This just went out to all RLS Wealth Management clients and prospective clients. I thought I’d share this here to:
- Show my and RLS Wealth’s support for the black community and our commitment to do our part and encourage others to do theirs.
- Encourage other financial advisors to communicate their message to their clients–whatever YOUR message might be.
- Encourage clients to evaluate if the firms they work with support their values and if that should even matter to you.
It’s been a heavy couple of weeks—that may be an understatement. I’ve spent a lot of time this week reflecting on my thoughts, emotions, and being honest with myself on how I can be better. I shared some of my early thoughts last weekend over on All About Your Benjamins—if you missed it you can read it here.
I’ve been working on this email for the last week because I wanted to make sure I was able to find the “perfect” words. I wanted to make sure I shared my personal and RLS Wealth’s stance, which I hope you would already know given the closeness of our relationships, without upsetting anyone. After multiple drafts, I finally realized why I was struggling to find those “perfect” words: I was approaching this as if it were a political issue, which it is not.
This is a human issue.
RLS Wealth has Republican clients. RLS Wealth has Democratic clients. RLS Wealth has Libertarian clients. RLS Wealth has clients that don’t know what they are because they don’t identify with any party. Despite these differences in political views, I know RLS Wealth’s clients care about other people and we can all agree the treatment the black community has received for so many years has been unfair—we’re seeing the hurt and anger from hundreds of years of oppression and discrimination front and center. We can no longer deny or create narratives to minimize how our black community has been treated and the pain they feel. Instead, it’s time to accept these truths and begin the process of healing and fixing the problem.
We can start by looking internally at what we can do better as individuals.
RLS Wealth will do its part by being a leader in financial services, which is a broken system in its own right. We will continue to be a company that serves everyone and provide a welcoming and inclusive environment. We will also be supporting, through contributions and partnerships, organizations that support the black community and the recruitment and careers of black financial advisors.
On a personal level, I will continue to listen and learn. I will speak up when I see wrong—this is where “your silence means you’re complicit” comes into play. I will have tough conversations. I will educate and expose Roman, Leo, and Silas to these issues to ensure Ang and I raise loving, empathetic, and accepting young men.
We all have an opportunity to make a change. We can all do better. RLS Wealth is committed to doing our part and would love for you to join us!
Here are some recommended organizations to support:
Association Of African American Financial Advisors Foundation
The Chris Beaty Memorial Fund This is one particularly close to me. If you are in or around Indy you’ve probably heard Chris’s story. If not, this article tells you everything you need to know about him. I’ve known Chris since we played AAU basketball together in 7th and 8th grade; we went to high school down the street from each other and anytime I saw him in my adult life (which was usually once or twice a year) we’d start with a big hug, have a 15-20 minute convo on the spot, and end with a big hug. The loss of Chris is a tragedy for everyone who knew him and the city of Indianapolis.
If you have questions or just want to talk please just hit reply and we’ll find some time to hop on Zoom, the phone, or maybe even grab a cup of coffee (6 feet from each other, of course 😀).
Have a great weekend,
Justin
