What are the risks to the African American community today and in the future if wealth creation and generational transfer gaps between blacks and whites continue to expand? Expect an apocalyptic storm of financial and life cycle implications that may be impossible to reverse. For many black Americans, the hopes and dreams of capturing the smallest slice of the American Dream will literally descend into the abyss. Many will slip further down the economic scale, cascading toward scavenger career permanence in a society that will increasingly cater to the affluent. Incoming and highly educated immigrants of color from Asia, Middle East and other countries will broadly fill diversity gaps, excel in job acquisition and leave black communities even further behind as these immigrants of color expand wealth creation at an accelerated pace within their own households and communities. African American representation as executives, middle management and individual contributors in corporate America could stall along a pathological trek toward labor force marginality. Driven by intense global competition, but few counter measures by many African American households to properly prepare their children to effectively compete, the labor class slide could accelerate. The threat is a clear and present danger if we remain on the current financial continuum.

As low-level career scavengers, we will have limited control over our financial futures and compelled to pursue whatever it takes to survive in a society that will increasingly reward societal affluence. Our capacity to invest for capital growth, fund retirement and higher education will diminish substantially due to dwindling household financial resources. Sadly, the wealth gap between the upper one percent of affluent Americans and middle-income wage earners will expand, exponentially, placing downward pressure on already struggling middle class families. With little or no consistent wealth creation and progressive transfer, subsequent African American generations will have little hope of breaking this vicious cycle of wealth stagnation and precipitous decline. For many households, the looming specter of the Black Apocalypse will begin to draw nigh, driving an unscalable and impenetrable wall of financial impotence between generations and forcing subsequent generations to become increasingly disadvantaged with little or no wealth continuity.

But can we effectively steer this impeding financial ship wreck toward calmer water? The answer is a resounding, yes! Together, we will explore empowering financial strategies designed to:

Rein in spending,

Leverage strong financial stewardship and literacy in our decisions,

Implement viable budget controls,

Invest purposefully for capital growth,

Effectively build wealth and share it with subsequent generations.

This is our time to dramatically shift the current financial course from uncertainty to one that will allow African American families opportunities to secure greater control of finances and begin to diminish this rapidly expanding wealth divide in America. Be advised that efforts to achieve measurable financial success will be unsustainable without deliberate personal commitment to effectively alter spending habits, shore up financial stewardship and literacy, aggressively teach children the strategic value of money and take the high road toward sustainable wealth creation with generational continuity. Most importantly, we must internalize the criticality of meticulously planning and executing a personalized financial roadmap that will help drive not only individual life cycle success, but subsequent generational success. We do have the power and fortitude to achieve! An impending Black Apocalypse need never become an insidious reality, but time is running out.