Rich AF: The Winning Money Mindset by Vivian Tu – A Complete Deep Dive

You know that feeling when you check your bank account and immediately regret it? Or when you’re at dinner with friends and everyone’s ordering cocktails whilst you’re mentally calculating whether you can afford a starter? Yeah, we’ve all been there. But what if I told you that being skint isn’t just about your salary or how much avocado toast you’re eating? According to Vivian Tu’s Rich AF: The Winning Money Mindset, it’s actually about how you think about money. Vivian Tu, better known as “Your Rich BFF” on social media, has built a massive following by making finance accessible and, dare I say it, actually interesting. She’s not some trust fund baby lecturing you from her yacht. She worked her way up from Wall Street to become a self-made millionaire, and now she’s sharing the blueprint. This isn’t your typical finance book filled with complicated charts and terms that make your eyes glaze over. It’s a proper conversation about money, mindset, and how to stop being your own worst financial enemy. So grab a cuppa, get comfortable, and let’s dive into the ten most powerful lessons from Rich AF that can genuinely transform your relationship with money.

1. Stop Thinking Like a Poor Person (Even If You’re Skint Right Now)

Here’s the thing that Vivian hammers home from page one: being broke is temporary, but thinking poor is a choice. And that choice keeps you stuck. What does “thinking poor” actually mean? It’s when you say things like “I can’t afford that” without even looking at your budget. It’s when you assume wealthy people are just lucky or dodgy. It’s when you think investing is only for posh people with loads of spare cash. Vivian argues that your money mindset is the single biggest factor in whether you’ll ever build wealth. You could win the lottery tomorrow and still be broke in five years if you’ve got a poverty mindset. Conversely, you could be earning minimum wage right now and still start building wealth if you shift how you think. Real-world example: Think about someone who gets a pay rise. Person A immediately increases their spending to match their new income, buying a fancier car or moving to a pricier flat. Person B keeps their expenses the same and invests the difference. Both earned the same raise, but only one is actually getting richer. That’s mindset in action. How to implement this: Start catching yourself when you use limiting language around money. Instead of “I can’t afford it,” try “That’s not a priority for me right now” or “How could I afford this if I wanted to?” The first shuts down possibilities; the second opens them up. Keep a note on your phone for a week and track every time you say something negative about money. You’ll be shocked at how often you do it.

2. Understand the Difference Between Rich and Wealthy

This is massive, and most people get it completely wrong. Vivian breaks down the crucial distinction: being rich means you’ve got a high income, but being wealthy means you’ve got assets that work for you. You know those footballers or lottery winners who end up bankrupt? They were rich, not wealthy. They had money coming in, but they didn’t build systems that kept money flowing when the initial source dried up. Rich people have nice things. Wealthy people own things that make them money. Rich people worry about their next paycheque. Wealthy people sleep soundly knowing their investments are working whilst they’re dreaming. Real-world example: Imagine two people both earning £100,000 a year. Person A drives a Range Rover (£800/month), lives in a luxury flat (£2,500/month), and wears designer everything. Person B drives a reliable used Toyota (£200/month), rents a modest flat (£1,200/month), and invests £2,000 every month in index funds. Person A looks rich. Person B is actually building wealth. In 20 years, Person B could be properly wealthy whilst Person A is still dependent on that salary. How to implement this: Audit your current spending and categorise everything as either moving you towards wealth or just making you look rich. Be brutally honest. That fancy coffee subscription? That’s “looking rich.” Setting up an automatic investment account? That’s building wealth. Aim to shift more spending into the wealth-building category each month, even if it’s just an extra £50.

