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From Vision to Community: How Black Women Are Nurturing the Wealth Conversation

One of the best parts of living in the DMV is the countless opportunities to attend Black-centered events. As I scrolled through Eventbrite one day, I realized there were many Black events to explore, outside of entertainment and "21+" types of vibes...


...and boom, 1 ticket for the Vision of Wealth Brunch by Black Women Invest was ordered.


Building a community out of ANYTHING you deeply care about, IS possible. At the brunch, I was seated at a table with other Black women entrepreneurs with all types of businesses, ranging from accounting, life coaching, real estate, and more. The panelists poured into us from a place of experience, wisdom, and love. The vulnerability in my lack of knowledge felt safe


Education about finances can be overwhelming and - if we’re being forreal - boring. But...it doesn't have to be! I am easily turned off by the overly-promising “all you have to do is…” dialogue about wealth. The energy never resonates with me and like many of us, the lack of our identity in financial conversations creates a disconnect as we seek to understand.



"Building a community out of ANYTHING you deeply care about, IS possible."



How do people typically fumble the bag?


1. Getting involved in the wrong community and/or conversations. People who have not obtained or surpassed your financial goals, do not have the qualifications or experience to help you build yours. Period. Also, people who do not want to learn with you and do not positively influence your goals are likely delaying your journey to getting there.


2. Analysis paralysis, or simply not starting. YOU are the common denominator of your desires (where you want to go) and your path (how you'll get there). If you and I are anything alike, you are also pioneering many liberating dreams in your family. There will always be more to learn on the journey but who is it helping if we don't actually start it?!


For nearly the past decade, Black women represented the highest growth rate of business ownership for any women’s demographic.* To me, this means there are several others out there with the same priorities, serving in Black-centered spaces, and living the same lifestyles of liberation that I imagine.


In our community, we are bonded by a generational history that is, in many ways, still unveiling its impacts. The reality of it all can feel like a never-ending pressure to overcome damn near everything. Not just for us. But for the generations before us that couldn’t or didn’t. And for the generations afterward that shouldn’t have to.


There are practices that have been traditionally unseen and unheard of in our community that could heal generations if we adopt them. For instance, opting into a thriving mindset over a survival mindset or making poverty impossible with the right legal and financial structure.



So, where do I start building?


For one of the financial planning activities, we were challenged to imagine our future lives and create goals for 5 years from now…? 10 years from now…? 15 years from now…?


I challenge you to do the same! Think about: Who's there with you? How much your day-to-day experiences cost? What your mobility and lifestyle look like? What costs are associated with maintaining your assets and responsibilities? What your pleasures and joys are? WRITE. IT. DOWN.


Now, look at all the loveliness you wrote and estimate 1) the annual income required to comfortably live that life and 2) the annual investment you are willing to pay to continually earn #1. If you're dreaming bold enough, the sum of it all should put a lot into perspective for you.


Writing them down was scary lowkey BUT it triggered motion and illustrated my own standards for the quality of life. After further review… your girl’s standards ain’t cheap! I can't afford to be unintentional, literally. I also recognize that I need a lot of people, places, and resources to fulfill those years and to do so, it is necessary to reimagine my actions today. So now more than ever, I can accept the separation of whatever and whoever is not in alignment with either of those paths.

I departed from the Vision of Wealth Brunch with an abundance of resources that were curated by Black women. I experienced some of the most genuine networking connections I’ve ever come across. Before the brunch, I’d never even thought about ways to explore global wealth opportunities. My favorite part was learning about the most essential relationships to create a financial wealth-generating life and practical methods to reimagine a quality education experience for my future children.


I have immense gratitude for all the women who mothered, auntie-d, and sister-ed us through conversations about how to use our life triumphs for purpose. For it is the lived experiences that gave each of the millionaires seated before us the guidance to nurture their financial success.


RUN towards whatever resonates with you this season, you won't regret it.


 

Check out these Black Women in the Wealth Community!




References


* J.P. Morgan, "Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. But the job isn't easy." (October 2021)



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