
How to be Radically Transparent about Money with Fumi Abe
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Why is it so easy to talk about our relationships, mental health and even our sex life publicly… but not how much money we make!? Comedian Fumi Abe is looking to change that with his podcast Cash Cuties, co-hosted by Steffie Baik. You heard the pod on our feed last week but now he’s in the hot seat to talk about overcoming his scarcity mindset, the crazy amount people spend on food delivery apps, and the difference between tech legacy money vs NBA money. Plus, we hear more about why he wanted to make a show that analyzes his friends’ credit card statements, and what he’s learned about our spending habits.
This series was created in partnership with Flourish Ventures, an early-stage global investment firm backing mission-driven entrepreneurs and industry influencers working toward a fair financial system for all. Learn more at flourishventures.com.
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Transcript
SPEAKERS
Fumi Abe, X Mayo
X Mayo 00:00
Welcome back to The Dough. I’m your host, X Mayo, and today we’re getting very honest about our money. I’m talking receipts, okay, statements from your bank you get every month, but you don’t ever read, you know, the good stuff. Every week I get on this mic and I talk about the money curveballs life throws our way. And I know I make it look easy, breezy, beautiful cover girl, but for most people, talking about how much money they spend can be really uncomfortable, whether it’s on a new pair of sneakers or handbags or a car. It’s awkward because if I had to tell my friends how much I spent on Uber Eats down to the scents, I would need to book myself an Ayahuasca retreat to emotionally recover, but then I would probably meet my future self, and she’s still spending money on Uber Eats, but that’s exactly what our guest today does on the regular, not the Ayahuasca retreats. I mean, he might listen. It’s hard out here in our industry, although if you do know of some good ones, slide into my DM, okay, but slide respectfully, okay, I’m sitting down with my good friend and comedian Fumi Abe now, Fumi co hosts a personal finance podcast called Cash Cuties with his friend, Steffi Baker, and they ring up their friends and go, Hey, you wanna go my podcast? And their friends are like, of course, anything for you, babe. And then Fumi tells them, Okay, bring your credit card statements and let me judge them. And they do. More than 50 people have said, Yeah, that’s fine with me. Child, my job is on the ground the FBI needs to hire fool me, because you are never willingly getting that out of me. So let’s get into it and maybe learn some lessons about financial transparency along the way, Fumi welcome to the show.
Fumi Abe 03:00
Hello, thanks for having me super excited to be here.
X Mayo 03:02
So Fumi as an icebreaker. Let’s do a little Would You Rather game? Okay, so, okay, would you rather be a finance bro or tech bro? And how would you define each of those categories?
Fumi Abe 03:17
Wow uh, well, like just coming from New York, I feel like finance bro. I feel like they make more money. I also feel like they’re less wholesome, you know, I feel like tech bros have a lot of money to they don’t know how to dress. Maybe like more basic, you know, I there was a time, if you asked me this five years ago, I would have said tech bro, because it’s like, more of a it’s like more of a chill life and but recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that, you know, I really need to make a lot of money, so I’m gonna go ahead and say finance bro.
X Mayo 03:55
Yeah, no, I saw your stand up clip. Very relatable. When you were like, listen, a lot of these artists and musicians I’m around, they have money because their parents have money. So I just sit my fucking mom and dad down and say, hey, what’s going on with you?
Fumi Abe 04:11
I remember, I was doing a show in, like, on Bleecker Street or something, and it was a beautiful, like, newer, I don’t want to say brownstone, but, like, I guess, like, it was a house, like a townhouse. It was really big. And my friends and I were like, I wonder, like, how much this cost, or whatever. So it was right on in the West Village, and we looked it up, and it was so expensive, and we looked up the net worth of Aziz Ansari, and we’re like, oh, he can’t even buy this. And then we were like, who’s buying this? And we’re like, oh, just like, hedge fund people like, we just, we forget that all those guys make so much more money than your famous celebrities, you know.
X Mayo 04:46
Oh, my God, yes, no. And everybody, people are like scrappy now you see, like so many musicians and artists are like getting into movies, and then so many celebrities are now like becoming influencers, like talking to. Out lifestyle stuff, like doing some of the same stuff that, like all these tiktokers would do, like, it’s, it’s bad out here, especially in New York. For me, you know, we both lived there for some time. Is that where you’re from? For me, where you from?
Fumi Abe 05:14
I’m from Ohio.
