Financial Literacy Is Critical - Karen A Clark

Branch Out - A Podcast from Connection Builders

SPECIAL EPISODE: Diversity Matters in the Middle Market, brought to you by the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and Connection Builders.

Being financially literate does more than help your bottom line: it also improves your mental health. Today’s guest has experienced this firsthand… Join us to hear from Karen A. Clark, SVP Multicultural Strategies with City Nation Bank, a community activist and financial literacy volunteer. Karen talks us through how the positive attitude at the bank that she works at inspired her to make a difference in those around her and what her first experience educating kids about savings was like. Find out about the obstacles throughout history that black and brown Americans have had to overcome to gain wealth and how financial literacy is linked to societal turmoil. Tune in to learn how, where, and why you should be volunteering your financial expertise and so much more in this inspirational episode.

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Karen got to where she is now.
• How black and brown Americans have historically been left out of financial education and savings and investment opportunities.
• Redlining and the collapse of the Freedman’s Bank: how the wealth gap has widened throughout history.
• How financial literacy improves emotional wellness and subsequently reduces turmoil in the world.
• The link between mental health and sound financial decisions.
• How Karen’s experience of bankruptcy showed her the impact of financial stress on her mental health.
• How you can contribute to improving financial literacy: who to volunteer with, and what makes you qualified.
• Karen’s experience with kindergartners and how she started her volunteering journey.

Karen A. Clark on LinkedIn
Operation Hope
ACG DEI Committee Mission and Resources
Connection Builders
Alex Drost on LinkedIn