Beyoncé has been trying to teach you how to get wealth. We probably should listen.

"Gimme my check. Put some respeck on my check. Or pay me in equity, pay me in equity, and watch me reverse out of debt." Beyoncé has been trying to tell her people how they can enter into a world or not just the rich, but the wealthy.

She, a patron saint (see what I did there) of equal pay (she did write an entire op-ed on the subject that is totally worth the read) upgrades us by littering her own songs with money references. Beyoncé is after all, the one who told us in "Formation" lyric "always stay gracious, best revenge is you paper."

However, the above lyric has caused some stir of disagreement. Recently, Refinery29 released a piece saying that you do not want to be paid in equity, saying;

"Many employers would love nothing more than if you asked to be paid in equity! They'd make it rain in useless stock options that'll never see the light of vesting. For most people, getting good cold, hard cash is best unless you really want to go apeshit. You can be sure, though, that neither "Black Bill Gates in the making" grew their net worth on equity alone — and you shouldn't either."

When asking Forbes writer William Baldwin about equity, he explains how equity works for us normal people; "Say [your option award] is for 10,000 shares. You are entitled to nothing if you quit (or get axed) within 12 months. You get 2,500 options at the one-year anniversary and further amounts monthly or quarterly. The fact that people job-hop makes options less valuable than they appear to be."

While I (and you know, actual financial experts) will tell you that equity alone is not the way to build wealth or to make big bucks right now, it is a smart money move for the future. Playing smart and for the long term is the key.

Equity, in essence is ownership in the company. When a company offers its employees equity, they are giving stock options to the employees that grant them the ability to purchase shares in the company they work for at a discounted price.

I think that this article understands what Beyoncé is telling us subliminally; ownership is the key. I don't think Beyoncé is telling you or I to only accept stock options. I think she is saying that if you are getting a check, respect your check and get some options as well. We don't big up ownership and diverse portfolios enough. Think about the benefits of ownership;  future stock options and ultimately, partial ownership in the company you're working for.

If you are planning to be at your company for longer than a year, it might be beneficial to take on some equity. Yes, it's risky, in the same way cooking bacon on a stove is risky for grease burns (it happens, but if you are paying attention, are patient, and are careful, the end result is a tasty breakfast.) And while you, as a normal person, should still be collecting your checks, ownership and options are not a bad thing, like this article expresses.

What it boils down to is paying attention, being smart, and trusting your judgement.

I mean, if we are going to take financial advice from an entertainer, why wouldn't it be Beyoncé? After all, she did say, "My great-great grand children already rich. That's a lot of brown chil'ren on your Forbes list."