X Mayo 05:15
Oh, a little Midwest boy.
Fumi Abe 05:18
Yeah. But I went to NYU, so I moved to New York when I was, like, 18.
X Mayo 05:21
Okay, would you study at NYU?
Fumi Abe 05:23
I’m studying music business.
X Mayo 05:25
Oh, my God, you were gonna be fucking A and R for me.
Fumi Abe 05:28
I was trying to do a and r like that kind of shit, you know. But it never happened. I started when I graduated. I just started working immediately in advertising, and I went there because the money was so bad. The money was so bad in music.
X Mayo 05:40
It’s so bad and it’s so nasty. They have no union. There’s no protection. They are really out here in the wild. It is not good at all. Okay, so for me, we always like to ask our guests this question. So I’m gonna get a little into your into your personal business with your money. Okay, we like to ask, where the hell did your money go this past week? And if you were going to pull up your bank statements right now, like the guests in your podcast do, what would the receipt say?
Fumi Abe 06:07
I will literally show you right now. I’ve got, I use monarch. Do you use anything?
X Mayo 06:13
Like, toilet paper? I don’t.
Fumi Abe 06:16
No, there’s like, there’s like, apps you can use to track all your expenses, and I use it to use taxes and stuff like.
X Mayo 06:22
Oh yes, I have a very expensive app. It’s called a business manager. Wow, really. It’s like that, oh yeah, no. For me, I am so bad with money, and I am so conscious and clear about it. Like, when we did the BT awards, they were handing out physical checks. I said, No, take this back. And one of the writers like, X I’m so happy that you’re so aware. I said, No, that goes to Belva. Belva gives me my allowance.
Fumi Abe 06:48
See, okay, I don’t know if this is, you know, gonna upset people, but when people say, like, Oh, I’m just so bad with it, I don’t really know what that means, because I don’t necessarily think I’m good with it. Like, I think people who say who are good with it, to me that means, like, oh, you know, like, about a lot of investments and stuff like that, like, all the ins and outs and stuff. I’m not, I can’t, I don’t know how to do all that. Like, I just stick to the basic plan. But in terms of just, like, keeping track for taxes and stuff like, that’s like, fairly easy, at least to me.
X Mayo 07:20
Because you just that’s not the issue for me. That’s not I literally wait for me. This is so funny. You’re gonna laugh at this. Okay, I was so poor, okay? I was working for so many fucking telemarketer third party collections. All of a sudden you find out if they was just laundering money. I’ve worked for so many scammy ass places, but I was such, I’m such a law abiding citizen, like I grew up around criminals. And I was like, I am so scared of jail. I don’t want to go. I’ve had to go in there visit family. I do not do jail. So I went up to the IRS. You to the to wherever you wherever you pay, not like the headquarters, but whatever is local to pay for your taxes, right? And I gathered, I was like, listen, these are all my tax returns. The past four years, I have not filed my my tax returns because these people have been so scared me and they haven’t sent me my stuff. Can you look them up? The lady looked it up, Fumi she said, You have not made enough money in where we’re gonna come after you, homie. She said. She said, bitch, you so broke. We don’t give a fuck about your gut, you can take your broke ass gone. Do you want some money? Yeah, go and take $20 out the pot when you go back. Like, for me, I was so broke. The lady was like, she was like, Man, the people that were coming after their six figures or higher, really high. Five, six weeks are higher. Literally, for me, I barely had made maybe 30k in four years, like I just was, like.
Fumi Abe 08:48
Walked in that you’re like, lock me up. They’re like, No, you have $16 in your bank account. You’re good.
X Mayo 08:54
But yes, sorry for going off on that tangent for me. Okay, so wait, what did you spend your money on this week?
Fumi Abe 08:58
So Okay, last seven days, car insurance was $242 so expensive I have a Prius, it’s not even a nice car. Ubers. 174 restaurants and bars, 114.
X Mayo 09:16
Oh, not bad.
Fumi Abe 09:17
Yeah. Fast Food, 73 WJ, union fee, $51 because I didn’t make any money the […]
X Mayo 09:28
Listen as soon as I book a gig, I put you on my insurance. You know go, get your teeth clean.
Fumi Abe 09:34
I just, it just ended for me, the insurance at the end of September, actually, so I just joined my girlfriend’s insurance because we’re domestic partners. Shout out.
