Surviving Beverly Hills:

This is the cover of my Beverly Hills High School freshman yearbook.

Beverly Hills is glamorous on the outside

—but survival of the fittest was the real lesson.

Recently, I was catching up with a very successful friend and asked her what drove her. She said she never wanted to live like her parents—her father was an electrician, her mom a stay-at-home parent.

Another friend, raised in Idaho with no money, no connections, and no paid internship, borrowed money from her small-town bank to move to NYC for her summer internship. Today, she’s a successful executive.

Me? I didn’t want to end up financially dependent on a man.

—like my mom, sitting on the couch, saying she was a victim, with no ability to work.

What made me fight my way out of the jungle?

- Was it when my best friend stole money from me, and I realized money might matter more than friendship?

- Was it the moment I felt special just carrying a shopping bag while walking on Rodeo Drive?

- Was it watching my mom and grandma joke, “We may not have a lot, but at least we have our Gucci purses”?

- Was it a desire to fit in when we lived in New Canaan, CT, with all the preppy smart boys I went to elementary school with? 

All of these moments—small but impactful—shaped me.

They stuck because of how they made me feel.

That identity gave me determination.

Perhaps #financialliteracy or survival is better learned in the jungle!

I love celebrating and, most importantly, teaching financial independence!!

Reach out if you need some guidance!

Happy 4th of July

Tiffany Kent

Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide

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