Join us on a special Brunch and Budget bonus episode as Dyalekt and Pam dive into the remarkable journey of Esusu, the company that evolved from digital sousus to a groundbreaking credit-building platform. In this two-part series, we bring you an exclusive interview with Samir Goel, the co-CEO of Esusu, who shares the story of their pivot and the mission to bridge the racial wealth gap.

Discover how Esusu leverages rental data to empower individuals in building credit, challenging the conventional credit system. Samir unveils the company's innovative approach, focusing on the b2b side to make credit-building accessible to everyone. Learn how landlords and renters alike can benefit from this unique system that encourages on-time payments and provides 0% interest financing in times of financial strain.

In this episode, we explore the journey of Esusu from its early days to achieving a remarkable $1 billion valuation, making it one of the few black-owned unicorns globally. Samir shares insights into their commitment to using data to close the racial wealth divide and create sustainable change in the financial landscape.

Get ready for a thought-provoking discussion on capitalism, financial literacy, and the power of data to transform lives. Congratulations to Samir and Esusu for being named one of Time magazine's 100 Next in 2023. Tune in and be inspired by a conversation that goes beyond finance, touching on the impact of Esusu's mission on individuals and communities.


** SAMIR BIO **

Samir Goel is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Esusu, the leading financial technology company advancing rent reporting and data solutions for credit building. A social entrepreneur committed to bridging the public and private sectors, Samir previously co-founded Transfernation, a nationally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit which uses technology to ensure excess food from events goes toward underserved communities across New York City. He has been recognized as the 2023 Founder of the Year by AFROTECH, named to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and recognized as a WEF Global Shaper, Global Good Fund Fellow, Dalai Lama Fellow, Resolution Fellow, as well as the recipient of the Jefferson Awards Foundation National Public Service Award. In addition to his work as a social entrepreneur, Samir held various positions at LinkedIn, The United Nations, Venture for America, and various non-profits in the New York City area. | LinkedIn

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

Join us on a special Brunch and Budget bonus episode as Dyalekt and Pam dive into the remarkable journey of Esusu, the company that evolved from digital sousus to a groundbreaking credit-building platform. In this two-part series, we bring you an exclusive interview with Samir Goel, the co-CEO of Esusu, who shares the story of their pivot and the mission to bridge the racial wealth gap.

Discover how Esusu leverages rental data to empower individuals in building credit, challenging the conventional credit system. Samir unveils the company's innovative approach, focusing on the b2b side to make credit-building accessible to everyone. Learn how landlords and renters alike can benefit from this unique system that encourages on-time payments and provides 0% interest financing in times of financial strain.

In this episode, we explore the journey of Esusu from its early days to achieving a remarkable $1 billion valuation, making it one of the few black-owned unicorns globally. Samir shares insights into their commitment to using data to close the racial wealth divide and create sustainable change in the financial landscape.

Get ready for a thought-provoking discussion on capitalism, financial literacy, and the power of data to transform lives. Congratulations to Samir and Esusu for being named one of Time magazine's 100 Next in 2023. Tune in and be inspired by a conversation that goes beyond finance, touching on the impact of Esusu's mission on individuals and communities.


** SAMIR BIO **

Samir Goel is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Esusu, the leading financial technology company advancing rent reporting and data solutions for credit building. A social entrepreneur committed to bridging the public and private sectors, Samir previously co-founded Transfernation, a nationally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit which uses technology to ensure excess food from events goes toward underserved communities across New York City. He has been recognized as the 2023 Founder of the Year by AFROTECH, named to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and recognized as a WEF Global Shaper, Global Good Fund Fellow, Dalai Lama Fellow, Resolution Fellow, as well as the recipient of the Jefferson Awards Foundation National Public Service Award. In addition to his work as a social entrepreneur, Samir held various positions at LinkedIn, The United Nations, Venture for America, and various non-profits in the New York City area. | LinkedIn

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Pamela Capalad about the path to becoming a financial planner, building a financial literacy program for kids, the unique struggles first-generation folks have with navigating wealth building, her holistic approach to financial planning and Sea Change, a financial planning service specifically for people of color.

Pamela Capalad (@brunchandbudget) is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Accredited Financial Counselor™ and has been in financial services since 2008. She founded Brunch & Budget to help people who felt ashamed or embarrassed about money have a safe place to make real financial progress. Pam has been featured in the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, Vice Magazine and was named New York Magazine’s Best financial planner of New York 2019.

This episode also features The Economic Outlook with financial astrologer Susan Gidel. This is a short segment where Susan, our resident economic cosmonaut, does what many humans have done before us for thousands of years: she looks to the stars to try to understand our economic present and predict our financial futures. For more guidance from Susan, sign up for her Red Letter Trading Days newsletter.

A special thanks to the talented and generous Ramsey Yount, for producing, editing, and sound designing this episode. Thank you to my friends, Jenna Parker and Gabe Sena, for lending us their voices. The theme music was written and performed by Andrew Paker, Jenna Parker, and Paco de Leon.

Please enjoy!

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

From Life Blood Podcast - 

On this show, we talked about what financial literacy is not about, what it's truly about and how you can best position yourself for success with Pamela Capalad CFP, AFC, Founder of Brunch and Budget, host of the Brunch and Budget podcast and CoFounder of Pocket Change.  Listen to learn about how you can determine the best plan for your personal financial future!