X Mayo 09:43
Shout out to the girlfriend, yeah.
Fumi Abe 09:47
Phone my phone, like my phone, rental from my iPhone. The loan that I’m paying back is $38 coffee shops, 10, public transit, 280.
X Mayo 09:55
Wait, what’s the public transit? What was you doing for me?
Fumi Abe 09:57
Well, I’m on the road sometimes. And sometimes, like, there’s like, a train that goes straight from the airport to, like, really close where I’m staying at the hotel. If I feel like the traffic is bad, I’ll just do the train, yeah. Even though Uber is reimbursable, it’s like, it’s just faster on the train, you know? So, and I kind of like the train, because you can, you kind of get to see the city and stuff like.
X Mayo 10:17
Yeah. It makes me, it reminds me of New York. I like that too.
Fumi Abe 10:20
Yeah. So this was, I want to say Portland, maybe, or Seattle. So it’s 280 from the airport to the hotel. So I’ve been, I’ve been good, you know, this is not crazy.
X Mayo 10:29
Oh yeah, Fauci is a good girl. Belva will love you.
Fumi Abe 10:34
Your Bell was not gonna make a dime off of me. That’s the problem. She needs you.
X Mayo 10:40
She does. Belva is literally the best. I talk about her every episode. She’s literally my lifeline, my angel. I love two black women run my money. They’re the best. So fools, the idea of your podcast, cash cuties, is that you and your co hosts bring your friends on the show, and then they hand over credit card statements for you two to judge with love. So your friends are like, literally handing over the charges on their credit card for you to look at. Where did the idea for this podcast come from?
Fumi Abe 11:06
I felt like money was really the last frontier in terms of people who, like, are going to be open with so, like, I think that in the last 10 years, like, people have gotten really open about, like, there’s sexual things, right? Like, whether it’s sexual orientation or identity or whatever. Like, people are kind of openly talking about it, you know, I think when it comes to mental health, right, we’ve made really big strides with that. You know, people are opening about their traumas. And Disney’s making movies about, you know, generational trauma shit, you know, I’m saying like, in content, like, you know, like, we’re just, like, talking about it as a society. It’s mainstream now, but, you know. But today, if you ask somebody how much they make, or, you know, even if you don’t work together, just trying to get a sense of like, hey, like, I’m interviewing for this new job, you do something similar to different company, how much do you make people get uncomfortable there, you know? And I just kind of wanted to change that by getting because I think comedians are pretty open about talking about anything. Oh, my God. So just wanted to change that by, like, talking about it openly, and hopefully, like, make people feel less alone about, you know, not even their struggles, but maybe their spending habits, or maybe their lack of knowledge and what they’re supposed to be doing. So yeah, I just, I think it’s really important to talk about money openly, and I think you can do that without, like, sending over somebody, like, you know, your entire taxes or how much you made, or whatever, like, you can just do that by talking about, like, how you’re investing, or like, what you’re not doing, or what are your advices. That’s always interesting to me is, like, you know, for you, maybe it’s like, weird murals, you know, I don’t Maybe that’s your thing, that that looks expensive as hell by the way.
X Mayo 12:38
It was shout out to very gay paint. They’re coming here on Saturday to do my door. Yeah, yeah, for me, I believe I didn’t know what it was called, but now I looked up, it’s called dopamine decor, and it’s like, literally everything in my home makes me so happy. I can’t wait till I book a job so I can reupholster my couch. I want it to be orange Sherpa. That’s my thing. I love furniture. I love a frame like Belva doesn’t have to worry. I’m not buying fucking Birkins. I don’t do coke. I don’t drink at all. You know, I don’t have a weed habit. I don’t smoke, but like old bitch lamp. Oh, I’m feeling like a motherfucking crackhead for me. I said, Oh, Belva, I need it. I think I need it.
Fumi Abe 13:20
That’s so funny.
X Mayo 13:24
Truly, okay. So what is the craziest Money Story you have ever heard from a guest, or, like, the wildest thing you’ve seen on someone’s bank statement? Or maybe, like, the most unexpected, but just like, gag, you You were shocked. You were like.
