So...This Is Why I'm Broke

Melissa Jean-Baptiste is a first-generation Haitian American helping Millennials and Gen Z restructure their relationships with money. As the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, she had to lead by example and was determined to achieve the elusive American Dream. For her first party trick, after four years at Adelphi University, she graduated Cum Laude with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Adolescent Education. During her 11-year tenure as a New York City high school English teacher, and adjunct professor, Melissa implemented valuable shifts to her instructional design to provide her students with a practical curriculum that would be fundamental to their personal growth outside of the classroom. She would later become the lead instructional designer and curriculum developer for the English department and Collegeboard Advanced Placement courses. Melissa went on to write and produce the award-winning web series Millennial In Debt, which highlighted the overwhelming nature of navigating adulthood due to a lack of financial education. As Melissa navigated her own personal finance journey, she documented her money mistakes and lessons publicly to teach others how she paid off $102,000 in student loan debt and bought her first home. As a personal finance and career development coach, Melissa’s main objective is to make conversations about money the norm. In doing so, she hopes to increase millennials’ opportunities to obtain financial freedom and build generational wealth. With an audience of over 300,000, Melissa continues to teach fundamental money lessons and lead conversations in a creative manner. Melissa is always one click away on all social platforms by following: @Millennialindebt.

Introduction



Part I – Financial Fundamentals: Eating Costco Samples for Dinner So You Don’t Have To



Chapter 1: My budget got left off bad and bougie



Chapter 2: Save Like I’ve Got Some Cents



Chapter 3: To all the credit cards I’ve swiped before



Chapter 4: My debt is UP and I’m stuck



Part II – I make Money Moves: The Road To Financial Independence



Chapter 5: Get Rich Or Invest Trying



Chapter 6: This girl is on FI/RE





Chapter 7: Side hustle & chill



Chapter 8: Just Hold On … We’re Buying Homes



Part III – Started from the bottom… now we’re wealthy-ish



Chapter 9: Take Care - Estate Planning 101



Chapter 10: Don’t mess with the IRS


Chapter 11: Reclaiming my time – Retiring As a Millionaire



Chapter 12: First comes love, then comes the pre-nup