(ThyBlackMan.com) When a brotha catches your eye, he’s more than likely well-groomed and well-dressed. An unmistakable aura exudes from his presence, and it can be contagious. The current trendy term for it is “swagger”, but what is it really? Swagger generally is used to define the outward appearance and behavior of a person. As a matter of fact, within the black community, we generally categorize people based on what we see. Returning to the appearance of a , you’re highly unlikely to catch him looking a mess. The hair will be groomed. He’ll be adorned with stylish clothes, pricey shoes, and other flashy gadgets. While it does make for a fashionable statement, it’s costly on the wallet. Yet, our community places no emphasis on financial status. So, it’s no wonder that the credo is that it’s better to look like we’re balling out of control with a 500 credit score than to have an 850 credit score and drive a Prius.
We’ve been taught all our lives that bills and living from paycheck to paycheck is the norm. For our parents or grandparent’s generation, living paycheck to paycheck may have been the norm since financial disparity was a likely scenario. As household income began to rise, parents became so engulfed in rewarding their kids the luxuries in life that they didn’t have, that some of them began to forget to teach their kids HOW to earn their own luxuries in life. You’ll find all the millennial kids decked in designer clothes carrying iPhones, iPads, jewelry, etc. It’s also not uncommon to find those unemployed or earning minimum wage in fancy cars, carrying expensive smart phones, and rocking designer shoes. While there’s nothing wrong with these things, it is necessary to acknowledge it for the money guzzling cycle that it is.
The unfortunate thing about adopting fashion and materialistic goods as an expression is that it’s an endless drain on the wallet. Gadgets, clothes, cars come out in cycles almost on an annual, bi-annual, or monthly basis. Therefore, we’re dropping thousands and thousands of dollars annually to make a statement. Brothas, the reality is that many of us do not have the wealth to make this costly statement.
If we don’t have home ownership, education costs taken care of, investments, insurance, and retirement funds settled, then we have to be more conservative with the money spent recreationally on material goods. The reality is that those Jordans and Prada sneakers cannot and will not help you pay your bills. It will not raise your credit score. While you exchange a few Benjamins to look like a fashion icon, you make the recipients of that cash into wealth icons. Check the wealth profiles of the owners of these fashion and vehicle brands, and they’re probably doing really well for themselves. After all of that, you will more than likely be back to purchase from them again within a few months, as the purchases of today will be irrelevant tomorrow.
The Four Evils
If there are three things that are hazardous for a black man’s wallet, they have to be the following: clothes and sneakers, cars, gadgets, and women. Let’s break them down:
1. Clothes and Sneakers: Clothes are a necessity without a doubt. However, there’s no need to exclusively seek out designer items. Here we are placing a bias on items based on the brand, when the reality is that it too was made in a third world country and is ticketed for 10 to 100 times what it cost to make. The need to wear fancy, trendy clothes is a social construct. While your Jordans and Louis Vuitton clothing may earn you a few social points, it just took you a few hundred dollars back in wealth. You’ll have to earn twice as much as you spent to put you back in the same financial situation. Yet, we both know that’s not happening as this is just one of the dozens of purchases that will be made to complete our wardrobe.
2. Cars: Ever seen an old car probably worth a thousand dollars rolling around with thousands of dollars of accessories on it? We’re talking fancy rims, top of the line speakers, and a professional paint job. We have, and it’s enough to make Baby Jesus weep. You weren’t able to afford a modern car for a reason. It’s more than likely because of bad credit and/or lack of money. So, why further invest in useless liabilities on the car? You already have guaranteed regular maintenance and gas expenses to deal with. This advice goes beyond those riding around in old cars. You can often spot your favorite male celebrities flaunting their customized fancy vehicles. It’s a colossal waste of money for something that will end up depreciating and draining your net worth. A car should be a valid vehicle for transportation. Leave customizations for your pizza orders and music playlists.
3. Gadgets & Accessories: Everyone’s carrying around gadgets these days. However, in the black community, these things are used to signify our “swagger” status. Close your eyes and see if you can picture a man with ultimate swagger. Warren Buffet or Bill Gates isn’t probably going to come to mind regardless of the fact that they’re walking money factories. You’re also not likely to attribute swagger to a brother walking around dressed like them either. You’re likely thinking of a brother dressed to impress with fancy jewelry on and a nice phone. Once again, these are endless cash guzzlers. If you have the discretionary income to afford nice gadgets after all the bills, debt, and investments are taken care of, then there’s no problem. However, we have seen people standing in line for government assistance playing with their iPhones. Not a good look for your wallet.
4. Women: We put this in here not to say that women are the enemy. One of the greatest weaknesses for many men can be women. Brothers may end up spending more on them than their money allows. They could also end up being reckless one night and end up with decades worth of child support. Then there are others who love to take a whole paycheck and toss it recklessly in the air at a strip club. There’s nothing wrong with assuming the chivalrous or caretaker role in a relationship. However, it’s got to be in line with what you can spend responsibly. Let’s make it clear that we’re not saying that the women in your life should take a backseat. We’re only talking about needless undesignated spending on them, if it is causing you to spend your way to the poorhouse. It’s important to also note that if you have court-ordered child support, you can, must, and will need to pay. That simply means less discretionary money for you, my friend.