Fumi Abe 13:37
Okay, I’m just gonna tell us to an order that pops up in my head. The first one is like, this isn’t even, like, the way they spent money. This is somebody who, like, had moved to the States from Taiwan. He’s a comic now, but he, I think he went to like, a bad school, and so they’re like, a lot of like, gang members and stuff. And so he kind of got, like, involved in that. And so when he was a teenager, like, 13, 14, 15. He was, like, selling drugs and like breaking into people’s homes, and then they, like, went to New York City with this friend, like when they were 15, to like, party and go clubbing. And he said he was making like, 1000s and 1000s of money, like, just all in cash, and more than what he knew he could do with at the time. This is, like in San Diego or something like that. But like that.
X Mayo 14:23
But of course, San Diego, we’re all thugs reside. When you look out on that coast for me, and you see that beautiful ocean, and you see all those white people jogging with their German Shepherds, you’re just like this thug lives.
Fumi Abe 14:42
But you know what? You make fun of that. But those white people, their kids, they’re the vine, the Percocet and the.
X Mayo 14:49
Absolutely there was a there was a DVD. Back in the day, me and my ex would fucking get tacos and watch this DVD called hood to hood. And it was interesting to see the white boy. Ways that it’s just like, wait, you come from money. And not every white boy comes from money, these specific white boys, right? But it was just like, wait, why do you want to do like, it’s such an appeal, like, there’s such a draw, like, to be equated with, you know, the thug lifestyle. And it was just like, wait, we have trauma. Do you just see this Crip Walk like you were like, this is a cool dance, you know, I just want to do that. That’s not all that. This is about.
Fumi Abe 15:29
Right.
X Mayo 15:30
You know. So that’s interesting. Your Taiwanese homie says, No, I believe that. I think there’s hoods everywhere. So he just, like, he was just like, balling out. Like, just, yeah, fucking we bought.
Fumi Abe 15:40
Yeah, but honestly, I think when I started the podcast, I thought that I would find like, more crazy things, like, I just bought a sports car, whatever. But what’s really what you realize through talking to a bunch of people is that the real crazy is in, like, the daily habitual things. So it’s not like, Oh, I just bought this crazy, you know, Gucci jacket for 5k It’s like every month I spend $3,000 on DoorDash, and that’s a lot of people. It’s most people, especially in LA because I don’t think there’s like a walking to a restaurant culture here. I feel like everybody’s doing DoorDash. When I interview New York people, their DoorDash spending is always a little less. Not to say that their restaurant spending is not high, but I think they just walk to a place and get takeout, as opposed to, like, here you gotta do DoorDash, but everybody’s spending that, like, 10, 15% premium on it. Dude, like people in their 20s, they just don’t cook, and they’re spending 1000s, 1000s of dollars on DoorDash every month. And to me, because I don’t do that at all, I like, never ordered ordash. So like, to me, that was like a huge consistent culture shock that I would experience.
X Mayo 16:49
I mean, how much? How much are you spending on DoorDash? Sounds like that’s your?
X Mayo 18:52
Okay, I’m not a DoorDash girl. I’m an Uber Eats girly. Okay, now if, you want to ask me what I’ve spent so far this month, yeah, um, on Uber Eats. Let me see, because I’ve been a very good girl, I spent $100 so far.
Fumi Abe 19:13
$100 so far. Okay, that’s not bad.
X Mayo 19:16
That’s not bad. But Oh, for me, there have been, especially in the pandemic, there have I was spending somebody’s mortgage on on that, because I had me and my brother here, so it was like, getting bad. And then finally we broke down. And I was like, Papa, Monday through Thursday, we cook every day, and we eat leftovers. Friday, Saturday, we eat out. We eat our leftovers. Sunday, we prep, you know, like I had to get us on a thing. And sometimes we would just leave and walk and go pick up something, just just to look forward to something pandemic, like it was like we can get out of the house, right?
Fumi Abe 19:51
It’s crazy, because, like people, people who are spending that much, it’s not even like they’re making that much money. And to me, because every DoorDash today in 20. 24 seems to be like 30 $35 if you get, if you want to eat and be full, you know, with all the fees, it’s gonna be like at least $30 to me, that’s like, a lot of money. Like, I could get, like, a really nice meal for 30 $40 at a restaurant. You know what I mean? So like, to me, like, even if you get a stupid sandwich, it’s gonna be 30 bucks. So I don’t, I, like, try to do everything I can not to do that. And I don’t know if it’s because, like, I always come from place of scarcity where it’s, like, it’s not enough. Like, if I get hungry and I don’t want to spend that, I’ll drive to the whole foods and I’ll get a sandwich, which is $10 I’ll do shit like that. Or I go to, like, the Japanese grocery store and they have a little like, bentos for like, $9 or whatever. I try to, I try to eat under $10 if I want to, if I want to eat out for lunch.
