The College’s President and CEO, George Nichols III, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®), hosted a panel discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) that emphasized the panelists’ personal experiences and the important work the American College Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality does in this area, while highlighting practical steps the industry can take to be more welcoming and equitable.

Personal Journeys to Financial Services Careers

As President Nichols noted, a more inclusive financial services industry starts with the recruitment and retention of diverse professionals. This means creating more opportunities for non-traditional candidates to discover and embrace financial services roles. 

To understand how people are attracted to the industry, Nichols invited the panelists to share their personal journeys to financial services careers. Their responses highlighted the importance of overcoming barriers and improving understanding of the industry. 

For Alanah Phillips, a recruiter and NextGen advocate, overcoming negative perceptions was crucial. 

“I had very negative perceptions of the industry. I thought it was like The Wolf of Wall Street. I did not study anything in school related to finance. And I remember when I came for my first interview, they were talking about annuities and I didn’t havea clue what an annuity was,” she said. “But then, as I got to meet financial professionals and understand what advisors did, I very quickly realized how important it was. I've become passionate about what we need to do to help change that perception.” 

People also played a crucial role in panelists’ career journeys. Centario Grier, co-founder of J&G Legacy Financial Group, explained how both a stranger and a family advisor guided him into his career. 

“I was introduced to the industry through a complete stranger,” he said. “A young lady approached me and said, ‘Hey, I think you would be great in the financial services industry.’ I started at New York Life, and I was impressed by the wealth of information I saw in my first interview. When I talked to my grandmother about it, she said that's who her financial advisor worked for. I realized that the person I viewed as financially successful was at New York Life, and that's where she was getting her financial advice from. So that's just confirmed everything and I said, I'm going to jump into this business.” 

The Importance of Mentorship and Community

Once panelists had begun to explore the industry, most said mentorship played a crucial role in guiding them to specific career paths and motivating them to stay in the field. 

For Marco Williams, CFP®, a wealth management specialist with JP Morgan Wealth Management, a key mentor entered early. 

“This particular firm that I began my career with prided itself on the fact that it only accepted 2% of applicants,” he said. “And the person who interviewed me subsequently told me after the fact that he had actually given me the highest score he had ever given anyone in the interview process, and he was a stickler. That increased my confidence level significantly because there was a certain amount of doubt there. I knew I had some basic skill sets in terms of building relationships, connecting with people, and so on, but once I got that feedback from him, it told me immediately that I could be successful in this career.” 

New York Life’s Fatima Williams, FSCP® explained that, for her, mentorship came at a crucial moment. 

“I was able to attend an African-American market event in Houston and there was a managing partner from a west coast office who was speaking to people who were brand new in the industry,” she said. “He spoke about five tactics to maintain your business, and it was something I needed in that moment. They helped me answer questions and provide clarity for myself into the future in this career. And so now I can call it a career and use those same five practices, not only for myself, but to share with others.” 

Grier also highlighted the opportunity he had to connect with other Black financial professionals at The College’s Conference of African American Financial Professionals (CAAFP), noting how important it is to build a community of peers who can support your long-term professional growth.

Building a Better Industry

Looking ahead, the panelists saw many ways in which the industry could do a better job of serving both diverse consumers and a more diverse workforce. 

Phillips argued, for example, that increasing diversity among financial professionals is not only an important objective, but also the key to improving customers’ experience with the industry. 

“If we have more folks in the industry that look like the clients, then they may want to approach an advisor,” she said. “There's a lot of negative stigma about the industry, and there have been some bad things that have happened. To see somebody who might look like you, might think like you, might have similar experiences to you, and could relate to your money story and your money problems, I think that one will fix the other.” 

For Marco Williams, it was also important to think more about how firms recruit, develop, and promote talent. 

“When I think about development, I think about coaching – you have to be able to value talent, to spot talent, and be willing to develop talent,” he said. “There's a lot of talent across the spectrum, across many different cultures and many different communities. I think the willingness for firms to develop and cultivate wealth management professionals is going to be critical.” 

Grier agreed, and added that it’s also necessary to think more flexibly about how to build and manage financial businesses in different contexts. 

“I think one of the biggest things is helping advisors know how to pick the right business model – this is very important to start off,” he said. “Then, once you get that advisor in the door, what type of language does he or she need to speak to the clientele that they're serving? For my clientele, I have to speak with my heart as well as my mind. The African-American community has an emotional relationship with money, not so much logical, so you need to approach things in a certain way and meet them where they are.” 