3. Pay Yourself First (No, Seriously, First)

Vivian is obsessed with this principle, and for good reason. Most people pay everyone else first – the landlord, the credit card company, the bills – and then save whatever’s left over. Which is usually nothing. The “pay yourself first” strategy flips this completely. The moment your salary hits your account, a percentage automatically goes into savings or investments. Not what’s left over. Not if you remember. Automatically. First. This isn’t just about building savings; it’s about fundamentally changing your relationship with money. When you pay yourself first, you’re telling yourself that your financial future matters more than impressing people with things you don’t need. Real-world example: Sarah earned £2,500 a month and always felt skint. She’d pay all her bills and then try to save what was left, which was usually about £50 on a good month. Then she set up an automatic transfer of £300 (12% of her income) to go into a separate savings account the day after payday. Was it tight? Yes. Did she notice after two months? Not really. After a year, she had £3,600 saved – more than she’d managed to save in the previous five years combined. How to implement this: Open a separate savings or investment account that isn’t connected to your regular banking app. Set up an automatic transfer for the day after you get paid. Start with whatever percentage doesn’t make you panic – even 5% is better than 0%. The key is making it automatic so you can’t “forget” or decide you need that money for something else.

4. Stop Being Loyal to Companies That Aren’t Loyal to You

This one’s painful but necessary. Vivian pulls no punches when she talks about company loyalty, and she should know – she worked on Wall Street. Companies will lay you off the second it makes financial sense, regardless of how many years you’ve been there or how hard you’ve worked. They’ll cancel your pension, restructure your department, or replace you with someone cheaper. And you know what? That’s business. They’re doing what’s best for them. So why are you doing what’s best for them instead of what’s best for you? Staying in a job that underpays you because you feel loyal is financial self-sabotage. Not negotiating because you don’t want to seem greedy is leaving money on the table. Refusing to job-hop even though you could get a 20% raise elsewhere is basically donating your labour. Real-world example: James worked at the same company for seven years. He was good at his job and got the standard 2-3% annual raise. Meanwhile, his mate Tom changed jobs every two to three years. After seven years, Tom was earning £18,000 more than James for essentially the same role. Why? Because companies almost never give existing employees the raises they’d offer new hires. Tom negotiated better each time he moved; James stayed “loyal” and got poorer. How to implement this: Update your CV right now, even if you’re not actively job hunting. Check what similar roles are paying in your area. Have a conversation with your manager about compensation within the next month. If they won’t pay you what you’re worth, start looking elsewhere. Remember: the average raise from switching jobs is 10-20%, whilst staying put typically nets you 3% if you’re lucky.

5. Debt Is a Tool, Not a Moral Failing

Vivian challenges the overly simplistic “all debt is bad” narrative that’s everywhere in personal finance. Yes, high-interest consumer debt that you can’t afford is terrible. But strategic debt? That can actually make you wealthy. The key distinction is between “good debt” and “bad debt.” Good debt is used to acquire assets that appreciate or generate income: student loans for a degree that increases your earning potential, mortgages for property that gains value, business loans that grow your company. Bad debt finances things that lose value: credit cards for holidays, car loans for vehicles that depreciate, buy-now-pay-later for clothes you’ll wear twice. Wealthy people use debt strategically. Poor people use debt desperately. Real-world example: Emma used a £5,000 loan at 6% interest to take a coding bootcamp. Within six months, she’d increased her salary from £25,000 to £45,000. That’s £20,000 more per year, and she’ll earn that increased amount for decades. The loan cost her about £300 in interest – a bargain for a £20,000 raise. Meanwhile, her friend Jake put a £3,000 holiday on a credit card at 24% interest and took two years to pay it off, spending nearly £1,000 in interest charges for a two-week trip he barely remembers. How to implement this: List all your current debts with their interest rates. Anything above 10% needs to be your priority to eliminate. For anything below that, run the maths: could you earn more by investing your money than you’re paying in interest? If yes, pay the minimum and invest the rest. If no, accelerate repayment. And before taking on new debt, ask yourself: will this increase my net worth or just increase my stress?

