days, and subtract your monthly income from your total spending.

She also suggests planning for an emergency and saving at least six months’ worth, particularly for business owners, which may require living on a “ramen noodles budget.”

“If I had to get rid of all the non-necessity things and only get down to my bare bones budget, how much would my life cost me monthly? You can’t know that without awareness. Then you multiply that times six. And say, ‘That’s what I’m saving for.’ The moment that you have a disruption in income, you drop down and get your budget right … Meaning that ‘I don’t need that cable. I don’t need some of these subscriptions,'” she explained.

From there, organize your money by splitting your paycheck into two separate accounts. Use the first account to pay bills and deposit the majority of your money. Aliche suggests not linking a debit card to this account to avoid the temptation to spend. Use the second account for outings, activities, and personal treats like nails. This account will be more active, so a debit card is appropriate.

Finally, open a high-yield savings account with an online bank and dedicate it solely to your emergency fund. This account will be for any goals you are looking to accomplish over a two- to five-year period.

Protect Your Assets

Last but not least, it is essential to note that you don’t have to manage your wealth entirely on your own. It’s okay to ask for help. This could be an accountant, financial advisor, or certified financial planner (CFP).

Aliche suggested using a CFP for those who are starting to make decent money.

“A financial advisor is like saying, ‘I’m a teacher.’ A CFP is like saying, ‘I am my doctorate and I’m a teacher,'” she explained.

“A CFP, especially if you start early, can help you map out. Remember when you were in school and you met with your guidance counselor. I’m talking about in college, they helped you kind of map out what you need to do to graduate. That’s what a CFP will do,” she added.

Protecting your assets through insurance is also essential. This could include renters, homeowners, disability, or pet insurance, as well as an umbrella policy, which provides additional coverage once your other policies are exhausted.

Aliche received the suggestion to get a $1 million umbrella policy, which wound up costing her $400 for the year.

“Insurance doesn’t cost as much as you think, but it can cost you more than you think,” Aliche said.

Additional tips included considering estate planning and reviewing beneficiaries yearly, making updates as needed. You can also consider a trust, which carries more weight than a will, and add a beneficiary to it.

“I transferred my assets into my trust, so that when it’s time to inherit, it allows you to offset some of those potential taxes. But you want to get a good attorney to help you navigate that. What I don’t want to do is to leave all these amazing assets and then all these deals that come along with them,” she explained.

“When you have a will and something happens, it goes through probate, and everybody knows all your business. With a trust that’s not the case,” she added.

AFROTECH™ Conference 2026

If you found these tips helpful, be sure to reserve your seat for the next AFROTECH™ Conference, which recently attracted over 40,000 professionals across tech and business.

The AFROTECH™ Conference will return to Houston in 2026 from Nov. 2-6. Secure your early bird ticket now.