In my first book, Wealth: Unlocking the Secrets of Black Family Prosperity and Protection, I talk about the conditions we face in our community and how comprehensive financial planning could help increase the percentage of Black families building wealth. I also discuss how establishing and maintaining the proper levels of cash reserves and positive cash flows could put a family in the best position to maximize investments in growth accounts, like qualified accounts, brokerage accounts, annuities, and index universal life insurance policies.

We talk about the six components of wealth building:

Cash Flow management and cash reserves Protection planning and debt management Investment management Tax strategies Retirement planning Estate planning

Generational wealth is the accumulation of assets passed down from generation to generation. Assets are items, property, and other things that hold immediate value and have the opportunity to increase in value. It can include anything from cash and investments to real estate and businesses. While it is possible to build generational wealth in a single lifetime, it is often more sustainable and successful when it is built over multiple generations. In other words, someone plants a tree that they will not live to see fully grown. And that takes vision, discipline and commitment! Building multi-generational wealth has many benefits. For one, it can provide a sense of security and stability for future generations by giving them a stable financial foundation to build on. This is especially true when families commit to the concept of multi-generational wealth and put their resources behind the effort. Additionally, multi-generational wealth can be used to promote charitable giving and other philanthropic activities. However, this book aims to suggest a solution for bridging the wealth gap without using many unnecessary words, or what I like to call "word salad." I want to pique your interest enough to encourage you to learn more about wealth building and wealth transfer. Hopefully, you will contact a financial professional to guide your wealth-building and transfer journey. Saving, investing, and leveraging wealth with life insurance is the best way to bridge the net worth gap. Having a structured and comprehensive financial plan that addresses every component of wealth building, including generational wealth transfer, is critical in the successful quest to build real wealth. As I always say: "A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step: planning!"