Dear 2050 Wealth Partners Community,
The past few weeks have been tough for America, particularly for black and brown Americans. As women of color, we deeply feel the pain and suffering surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless other victims fatally impacted by the atrocities of racism.
We know all too well how racism impacts the lives and livelihoods of individuals who desire to live the American dream. When a life is disregarded, the ability to fully live is nearly impossible.
Our founding of 2050 Wealth Partners is our solution for advancing the human condition through access to financial planning. Economic loss, while not as deadly or clearly visible, also provokes mental and physical suffering.
We are committed to providing financial guidance to thriving professionals, business owners, first-generation wealth-builders, and sandwich generation wealth-protectors who are often overlooked and underserved by their communities, by their employers and by Wall Street—people like us. Also, we full-heartedly embrace the fact that, by 2050, the U.S. will be an ethnic mosaic. It is our vision that our 2050 Wealth Partners community will reflect the changing demographics and be an agent of change in closing the wealth gap.
Our firm’s founding principle is to offer a safe space for celebrating our talents as CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals without any bias associated with our African American and Latina heritage. Our desire is to extend this safe space to you. We honor and celebrate you, your human capital and your contributions to your families, communities, and the world.
Even today, African American and Latino CFP® professionals represent less than 4% of over 87,000 CFP® professionals. We have challenged the profession through our volunteer leadership positions and writings to include signature Op-Eds in FinancialPlanning.com— An open letter to planners of color (written by Rianka and published on August 27, 2019) and It’s past time to advance black advisors (written by Lazetta and published on May 25, 2020). We also invite you to listen to Rianka’s 2050 TrailBlazers podcast, where she engages industry experts and leaders in conversation to encourage cultural awareness, cultural perspective, and ways to make a measurable impact in financial services.
Please know that we appreciate your investment in you and your investment in us. As partners on your financial journey, we are committed to creating a liberated world where people build and share wealth by being their full selves.
Best wishes,
Lazetta and Rianka