X Mayo 20:38
Oh, my God, for me, we’re like, I feel like we’re on extreme sides of the spectrum, because I feel like I come from a scarcity mindset, so sometimes I feel like I deserve it, you know, because I never had it. But then there’s the opposite, where I feel like you are on the other side of the spectrum, whereas I go, no, because it could Oh, you know, but I feel like that influences. Maybe you can let me know if that influences, like, how you approach work too. Because for me, I feel like I want to work so much. I want to work so much. I want to work so much because I’m like, this could all go away, you know.
Fumi Abe 21:11
100% but I think, you know, I mean, obviously I love to make it. I don’t come from poverty. Just like regular ass middle class guy lived in New York since I was, I mean, since I graduated, I graduated, I was kind of on my own financially, and New York is not a cheap place to live. So like, yeah, I think I’ve always coming from that perspective. But, you know, it’s interesting, like, it took me, like, a really long time. Honestly, probably took me like, 10 years, maybe five to 10 years. But I think at a certain point you have to, like, chill with that mentality. Because, you know, I didn’t go full time comedy until 2020 when I got a job, like making, like digital content for Comedy Central. They had, like a thing, and that was, like a full time permalance job. So that’s when I quit. But then I was like, Oh, but I have, like, a paycheck coming in every week. So this is fine. It’s like a little bit less money than I was making, but, like, still doing comedy for a living. That’s really cool. That ended, and then I got, to write on James Corden show, like, immediately after that. And I did that for like, a year and a half. So there was, like, a two and a half period where, like, I was just full time comedy, and I felt great about it, but then when that ended, I couldn’t get something right away. And there was this moment where I was like, Oh, do I need to go back to, like, advertising, like, what not. I don’t have, like, a paycheck coming in. And I think, like, once you commit, and I don’t know maybe this isn’t, like, the best advice, but like, you really have to just commit and keep going and understand that. Like, hey, when you’re working, like, save some of that shit so that when you don’t maybe consistently work for a year, like, you do little stuff, obviously, here and there, but when you don’t have a consistent paycheck for a year, you’re not sweating because you have a lot of money in the bank account. And so like, I’ve learned to, like, be comfortable with not having a paycheck come in every week. And those two years where I didn’t have because I think one of those years was a strike. So for most of that time, I didn’t have anything consistent. I was just doing, like, stand up, weird voice over, work on the road. And like, I was so nervous about not having a job, but I did okay. Like, I didn’t make six figures, but when I did my taxes, I was like, Oh, I made like, $90,000 like, just doing whatever. And I was like, oh, that’s, like, amazing, you know, that’s, that’s the fucking dream, yeah, but it’s like, to me, that money, in my mind, is worth like, half a million dollars, because, because I did it doing comedy, I didn’t work a desk job, you know. So, like, I think those two years, it was really important, because I learned that, like, even when shit hits the fan, I’m not only financial, responsibly, responsible enough, but also, like, I’m a I’m a survivor, like, I will make something work, where I will not, like, end up on the streets, you know. And you have to teach yourself that, because if you’re always coming from a place of scarcity, you know, something, maybe sometimes I do deserve a nice meal, but I don’t, I don’t do it because I’m like, Oh, I’m gonna lose my job or whatever. But like, you gotta live life. You have to chill. It’s better for your mental so, like, I think you gotta have a little bit of both. You know, you should save. You know, we see all these stories about, like, NBA players, like, rookie season, they get all this money, and they use the buy, like, 5g wagons and three homes, and now they’re broke, and they break their ankle, and now they can’t play, you know, so we shouldn’t be doing that kind of shit. But also, like, you got to live your life and then, like, if you want to do entertainment, like, you have to be chill with like, the pauses. You have to learn how to live in those pauses, or else you’re going to drive yourself crazy.
X Mayo 24:20
Yeah, Belva says she reminds me. She says, the Feast is here, but the famine will come, you know, like she always says that, and I think too, like to your point, like, you need to be able to save but you need to be able to know how to, like, enjoy your money and, like, live in abundance. It’s okay to have that in spurts. You know, did your did your parents teach you about that? Or, like, what? What did they teach you about money? Or what did they say or not say, even with it, with their actions, you know.
