Boyce Watkins: Michael Jackson’s Kids and Their Money

by Dr Boyce Watkins
"Stuntin like my daddy" was the first song on the album, "Like Father, Like Son," issued by Lil Wayne and Birdman in 2006. "Stuntin" is a hip hop term synonymous with "flossing," blinging," and "balling." It means that you’ve engaged in excessive spending to ensure that you have the finest of everything [...]

Learning from Michael Jackson’s Debt

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Janet Jackson honors Michael at BET Awards

Doctor talks to police about Jackson’s final moments
Let’s remember what Michael did for us

Michael Jackson is not dead. No, he’s not on a deserted island chilling with Tupac and Elvis (who some believe faked their deaths), but he is certainly alive in corporate and social [...]

Why I support Obama’s Financial Overhaul

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor Syracuse University
I have a friend who broke both of his legs climbing a dangerous mountain in Southeast Asia. This friend has nearly died 8 times, been chased by bears, and has had food poisoning too many times to count. After his latest injury, we presumed that he would understand [...]

The Changing Face of Retirement

From our Black Money Blog.  For more black wealth advice, please click here.
They grew up during a time of cultural change, and now are being forced to redefine retirement at midlife.
The 77 million Americans in the Baby Boom generation face an economic storm: The Wall Street meltdown trampled their retirement nest eggs more than any [...]

Rebuilding the Brand of Kobe

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
Syracuse University
Kobe Bryant started his career with the LA Lakers as a tremendous athlete with a valuable brand. His stock rose like an elevator, as Madison Avenue loved him as much as Laker fans. Then life took a strange twist. First, there was the nasty departure of Shaquille O’neal, which instantly reduced [...]

America’s Pending Retirement Crisis: Are you and your family prepared?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University
www.TheGrio.com
I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But then again, it must not bother me very much, since I am going to give you a big pile of bad news right now. Given that I earned a Masters Degree in the "morbid science" of [...]

Your Black News: Detroit Becoming a Hot Bed for Real Estate Purchases

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — As Detroit home prices in Detroit crash, sales are heating up. But with all of the plant closings and layoffs, who’s buying? Investors — some of whom are snapping up five and 10 houses at a time.
"I have investors from all over the country and the world," said Jeremy Burgess, co-founder [...]

The Capitalist Enslavement of Black America

Dr Boyce Watkins – Syracuse University: Black Scholars Coalition
I recall giving a speech at a university in Upstate New York. We were talking about wealth building for the Black community and how Black folks can remove themselves from the underbelly of American capitalism. I’d heard this school had a reputation for strong liberalism and I [...]

How to Not Lose your home

Black finance expert Ryan Mack brings us advice from a place of real heart to help hard-working Americans deal with the mortgage mess. With his warm brand of personal finance advice, Mack’s strongest words to the community are: "If you are having problems paying your mortgage DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM YOUR HOME!" In part [...]

Wells Fargo Getting Sued by City Governments for Discrimination

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com
Tavis Smiley needs to have a conversation with one of his primary sponsors, Wells Fargo. This week, it was announced that Wells Fargo is being sued by the city of Baltimore for egregiously racist predatory lending practices in the black community. The company has been accused by some former loan officers of [...]

Dr. Christopher Richardson Explains Wells Fargo Alleged Discrimination

Dr. Christopher Richardson
Dr. Christopher Richardson, one of the world’s leading experts on predatory lending and banking, comments on a recent report that Wells Fargo, one of the sponsors of the State of the Black Union event held every year, is being sued by several government agencies due to accusations of financially exploiting and deliberately misleading [...]

Where do you stand financially compared to others?

Polonius wouldnt have gotten very far in America today. He’s the Shakespeare character in Hamlet who warned, neither a borrower, nor a lender be.
Modern society, as we know all too well, is overrun with both borrowers and lenders. But just how big is the typical family’s debt? How fast is it growing? How does your [...]