Is there anything wrong with aspiring to have these things? Not at all. It’s all about moderation and conservation. However, these things should take a backseat to the bigger goal of financial freedom. Your Nikes won’t help you secure a business or personal loan. Your BMW won’t score you good terms with your credit card. Keep your eye on the prize. The prize won’t lie in any of these materialistic goods. The prize will be in the system that keeps your money and net worth growing. Now that’s what we define as swagger and then some!
Staff Writer; India Love
For more encouragement regarding the wealth building and management of young minorities, visit; MinorityFortune.
Also connect with them via Twitter; http://twitter.com/minorityfortune.
I like this article but lets be clear you went a little light on the women you got guy spending enormous amounts of money on women that have no value so to break this down in to simplest form i say asset/liability cause when looking for a woman or spending on a woman you always want it to be an asset cause messing with an liability like the first letter of this word you would always take an L
I’m a Mexican and white American and if I were to come out with an article like this I’m an a*S**** or some sort of racist which I’m far from this was a great article and couldn’t have said it better myself
Once again…. Old Narrative. @Ross…good point of view… your rationale leads the debate from a linear structure into the true dynamics of the situation. Lets peel the onion…
FINANCE is the key adversary to money management. Momma said, Things you can’t afford today shouldn’t be purchased today. Farmers needed banks for capitol to hold them down until HARVEST. First it was the agriculture industry that allowed nations to feed themselves. A natural need existed for banks or people to loan capitol.
Its not what you choose to spend you hard earned money on, its the process you choose to obtain these possessions.
TOP 5
CREDIT CARDS – PAYDAY LOANS – 21% SHORT TERM INTEREST RATES – “ARM MORTGAGE”
PAYING THE MONTHLY MININUM
These Are Swagger Jackers…Its not the fact you spent $1,000 its the fact that your financing terms pimped you for double or triple their initial investment.
LOW HANGING FRUIT … meh
A broader look at the assertions made by the author, reveals a huge fact remains…its the NATION that is in DEBT & exhibits poor spending and saving habits… stressed by the fact wages have been flat for 40yrs, Educational cost as you mentioned is out of control.
Its just not as simple as linking it to culture and the wants of a few citizens…
Predatory Financial Service will make you a slave. I know people who work hard and have trouble making ends meet and its not because of the shoes on their feet.
Avoiding Bad Debt is key…like others have said
IPods are cheap these days. Pawn shops sell them even cheaper. If you own a business, getting a fancy car is a write off. The key is to “finance” it. A Lamborghini at $4000 a month payments is a great write off when you have your own corporation. It’s a business expense. Jewelry too. Most of those fancy clothes can also be free if you’re a performer of sort. Celerities don’t pay for their designer gear. It’s given to them to wear. Free advertising. 🙂
As for expensive tastes with women. Best advice. Be around those in the same financial situation and with the same means. They understand the importance of money. Well, some do. So if you a millionaire, make sure to date a millionaire and not a hundrednaire.
im an asian boy, im no black man but i must say that this is a good read for everybody. (i was just googling and came across this site) like i said its a perfect wake up call especially for people who are not really well off like myself, and middle class people who have all the opportunities to go to the next level financially.
nice observation, most people who earn just enough to get by are the ones who are easily tempted to live a lavish lifestyle. we see it on tv, on billboards ads etc. and we’re all bound to conform with what the trend dictates one way or another as technology evolves.
there has to be some kind of balance when it comes to spending, ofcourse you dont wanna dedicate your life to making money grow old and find yourself alone in a big mansion or something. its hard to grow old and look back and say hey that was a life well spent, but thats another story.
while some of the new stuff will help us, most of these things are wants, not needs. controlling one’s self to focus on what is needed is always hard. we’re social animals and its in our nature to want to be loved and looked up to
This article explains everything to the T. Luv it! I will definitely pass this on. People need to wake up!
Great Article! A few months ago I had a tax client contact me to assist him with purchasing his dream car. This young man is 28 years of age and has an annual salary of $65K which is the cost of his dream car. However, he did not have adequate savings for an emergency, nor a retirement plan although his total debt was $15K consisting of an existing car loan and one credit card. I assisted him with developing a financial plan that would allow him to become debt free by May 2012, save 12 months of his cost of living expense for emergencies by August 2012, and start investing 15 percent of his gross income towards retirement by October 2012. Then, I recommended that if he was still interested in purchasing his dream car, I could assist him with a strategy to purchase this vehicle using cash in about 3 to 5 years. A few weeks later this same young man contacted me to schedule an appointment for a financial plan tailored to his girl friend’s specific situation. I think the key to empowering our community rests with those of us who have extensive backgrounds in the financial arena planting the seeds in The Hood!
This is a article that should be read and digested by every reader on this site. The subject of this article has been a plagued on community for many years. No one could take issue with what you have said. Well said.