Fumi Abe 24:48
They never, like, sat me out and taught me anything. They just taught me through example. But their case is weird, because I think, like a lot of immigrant parents, like, they just saved. They saved, like, a. Motherfucker. We didn’t like I remember when I filled out the FAFSA form. So, like, my mom didn’t work because we moved here from Japan, and she wasn’t allowed to work. So it was my dad just working. I saw how much he made, and it honestly wasn’t even that much, and I was surprised he was able to support four people with that salary, you know. But like, they never really talked to me about it, but it was a lot of saving. They never talked about investments. I think coming from Japan, that’s a country that doesn’t really like the country takes care of you when you retire. So the average person doesn’t have to, like, open up a fucking Vanguard account and, like, learn what an ETF is really, like, the average person, like, you work and you have a pension, you have we have universal, you know, basic whatever, healthcare or whatever, and then we have a pension. And so my parents, my dad, still works for Japanese companies, so so he was on that mindset. So he never, like, I didn’t learn anything about finance. All I learned was, save, be conservative, like, and so when I first got my credit card, like, I used it like a debit card. I never spent more than I had. And it was so weird, because in college, some of my other friends got credit cards, and they were like, oh, this means that you can buy more than your means, like you can buy more than what you have. And we had completely two different understandings of what a credit card was, but that just came from what they grew up seeing, right? Like I had friends were, like, 22 is like, oh yeah, I’ve got like, a couple $1,000 in credit card debt, but it’s all good. And I’m like, debt. Like, what are you talking about? Like, the only debt I thought you should have at that age was maybe, like, college loans or something, if you took out some money to go to college. So they taught, so, like, I think they taught what they taught me will forever allow me to, like, survive and like, not end up on the streets. And, like, even if everything went wrong, I’ll still be doing, like, okay, which is awesome, but that said, you know, if you want to make it to the next level in America, baby, you got to invest and I didn’t know anything, anything about that shit. I didn’t know anything. Obviously, I had, like, a retirement plan through the advertising company I was working with, but I never looked at it. I remember they were like, we do we do matching. And I was like, I don’t know what that means. I want more money in my bank account. So I never did that matching thing. Like they were like, We match until. So what they meant is, like, if you contribute 10% of your paycheck to your retirement account, the company also puts in 10% so that’s free money. But I was like, if I did that, I would have less money in my bank account every right now. Oh, yeah, yeah. When I was 22 I was like, that feels weird to me, like I want it so, like I didn’t do the matching, and I did that for like, eight years, and people are like, That’s so dumb. You just said no to free money, like little shit like that that I’ve made mistakes over, you know?
X Mayo 29:39
There’s something else that I’m curious to know about, like your podcast, I feel like it’s like a special talent to get people to be able to like talk about like money and make them be so vulnerable, but what you all do on your podcast is more honest than I think anyone has ever wanted to be about money, and obviously we need to talk about it like for. Pay transparency and equity, you know, for example. So why do you think it’s so uncomfortable for people to talk about their finances?
Fumi Abe 30:07
Okay, so one valid reason about why people don’t want to say how much they make or got paid on something, which I understand, is it doesn’t really apply for like, writers and actors, because we have a union. And so it’s like, if I’m a story editor, you can look up online how much story editors make, and you cannot go below that or above that, or like, we have to stay in that range, right? But I think for a lot of freelancers, like, if they give up their worth, then someone can someone they were saying, like, Oh, if that clip goes viral or something, then somebody who hires me to do modeling or graphic design knows that that’s how much I charge. And even if they have more money, they would, they would quote me at that. So it’s kind of like, if you give away as a freelancer, if you give away what you’re worth publicly, that could prevent you from making more money in the future. I understand that. I don’t think it’s gonna happen, but, you know, that’s the hesitancy for talking about how much you make. But you know, like, just like, not on a not in a public forum, like, I think it’s okay to ask, you know, I people, how much people make? I think people get uncomfortable, because if you make a lot of money, they don’t, because the people who don’t make a lot of money, they can’t shut the fuck up about money, right? They’ll tell you, I make 40 I make 30k in three years. You did that in 20 seconds into the podcast. But like, people who make a lot of money, they don’t, I think they they’re afraid to, like, make other people feel bad, or maybe they think that they will view them differently, because if I found out, like, you know, somebody makes $800,000 like, I’m gonna look at them a little bit differently for sure, you know.
