Hey and welcome to Habesha Finance! I’m Matt. My wife and I finally became consumer debt free in November 2018. It is awesome! Yet, even now we’re learning more and more about personal finance as life presents new challenges each day.

I was born in the United States of America and like many first generation Americans whose habesha parents came from Ethiopia or Eritrea I had to make a choice with the person I was going to become. The choice really came down to 3 options. I could abandon my heritage and fully embrace “being American.” My second choice would be to forget what I knew about American culture and take on this identity of being “Habesha.” The last and most appealing and challenging option would be to fully embrace being American and Habesha at the same time. I like challenges. So I chose #3 around the age of 16.

fully embrace being American and Habesha at the same time.

Let’s go ahead and define where the habesha name comes from very quickly. Contrary to popular belief habesha does not encompass the entire nation of Ethiopia. Habesha or Abesha is a term that now refers to people of Northern Ethiopia and much of Eritrea. It all depends on who you ask really. Personally, I consider myself Habesha, Ethiopian, Eritrean and American. I don’t care what others may think or say. I guess I’m at that point in my life where I’ve stopped allowing others to place their labels on me. I suggest you do the same sooner than later.

What is Habesha?

First the pronunciation (or better transliteration) for the term Habesha is: “hah-beh-shaw” and you can just listen to the Habesha Finance podcast to hear me pronounce it.

So what is Habesha now that you know how to pronounce it? Some say Aksumites, an ancient kingdom in what is now Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. Others say southeastern Yemen. As of today, the term Habesha is loosely used to describe both Ethiopians and Eritreans and even other people from the Horn of Africa. Some do not like this and others could care less. As for me I’ve come to accept “Habesha” as something that is more than just a geographical territory. Habesha is rich history, dynamic cultures, unbelievable foods, beautiful faces, organic life and a permanent part of man’s past, present and future. This is what I plan to explore here on HabeshaFinance* and I welcome any of those who are interested to join in discovering what being habesha is all about.

Habesha is rich history, dynamic cultures, unbelievable foods, beautiful faces, organic life and a permanent part of man’s past, present and future.

A few disclaimers I would like to put out there. Every article, post, tweet, and message that comes from me is my own expression. This is not the definitive, final authority on matters that pertain to being habesha, or being Ethiopian, Eritrean and African. All information on this website, blog and related podcast is for entertainment purposes only and I am not providing professional tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult a professional legal, tax, or financial advisor if you need such advice.

I hope as people we can come to respect one another’s viewpoints even if you don’t agree. I don’t tolerate nonsense, slander or disparaging comments to me or anyone else in the Habesha Finance space.

Why Habesha Finance?

I’m basically taking two of my passions and combining them. My love of being Habesha and my passion for personal finance. I believe there is a critical need to raise awareness on the topic of personal finance in the Habesha community in the diasporas. I also believe there is a critical need to help Habesha people like my parents with their finances as well. They came to the United States from Africa with very little to their name and yet have accomplished so much. There is still so much for them to learn about personal finance end they are getting there today, of course with the knowledge and tools I share here on Habesha Finance.

I’ve also found that there are dishonest people out there who are leading hard-working men and women astray. Personal finance is not all that complicated as people make it out to be. Sure, when it comes to optimizing tax benefits and investing in various kinds of asset classes there are complexities that a professional can help tremendously on. However, for general and practical personal finance education, simplicity is key. Please understand that I am not a professional tax, legal or financial advisor. I speak and write as someone who was born and raised in the United States of America, made a bunch of money mistakes and now learning from those mistakes.

This is a space that seeks to encourage others who are interested in learning about personal finance and growing as a Habesha, Ethiopian, Eritrean, American, or if you’re like me all of the above. Welcome, let’s start making personal finance make “cents!”

*Habesha Finance formerly known as BrotherFI