Tiffany James of ModernBlkGirl Is Making Investing Accessible for Women of Color

Tiffany James, founder of ModernBlkGirl, posing in a green blazer with a city skyline backdrop. — Tiffany James, founder of ModernBlkGirl, photographed overlooking the city as she builds a global financial literacy platform for women of color.

In an industry long dominated by gatekeepers, Tiffany James is quietly reshaping the future of wealth building for women of color.

The founder of ModernBlkGirl (MBG) didn’t set out to create a financial movement. In 2019, she simply followed a friend’s advice and invested $10,000 into Tesla stock. When the company’s valuation exploded the following year, her investment grew into more than $2 million—a life-altering moment that shifted her perspective on money, ownership, and access.

Originally, James planned to use her profits to launch a candle brand. But something else was happening in parallel. On social platforms like Clubhouse, she began sharing her investing journey—and hundreds of Black women started tuning in, asking questions, seeking guidance, and wanting to learn.

That curiosity sparked a new vision. What began as casual conversations evolved into #ModernBlkGirl, a fast-growing financial education platform dedicated to helping women of color master investing, trading, and long-term wealth creation.

Investing isn’t easy. There’s no cheat code, no guarantee, and definitely no straight line to success. But with the right guidance and real support, it’s possible to build something meaningful over time. That’s what makes Tiffany James stand out to me. She’s what we from the streets would call the definition of a hustler—someone who recognized an opportunity, moved on it, and then turned around to bring others with her. That’s a rare kind of success: capitalizing on the moment while still changing lives.

From Personal Win to Collective Wealth

James was never part of traditional finance circles. Like many women she now mentors, she entered the investing world without formal training, insider access, or a financial safety net.

She first learned about investing in 2015 after attending a conference with her mother. The idea intrigued her, but she lacked both capital and confidence. By 2016, while working in events and hospitality, she began making small investments from her paycheck and joined online finance communities to learn more.

Instead of support, she often encountered harassment, dismissiveness, and hostility, especially from male-dominated groups.

“I learned that people in that setting just weren’t open to helping women,” James recalls.

That exclusion became her motivation. If the space wasn’t welcoming, she would build her own.

What Is ModernBlkGirl?

Today, ModernBlkGirl is one of the largest investing communities for women of color, generating over $3.5 million in revenue and guiding more than 225,000 women into the stock market.

MBG offers:

Free financial education content
Paid investing and trading courses
One-on-one mentorship
Live events and workshops
AI-powered financial tools
Access to licensed financial professionals

The community spans ages 16 to 65 and includes members from the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and across the U.S.

James’ goal was never just to teach theory. She wanted MBG members to have the same tools and resources as major financial institutions.

“Tech is part of our competitive edge. I wanted our investors to have everything the big firms have—just without the barriers,” she explains.

Real Stories, Real Impact

The most powerful metric for James isn’t revenue—it’s transformation.

Within the MBG community:

Nurses used investing income to take time off during COVID burnout.
Career professionals transitioned into passion-driven work.
Teen University students turned $500 into thousands to help pay for college.
One woman grew $250 into $60,000 and used it to fund life-saving medical treatment.

These aren’t viral overnight success stories. They are consistent, strategic wins rooted in financial literacy and discipline.

“I don’t want women operating from a gambling mindset,” James says. “I want them to build systems that work in any market.”

Tiffany James smiling during a ModernBlkGirl community event. — Tiffany James at a ModernBlkGirl gathering, connecting with members of her investing and financial education community.

Mission Over Millions

Despite its rapid growth, James intentionally keeps MBG impact-driven rather than profit-maximized.

“We could easily be a $20 million company right now,” she admits. “But I don’t want numbers. I want changed lives.”

In the company’s early stages, both James and her COO, Sharlea Brookes, didn’t take salaries to reinvest into building strong infrastructure and expanding access.

Now, with a background in computer science and a growing interest in AI-powered businesses—including plans for an AI restaurant in Los Angeles—James is preparing to scale MBG globally.

Her long-term vision is bold:
A tech-forward financial ecosystem where Black and Brown women control their money, data, and financial futures.