Moving Beyond Broke: The Power of Perseverance in Personal Finance

by Dasha Kennedy

In the vein of Get Good with Money and The Black Girl’s Guide to Financial Freedom, an accessible, witty, and necessary guide from the beloved creator of The Broke Black Girl that addresses the unique financial issues of Black women and others shut out of traditional finance conversations. Dasha Kennedy grew up in a family where finances were not discussed. At fifteen, she already had bad money habits that would follow her into adulthood. At nineteen, she realized that the Fortune 500 executives who promote financial literary did not look or sound anything like her. And she knew she couldn’t be the only person who felt as lost and overlooked as she did when it came to money management. So, she started the website The Broke Black Girl and discovered an entire community of people who were desperate for money advice and understanding. Now, Kennedy provides the ultimate user-friendly resource, featuring engaging and relatable stories from her own personal finance journey. With actionable advice and an engaging voice, she helps us take control, move past shame and anxiety, build family wealth in a single generation, and become financially independent forever.

Genres: Finance, Nonfiction

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2025

Reviews

[Angie Botner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I can't relate to the struggles of race discrimination, and have never struggled with my pay or fair treatment becuase I'm a female. I found this book to be an absolute gem. I LOVE the idea of a "Last Letter" and feel like even though I'm only 40 I feel like preparing this letter is essential even now, just in case.

I also really appreciated Ms. Kennedy's view points regarding her parents and how even though they didn't make the best financial decisions, they did what they could and more importantly what they thought was right. I personally relate to this because my own parents were much the same and it took me DECADES (and becoming a parent) to realize all of the Non-Monetary support my parents provided me, which in effect gives me the opportunity to prepare my Daughter for an even better future than I have now.

[Theresa Jehlik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I'm not the target audience for this book, I appreciated the perspective of an individual who's trying to overcome generational poverty. One of the book's strengths is it doesn't assume the reader knows anything about how banks work, credit, investing, and other wealth-building tools. She takes the time to break those concepts down into bite-size pieces for easier digestion. Kennedy also uses her own family background and personal experiences to illustrate both financial pitfalls and recovery from those pitfalls. She also comes to the realization that generational wealth-building is more than just money. It's also the hidden, personal support from family, friends, and community. The author describes herself as a "financial activist" who is focused on pay equity for women, especially black women.

[Dave Ramsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn’t a book—it’s a waste of time, money, and trees. Do yourself a favor: avoid this trainwreck at all costs. This book is a complete disaster from start to finish. The advice it spews isn’t just useless—it’s dangerous. If you’re looking for guidance, you won’t find it here.

The writing? An absolute mess. Good luck making sense of this gibberish. And the author? Zero credibility. This isn’t a book—it’s a cash grab preying on desperate readers. There’s not a shred of original thought—just tired clichés, hollow platitudes, and vague nonsense with no practical examples or actionable steps. It’s financial advice as a horoscope: meaningless, fluffy, and utterly unhelpful. Typos litter nearly every page like confetti.

[Franchesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn how to create a budget, open and manage a bank account, navigate student loans and through tough times and difficult life events, invest, negotiate, hold yourself accountable, and more. Targeted toward women and Black women in particular, this book has a lot of good information and advice that can be beneficial to anyone struggling with their finances. The author tells of her own struggles throughout her life and those of generations before her, while offering practical advice about how to move beyond broke and into financial independence and freedom. I know some people who could really benefit from this book if they took the time to read it and apply the appropriate advice and measures into their particular situation.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Megan Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. I originally picked it up by strolling in Barnes and Nobles and was instantly drawn to a money saving chart. She does a GREAT job of explaining financial terms, and giving great advice throughout about how to realistically save for your future and the importance of it. She put a lot of her own personal struggles which is so brave of her to share which made me trust the author and know it isn’t some BS scheme, or someone trying to make a quick buck off of a a (slightly) desperate reader. It was also very interesting to learn a perspective outside of my own (race) and or the struggles women have gone throughout history. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone trying to learn how to save and or the importance of it, thank you to the author for writing such an easy / realistic guide I loved every page.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to personal finances. I really appreciated the chapters on marriage and divorce, how to negotiate your salary, and creating your final love letter. This book gave me more things to think about, and I like that it didn't make me feel bad, or like I'm doing something "wrong" with my personal finances. It would make a great gift for someone just getting started on their journey to clean up their finances.

[Crystalland Hopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good read. I love listening to the financial success stories of regular everyday people. Not from people who are super rich. She has a very different take on budgeting. This was the first time I’ve heard someone talk about creating four different types of budgets. While that concept is not for me, it was a refreshing outlook. I would definitely recommend this book to any young individual just starting out in life. Especially young women.

[Sunita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good advice

Good advice for women for gaining financial independence. Especially liked the explanations of some of the barriers affecting black women in America and ways to try to overcome them.

[Bryan23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Powerful Read

Loved everything about this book! Very insightful and touches on a lot of important things that we as black woman should prioritize and educate ourselves on when it comes to our personal finances.

[JaVonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️. I learned more about Dasha and her financial journey than information I feel I could use in mine - seeing that I’m further along. I’d recommend this to someone just starting out and/or a young parent/college student.

[Reader007]

I'm on pg. 26
6 9 2025

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early chapters were great but I felt like each one progressively had fewer details about the action plan, which was kinda the point of the book?

[Ashmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I like the author’s instagram and was curious about what her longform content could be like. I don’t think I’m the target audience but it may help some people?

[Kiona Meade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. Was it perfect for me? No. Do I like the book anyway? Yes.