The following interview was conducted by Wealth Noire.

Acquania Escarne of Wealth Noir (WN): Hi, Calvin, thanks for joining me today. I am excited to share your story with the Wealth Noir Community. Before we dive in, can you tell us a little more about yourself?

Calvin Williams, Jr., of Freeman Capital: Hi, I’m Calvin Williams Jr., and I have never had an uncomfortable relationship with money. Growing up, my family often held discussions about financial planning; an unlikely conversation for most African-American households. These discussions prompted me to walk away from formidable job opportunities with the Department of Defense and a Fortune 500 company and dive into the unknown journey of entrepreneurship. 

Continuous reports of the middle class and people of color’s inability to build wealth gave me the idea to offer a personalized roadmap to financial freedom. In came Freeman Capital Advisors, the first black-owned Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)  and is a registered automated wealth management platform. The platform helps to solve the nation’s growing wealth disparities by putting the power of the dollar back into the hands of everyday people.

WN: Calvin, your company’s name is interesting. Is there a story behind it? Why did you name your company Freeman Capital?

Calvin Williams, Jr., of Freeman Capital: I named the company after my great-grandparents. George and Evelyn Freeman accumulated their wealth through the same principles as my fintech company. 

They worked hard to have a better future for their children and grandchildren. They knew they couldn’t get ahead from saving alone; their money had to work harder for them. So, they used their savings and purchased property. Freeman Capital is a personal wealth management platform for everyday, hard-working people looking for a better future and is built on the same values and vision that guided the Freemans.

WN: That’s an inspiring story. I am glad your great-grandparents instilled in you the importance of saving and investing. So, how did you get started in personal finance?

Calvin Williams, Jr., of Freeman Capital: I sold my first web design business, XMG Online, in 2011. I thought I had a sizable sum from the sale so I called a wealth manager to grow my money. This call was the catalyst for Freeman Capital. No one would talk to me because I did not have $1,000,000 in cash. What regular person has that amount in cash? I turned to invest in the stock market, but I couldn’t do it because I would’ve had to watch the market while at work. [I thought] there had to be a better way to invest. So I created it.

Read more at: https://www.wealthnoir.com/blog/wealth-management-interview-freeman-capital/