The Smart Money Tribe: An African Woman's Guide to Maki… (2024)

In this sequel, there was much improvement in Arese’s writing style and because of that, I enjoyed it a lot more. It built on the story in the first book and brought Zuri’s friends into the limelight, helping us gain insight into their lives and see them navigate their individual financial woes as well.

I love how the author dug deeper into smart money choices. There are lessons for everyone; CEOs, employees and entrepreneurs. She also found a way to insert her stance of feminism in the book and it was just brilliant👏🏽

No horse shit, this book made me ask myself some very tough questions and I made notes that I’ll defs be referring back to. It also encourages having a circle of friends whom you talk about money with—earning more, creating multiple streams of income, investing together and keeping each other accountable on spending habits.
I highly recommend!

I recommend this books for every person working towards building their finances. This book practically puts you through the pros and cons of making smart financial decisions. But of course, you would have to read ‘Smart Money Woman’ first.

Loved it. One of the most practical books with great money lessons.

I can't wait for the Netflix adaptation! This book has so many golden nuggets. Part modern fable, part financial masterclass, it builds on the storyline of the first book. It gives advice on how make investments once you have understood financial basics addrssed in the first.For the first time, an author has captured African millennial perspective on personal finance.

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"People constantly throw around the phrase 'Your network is your networth', but I've come to realise that the premise only holds true if you can leverage it to create opportunities or remove obstacles. What do I mean? Take a look at the people you say are in your network - that Egbon that sits on the board of a consumer goods company, that bank MD you met at a conference that gave you his card or that rich relative. If you were looking for a job or a business opportunity, are you in a position to call any of these people to help? And when you do, will they leverage their resources to help you or send your call to voicemail?"

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Do you have a Smart Money Tribe? Do you even a tribe? What does your tribe do for you when you hit a rough patch financially? Does your tribe even talk about money, about how to make money, save money, invest and grow money? Will your tribe come through when you need financial, emotional, physical and moral support? Will you come through for your so-called tribe? What do you bring to the table in your tribe?

These are the questions a lot of us need to ask ourselves in our quiet moments.

As is written on the cover, Arese Ugwu's 'The Smart Money Tribe' really is An African women's guide to breaking bank.

Even though I rarely ever read finance related books because I find them boring, Arese's first book; 'The Smart Money Woman' was the first finance related book I ever read from start to finish. This was because it was so easy to read, with a bunch of likable and relatable characters, relatable and very entertaining.

Now, if you've read 'The Smart Money Woman', and just like me, you thought it was a great or good read, then you should absolutely read 'The Smart Money Tribe'. This sequel is nothing short of an absolute delight.

The thirteen chapter book follows the story of Zuri, Ladun, Tami, Lara and Adesuwa as they deal with the new phase of their lives and try to navigate the financial woes that come with it.

We get to hear from; The real estate babe - Zuri, the social butterfly fashion entrepreneur - Tami, The oil and gas big babe - Lara, The formerly fabulous housewife turned advertising personnel, and The Lawyer- Adesuwa.

Building on the story in the first book, Arese Ugwu gives more insight into topics such as financial abuse, entrepreneurship, building your investment portfolio, building multiple streams of income, building a valuable network that can be turned into an avenue to earn money, leveraging social media to create an income, preparing your business to attract capital and so much more.

The characters were really well developed, and my favourite was Tami. If you're a fashion entrepreneur, whose sales does not match your bank account balance, then you really should read this. Arese dropped quite a lot of gems about the fashion industry in Nigeria, how to turn a profit, and how to get funding for the business.

I love how Arese found a way to insert her stance on feminism into the book. I mean you cannot talk about women and financial independence without feminism and gender equality coming up in the discussion. Quite a lot of people think that a woman attaining financial independence means that she does not need a man.
In chapter 7 of the book Arese took her time to highlight what feminism is and what it is not, dismantling the common popular misconceptions about feminism and gender equality.

"Listen to me! Being a good woman is not about how much nonsense you can take. That's what this sick society wants you to believe because it benefits only two types of people. The men who do the shit Soji does and expects you to close your mouth and endure, and the women who take it and are stuck in bad marriages they can't leave so they want everyone to be miserable with them."

