Money Talk: Building black wealth

Money Talk: Building Black Wealth Financial Literacy Conference

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center

Roxbury Community College Media Arts Building

Boston, Massachusetts

The Bay State Banner, along with our event partners, is hosting an all-day financial literacy conference to engage with our community about building individual, family and community wealth. Boston is undergoing an economic boom and the black community should benefit.

As the 2016 Boston Fed report “The Color of Wealth” pointed out, the wealth gap between black and white residents of Boston is alarming and, when added to income inequality, is harmful to our community and the city as a whole. The Money Talk conference takes that challenge as a call to action, and will expose attendees to the various ideas, tools and initiatives that help build personal, family and community wealth to bridge the gap and make us stronger. After a morning panel on building a more community-focused, inclusive economy, the day will feature a series of workshops on entrepreneurship, personal finance, and community wealth-building.

The conference opens with a morning panel discussion “Building Community Wealth” that include

Marjorie Kelly, executive vice president and senior fellow, The Democracy Collaborative;

John Barros, director of economic development for the City of Boston;

Glynn Lloyd, director of Minority Business Enterprise Initiative for Eastern Bank;

and Melvin B. Miller, founder and publisher of Banner Media. Teri Williams, president of OneUnited Bank, serves as moderator.

Our event partners: Roxbury Community College, Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, Epicenter Community Center, NAACP of Boston

Sponsors – OneUnited Bank, Eastern Bank, MassHousing, Boston Common Asset Management, Zevin Asset Management, Lurie Davis Wealth Management, Ameriprise

This is a FREE event but registration is required. To register click here

Workshop Schedule Click Here

Entrepreneurship

Business ownership is one means to building wealth. Workshops focusing on business ownership will take place at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

Legal Advice for Startups

Daily General Counsel Co-Founders Jan Glassman and Joel Sowalsky will run a workshop on “The Top Ten Legal Mistakes Made By Entrepreneurs.” You will learn about the common mistakes that many early stage startups make and the best practices to follow that will help you avoid these traps. Topics include: “Starting a Business Without A Legal Entity (or the Wrong Entity)”; “Granting Stock to All Co-Founders On Day One”; “Using Business Contracts That Are Harmful to Your Business”; “Ignoring Intellectual Property Issues”; “Hiring Independent Contractors and Unpaid Interns”; “Failing to Use Restrictive Covenants”; and more. Don’t be “The Ostrich Entrepreneur!” What you don’t know can and will hurt your business and may create personal liability. Face the music. Be smart and learn how to deal with the realities of launching and running a startup. 

Startup Showcase hosted by EpiCenter Community

Read about EpiCenter Community in this month’s issue of Banner Biz (page 32). EpiCenter will host a series of panel discussions and workshops for entrepreneurs in the startup phase. Some of the topics to be covered include:

• Building networks while human
• How can your tax dollars help your business?
• Raising capital: Investors, angels and loans
• BREAD workshop

Eastern Bank Workshop

Eastern Bank understands how vital small businesses are to helping local economies grow and flourish. They understand that securing capital is one of the biggest challenges for early-stage ventures. This workshop concentrates on what is required to secure a bank loan for your business.

Personal Finances

Sound financial management for you and your family is essential for building wealth and a financially secure future. Over time, how you budget, save and spend your money will lead either to financial ruin or financial security. These workshops are geared toward helping you understand the wide range of financial products and services available that can help you build personal and community wealth.

OneUnited Bank Workshop

To Your Credit: Many of us live with poor credit scores, and there are many scams out there promising to improve the situation with a “magic wand”— but for a large fee. Don’t fall for it. Instead, attend this workshop and learn everything you need to know about credit and how you can take action and improve your credit score by following some simple steps.

OneUnited Bank Workshop

The 10 Best Financial Tips You’ll Ever Receive: There are many “experts” who offer get-rich-quick schemes, and many marketing campaigns that tempt us to play the lottery. The reality is that wealth-building calls for a basic understanding of how, over time, money can work for you. This workshop will provide the 10 best financial tips you will ever receive. You will never forget these lessons.

Community Finance and Investment Workshop

Hosted by Boston Ujima Project and Boston NAACP, this workshop will address the question of how investment can create local community wealth. How does one become an investor? Workshop presenters will walk you through the process of business creation and support from an investor’s perspective. They will review basic financial and investment terms, and provide an overview of conventional and nonconventional approaches to investment.

College Financing

Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority will host a workshop on saving for, applying to and paying for college. College education is a path forward to a secure future, but it requires careful planning to avoid burdensome debt. Johnath Hughes, MEFA’s manager of college planning and education, help workshop participants understand what’s involved. For more information on MEFA, visit its website at www.mefa.org.

Home Ownership

MassHousing gives prospective first-time homebuyers the opportunity to learn about the array of MassHousing’s affordable home loans, offered through programs designed for single-family and two- to four-family homes as well as condos. MassHousing also will describe its home improvement, septic repair and lead paint abatement loans offered throughout the state.

No matter where you are in the home buying process, find out about the features and advantages that make MassHousing loans safe and affordable. Let MassHousing provide you with the knowledge you need to ensure successful home ownership.

Know Your Rights Workshop

The Volunteers Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association is hosting a workshop on:

The Volunteers Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association is hosting a workshop on:

Student Loans and income based repayment plans

Obtaining, reading and understanding credit reports

Bankruptcy: Legal debt relief and how to provide a Fresh Start!

Building Wealth with Roth IRA Workshop

Lurie Davis, CEO and president of Lurie Davis Wealth Management, will show you how to utilize the Roth IRA and mutual fund investments to create wealth in the 21st century. Lurie has 29 years of experience in wealth management.

Boston Home Center’s Workshop on Home Repairs

Your home often is your most valuable asset. This workshop will address important steps that homeowners can take to maintain and, in some cases, increase the value of their homes.