Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Brooks.
Morgan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well I guess you could say my story begins in Pasadena, CA, where I was born and raised. I am a wife, mother, and CPA working in the financial services profession for more than 12 years. More recently, I began Mindful Money Moves, LLC, focusing on financial literacy and education for the everyday person. Basically taking all of the corporate experiences I’ve had and applying similar principles to personal finance in a way that everyday people can easily understand and incorporate into their daily lives and overall financial plan. I am based out of Los Angeles, CA. I have a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Accounting from USC (University of Southern California). The intersection of these two seemingly different disciplines has led me to seeing and thinking differently about money.
I’ve always been a numbers girl, but I always imagine where I’d be had I been learning these foundational financial lessons earlier in life, especially from someone that looked like me and truly understood the nuances that come along with that. I wanted to be exactly what I needed as a kid/adolescent/young adult. My goal is to shift the mindset by making financial literacy and education real, relatable, digestible, and affordable to those who need it most. Personally and professionally, I have gained so much knowledge through my experiences and I wanted to be able to share those lessons with my community. Mindful Money Moves is my way to do that.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think anyone who is trying to break the mold and stereotypes does so “smoothly”. When you’re in it, it just feels like you’re handling business and doing whatever it takes. It’s not until times like this when you reflect back that you even acknowledge any of the things meant to hold you back. Before I begin to share, I’ll start by saying my outlook has always been “but it could have been worse”, so all-in-all I’m thankful and grateful for it all. Most of my obstacles and challenges related to identity and feelings of “not fitting in” perfectly in any of the various “circles” I was in. Beginning in high school my athlete friends/associates didn’t understand “why” or how I would also be the concertmaster of the orchestra (playing the violin of all instruments haha). “Scholarly” friends/associates had their own misperceptions of people who participated in sports.
Attending college at USC was another shift/adjustment. Not sure why (I guess naivety), but at the time I expected the black student population to be a lot more substantial on campus given we were in the middle of south central LA. I was now attending this PWI, where most “assumed” I was a student athlete, but it was my academics that got me in. I still had/made friends with student athletes, who were surprised that I was attending solely based on academics, so then assumed that I was one of the “rich black girls” whose parents could afford to send them to this prestigious and expensive private college. Let’s just say, I was NOT. Living on campus, I didn’t really relate to most of the students I lived with. They came from money, drove nice cars, didn’t have to work, etc. Meanwhile I’m missing student events, football games, networking/bonding time with peers, trying to rack up all the hours at my different part-time jobs. And even with that, I still had to take out a ton of student loans to attend.
Transitioning into Big 4 accounting was yet another shift for me. Again, I was often the only black woman in the room, and again I don’t really fit exactly into any “molds”. Honestly at the time, I didn’t think of any of this as “obstacles or challenges”, it was just what I had to do to get where I wanted to be. All in all, I think it worked out for me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Mindful Money Moves LLC?
Mindful Money Moves is a financial literacy and education consulting firm focused on changing your Money Mindset, setting and reaching financial goals, and getting closer to achieving financial freedom and independence by showing people the components of a healthy financial profile. Growing up, money and finances was such a taboo topic and something that was “grown folks’ business”. Avoiding these topics and discussions has proven to be very detrimental for my community especially. Some of those lessons could have kept me out of debt, or at least helped me avoid some of it, or made me realize the importance of investing a whole lot earlier in life. My goal is to shift our frame of thinking when it comes to money by first educating, then working on Mindset and awareness. My goal is to make financial literacy and education REAL, relatable, digestible, and affordable to those who need it most.
Our offerings will include physical and digital products that promote financial education, as well as group workshops, public speaking engagements, and personal 1-on-1 coaching & consultation sessions. Financial literacy education is priority, but I am a strong believer in visual cues so I utilize that in staying on track financially. I think this crosses over into the “psychology” aspect of my learning and experiences. Our accessories serve as a reminder to be mindful with your money. For example, I created a piggy bank, but instead of a pig, it looks like a purse that can be customized with encouraging phrases to keep you on track. This was a good alternative/compromise since my weakness was always shoes and handbags. I had to figure out a way to flip it so that it was actually useful and beneficial to me. We offer other accessories such as bracelet sets and hats with money related captions and/or graphics so that it’s top of mind and visible.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My parents, Denise and Ron Wilson contributed to where I am today. They instilled so many valuable lessons from an early age. In addition to treating others how you want to be treated, they made sure I understood how important education was and how to use it as a tool to better your life or situation. My parents are originally from the Midwest, married at a very young age, and relocated to Pasadena, CA shortly thereafter. My mom gave me the gift of organization and writing everything down (which I later realized was her budgeting technique). She helped develop more of my interpersonal and soft skills. To this day she is one of the most thoughtful people I know, always considering others feelings. My dad is from very humble beginnings, one of nine siblings, lost both of his parents at the age of 9yo, was raised by his grandmother in a trailer with all of his siblings plus extended family, on a farm, but he utilized education and sports to get him to college on a full scholarship, changing the trajectory of his life. He was and still is a hard worker, which naturally rubbed off on me. Although he was on a basketball scholarship, he was a math major, which was also surprising to anyone he told. He started teaching and quizzing me on multiplication, and then by 2nd grade we were moving into algebra (the guy is literally crazy). Numbers always came natural to me, which was so “surprising” and contrary to what people “expected”, especially from a young black girl.
Professor Sarah Bonner, my ‘Intro to Accounting’ professor at USC, is one of the reasons I got into accounting as a profession. As mentioned, I was a Psychology major in undergrad. In my senior year, I decided to take her course. People thought I was crazy because by that point, all I needed was a “mindless” elective for the units, but I was choosing to take a “boring accounting course that could potentially mess up my GPA if it didn’t go well”. It was the best decision I ever made. I loved it so much that after working in the Psychology field for a couple of years, I decided to go back and get my Master’s in Accounting.
Pricing:
- MMM Bag Banks – $50-$60
- MMM 3-piece Bracelet Sets – $50
- MMM 1-on-1 Coaching Session – $99-$199
- MMM Hats – $35
- Group Sessions / Speaking Engagements starting at $200
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.mindfulmoneymoves.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mindfulmoneymoves?igshid=r471ukpsmqwz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/110612230529773/
Image Credits:
Nwankaego Nwandei Henry Jones (MMM bag banks)