A Bright Future

President Nichols concluded the panel by asking the panelists to identify the one thing they would do to make DE&I work better for the industry if they had a magic wand. 

For Grier, it was about connections. 

“It would be to connect more African-American advisors and to then connect those advisors with the clientele that actually wants the advice,” he said. “It’s about connecting the right advisors to one another so we can be stronger together, and then connecting them to the right clientele so we don't lose wealth in the process.” 

Phillips wanted to eliminate bias. 

“Once we get on an individual level, a lot of those things go away and we recognize whatever those feelings were that we had about somebody because of how they look or how old they are or whatever, those go away,” she said. “If we could just start there, we'd probably see a lot more progress.” 

Fatima Williams said she wanted better mentorship. 

“Partnering a newer advisor with someone established is necessary because a lot of times these new advisors are afraid to ask, and I think that is the biggest issue,” she said. “Either somebody's going to ask or they're not going to ask at all, and it'd be a disservice to them because they were in the right place, but they just didn't ask the right question.” 

Finally, Marco Williams concluded with a simple but powerful wish. 

“Automatically educate every person out there about the importance of financial literacy,” he said.

The College’s President and CEO George Nichols III, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®), hosted a panel discussion that focused on prominent trends in philanthropy, ranging from the growing role of women in charitable giving to the importance of building a more collaborative philanthropic ecosystem.
 

A $30 Trillion Wealth Transfer

The first topic the panelists tackled was the role of women in philanthropy. Observing that an estimated $30 trillion will transfer to women over the next 10 years, President Nichols asked his guests what advisors can do to better serve the charitable giving needs of these future decision-makers. 

“In my experience with women, they are very philanthropic. They are very attuned to their communities and helping other people, but they're also concerned about saving enough for retirement and so on,” said Rick Peck, CFP®, CHFC®, CAP®, a special advisor to the philanthropy services team at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. “So, they do want to make a difference and they are looking for their advisors to help open the door for that discussion.” 

Unfortunately, however, advisors do not always meet their needs. As President Nichols pointed out, 80% of women who inherit money change their advisors within the first year. This is understandable, according to Mary Fischer-Nassib, CAP®, co-founder and director of Sow Good Now, given that advisors have not planned on how best to serve these clients. 

“How are we going to be able to serve those women? They're already proven leaders, they've already proven that they want to impact society, they're proven that they have causes that are important to them, and where do we belong? What seat are we taking at the table? How often and who are we bringing in that's needed? I think those are questions we have to start thinking about to serve them better,” she said. 

According to the panelists, to connect with their female clients advisors need to engage in meaningful conversations and ask open-ended questions. By understanding their values, interests, and aspirations, advisors can help women align their philanthropic goals with their personal and financial objectives. Providing education and resources early on can also help empower women to become lifelong philanthropists. 

Building a Better Ecosystem

Switching gears to the broader business of philanthropic advising, President Nichols asked the panelists how the philanthropy ecosystem could improve and expand the impact of giving across communities. 

In response, Fischer-Nassib highlighted the importance of improving collaboration and innovation. 

“In the non-profit space, they talk about collaboration and innovation, but the funders don't know what that looks like. And if you've ever tried to get your family to go out to pick a restaurant, it's really hard. So you're asking these nonprofits to work together and keep their mission aligned, and I say, well, you get your family that restaurant first, and then we'll start seeing how we can, as nonprofits, can collaborate,” she said. 

Fischer-Nassib added, “The innovative piece is also very important. You need the full team to come together in order to innovate. You need to have the wealth managers, the estate planners, the attorneys, the CPAs, and the philanthropic advisors to start having conversations.” 

Peck agreed. “Corporations are part of the ecosystem along with foundations, family foundations, and nonprofits,” he said. “And when you think of an ecosystem, it means that everything is positively coexisting and feeding off each other and thriving. And I think that, by bringing these different parts to the table for conversation and understanding what each party's looking for, that's going to be helpful in the grand conversation, and I don't know that we do that as well as we could.”

Bringing Diversity into Giving

The panelists moved on to a discussion on how philanthropy can become more diverse and work successfully with the clients of the future. In practice, this means not only recruiting more diverse philanthropic advisors, but also looking at new and emerging causes and expanding the definitions of where to give and how to partner with communities. 

