Generational Wealth Built from Scratch and an Emergency Fund on a Deadline

Nov 17, 2025

Grace Vandecruze, founder of Grace Global Capital LLC and a first-generation wealth builder, shares her journey from scarcity to wealth creation. She discusses crucial strategies for building financial legacies and setting boundaries with family regarding money. Kim Palmer, a personal finance expert, offers practical tips for rapidly boosting emergency funds, including cutting variable expenses and leveraging side-gig income. Together, they explore effective budgeting frameworks and the importance of maintaining a strong financial foundation before job loss.

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ANECDOTE

From Fire To Financial Purpose

Grace Vandecruze recounted returning from college to find her family's apartment burned and living in a homeless shelter to stay together.
That crisis became her turning point to prioritize financial safety nets and a new mindset about money.

ADVICE

Save Bonuses To Crush Debt

Grace recommends living off your salary and saving windfalls like bonuses to accelerate debt repayment.
She used bonuses to eliminate six-figure student loans within four years.

ADVICE

Set Money Boundaries With Family

Learn to say no to family money requests and avoid treating gifts as recurring fixes.
Keep wealth details private because 'wealth is silent' and oversharing invites pressure.

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Learn how first-generation earners build wealth and how to grow an emergency fund before a possible job loss.

How do first-generation earners start and protect generational wealth? How can you bulk up an emergency fund fast if layoffs are looming? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss first-generation wealth building and how to build an emergency fund. Elizabeth first welcomes Grace Vandecruze, founder and managing director at Grace Global Capital LLC, to discuss being the first in her family to accumulate wealth with the goal of passing it down to future generations. Vandecruze shares tips and tricks on shifting a scarcity money mindset, setting firm boundaries with relatives who ask for financial help, and laying a 100-year legacy with insurance, wills, and family money conversations.

Then, personal finance Nerd Kim Palmer joins Sean and Elizabeth to discuss fast-tracking an emergency fund before a potential job loss. They discuss smart places to cut variable spending, how to route side-gig income to savings while setting aside money for taxes. They also go over ways to adjust retirement contributions while using frameworks such as the 50/30/20 budget, bare-bones budgeting, and high-yield savings to manage irregular income and avoid slipping back into credit card debt.

How to Make Money Online and Offline in 2025: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/how-to-make-money

Homeless to Millionaire : 6 Keys to UPLIFT your Financial Abundance

Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header

In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: budgeting with irregular income, side hustles to make money, no spend challenge, meal planning savings, grocery loyalty programs, variable vs fixed expenses, bare bones budget, high yield savings account, side gig taxes, estimated tax payments, consulting side income, adjunct professor income, nonprofit layoffs, student loan payoff strategy, save bonus vs salary, 403b match, pause retirement contributions, estate planning basics, will and power of attorney, life insurance for families, family money boundaries, saying no to money requests, financial literacy, legacy planning, intergenerational wealth transfer, talking about money with family, and underinsured households.

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.

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