This weekend was quiet. Like bone deep, soul on mute quiet.

Dru’s been in North Carolina with her paternal family, and I can literally count on one hand how many times I’ve used my voice since she left. Music still blasting, but no back-and-forth convos… just me, my thoughts, and the emotional weight I’ve been carrying for a minute now.

I allowed myself to finally feel this weekend. To let my tears create a little river. One that carried away the frustration, the disappointment, the “why me?” moments I’ve been bottling up. I needed that release. Sometimes we don’t realize how backed up we are until the silence hits.

So I made a choice: instead of scrolling endlessly and escaping into everyone else’s life, I deleted a few social media apps and chose to lock in on mine.

While I wait on the finalization of my salon’s legalities I decided to start teaching myself things that’ll truly shift our future. Like how to open a trust, what goes in it, and how to borrow from yourself like the wealthy do. (That’s a whole separate blog post I’ll write soon.)

But today, I wanna share something else I learned, something I think you should know too.

Let me say this first: I’m not your financial advisor sister, I’m just a girl with big dreams, learning how to divide her coins and build generational wealth without gatekeeping the gems.

🧠 Stock Market 101

The stock market is like a giant shopping mall, but instead of clothes or food, people are buying pieces of companies. When you buy a stock, you own a tiny slice of that business. That makes you a shareholder, aka a mini-boss.

People invest in stocks to grow their money over time. Instead of letting $100 sit under your mattress, you can put it in the market and watch it become $110 or more (depending on how the company performs).

The key is long-term thinking. We’re not trying to flip money overnight yall, this is about planting seeds and watching them grow.

💰 Where Do You Even Start?

You’ll need to open a brokerage account. Think of it like downloading Cash App but for stocks. Or actually, just use Cash App because surprise: you can invest directly through it now!

Some beginner-friendly platforms I’ve explored or heard good things about:

• Fidelity (my fave so far because it feels secure and grown)

• Robinhood (super easy to navigate for beginners; I started here) Webull (for the chart-watching one’s who love data)

• Cash App (yep! If you already use it to send money, you can buy stocks and ETFs right inside the app with as little as $1. I also began here.)

Once your account is funded, you can start buying individual stocks or index funds. Don’t stress over being perfect because the goal is to start small and stay consistent.

🔮 Companies Predicted to Do Well Right Now

I asked Chat to give me some companies expected to perform well moving forward, and this is what stood out:

Solid & Safe Vibes:

• Apple (AAPL) – Always innovating.

• Microsoft (MSFT) – Quietly runs everything we use.

• Amazon (AMZN) – E-commerce + cloud computing powerhouse.

• Google (GOOGL) – They’re deep in AI, search, ads — it’s giving domination.

High-Tech Growth Stocks:

• Nvidia (NVDA) – AI, chips, machine learning — major future energy.

• Tesla (TSLA) – Risky af and yall know why but can pay off big if they keep leading in EV tech.

• Palantir (PLTR) – Government contracts + big data.

For the Bougie Fam (me lol):

• LVMH – Think Fenty, Dior, and Louis Vuitton (yes, you can invest in luxury).

• Ulta Beauty (ULTA) – Beauty always booms.

• Costco (COST) or Target (TGT) – Safe bets with loyal customer bases.

🌱 Want to Play It Safe? Try Index Funds

Chat put me onto this too: Index Funds are like ordering the “sampler platter” of the market. You’re not betting on one company, you’re spreading the risk across many.

Try:

• VOO – S&P 500 (the top 500 U.S. companies)

• QQQ – Tech-heavy

• VTI – Total U.S. stock market

Low risk. Long-term growth. Less anxiety.

💡My Big Takeaway:

The stock market doesn’t have to be intimidating and it also doesn’t require thousands of dollars to start. You can literally begin with $5–$50 and learn as you go… that’s what I did. What matters most is consistency and keeping your emotions in check.

So yeah… if you’ve been thinking about investing, here’s your sign. Start small. Start curious. Start smart.

Today, I’m going outside to dance, make memories, and be free.

Xoxo,

Sandrea Lanay