On the topic of America’s racial tensions, for example, Peck said, “George Floyd being killed, it sparked an absolute fervor. But the reality is, it just magnified something that's been there for a long, long time. I think there's a reactionary way that people respond to something like that, and people pop up with all the best intentions, and try to create things that can be helpful. But does it last? Is it part of an ecosystem of change?” 

He continued, “I have not seen anything that feels as cohesive as it should be three years later. Now, there are community foundations in my world that were doing good stuff long before George Floyd was killed. And it's a marathon, and not a sprint. There's a lot of cultural work that needs to be done in communities, and we need to be sitting down and having conversations with individuals, not in a reactionary way, but more collaboratively. If we're sensitive to the differences that we have and how positive that can be in our society, we will all be better for that.”

A Brighter Way Forward

President Nichols wrapped up the session by asking the panelists about the one thing they would do to improve the philanthropic space if they had a magic wand to make any change they wanted. 

Peck focused on the importance of communication. “I'd wave it to bring people together to have an open discussion, a substantive discussion, leaving time to hear different points of view that lead, slowly but surely, to positive change,” he said. 

For Fischer-Nassib, engaging young people was most important. “If you really want to leave a legacy, pour some of what you have to give into these willing and able young people, give them power and a structure around those funds, and let them learn and practice and grow so that 10 years from now, we have risen up and have a good handle on what's needed, as well as teams of people who are set to do really good work.”

InvestmentNews' See It, Be It Role Model is awarded to those who have demonstrated leadership and achievements in financial services while actively seeking to inspire those from diverse backgrounds to pursue financial services careers. 

As the first Black President and CEO of The American College of Financial Services, Nichols has recognized the opportunity for The College to further expand on its goals and efforts to address economic injustice in America. Nichols has been acclaimed for his efforts to drive transformative change in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the financial services industry and elsewhere. Under his leadership, The College has prioritized diversifying the profession. 

Upon accepting the award, Nichols spoke about his experiences embarking on his career journey. "Many times throughout my career, I've been the first, the only, or one of the few,” he said. “I know what it feels like to be the lone wolf, assimilating and integrating myself into the existing culture." 

He also spoke about the importance of having diverse role models to help others grow in confidence and belonging. "Two things happen when we can SEE IT AND BE IT. When we SEE IT, our confidence grows. What we aspire to achieve and the goals we've set for ourselves appear closer; we know our dreams are attainable,” he said. 

Nichols added, "And as more of us BECOME IT, the space in which we are free to celebrate our individuality expands. We no longer feel pressured to assimilate, but are free to celebrate our shared history, challenges, and culture. With this celebration of self, biases begin to break down, perspectives widen, and true belonging is born in our corporate cultures." 

InvestmentNews Names The College as a Finalist for Diversity Champion

Each year, InvestmentNews also recognizes firms and industry partners that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organization or across financial services. With a strategic focus on diversifying the profession and as a steadfast champion of advancing DE&I initiatives, The College was named as a finalist for this year's Diversity Champion award. 

Multiple initiatives led by The College's Centers of Excellence, including the Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality, the Center for Women in Financial Services, the Center for Military and Veterans Affairs, and the Center for Special Needs advance DE&I in the financial services industry and beyond. 

President Nichols, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jared Trexler, Vice President of Administration and Chief Human Resources Officer Deborah Eskridge Glenn, MA, MSM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP and Executive Director of the Center for Women in Financial Services Hilary Fiorella attended the event to connect with others leading in DE&I and celebrate The College’s recognition.

The College Leads Panel Discussion on Countering Pushback and Addressing Anti-DE&I Sentiments 

President Nichols was joined by Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of Commonwealth Financial Network Scarlett Abraham Clarke for a discussion on how to counter DE&I pushback moderated by the Executive Director for the American College Center for Women in Financial Services, Hilary Fiorella. 

The discussion focused on the benefits realized from DE&I initiatives, why some employees are resistant, and proven strategies to counter anti-DE&I sentiment. Nichols pointed to political pressures and economic uncertainty over the past year as why some executives have started "falling back to what's 'worked' in the past." Nichols cautioned leaders to continue with DE&I strategic plans and initiatives "even if the business is stressed." 

