Recently, I had the privilege of joining some of the brightest entrepreneurs, executives, and community builders at the Power Networking Conference (PNEx) here in Atlanta. Forbes calls PNEx one of the top entrepreneurial conferences in the world, and I agree — it’s somewhere that you want to be.
PNEx has always been about connection, but this year’s theme, Building Intergenerational Networks, hit at the heart of something deeper: wealth that outlives us, and gives freedom, not just income.
Financial Literacy Is Infrastructure
For years, I’ve been saying that financial literacy isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a must have. It’s our foundation and our core infrastructure.
Just as roads, broadband, and clean water determine whether communities grow or get left behind, so does financial literacy. You cannot participate in an AI-driven economy if you don’t understand money, credit, capital, or ownership. You cannot build generational wealth if your financial life feels like chaos or guesswork.
This is why Operation HOPE has spent decades embedding financial empowerment into the places where people already live, work, worship, and learn.
And why we’ve helped move more than $4.2 billion in capital into neighborhoods the economy has historically ignored.
Networks Are the New Superpower
Black entrepreneurs don’t need more inspiration. They need information, access, relationships, capital, and a network strong enough to support real growth. Places like PNEx and HOPE Global Forums create that environment and help facilitate community.
This is how we keep wealth moving through our own communities for longer than a single paycheck.
