This Financial Freedom Friday, we are pulling up to the corner to make money make sense. I sat down with Jaricka Thomas, a Certified Financial Education Instructor and the founder of Saving Sense, a movement built to empower our communities and heal generational wealth disparities. This is not about fancy words and big letters behind a name. This is about us, our future, and the wealth that has been waiting on us to reach out and grab it. Jaricka keeps it a hundred about paying down about $66,000 in student loan debt, and she breaks down the difference between just saving and actually investing so clearly that it finally clicks. We got into high yield savings, the S&P 500, index funds, IRAs, and the thing that stuck with me the most. Your employer match is free money, and you would never step over $5 laying on the ground, so stop stepping over that match, FAM. We also talked about our community, how we took the Disney trips but never bought the Disney stock, and how generational wealth does not have to be inherited. It can start with you, today. Remember, when you know better, you do better. This episode is the knowing, and the doing is up to us. Tap in now and Listen in: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner. Drop me a comment about the first money move you are making after this episode, and share this with somebody who is ready to get free. Show my guest some love and go learn with her too: follow @savingsensehq, visit savingsense.org, and reach out at [email protected]. Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. It's not just a podcast, it's a Community. No matter how you cut it or slice it, we're all in this together.

This episode is straight from the heart. This was supposed to be a normal Wind Down Wednesday, but a long morning conversation with my Big Brother Mr. Moody flipped my whole perspective, so I had to sit down and talk it out with you all. As I get ready to send my baby girl off to her freshman year of college, we got real about life, about growing up, and about what it takes to let your kids step into their independence. We covered the stuff that matters. Enjoy life, but do it wisely. Stay safe, and not just from others, but from your own doing. I kept it honest, because I love you too much to make it sound easy. Success is not easy, and the real question is always whether you are going to keep going. Once you are out there, nobody is going to wake you up for class or check your habits for you, so I talked about the discipline it takes, and about finding that one uncle, aunt, cousin, coach, or mentor who will tell you the truth in a way you can actually hear. And FAM, this conversation is for all of us, myself included, because perseverance is the excellence, whether or not college is your road. I close this one out with a challenge for the whole Corner Community. Let's pray for our kids at every level, from elementary to college, because those prayers are money in the bank to be cashed later. Then send a care package to a young person heading off this season, even one who is not your family. Bless somebody just because. Tap in and listen on demand anytime, anywhere: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner. Drop me a comment and tell me who your truth teller is, and who you are blessing this week. Share this with a parent or a student who needs to hear it, because it's not just a podcast, it's a Community. Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. I love each and every one of you. Nothing you can do about it. 👑

On today's episode, I'm keeping it a hundred with you FAM. I've been pressed. I've been saddened. I've been watching what's happening to our community, the injustices we've faced before our time and the ones still happening right now, and it's been sitting heavy on my heart. But here's the thing about weight like that, it can either sink you or it can move you. I'm choosing to let it move me toward doing more, not less. And I'm bringing all of it right here to the Corner, because that's exactly what this space is for. This is about our community, and the truth that we all need somebody. Nobody was ever built to stand alone. Remember you've got your brothers, your sisters, your aunts, your uncles, your whole community standing with you. So in this episode I'm breaking down how we need to show up for each other, financially, mentally, and physically, and why we have to stand in the gap for the ones who need us most, our Children and our Sistahs. I keep imagining it being my own mother or my own daughter, and I refuse to look away. Tap in to embrace the conversation: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment about a time somebody showed up for you when you needed it most, and tell me one way you plan to stand in the gap for your community this week! Let's keep building and looking out for each other. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we're living it. Share this with someone who needs to be reminded that they are not standing alone!

In this episode, we are slowing all the way down for a real conversation about gratitude, protection, and never walking alone. I came by just to say Thank You for being part of the Corner. I did not plan to preach, but the Lord had something on my heart, so I let it flow. I want you to know that you are never alone. When you are in that car, in that shower, in that prayer closet, He is right there with you. He is the ultimate listener. So talk to Him. Let it all out. And understand how He covers you.  Tap in Now: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment about a moment you felt God covering you when you did not even know it, and share how you learned to forgive yourself and walk into tomorrow. Let's keep building and celebrating our faith together, because He's got the whole world in His hands and that means He has got you. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we are living it. Share this with someone who needs to hear that they are never, ever alone.

In this episode, we're talk about two things that had many of you reaching out this week. First, I revisit the prayer and message I shared for our new 2026-2027 school year, lifting up our teachers, staff, families, and kids, and challenging all of us to do right, do good, and be the best we can be. Then I get into the one that really lit y'all up: I hugged a tree. 🌳 Straight out of the Brick City, a concrete jungle kid stepping outside to try something brand new, and I'm telling you, it was exhilarating, eye-opening, and more peaceful than I ever expected. This is what The Corner Connection is all about, connecting us one conversation at a time. Tap in and find your own moment of peace: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment about the last time you tried something new and found peace you didn't expect, and share how you stay open to new experiences! Let's keep connecting and growing this Community together. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we're living it. Share this with someone who needs a moment of peace today, and go hug a tree!