My biggest takeaways from this novel are:

🗞 Build your personal brand. Do you have a Skill? Are you a creative? Is there something you are really passionate about?
Yea?

Let people know. Blow your own trumpet. Be loud and deliberate about it. Show the world. You never know who might need your particular skill set or services.

🗞 Build a valuable network that can earn you money. Your network really is your net worth.
Since reading this, I've tried to evaluate the people in my circle, and henceforth, I'm going to be all about cultivating a community of people "who will go to bat for me even when I'm not in the room", friendships and relationships with people that will think of and recommend me when new opportunities arise, mentors that will give valuable advice based on their own experiences.

Right from the cover to the actual contents of the book, The Smart Money Tribe is a rare gem of a book. Save for a few typographical errors, everything about this book is a hit.

This book has been a journey of learning, unlearning and lots of revelations. From family, relationships, finances, black tax, female friendships, health, death... This book is woven in a way that you will learn so much that it will push you to act mid way the book so that you do not put the knowledge to waste by waiting for the book to end.

The 5 Ladies - Zuri (My favorite), Tami, Lara, Adesuwa, Ladun grow through their friendship and restore faith in their Beautiful friendship.
I loved that each of the ladies had a crucial part to play in their circle and they were all ready to learn from each other with an open mind.

I loved how in depth and detailed the lessons on Investing, Business, Entrepreneurship... are woven in the book and give all the crucial information one needs to make a decision to move forward.

I highly recommend this beautiful book to everyone to read.

Arese employs fiction to break down concepts and figures in the finance world that most people would altogether shy away from. She does a successful job of educating the reader on personal finance, with practical guides and activities in between stories with great context given to the circumstances of African women. It’s great read for anyone deciding to be in their money bag era, and the stories and experiences of the characters make it easy for anyone to remember the finance mistakes and achievements worth incorporating.

Having just read the Smart Money Woman non-stop, I was in doubt about whether I wanted to go straight ahead to #2. But I was so pleasantly surprised! The sequel is even better than #1, engaging, educational and so realistic. Thank you Arese for discussing such important issues for women in Africa and elsewhere. You did not shy away from very difficult conversations and that is something we need more of. I am a fan and can't wait for the next one.

I recommend you read the first book smart money woman first.
The book was really educative, amazing and interesting. It addressed so many issues women face and at the same time taught financial lessons. I fell in love with the characters and I can’t wait for the series adaptation.
The book is a must read.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to keep their finances in check or gain financial security and not get bored while reading.. I love Lara’s spirit and how she bounced back from everything she experienced, adesuwa on the other hand really made it tiring for me whenever it came to her part, but then everyone can’t be the same. A must read

The Smart Money Woman is a financial series I love. You know how you read a book and your current financial status and goals become a bitter joke...This is a must read for everyone that needs to understand the concept of basic investment and scaling through the pressure of trying to live "the baby girl's life"

I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page of this book. Not only were the stories of the characters interesting, the financial lessons had me reassessing my life.

Would I read this book again? Absolutely. It's so perfectly written and it highlights some of the challenges we face as Africans and also guides on how they could be solved.

Perfect book. 10/10 👏

The lessons in smart money woman and this one are numerous. From having a positive mindset towards your work to building your tribe to a host if others, i totally enjoyed reading this book, and i hope to live out what i picked from the book.

Thank you, Arese. As always, you've blown my mind.

This book builds on financial concepts from the first book. Great lessons on investments, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, asset protection (insurance), raising capital, side hustles etc interwoven within the stories of these wonderful women.

This is a continuation from the smart money woman for starters, it’s an amazing book as is tell a story of 5 best friends who have have different walks but have one goal. They have decided to be money smart by investing and taking up ventures which will make more money for them.

I started reading this book after seeing the Netflix adaptation of the 1st book, which I have also read. The first 230 pages were great but it became a bit of a drag at some point.

All in all, great book.

I love the book and also how the author used storytelling to pass across her message to the readers.

Additionally, I highly recommend the book anyone who wants understand money and how to invest with practical strategies.

An exceptional read

A must read

Enlightening

Great book by Arese.

love it

All finance is local .
Enjoy exploring the Nigerian financial industry and using fin int to work for you.

Your finances is not something to play with, my dear friends
The smart money woman and the smart money tribe is a must read for everyone

This is sooooo lovely

So lovely