X Mayo 31:37
Oh, he said I’m gonna look at them like, I want to rob them. Okay? So this is like a dream guest question for you. If you could have anyone on cash cuties to look at their bank statements? Who would it be?
Fumi Abe 31:50
To me, it’s not who? It’s more like I’ve always and I don’t know if this is possible with, like, internet data, but I would have loved to, like, if there was a time machine or something like, I would love to take a famous person. It could be Jeff Bezos. It could also be like, Keanu Reeves, whatever. And like, show me a credit card statement before you made it and after you made it, right. So like, how are you spending your money? Like, Aquafina, whatever. Like, before that YouTube video went viral in like, 2007 How are you when you try to make it as an actor, whatever? How what were you spending? How much was rent? Where were you living? You know, show me that percentage breakdown of like, how are you spending that paycheck, versus now? What are you doing? And I wonder if there’s any like, commonalities? I wonder if you’ve really changed, if there’s certain things that didn’t change, and, you know, and I think, like, we had a Pete Ballmer on the podcast. He’s the son of Steve Ballmer, who owns the LA Clippers, former CEO of Microsoft. And, like, That guy drives like, a Ford Focus. That’s, you know, he doesn’t really need to show off his wealth, But, see, that’s the other thing. X is, like, man, like, we’re just talking about, like, so I’m like, I got into basketball, like, in the last year. So I’m like, I’m super obsessed, and I’m watching the starting five on Netflix. And like, Anthony Edwards, like, all these new guys driving, like, these insane cars. And like, yes, he’s making so much money because he’s a great player. But like, you know that at the end of the day, these guys, like Steve Ballmer and their family, they probably have more money than these NBA players, right? Absolutely put together. This is, like, tech legacy money. This is not, like, this is wealth, yeah, it’s not a flash in the pan, right? It’s wealth, not, not rich, right? And so, but then, like, you see a guy, like, when I met his son, I was like, Oh, you drive a Ford Focus, you wear like, Old Navy. You’re like, a regular dude, because real wealthy people know how to make that shit grow, and they know it’s not through a Lamborghini, absolutely, they know that it’s through a Honda Accord.
X Mayo 33:47
Yes, well, here’s the thing for me, that’s my mindset. I have. Don’t even have 0.001% of the bomber families money. But I’ve never had a car note, even every time I lived in LA, obviously, in New York, I didn’t need a car. And I remember my homeboy, before the blackening came out, he, like, got in my truck, and it’s a 2006 Toyota Sequoia, like it’s a truck, not like it’s suburban, but she’s a big truck. I love a big car, right? And he was like, Okay, so when the blackening come out, you gonna trade this? He can get you a new wig. We gonna be rolling in a Range Rover. I said, No, we’re not. I said, Why would I do that? Like, I just you’re gonna see all my money in my home. You see what I’m saying, like you’re gonna see you’re definitely gonna see it in here, and the quality of my dishes and everything. Also, like the way that I fly, the way that I have accommodations, like you’re gonna see it there. But for me, it was just it never like logos. My mom made sure to put our value in integrity and being able to do what the fuck we want to do in life, like owning your own time, you know, like, if I want to work all day today, I can if I don’t, I don’t, you know, I. And I think that type of mentality is something so important to have. Because the thing is, for me, if my overhead, if I make more money, and my overhead gets higher as well, that’s how you get fucked up. That’s when you’re just like robbing Peter to pay Paul, and you just trying to play catch up.
Fumi Abe 35:15
I will add just the fun fact I learned from the door guys at the Comedy Store. I’m glad you answered that way, because Ali Wong, who is a new Netflix special apparently, you know, we all know she’s rich, she drives a, like, a 2006 Toyota rav4 or something. And I know that because people, when she pulls into the Comedy Store, that the door guys have to, like, park the car for her. So I asked, I asked, like, the valet people, and they’re like, oh, yeah, she’s got like, a regular ass Toyota.
X Mayo 35:40
No, you don’t need to and fool me. You don’t need to see me coming, baby. I could be wherever I need to be, wherever I’m good on any MLK Boulevard. I could pull up to any hood. Ain’t nobody checking for me. Oh, that’s X’s car. Nothing like, even people know, like, I love colors, like, you see my house like, it’s very colorful. They’re like, you don’t want it. My car is black. They’re like, you don’t want to get your car pink. I said, Don’t nobody need to know where I’m at, what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, 100% okay, so lastly, we’re going to end on a game called How much would you spend? Okay, you ready to play for me? Okay, so I’ll give you some scenarios, and you’ll tell me how much you would spend. Okay, so first scenario, you and your boo pull up to a fancy restaurant, you hand your car keys over to the valet, which costs $25 How much are you tipping?
