this story is part of cnbc make its millennial money series which details how people around the world earn spend and save their money when lauren simmons introduces herself to new people she usually says she works in finance but really the 27yearold is an author producer podcast and tv host angel investor and board member of several financial companies its a lot for one person but simmons is used to taking control of her career shes already made history several times over in 2017 at the age of 22 simmons became the youngest fulltime female trader on wall street and the second african american woman trader in the new york stock exchanges 229year history but while at the nyse simmons learned she was being paid just 12000 while male colleagues with the same job and qualifications were making upwards of 120000 from that point on she made a commitment to herself that shed never make less than 120000 a year simmons left the trading floor in 2018 and formed an llc to manage all of her projects in the last few years she has secured a deals on a book movie tv show and two podcasts her most consistent income comes from speaking engagements she averages two per month and she can earn up to six figures on brand deals no two days look the same simmons works long hours and on weekends taking meetings as early as 3 am and as late as 11 pm because she works with people all over the world her most recent project is a hosting job with the streaming series going public which requires filming the series itself and traveling to promote it in 2021 simmons moved to la and earned 650000 in 2022 shes on track to earn 1 million simmons grew up in marietta georgia with her mom twin brother and younger sister she credits her moms strict budgeting for how she learned to save 85 of her income which she began doing while earning just 12000 in new york city it was barely enough to pay for transportation while she lived with family in nearby new jersey and she didnt spend any money on going out simmons admits her saving strategy today isnt the most traditional but it works for her she sends all of her earnings into a savings account and for the most part doesnt touch it she also waits as long as possible to deposit her earnings simmons closed a few speaking engagement deals in january but will have her business manager hold onto the checks until just before they expire so she wont actually see that income until march i like for my money to be out of sight out of mind so i wont spend it she says shell sometimes transfer money to a separate checking account which she keeps at 2000 for everyday spending shell give herself a little more for birthdays and holidays but never allows herself to spend more than 15 of her earnings each month despite making a name for herself in the financial world simmons doesnt feel like an expert all the time she only began investing in the stock market during the 2020 pandemic downturn she keeps her emergency fund savings and retirement money all in one bank account and she unapologetically splurges on bath  body works candles any time they have a sale i am there as for managing her own money i think that there are days that im decent at it simmons says but i know that theres a lot to learn every time i get to a different phase in my life how she spends her money   rent 3850 paid for one year upfront and includes wifi water and parking   transportation 195 for car insurance and about 20 to charge her tesla which she leases under her llc   food 165 on groceries and dining out   subscriptions 24 for meditation app hay house hulu and the new york times simmons earnings fluctuate wildly from 12000 to 150000 a month so she plans ahead for big expenses she paid a years worth of her rent upfront when she moved in for example she pays for health insurance a year at a time and car insurance six months at a time another big constant in her budget is her 7yearold maltese kasper she spends about 200 on him each month between grooming and pet food he lives a very luxurious lifestyle simmons says otherwise simmons keeps her budget pretty lean in january she spent 182 on shopping and entertainment 165 on food mostly groceries from whole foods and 24 on a few subscriptions she shares streamingservice logins with family and contributes hulu to the pot given her hectic schedule making time for health and wellness is a nonnegotiable simmons prefers hiking doing yoga and exercising outdoors its a big reason why she moved to la she meditates every morning anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to stay grounded and focused simmons believes it doesnt have to be expensive to take care of yourself i dont want to turn into that person that is spending thousands of dollars in wellness because i think you can do it for free at home she says that said she does splurge on herself once in a blue moon she recently treated herself and her mom to a sevenday trip at a wellness retreat as a gift this year simmons expects to earn 1 million across brand deals partnerships speaking engagements and returns on investing in companies but even for someone who loves talking about money it still feels awkward to say out loud simmons knows all too well that when young women succeed at work we dont get the same kudos as our male counterparts but those reminders only make her want to talk about her accomplishments and pay even more