“We can afford the cup,” La La Anthony has to remind her mother sometimes. The actress has everything now: success, wealth, and a life of comfort. But it wasn’t always that way. She has worked hard from humble beginnings, and those experiences have shaped her values. Anthony has been able to pass those on to her son. She also takes great pride in how her 18-year-old is quite conscious about his finances, even at such a young age. Anthony shared valuable advice as her son Kiyan is all set for the next big chapter of his life.

Looking back at her younger days, the actress shared that she wasn’t aware of all the financial knowledge that her son now possesses. However, she makes sure to share her experience with Kiyan. The 18-year-old currently has an NIL valuation of $1 million. When Richer Lives’s Vivian Tu asked Anthony about one financial advice that she didn’t get but wants her son to have, she shared, “So for me, with my son now, I definitely tell him how important it is to pay attention to the money that’s coming in, to look at your accounts, to not just rely on someone else to tell you, to ask questions.”

“Don’t feel like any question is a dumb question. Ask as many questions as possible to learn. So even as a teenager now, he’s way more involved in his own finances and understanding than. I didn’t even know anything about that at that age,” she added.

The same goes for Kiyan’s father, Carmelo Anthony. During his college days, Melo didn’t have much knowledge of the financial stuff or management either. He didn’t know about taxes. However, now that his son is not only heading to college but also falls under a tax bracket, he knew he had to help him. During the Boardroom podcast, the New York Knicks legend explained that he wants to teach him about it. 

“I told him the other day, I said, you in my tax bracket now. You 17 in my tax bracket… you part of the 1%. So now I can’t hide that information from you. I got to tell you, you’re getting 60% of your money taken. Don’t ask me where it’s at. I ain’t got it. You know what I mean?”

As Kiyan heads to Syracuse this season, he faces potential New York State income taxes on his NIL earnings.. Based on his current NIL valuation, he’s expected to pay between 6.85% and 9.65% in state taxes on that income. The young hooper will also need professional guidance and tips from tax consultants to manage his finances. Apart from that, he will always have his parents to guide him. Mrs. Anthony’s mother still does it.

La La Anthony’s star status hasn’t changed her mother’s strict rule

La La Anthony proudly credits her mother for instilling valuable financial lessons. Spending mindfully and saving for the future are some of the pieces of advice she received from her mother. And La La says she still has to follow some of her mom’s strict rules. Anthony says her mother still insists she check the price before buying anything. 

The Chi actress has a net worth of nearly $30 million, but that hasn’t spared her from these rules. Her mother still disapproves when the actress buys expensive items for herself. “It’s annoying at this point. I’m like Ma, it’s okay, we can afford the cup for $3.99. It’s all right, she’s still like, ‘This is too expensive.’ She’s always worried about prices,” Anthony recalled. 

Looking back, she says she wanted to help her mother, who was working hard for their family. Before achieving fame, the actress worked various jobs, from Baskin-Robbins and a tattoo shop to hosting shows before eventually landing bigger deals in the business and entertainment world.

Kiyan Anthony’s NIL deal might be worth a million, but it’s what he keeps that’ll define his future. His parents didn’t grow up with financial playbooks, so now they’re making sure he has one. No blind spending, no silent tax hits, no excuses. The old mistakes aren’t being passed down. That’s how generational wealth — and wisdom — actually starts