Financial Literacy for All: Disrupting Struggle, Advancing Financial Freedom, and Building a New American Middle Class

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR ALL

DISRUPTING STRUGGLE, ADVANCING FINANCIAL FREEDOM, AND BUILDING A NEW AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS

JOHN HOPE BRYANT

FOREWORD BY DOUG McMILLON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WALMART INC.

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To the pioneers of the past:

This endeavor would be incomplete without paying homage to the giants upon whose shoulders we stand: Rev. Andrew Young, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Rev. C.T. Vivian, Tommy Dortch, Jr., and Dr. Dorothy Height. These names and other greats echo through the corridors of time, resonating with determination, resilience, and a vision for a brighter future, not only of equal civil rights but also of economic empowerment and the dignity that comes from self-sufficiency.

To my mother:

Everything I am today, I owe to my mother, Ms. Juanita Smith. Everyone who knew her, even briefly, can vouch for why. She was a spirited, determined force, whose wisdom was far more impactful than any formal education I ever received. I have had an abundance of blessings in my life, but the greatest one was being born her son. She brought me into this world and I was there holding her hand when she walked out of it.

Foreword

It's difficult to concentrate when you're worried about something.

Your focus ends up divided between the task at hand—whatever it is you're trying to accomplish—and the source of your concerns. Pressure like that makes it hard to think clearly and do your best work, and it's easy to make a mistake, to let something slip.

Financial uncertainly weighs heavily on individuals and families. The stress and tension affect everyone in the household, and can lead to intergenerational consequences, from cycles of debt to negative effects on physical and mental health. And when people are worried about being able to make ends meet, it's hard to see past the next paycheck, and it is nearly impossible to dream about getting ahead and living a better life.

When I think about what it means for people to live better lives, I think about how important it is to help people to save time so they can devote bigger pieces of their day to the things that matter most to them. I think about reliable access to affordable, healthy food and quality goods and clothing to help people save money. And I think about helping people to understand how money works so they can make the most of these savings—how to help people improve their financial literacy.

I learned early on, from both my parents and my grandad, the importance of saving and the value—the power—of compounding interest. Those lessons in money management were formative, and they stuck with me. But as John Hope Bryant writes in Chapter 2, Section I, financial literacy isn't just about money. It's about the freedom to make choices, the confidence to take control of our own lives, and of our communities, and the opportunity to shape our own futures.

That's the American Dream—choice, confidence, control. Freedom. It's about more than just surviving. It's about living life to its full potential, and when people are empowered to strengthen their financial well-being and make choices that lead to a healthier financial future, the dream can become a reality.

Although financial literacy as a concept might sound complicated or confusing, complexity isn't really the biggest hurdle to understanding the ins and outs of money and how it works. Historically, the problem has been access. The tools to improve financial literacy haven't always been available to everyone. Legal obstacles and societal inequities have prevented certain communities and groups from gaining the knowledge and experience necessary to achieve equal financial independence.

However, the concepts in this book aren't theoretical, and John doesn't write about them with clinical detachment. He has experienced first-hand how a lack of financial literacy, rooted in these inequalities, can shape the dynamics in a family and alter the course of people's lives, and he writes about his early childhood and the experiences that shaped him with honesty and clarity.

John doesn't shy away from the importance of personal responsibility, either. He faces the question of accountability head-on, and makes clear, through accounts of his personal experience, the importance of individual curiosity, drive, and determination.

But what might have otherwise been an autobiography, or a sociopolitical policy piece, becomes a passionate call-to-action to educate some of our most vulnerable populations and steer them away from a paycheck-to-paycheck mentality toward a new mindset and a more optimistic, prosperous future. Because John believes in his message. He believes in it because he's lived it. And he wants to see you succeed.

That's why he founded Operation HOPE: to advance economic opportunity by extending a helping hand to the underserved and the disenfranchised, to support, encourage, and educate so that a more abundant life is within reach, for this generation and the next. It reminds me of what Sam Walton said about working together to lower the cost of living for everyone, to give the world an opportunity to see what it's like to save and have a better life.

As president and CEO of Walmart, I'm excited that we are one of the companies participating in Financial Literacy for All, because we're all better off when people have the opportunity learn and apply the basics of a financial education and realize their full potential.

—Doug McMillon, Walmart president and CEO

Prologue

In the evolving tapestry of America's history, few threads are as significant, and as overlooked, as that of financial literacy. Financial literacy is arguably the least expensive and most effective tool for community economic development in existence today. Other than a job or a basic means of creating income, it is the greatest tool for personal economic uplift available to each and every individual on the planet desiring self-determination. As you will hear me say repeatedly in this book and speeches here and around the world:

Financial literacy is the civil rights issue of this generation.

It is the first thing that US President Abraham Lincoln pivoted to, immediately after the Civil War in 1865, when he signed into law the Freedman's Bank, which was chartered to teach freed slaves about money. Unfortunately, Lincoln was assassinated a month later, and the dream died away for a time. But Operation HOPE and I are committed to bringing the vision and mission of the Freedman's Bank back to life and at scale.

This is why we encouraged then US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and the Obama Administration to change the name of the US Treasury Annex Building (the original location of the Freedman's Bank) to the Freedman's Bank Building—which they did in 2016.

This is why Operation HOPE launched the 1865 Project, focused on extending, continuing, and scaling the original mandate of the Freedman's Bank—this time for all underserved people, including the struggling middle class of America. We need the working class and the laddered-up middle class in America, and around the world, to grow.

Sustainable growth is my calling, and opportunity for all is my mandate. Financial literacy for all is the means to achieve both.

This book is not just an exploration of simple numbers and accounts and jargon; it is a journey into the heart of a nation, its people, and the dreams that bind them—that bind us—together. It's an exploration of how we got where we are today, the ripple effects of our past choices as a nation, and a roadmap for new, better choices for a better economically inclusive, and sustainable future.

As you delve into these pages, you'll encounter stories of individuals, families, and communities. Each narrative, while unique in its circumstances, speaks to a universal truth: Financial literacy is more than just understanding money. Financial literacy is the key to unlocking potential, bridging divides, and crafting a brighter, economically inclusive tomorrow.

Money is emotional; it ties to feelings of self-esteem, confidence, and meaning. And it's the financial freedom for all. This I know for sure. As a prominent banking CEO told me just recently, John, financial freedom just may be the only real freedom we have, because we actually can exercise some real control over it in our lives.

But why now? Why is this topic so pertinent at this juncture of our history? Because, my friends, we—as in the United States of America—are at a unique crossroads. We are in an era defined by rapid technological advancements, shifting global dynamics, growing wealth and income disparities, and an increasingly insecure middle class. There are real questions about how to sustain a middle-class standard of living for anyone over the next 10 to 20 years. And with rising political divisions and socioeconomic unrest, the stakes have never been higher for finding answers. The tools we arm ourselves with today will determine the trajectory of generations to come. This topic is so important because financial literacy is the most powerful and positive tool, we have to solving the problems of today and securing our future.

In the spirit of unity and forward momentum, this book is both a reflection and a call to action. It seeks to inspire, educate, and mobilize a movement around the importance of financial literacy as the new civil rights issue for this generation.

Whether you are white, Black, or brown (as in race), or whether you rally behind the red or the blue (as in partisan politics), my guess is you want some more green (as in US currency) for yourself and your community. In a world expert at what it's against, we must now decide on and commit to what we are for. I believe that is opportunity for all. And so, as you turn each page, I invite you to not just read but to engage, question, and then commit to being part of that solution.

The road ahead is paved with challenges, sure, but as