Meet BougieBudgeter: A Financial Influencer Reaching out to Young People Through Relatable Content

Almost anyone with a few budgeting hacks and investment tips based on limited experience can become fininfluencer on social media. But Mykail James aka @BoujieBudgeter has created a community of 70.6K followers where she not only gives advice but also shares her downtime experiences. James in a conversation with Reckon revealed that she got her first big-girl job at the age of 22 but it was not all sunshine, it came with a lot of financial stress. After spending her first $5,000 bonus, she decided to create a safe space for people going through similar life struggles to have a unique place for financial education online and across social media. James shared her journey of becoming a TikTok influencer and revealed why advice coming from social media platforms is very helpful. 

Why does financial advice from TikTok gain traction?

The best part of making content on social media is that people feel the connection and have the urge to listen to someone who looks like you and shares the same struggles. James further shared that one thing that her audience loves is that, "I not only talk about the high points of my financial wins but also about things that I’ve messed up. I don’t pretend that I’m perfect".

Are younger generations more passionate?

Speaking about the people who don't want to get married, have children, or buy a house early in their life, James says that, "We’re often told that we need to aspire to have these major life milestones like graduating from college, having children, getting married, and buying a house". Life decisions were different for the older generations but they cannot expect the same from the younger ones. GenZ and millennials are more focused on freedom, becoming independent, and working towards becoming financially stable human beings. People advise others on buying houses as if it will solve all the problems but unfortunately, it doesn't. She shared her opinion that, "My idea of generational wealth is not giving them a business or a home, for me it looks like giving them the freedom, space, and access to figure out how they want to make money and what impact they want to make on the world. And money and opportunity can do that, not pressure".

James' parents inspired and supported her to become a financially independent woman. She shared that her parents taught me very early on that as a woman, I can be in control of my finances, whether I have a husband and kids or if it’s just me by myself. It also taught me how to think about money and who or what I want to spend money on. Having money is not a case of being in a superior position instead it means having a feeling of generosity. It also means taking care of the people that you love and helping to make life a little bit sweeter for everyone.

If you like to work on your money situation, you can follow (@bougiebudgeter) for more finance-related content.