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

BONUS: Take Charge of Your Finances | Deliberate Freelancer with Pamela Capalad

Today’s guest is Pamela Capalad, a certified financial planner and accredited financial counselor in Brooklyn. Pam created this really cool program called Brunch & Budget, which helps people who feel ashamed or embarrassed about money have a safe and friendly place to talk about their finances—over brunch with Pam. I think this is genius. It makes people more comfortable and really open up to Pam, whose mission is to make financial planning as affordable as possible for the communities who need it most.

We didn’t get into it in this episode, but Pam and her husband teach hip hop and finance workshops to kids, teens and college students across the country through a program called Pockets Change. They also host the Brunch & Budget podcast, where they discuss how personal finance and racial economic justice intersect. And—if that’s not enough—they started a financial planning program designed for the needs of people of color called See Change.

In this episode, learn how Pam went from working in wealth management to financial planning—first, for her friends. A conversation with a friend led to Pam’s business, Brunch & Budget. While the first meeting is usually an in-person brunch, Pam then meets with clients virtually every month to help them put together a financial plan and to actually implement it.

Pam goes over the most-asked questions she gets from freelancers, which includes issues related to quarterly taxes and an inconsistent income.

Pam also helps freelancers figure out how to raise their rates.

Pam gives us the scoop on new IRS rules that benefit freelancers—the IRS won’t be charging penalties if you didn’t pay your 2018 taxes on time every quarter. And going forward, they’re going to less strict about freelancers paying taxes every quarter as long as you get all the taxes paid by January.

Pam explains why it’s important to build a good relationship with an accountant who works with freelancers.

Pam is a big believer in creating a 12-month cash flow projection of how much money you anticipate you will make and what your income goals are. It’s important to have monthly, quarterly and annual goals, partly because a freelancer’s income can be inconsistent. That cash flow projection will help you notice income patterns as income ebbs and flows throughout the year. Then, you can plan your action steps around your income goals and track and measure whether you’re hitting your income goals.

She also encourages freelancers to take a VACATION when the months are low.

Pam talks about how imposter syndrome relates to money—and sometimes increases as you get more successful.

When you are setting your rates, you need to figure out how to take the emotion out of it. Pam admits undervaluing herself when she first started providing her financial planning services.

But then Pam took the emotion out of creating her rates by making herself stick to a rule that every time she gained two or three new clients, she had to raise her rates for all future clients. She also recommends coming up with the “least I’m willing to take” rate.

If you do take a project below your rate, consider what non-monetary things you can negotiate with the client—a referral, a longer contract, additional projects.

Pam helps us figure out how to commit to a savings account. She recommends a “high-yield” savings account so you can gain a bit more interest than what you would at your local bank. Know what your minimum personal expenses and your minimum business expenses are each month. That way when you exceed those, a chunk of that money can go directly into your savings account.

Make sure you have a separate savings account just for taxes. That money is not yours. Set aside 25–30 percent of whatever you make and pretend that money doesn’t exist.

From there, take your monthly inc

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

Another Bonus Episode from Artist Without Day Jobs Podcast! 

Today we speak to Certified Financial Planner, Pam Capalad. She's the founder of Brunch & Budget and financial firm that takes the scary out of planning for your financial future through one of my favorite vehicle's BRUNCH!

Pam has been in the financial services industry since 2008 and spent a lot of those years at wealth management firms. She's based in Brooklyn, NY and serve clients virtually in the New York City area and across the country. You can find her firm at brunchandbudget.com.

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

Description from Martinis and your Money Podcast - 

As most of you know, I’m a big fan of financial literacy. And I think it is equally as important a component to a successful life, just like regular literacy. The biggest challenge for most people though is that, unlike reading lessons, most of us don’t get personal finance lessons in schools or at home. So it’s up to us to learn a language on our own and find the best classes for our needs. This is why I love highlighting so many different resources for financial literacy and I’m excited to share another one for you today. Joining me on the podcast today are Pamela Capalad and her husband, Dyalekt. She’s the founder of the financial planning company “Brunch and Budget” and together the couple has cofounded “The Race and Wealth Podcast Network” which includes the Brunch and Budget podcast as well as the organization “Pockets Change”, which creates financial literacy curriculums that are taught in schools, youth organizations or one-on-one with parents and kids. They’re joining me to share how their unique backgrounds and experiences helped them to find a unique way to teach financial literacy and empowerment to underserved communities.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode378

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

In this special episode, Dyalekt gets interviewed on Caribbean Rhythms Radio Network about Hip Hop FinFest 2023

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

We packed a whole lot of goodies in this hour special. We caught up with Tasty Keish from last year’s #DDJA interview to see where she is now after deciding to work as a full-time freelancer. We also discuss and divulge into a new Investment Appetizer and Poor Tax before our feature topic: The harsh […]

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 2 of why we believed the $72mm lie that Mohammed Islam told NY Magazine (that he made all this money investing in the stock market), we explore why we WANTED to believe his story. America and the American Dream is built on the idea of “rags to riches” narratives, being able to come […]

Get full access to Get Shameless about money at getshameless.substack.com/subscribe