"Executives need to be realistic in setting expectations and solving the bigger issues. Coming out and saying you're going to increase diverse hires by five percent in a tight environment sets up a false dichotomy where someone feels threatened by personal loss," he said. "We must re-frame so everyone wins with the focus on diversity as a growth engine for everyone."

With recession fears constantly looming, inflation soaring, and new regulations, including the SECURE 2.0 Act, clients frequently name retirement security as their top financial priority – putting the onus on advisors to be prepared for these important conversations. 

Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) Program Director Eric Ludwig, CFP® hosted the panel discussion on retirement planning along with four members of The College’s FinServe Network who work primarily with clients in this area. Subjects ranged from inflation and taxation to shifts in banking systems, financial literacy, and more. 

Preparation Means Greater Security

Ludwig started off the conversation by noting the two biggest disruptors for retirement planning today – recession fears and inflation – and how these combined worries can cause anxiety about retirement security for many clients. 

FinServe Network advisors said that while they have seen an increase in concern from clients, they also see current turbulence as an opportunity to encourage clients to engage more with them. “I think fear typically comes from not knowing, so if you’ve talked with clients beforehand and prepared for different situations, you can create momentum like in football planning,” said Padric Scott, AEP®, CFP®, CAP®, ChFC®, CLU®, WMCP®, CCFC, President and CEO of Crossroad Capital Partners. “Seeing the excitement in them to get to planning and stick with the plan all comes from setting expectations early on.” 

Jason Austell, CFP®, MSFS, ChFC®, CLU®, CASL®, RICP®, AEP®, CAP®, a financial planner at MassMutual Carolinas, agreed, saying that advisors need to equip themselves with a toolbox of knowledge and strategies and be prepared to alter their planning depending on shifts in the financial landscape. “What we use today may not be exactly what we need next week, next year, and so forth,” he said. “It helps to have a baseline of confidence in a portion of a client’s money and know they’re not going to lose that, so they can take more but appropriate risks with what they have left and try to build up assets that will support their needs long-term.” 

Keeping Clients in the Loop

Ludwig also noted that since the stock market crash of 2008, various types of assets and planning strategies have experienced ups and downs in effectiveness that have forced advisors to rethink how they approach retirement planning – including the relatively recent end to a long period of low interest rates due to rising inflation. Several of the advisors present shared stories of clients they’d worked with who were caught by surprise when unexpected situations disrupted their planning and emphasized the value of preparing for any eventuality – and educating clients while doing it. 

“One of my clients and her husband are in their late 70s and believed they didn’t need any help with their retirement planning,” said Nancy Du, MBA RICP®, CFP®, a financial advisor at Ashford Advisors. “But then in 2022 the stock market tanked and her husband was diagnosed with dementia. She panicked and sold everything they owned in the market, thinking it was the right thing to do, before coming to me for help. Since then we’ve ensured they have a good portfolio, pension plan, and annuities to support their retirement lifestyle and care, but it reinforces the idea that people need to be aware of their situation and their goals.” 

The power of working with informed clients was a recurring theme and one that Terry Parham, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®, WMCP®, a financial planner and co-founder of Innovative Wealth Building, elaborated on, pointing out the power of resources like RISA profiles and retirement styles. “It’s a natural human tendency to see people going a certain direction from social media or the news and go that direction too,” he said. “It’s like Costco on a Saturday: long lines everywhere, and as soon as a new one opens, everyone jumps in that line and makes it long again. We need to look at the specifics of each client’s situation and help them realize that we live in a dynamic world where truths about money are always changing.” 

Getting Ahead of Retirement Planning

Overall, the panel of advisors agreed that one of the keys to sound retirement planning is to work more closely with clients and form a relationship founded on both business and personal levels. The panelists repeatedly returned to the themes of proper planning made well in advance of crisis situations to help reduce the risk of running out of money in retirement and being proactive rather than reactive. 

“I always ask people, would you rather be punching someone in the mouth or getting punched in the mouth?” said Scott. “Allowing your money to be wasted with unnecessary taxes when you could have planned against it is like allowing Uncle Sam to punch you in the mouth. Why not get ahead of all that? If you’re delaying Social Security for a lower income base, front-run some of those dollars so you can then think long-term. If you end up in a situation where you have a lot of extra income, you’re not going to be using it anyway, and you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s so important to get the lay of the land, find the mines you need to navigate with your clients and adjust accordingly.”