Fumi Abe 36:29
Oh, God, I hate tipping, but I’m gonna give this guy, I guess, $5.
X Mayo 36:34
Good job. As someone who worked in the service industry, I’m like, Please tip. Okay, so you’re going on a first date with the girl you met on Tinder. Guys, this is this, he’s faithful. This is just a scenario, right? We’re not putting out any fake news when he loves his girlfriend, his domestic partner, okay? But just for the scenario, you’re going on the first day with the girl you met on Tinder, what is the price range of the restaurant you pick like? How much […] ?
Fumi Abe 37:00
Interesting, I would say, for a first date between the two of us, drinks, some food, some apps, some entrees. Between the two of us, I don’t want to spend like, over 200.
X Mayo 37:12
Good job. That’s what I was gonna say. Good job.
Fumi Abe 37:15
For a first date, for a first.
X Mayo 37:16
Yeah, for a first date, yeah. Also, you better than me. For me, if somebody want to take me out. I don’t know if you’re worth my Nars makeup and my Spanx and my good bra baby, let’s, let’s go to this mint cheese. Let’s get this frozen yogurt, and let’s see. You know you need to fill me out. I need to fill you out. I don’t know if I feel like doing you feel me like, Okay, so last one your friends are getting married, they only ask for cash for their wedding gifts. How much are you giving them?
Fumi Abe 37:42
Oh, I just did this. I give them, like, 200 bucks.
X Mayo 37:45
Good job. I don’t know what I was gonna say, I love that. I’m registered at JP Morgan and Chase. Don’t, Don’t give me no fucking pot. Don’t give me no pot. I’m registered on Cash App. Don’t do that shit. Oh, sadly, we are at the end of our show. Oh, my God, for me. I could talk to you all damn day, but you have to let the people know where they can follow you on socials, not just you, but Cash Cutie.
Fumi Abe 38:08
Cool, well, you can find thanks for listening, by the way, but you can find me on Instagram and Tiktok at @thefumiabe, the T, H, E, F, U, M, I, A, B, E, I post a lot of Stand Up clips on there. I’m also on tour, so please come see me. Come through, and then I also a podcast called Cash Cuties. We’re currently on hiatus, but our stuff is still on there. So Cash Cuties, wherever you’re listening to this podcast right now, you can find us. We’re also on YouTube too, if you want to see the video version.
X Mayo 38:32
Yes, okay, we have to follow Fumi on all things. So yes, Fumi, thank you so much for joining me on my podcast, and I have to come on yours, but I can’t show all my steps because I’m embarrassed.
Fumi Abe 38:44
You can take out whatever you want.
X Mayo 38:46
Yeah, okay, I definitely will. Thank you for joining me, Fumi.
Fumi Abe 38:49
Thank you.
X Mayo 38:50
Bye.
X Mayo 38:52
Y’all. I love Fumi, okay, truly, a superstar comedian. I can almost see why people want to come on his show and tell them all of their business. Now, I know we can’t all be that honest all the time, but I do think we could be maybe 30% more honest. That feels like a good number. Normalizing the conversation around income and spending can be empowering. It can help others make better decisions with their money, get help when they need it, or advocate for higher salaries. And we learned we are all a little weird about money, so come join the weird with money club with me. We have Uber Eats.
CREDITS 39:26
The Dough is a Lemonada original. I’m your host X Mayo. This series was created in partnership with Flourish Ventures. This series is presented by the Margaret Casey Foundation. Our producers are Tiffany Bui, and Dani Matias. Kristen Lepore is our senior producer. Mix and Sound Design by Bobby Woody. Original Music by Pat Mesiti Miller. Jackie Danziger is our Vice President of narrative content. Executive Producers include me X Mayo, Stephanie Wittels Wachs and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Help others find our show by leaving us a rating and writing a review. You can follow me on IG @80dollarsandasuitcase and Lemonada @lemonadamedia across all social platforms, follow The Dough wherever you get your podcast or listen ad free on Amazon music with your Prime membership, thanks so much for listening. See you next week, bye.