Lauren London got candid about how being hands-on with her finances ensured she wasn’t a victim of theft and scams in her first public speaking engagement at REVOLT WORLD when she joined Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal for the live taping of their podcast “Assets Over Liabilities.”
There are many stories of celebrities who have been arrested due to tax evasion or had their money stolen by someone they trusted. While talking to the Earn Your Leisure founders, she shared her personal experiences with money management while moving up in Hollywood.
The “Games People Play” actress has been fortunate to not have her funds mishandled by anyone she’s employed. In fact, when London began her acting career, she was the only one keeping an eye on her income.
“My experience was that, at first, I was just managing all my money. It wasn’t that much… I was managing it, right? And then taxes came and I was like, uhhh…,” she explained. “My agent did introduce me to somebody to help me with my taxes, ’cause it was a different tax bracket at that time. And I was like, I don’t know what.
“It’s just a business partner and management that can help me invest in things if that comes on the table or real estate and just kind of like keeping things in check… But, it wasn’t like a group of people that came in. I wouldn’t say I made that much for them to want more than one person to come get with it,” she added.
London highlighted the importance of being involved in every aspect of her finances regardless if there is a professional she’s working with to ensure the best decisions are made.
“Well, it just goes back to always you being the point person…if you do have an accountant, allowing them just to assist you. You being the point person, you have to be your point person. I can’t speak for the person that has $30 million, I’m not in that world,” the actress told the financial advisors. “And I go in there annually and sit with it and work with him and allow him to educate me, too, on the things I don’t understand as far as the things, you know, something that I wanna invest in.”
London stressed to attendees to never be scared to ask someone a question because learning is fundamental in understanding how money works.
“You have to ask questions,” she told everyone. “And don’t be afraid to. I’m okay that I don’t know everything. You know, there [are] some things I’m well versed in and some things I’m not and that’s okay. So, I ask the questions.”