These included the challenges independent advisors face in maintaining stability and consistent organic growth during times of market volatility. According to a 2022 benchmarking study by Charles Schwab, many RIAs’ target of 4% growth in 2021 failed to account for rising inflation, leaving many firms at a net negative and starving for organic growth. 

Wealth Management Certified Professional® (WMCP®) Program Director Michael Finke, PhD, CFP® hosted one such discussion: a panel focused on Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firms. Along with four members of The College’s FinServe Network from thriving RIAs, Finke led a meaningful conversation that ranged from what to do when markets go south to managing charitable giving, helping clients plan for their eventual retirement, and more. 

Steady Hands Amid Shaky Markets

One of the primary subjects involved recent changes in interest rates and market declines, which have put many clients on edge. Finke and the panelists acknowledged that it would be objectively foolish to believe markets would only go up, but also that many younger investors who may not have experienced high-interest rate environments or market volatility don’t always properly understand the risks of investing. 

“There's a lot of anxiety,” said Scott Winslow, MSFS, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®, AEP®, CCFC, managing partner at Nabell Winslow Investments & Wealth Management. “We’re getting a lot of calls from people who thought every advisor was doing a great job until we suddenly hit this market turbulence, and they want to know what went wrong. We focus mainly on educating clients upfront on possible outcomes so that when downturns happen, they’re prepared for them.” 

Chief Wealth Coach at Alchemist Wealth Andrew Tudor, CFP®, CAP®, agreed that advisors must better convey to clients that risk is an accepted part of the game when investing. “Like Mike Tyson once said, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face,’” he said. “A lot of people got punched in the face this year, and I think we’ve gotten into a space where people in our industry want to sell certainty. We need to be more upfront that certainty isn't a given. Positive charts and graphs are great, but we need to uncover what their fears are, see the questions behind the questions, and make sure we give investors a feeling of control over their outcomes while still steering them toward the best ones.” 

Angela Ribuffo, CFP®, RICP®, ChFC®, CDFA, CLTC, WMCP®, president and financial advisor at Raion Financial Strategies LLC, added that one way of protecting against client panic in market downturns is to talk about the potential downsides to investing first. “A lot of advisors focus on the gains so that when the losses come, they have to walk things back a little,” she said. “My philosophy is that if we protect against the downside, the upside will come eventually – that’s natural market recovery. So let’s focus on the downside: what are you willing to give up? What are you willing to do differently? What’s your Plan B? That way, when the downside comes, there’s no fear factor with clients because they can sit back and say, ‘We planned for this; we’re going to be okay.’” 

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

Turning away from the pure downside aspects of the current market, Finke encouraged panelists to talk about what opportunities might exist in a high-interest rate, high-yield environment. Several of the panelists spoke about how there could be hidden benefits in the form of new planning strategies. 

Heather Welsh, CFP®, AEP®, MSFS, vice president of wealth planning at Sequoia Financial Group, brought up how to reduce the pain of taxation through Roth conversions. “Down markets can really be an opportune time to do those conversions and then capture the appreciation in a tax-free environment on the upside,” she said. “You can turn that low into an opportunity for somebody to continue progressing toward their goals. At its core, financial planning is about establishing that pathway to financial success for clients regardless of the variables outside our control.” 

Finke and Winslow had a discussion about how many advisors who stretched investment strategies for yield in the low-interest environment of the past 10 years were punished, along with their clients, when rates shot up in 2022. Winslow said it had forced his firm to rethink how they approach working with high-net-worth clients. 

“We were really trying to use some hedging strategies before, but now that you can build a portfolio of treasuries or less risky assets in the short term, we can get back to old, academic portfolio management,” he said. “What I’ve been doing more now than I have in almost my entire career is buying up a lot of three-month to two-year treasuries just to fund short-term needs.” 

Tudor added that there are now also increased opportunities in the charitable giving space. “A lot of our financially-savvy and income-based clients are still often the charitable ones in their communities,” he said. “We have our definitions of high-income and high-net-worth, but they aren’t always the same inside a community. I’ve found that at certain levels they’re still giving at a higher percentage, so we can approach charitable giving in a really impactful way. $10,000 may not seem like a big deal to some, but if it’s from one of the largest donors in a local church, for example, it can be. And there are many strategies we can use to offset taxes or increase their yields to give them a nice experience around safe money.” 