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6. Invest Like You Give a Damn About Your Future Self

Vivian is passionate about getting people investing, especially women and young people who often think investing is too complicated or risky. Here’s what she makes crystal clear: not investing is actually the riskiest thing you can do. Thanks to inflation, money sitting in a regular savings account is losing value every year. If your savings earn 1% interest but inflation is 3%, you’re effectively losing 2% of your purchasing power annually. Keeping all your money “safe” in the bank is a guaranteed way to get poorer. The stock market, over time, has historically returned about 10% annually. Yes, there are ups and downs, but if you’re investing for the long term (20+ years), those short-term fluctuations don’t matter. Time in the market beats timing the market, every single time. Real-world example: Consider twins who both started saving at age 25. Twin A put £200/month in a savings account earning 1% interest. Twin B put £200/month in a low-cost index fund averaging 8% returns. By age 65, Twin A would have about £105,000. Twin B? Nearly £700,000. Same amount saved, wildly different outcomes, purely because of where they put the money. How to implement this: If your job offers a pension match, contribute at least enough to get the full match – it’s literally free money. Open an ISA (Individual Savings Account) and start with a simple, low-cost index fund that tracks the market. You don’t need thousands to start; many platforms let you begin with as little as £25. Set up an automatic monthly contribution, even if it’s just £50. The key is starting now, not waiting until you “have more money” or “understand it better.”

7. Stop Letting Fear Keep You Skint

Fear is the biggest barrier between most people and wealth. Fear of losing money keeps people from investing. Fear of rejection keeps people from negotiating. Fear of failure keeps people from starting that side hustle. Fear of judgment keeps people from talking about money. Vivian argues that whilst these fears feel protective, they’re actually keeping you poor. The irony is that by trying to avoid the discomfort of potential loss or rejection, you guarantee the discomfort of staying broke. Rich people feel fear too. The difference? They do the scary thing anyway. They ask for the raise even though they might be told no. They invest even though the market might drop. They start the business even though it might fail. Real-world example: Priya wanted to start freelancing on the side but was terrified of putting herself out there. What if nobody hired her? What if she failed? So she waited, thinking she’d start when she felt ready. Three years later, she was still waiting and still stuck in a job she hated. Then her friend Aisha, who was honestly less experienced, just started – messy website and all. Within six months, Aisha was earning an extra £1,500/month. The only difference was that Aisha did it scared whilst Priya let fear stop her. How to implement this: Write down every financial fear you have. Then, next to each fear, write the worst realistic outcome and the best realistic outcome. You’ll usually find that the worst case isn’t as bad as your brain makes it seem, and the best case is worth the risk. Pick one fear and do something that scares you financially this month. Ask for a raise. Start investing. Pitch your first freelance client. You don’t have to be fearless; you just have to be brave enough to act despite the fear.

8. Your Network Is Your Net Worth

This isn’t just a catchy phrase – it’s genuinely how wealth works. Vivian emphasises that who you know can be more valuable than what you know. Most jobs aren’t advertised publicly; they’re filled through networks. Most business opportunities come through connections. Most financial knowledge gets shared in conversations, not textbooks. If you’re the richest person in your friend group, you’re in the wrong friend group. Not because your current friends are bad people, but because you need to surround yourself with people who are where you want to be financially. Their habits, knowledge, and opportunities will rub off on you. This isn’t about being fake or using people. It’s about intentionally building relationships with people who challenge and inspire you to level up. Real-world example: Marcus spent every weekday lunch eating alone at his desk to save money. His colleague Sophie spent that time having lunch with people from different departments, attending company events, and joining professional groups. When a senior position opened up, Sophie heard about it before it was posted because she’d built relationships with people in that department. She got the role – and a £15,000 raise. Marcus saved maybe £1,000 a year on lunches. Sophie’s networking made her £15,000 more annually. Do the maths. How to implement this: Join one professional group or online community in your field this month. Reach out to one person you admire and ask if you can buy them a coffee to learn about their career path. When you attend events, actually talk to people instead of staring at your phone. Most importantly, look for ways to add value to others first – introduce people who should know each other, share helpful resources, offer your skills. Build genuine relationships, and the opportunities will follow.