In this episode, we're kicking off back-to-school season with a blessing over the whole schoolhouse, and FAM, I mean the WHOLE schoolhouse. The stores were jam packed all weekend down here in Georgia, kids are heading back in August with a whole month of summer still on the calendar, and I couldn't let this season pass without pouring into everybody who makes it run. I'm talking about the parents letting go of a baby heading to kindergarten for the very first time, the teachers who sacrifice out of love, the bus drivers who are a shield for our kids every single morning, the cafeteria crew, the maintenance folks who keep that building going, the crossing guards, the secretaries, the safety officers, and yes, the coaches too. Every person in that building is carrying a piece of a child's whole world, and today we honor all of them. This isn't just about the first bell ringing. It's about our community, and the truth that a child's whole world is carried by people we too often overlook. As somebody who worked in the school system and coached youth basketball in the Atlanta area for over a decade, I've seen this up close, and I keep it all the way real in this one. Teachers, hear me clearly: rest is allowed and burnout is real. You should not be up at midnight carrying all of this by yourself, so set your boundaries and advocate for you, not just for the kids.  And parents, I've got a word for you too. Capture those first-day memories, because once that time is gone, it's gone. Be seen in that building, do your volunteer hours, and let everybody know your face. Most of all, foster what your child loves early, because that curiosity becomes a calling.  Tap in to get blessed and start this year strong: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment about the teacher, coach, or bus driver who poured into you when you were coming up, and tell me how you're advocating for the kids in your life this school year! Let's honor the whole schoolhouse and start this year together. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we're living it. Share this with a parent, teacher, or coach who needs this message today!

In this episode, we are getting real about protecting your peace and learning that boundaries are not selfish, they are survival. Today I am opening up about something I am still working on myself, releasing the guilt of trying to do everything for everybody, and recognizing when enough is enough. Too many of us around this age are dying from stress and broken hearts because we keep carrying more than we were built to carry. I also opened up about the blind spots in our lives, those things we can't see about ourselves because we're too deep in the mix. You know how you lean toward that car mirror trying to see what's in the blind spot? Sometimes we need the people God placed in our lives to tell us what we're missing. I'm grateful for those people, and I hope you are too. Whether it's a friend, a family member, a mentor, or even a stranger, God sends people to us for a reason. Don't overlook those gifts. Tap in to find your peace: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment about one boundary you are finally learning to protect, and share how you found your peace when the weight of the world felt like too much. Let's keep building and healing together as a community. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we are living it. Share this with someone who is carrying too much and needs to hear that God has them covered on every side.

In this episode, we're winding down and getting real about how we honor the people we love and the people we've lost. Today I'm opening up about a question somebody asked me that put me in a chokehold for a minute: when somebody significant passes away, how do you fill in the gap they left behind? My mind went straight to my grandmother, the woman we called Ma, the glue that held our whole family together. This isn't just about grief, it's about the difference between mourning them and living for them. Have you ever felt that void when somebody who held everything together was gone? I'm sharing a message that will change how you carry your loved ones forward, whether they've passed on or they're still here but can't do what they used to. Tap in to embrace this raw conversation: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment about the person who was the glue in your life, and share one thing you still do in their memory to keep their light shining! Let's keep living for our people and carrying their torch together. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we're living it. It's not just a podcast, it's a Community. Share this with somebody who needs to be reminded their loved one is still watching and still proud! 👑

In Today's Episode, I'm pulling up a chair for a Corner Connection that has been sitting on my heart all day. Thirty years ago, on July 27th, 1996, the Centennial Olympic Park bombing shook Atlanta, and I was right there in the middle of that summer as a 19-year-old kid working two Olympic jobs on almost no sleep. Watching the news this morning took me all the way back, and I knew I had to share this one with y'all. This isn't just a scroll down memory lane. This is about timing, about faith, and about how close any of us can be to a life-changing moment without ever knowing it. I'm taking you inside that hot warehouse and those long night security shifts, and I'm telling you about the one small decision, made out of pure exhaustion, that may have kept me out of harm's way the night of the bombing. I'm also sharing a personal connection I never saw coming, a name a lot of you will remember from that summer, and what it taught me about "If You See Something, Say Something!!!" Through all of it, I keep coming back to the same truth: everything happens for a reason, and God had a plan the whole time. Tap in to hear the full story: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment and tell me your own "where were you when" moment, and if you were down in Atlanta during the '96 Olympics, I especially want to hear from you! Let's keep building this Community and honoring the stories that shaped us. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we're living it. Share this with somebody who remembers that summer or who needs a reminder that God's plan is always working! 👑

In Today's Episode, we're pulling back the curtain on the money machine and finding out who is really shaping the future of your dollars. I sat down with Alex Marie, Fintech executive, investor, creator, and founder of Alex4Fintech, and she made this whole world make sense. Most people can't even spell fintech, so I made her slow it all the way down for the Corner Community. High yield savings, ETFs, REITs, peer to peer lending, angel investing, and the difference between waiting on an advisor to call you back and making the move yourself from your phone. If you're new here, welcome to The Corner. This is where we keep it a hundred about the things nobody sat us down and explained. And if you've been rocking with me since day one, you already know this one is right in our wheelhouse. Alex Marie told us exactly how she would split $1,000 if she were starting today. She showed us her real returns AND her real risks, because social media loves showing the wins and burying the losses. She also gave us the five pillars of building wealth: income, savings, budgeting, investing, and access to credit. But the part that stuck with me most? Financial inclusion. Alex Marie talked about fintech being the hand reaching back to our cousins in underbanked communities, folks a traditional bank would deny for a $300 loan. She's teaching her own daughter with a money app right now, and she's standing in classrooms on career day talking about credit scores. That's not just career success, that's legacy work. Tap in and get your financial education: https://linktr.ee/cousinedscorner Drop me a comment and tell me the one money habit you're changing after this episode, and let me know what money question you want answered on a future show! Let's keep building together, FAM. 💪🏾 Connect with Cousin Ed: 762-333-2032 or @CousinEdsCorner on all platforms. Connect with Alex Marie: @alex4fintech on Instagram and TikTok @alex4fintech, Alex Franks on LinkedIn. Cousin Ed's Corner is not just about motivation, we're living it. It's not just a podcast, it's a Community. Share this with somebody who's ready to make their money work for them! 👑