Assets to Clients in Need

Finke also asked the group whether asset location, rather than asset selection, might be the primary value proposition of a financial advisor. The group generally agreed that products and asset types are not the end-all, be-all of an advisor’s role with clients. 

“Working with clients is an education process, not just an action process,” Ribuffo said. “It’s not us telling them what to do but helping them understand the why of it. If they understand the why of it, they’re more likely to execute it and keep on the path versus getting distracted by outside noise. This is the perfect opportunity for advisors to say to clients, ‘This is why you have me.’” 

Winslow said this collaboration with clients and across the profession has become even more important with new SECURE 2.0 Act regulations on the books. “We’re using this opportunity to go out and talk to CPAs and attorneys, particularly in the qualified plan market, on the changes that are coming up,” he said. “There's a lot of unique little provisions in there, and decisions have to be made. So we spend more time with clients and go out to the other centers of influence to discuss those things.” 

The group also reflected on changing attitudes between generations to money management: they noted that while the post-World War II generation was driven by a desire to leave their children better off than they were in their lifetime, the later Baby Boomers are simply trying to navigate not running out of money in retirement. But many, they said, are still looking to give back to their communities with what they have left. 

“Conversations start to shift toward ‘I would really like to see my impact while I’m still alive. How can I start giving these dollars away now?’” said Tudor. “People want to know how they can be an active member of their community with their money and not just leave it behind, hoping their kids will take care of it.”

Juneteenth is a time to celebrate our progress in advancing racial equity and harmony while also being mindful of the work that still needs to be done to eradicate systemic inequities in America.

Here, at The American College of Financial Services, we recognize the impact of economic inequality on communities and are working to narrow the wealth gap by championing diversity in financial services. This August, we will host the 17th annual Conference of African American Financial Professionals (CAAFP), with this year's theme being "Reclaiming Black Wealth." With the passing of the 13th amendment in 1865, African Americans achieved political freedom. Yet, financial freedom remains unobtainable for many Black families leaving nearly 3.5 million Black households with negative net worth and 4.3 million more with a net worth under $10,000.¹ 

The racial wealth gap in America has not continuously widened. In the decades immediately following the end of slavery, the wealth gap was diminishing rapidly.² In the early 20th century, Black communities were thriving across the country, including the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harlem, New York, the "Sweet Auburn" District of Atlanta, and the neighborhood of Christian Street and Black Doctors Row in Philadelphia, which was home to the largest percentage of Black professionals in Pennsylvania.³ However, since the 1980s, the racial wealth gap in America has continued to expand due to unequal pay, limited access to capital, and other discriminatory laws and practices.⁴ 

Reclaiming Black wealth in America calls for our Black communities to redefine what "wealth" means holistically, in terms of financial prosperity and beyond, and provide new avenues of access to achieve this wealth. Recognizing the need for relatable, digestible financial education, we launched Know Yourself, Grow Your Wealth® a little over a year ago. Since then, our empowering financial e-learning platform has been instituted at 36 HBCU campuses and enrolled over 3,000 people. Here's a summary of our impact to date: 

• 95% of learners are Black and African American, with 70% of completers being Black and African American women under the age of 30 
• 90% of participants reported a significant increase in their subjective financial knowledge 
• 63% demonstrated an increase in financial skills based on questions in the pre- and post-survey 
• 53.8% said they had saved more since starting Know Yourself, Grow Your Wealth® 

On Monday, we will celebrate the thousands of people who have increased their financial wellness with Know Yourself, Grow Your Wealth®, the 1,000+ attendees who will be joining us in Chicago at the upcoming CAAFP, the 64 fellows who have graduated from our Black Executive Leadership Program, the 330 advisors of color who have graduated from our Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) Program, the new strategic partners who are supporting our mission to diversify the profession, and our community which continues to grow in initiative and impact. 

Together, this Juneteenth, let's celebrate progress marching on!

¹CBS News. 3.5 Million Black American Households Have A Negative Net Worth, New Study Finds. June 2021. 

^2,4National Bureau of Economic Research. Exploring 160 Years of the Black-White Wealth Gap. August 2022 

³NBC News. Philadelphia designates the city’s first Black historic district after yearlong push. July 2022.