9. Master Your Money Story

Everyone has a “money story” – the beliefs about money you learned growing up. Maybe your parents fought about money constantly, so you avoid talking about it. Maybe they told you money doesn’t matter, so you never prioritised earning it. Maybe they said rich people are greedy, so you self-sabotage when you start doing well. Vivian stresses that until you identify and rewrite your money story, you’ll keep repeating the same financial patterns. Your subconscious beliefs about money are running the show, and if those beliefs are rubbish, your finances will be too. The good news? You can rewrite your money story. You’re not destined to repeat your parents’ financial mistakes or stay stuck in the beliefs you formed as a child. But first, you need to know what your current story is. Real-world example: Lisa’s mum always said “we can’t afford that” when Lisa asked for things as a child. As an adult, Lisa earned good money but felt guilty every time she spent anything on herself. She’d deny herself basic comforts whilst her bank account grew, because her subconscious belief was that wanting things was wrong and she should always struggle. Once she identified this belief and actively worked to change it, she found a healthy middle ground – she could build wealth AND enjoy her life. How to implement this: Finish these sentences honestly: “Money is…”, “Rich people are…”, “I’ll never have enough money because…”, “My parents taught me that money…” Whatever comes up, that’s your money story. Now ask: are these beliefs actually true, or are they just stories you’ve been telling yourself? Write a new money story that serves you better. Read it daily until it feels true. This sounds simple, but it’s genuinely transformative.

10. Build Multiple Income Streams

Vivian is clear: relying on one source of income is risky as hell. Your job could disappear tomorrow through redundancy, industry changes, or a global pandemic (remember that?). If your only income is your salary, you’re one bad quarter away from financial disaster. Wealthy people have multiple income streams. They have their salary, sure, but they also have investment income, side business income, property rental income, or other streams. This isn’t about working yourself to death with three jobs. It’s about creating systems that generate money without trading your time for every pound. The goal is to build income streams that become more passive over time. Yes, they require effort upfront, but eventually, they pay you whilst you sleep. Real-world example: Rachel earned £40,000 at her job. She also had £100,000 invested that generated about £8,000/year in dividends, rented out her spare room for £6,000/year, and made about £5,000/year from a blog she’d built. Her total income? £59,000. When she got made redundant, she wasn’t panicking because £19,000 of her annual income kept flowing. She found a new job within three months, but she had the security to be picky and negotiate well because she wasn’t desperate. How to implement this: Start with one additional income stream. It could be investing (even £50/month counts), freelancing your skills, selling things you make, renting out a spare room, or creating digital products. Don’t try to build five streams at once – that’s overwhelming and you’ll quit. Build one until it’s generating consistent money, then add another. Think about what you’re already good at or what assets you already have. Your side hustle doesn’t need to be revolutionary; it just needs to pay you.

The Bottom Line: It’s About Freedom, Not Flashiness

What makes Rich AF different from other finance books is that Vivian never loses sight of why money matters. It’s not about buying expensive things or showing off. It’s about freedom. Freedom to leave a job that’s crushing your soul. Freedom to say no to things that don’t serve you. Freedom to help people you care about. Freedom to take risks because you have a safety net. Freedom to live life on your terms instead of someone else’s. Being rich AF isn’t about the number in your bank account (though that helps). It’s about having the mindset, systems, and habits that give you control over your financial life. It’s about waking up without that knot of anxiety in your stomach every time you think about money. Vivian’s message is ultimately hopeful: you’re not broken, you’re not bad with money, and you’re not doomed to struggle forever. You just need better information, better habits, and a better mindset. And now you’ve got the roadmap. The question is: what are you actually going to do with it?

