I Don't Want to Die Poor

by Michael Arceneaux

  And while I’m not one to give financial advice, I don’t know how many of those experts sleep at night. Giving up an overpriced cup of coffee is not the key to building foundational wealth. And telling people to pay off their loans on time does not constitute advice. I can repeat some of their obvious tips on student loans, but it will ring hollow and probably prove redundant. I can say to those in college to enjoy your forbearance while you can and make as much money as possible. But don’t they already know that, too?

  I do have some practical tips that I hope will register well.

  I’m not encouraging anyone to spend what they don’t have, but know that skipping out on treats for yourself is not going to make your life remarkably better in the way debt forgiveness and higher wages would. No, you should not intentionally annihilate your credit score by skipping out on your obligations—although quite a few of you already are, for reasons now more understandable—but please don’t go to the extremities some of us have gone to in what may sound good online but might be for naught when practiced individually. Allow yourself enjoyment more often than not. And try to give yourself credit for the accomplishments you achieve, no matter how big or small.

  I know that I am now venturing toward Black elder of a Tyler Perry production, ready to instill wisdom in the wayward youth status with this nugget—heavy-handed as hell in administering the “lesson”—but here goes: Learn to forgive yourself. You graduated with debt and that had you stepping out into the world without a clean slate. That plus the influences around you may now have caused you to think less of yourself.

  Have your low moments, but please don’t stew in them the way your OGs have. Remember you only did what you thought was best at the time. You didn’t know better. You thought it would be better after you got out. The system, as it is designed now, is set up for your failure. You don’t want to sound like one of those sad statistics, but you are in the same boat. Forgive yourself for all of that. Do what you can and pay what you can and allow yourself a little joy in the meanwhile. How I learned to stop denying myself pleasure in the physical sense for my sexuality, but not in my head about debt, is my own cross to bear, but while you cannot forgive Kanye West or Mean Mary of Mary Mary for vocalizing support of Donald Trump, you can forgive yourself for this and whatever failures you’ve experienced that are real, and those merely perceived.

  The sooner you do that—truly do it rather than bullshitting yourself about that fact the way I used to—the lighter you will feel. If I can only get readers to pull one ideal from my attempts with this body of work, I hope it’s at least that.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to begin this portion of the book as if I just won Best R&B/Soul album at the Soul Train Music Awards. To that end, first and foremost, I would like to thank the creator for whom all things are possible. (Note that I did not identify the creator as an incredibly old but remarkably fit white man with a fresh sew-in weave. I’m still not saved, but I’m not Black Bill Maher either, beloveds.)

  Secondly, I would like to thank my parents who, like The Lord, have made all things possible for me. I remain forever grateful to them as well as siblings, my big sister Nicole and little brother Marcus, my stunning nieces Alexis and Alyssa, and the rest of my family.

  I would like to thank my agent, Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, for helping me get to the finish line once more. Thank you to my dear editor, Rakesh Satyal, for once again believing in the stories I wanted to share with the world. Writing this book was more challenging than I envisioned, so I appreciate you both for alleviating my worries at the end.

  Thank you to my other agent, Jason Richman at UTA, and my manager, Jermaine Johnson at 3 Arts, for helping me with the next stages of my career. In other words, for getting me the type of work that will finally put down the last of my student-loan debt.

  Thank you, a thousand times, to my folk: Kimberly, dré, Jeanne, Janet, Jason, Devon, Jessica, Sadé, Corey, Lauren, Alba, Melanie, Luis, Steven, Marc, Murdoc, Nikki, Darnell, Bassey, Nakea, Alex, Robert, Samantha, Brandon, Nakisha, Maiya, Doreen, Rhonda, Sylvia, Melissa, Richie, Kierna, Sarah, Rembert, Mimi, Damien, Jai, Gina, Zach, Dara, Lena, Denene, Desus, Mero, and Bevy. To my other friends, you can cuss me smooth out later. I’ll still love you and be most grateful, though. Thank you in particular to Richelle Carey, Bomani Jones, Kirk Moore, and Tiffany Williams.

  Sweet, sweet Mark: rest well. You, too, Uncle Terry. I’m still so sorry, but I love and miss you both.

  As always, I love you, Houston. Shout out to Hiram Clarke. And thank you, Beyoncé. Just because.

  Lastly, a huge thanks to each one of you who has supported I Can’t Date Jesus, and now, I Don’t Want To Die Poor. Thank you for helping me prove to myself that what I have to say and the ways in which I choose to say it have value. It means the world.

  More to come.

  More from the Author

  I Can't Date Jesus

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times bestselling author of I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé. He has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Essence, Esquire, Ebony, Elle, Rolling Stone, and many, many other publications on and off Al Gore’s internet. He’s ran his mouth on MSNBC, NPR, VH1, Viceland, Comedy Central, SiriusXM, and elsewhere. He really, really can’t wait to pay off his student loans.

  @youngsinick @youngsinick

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  ALSO BY MICHAEL ARCENEAUX

  I Can’t Date Jesus

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  First Atria Paperback edition April 2020

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  Interior design by Erika Genova

  Cover design by James Iacobelli

  Cover photographs by Shutterstock

  Author photograph by Steven Duarte

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

  ISBN 978-1-9821-2930-9

  ISBN 978-1-9821-2931-6 (ebook)