Hi friend,

I know I've been gone for a while.

If you signed up for these emails a year (or two) ago and forgot I existed, I won't take it personally. Inboxes are noisy. Lives move on. I'm back now, and I want to earn your attention before I assume you'll give it to me.

So let me start with something useful.

Financial Literacy Month is ending this week.

For 30 days, my socials has been flooded with infographics about compound interest. Banks have been pushing "tips" written by their marketing teams. Influencers have been selling courses. And after all that noise, I want to leave you with the one thing nobody seems to say out loud:

Most "financial literacy" content isn't actually teaching you anything.

It's teaching you vocabulary. The difference between a Roth and a 401(k). What an APR is. How a credit score gets calculated. That's not literacy. That's a glossary.

Real financial literacy is something else. It's the ability to look at your numbers, whether that's a paycheck, a P&L, or a nonprofit's annual budget, and make a decision you feel good about. It's confidence, not just terminology.

If you walked away from Financial Literacy Month feeling like you should "know more" but you're not sure what to do differently on Monday morning, that's not your fault. The content is built that way.

This newsletter is going to be different. I promise to never give you a glossary when you need a decision.

Now, quickly, here's what I've been up to:

A real job, a big program, two teenagers, and a dream.

I'm now working full-time at Partnership on AI, a nonprofit shaping responsible AI practices across the industry. It's meaningful work, and it's also the foundation that lets me build Your CFO Friend the right way, without the desperation that forces bad decisions.

I'm in Cohort 9 of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business program at NYU Stern. If you don't know it: it's a 12-week, fully-funded business education program that Goldman Sachs runs in partnership with NYU Stern, designed specifically to help Black women entrepreneurs scale. Acceptance is competitive, the curriculum is rigorous, and the network is extraordinary. I've been quietly pouring my evenings and weekends into it for weeks. It's the reason a lot of what's coming next exists.

I have two teenagers, which means I've been demoted from "mom" to "the lady who pays for things." I have a husband who creates for a living. I have a deep conviction that romantic comedies are an essential food group.

I'm an over-thinker recovering from chronic burnout. I'm building a business while working a full-time job, raising teenagers, and learning to rest. Some days that goes well. Some days it doesn't.

One more thing:

I started a newsletter. Then I overthought the name. (Surprise to no one who knows me.) After almost calling it three different things, each one already trademarked by someone else, I landed back where I started: The CFO Friend Newsletter.

Sometimes the best decision is the one staring you in the face.

What's coming:

Next week, I'll share what this newsletter is actually going to be: who it's for, what to expect, and how often you'll hear from me. (Spoiler: not too often. I respect your inbox.)

If you don't want it, the unsubscribe link is right there at the bottom. No hard feelings. If you do, I'll see you in a few days.

Either way, thank you for being here. Genuinely.

Professor B. Nance
Your CFO Friend