Test Your Knowledge: The Rich AF Quiz

Ready to see how much you’ve absorbed? Answer these ten questions honestly – no cheating! 1. According to Vivian Tu, what’s the primary difference between being rich and being wealthy?

• A) Rich people earn more money
• B) Wealthy people have designer clothes
• C) Rich people have high income; wealthy people have assets that generate income
• D) There’s no real difference

2. What does “pay yourself first” actually mean?

• A) Buy yourself treats before paying bills
• B) Automatically transfer money to savings/investments before spending on anything else
• C) Pay off all debt before saving
• D) Only save money that’s left over at the end of the month

3. What should you do if your employer offers a pension match?

• A) Ignore it because pensions are for old people
• B) Contribute just enough to get the full match
• C) Contribute nothing because you can invest better elsewhere
• D) Only contribute if you’re over 40

4. How does Vivian suggest you handle company loyalty?

• A) Stay loyal to one company your entire career
• B) Change jobs every six months
• C) Remember that companies will do what’s best for them, so you should do what’s best for you
• D) Never negotiate salary because it seems greedy

5. What’s the average historical return of the stock market over long periods?

• A) About 2% annually
• B) About 5% annually
• C) About 10% annually
• D) About 25% annually

6. What’s considered “good debt” according to Vivian?

• A) Credit card debt for holidays
• B) Debt used to acquire appreciating assets or increase earning potential
• C) Any debt under £10,000
• D) Car loans for luxury vehicles

7. What should you do when you feel fear about taking a financial risk?

• A) Wait until you feel completely ready and fearless
• B) Act despite the fear, after evaluating realistic outcomes
• C) Avoid all financial risks entirely
• D) Only take risks if you’re already wealthy

8. Why is your network important for wealth building?

• A) You can borrow money from friends
• B) Most opportunities come through connections, not public advertisements
• C) Rich friends will give you money
• D) It’s not actually important; only hard work matters

9. What’s a “money story”?

• A) An entertaining tale about finance
• B) Your subconscious beliefs about money learned from childhood
• C) The amount of money you have
• D) Stories wealthy people tell about how they got rich

10. How many income streams does Vivian recommend building?

• A) One is enough if it’s a good salary
• B) Exactly three streams
• C) As many as possible, but start with one additional stream beyond your main job
• D) Five streams minimum before you’re 30

Unlock More Financial Wisdom on Mind Set in Stone Podcast 🎙️

If you’re keen to dive even deeper into Rich AF: The Winning Money Mindset by Vivian Tu and discover more practical ways to transform your relationship with money, tune into the Mind Set in Stone Podcast! We break down the principles of wealth, success, and abundance in a way that’s both insightful and genuinely useful for real life. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube to start your journey towards proper financial freedom – no fluff, no nonsense, just honest conversations about building wealth that lasts.

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Quiz Answers

1. C – Rich people have high income; wealthy people have assets that generate income. This is the crucial distinction Vivian makes throughout the book. 2. B – Automatically transfer money to savings/investments before spending on anything else. This ensures you prioritise your financial future. 3. B – Contribute just enough to get the full match. It’s literally free money from your employer that you’re leaving on the table if you don’t take it. 4. C – Remember that companies will do what’s best for them, so you should do what’s best for you. Loyalty is great, but not when it keeps you underpaid. 5. C – About 10% annually. While past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, the stock market has historically averaged around 10% returns over long periods. 6. B – Debt used to acquire appreciating assets or increase earning potential. This includes mortgages for property that gains value or loans for education that increases your earning capacity. 7. B – Act despite the fear, after evaluating realistic outcomes. Fear is normal, but letting it paralyse you guarantees staying broke. 8. B – Most opportunities come through connections, not public advertisements. Your network genuinely affects your ability to access opportunities and information. 9. B – Your subconscious beliefs about money learned from childhood. These beliefs run your financial life until you identify and rewrite them. 10. C – As many as possible, but start with one additional stream beyond your main job. Don’t overwhelm yourself; build systematically.

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