Despite heightened market volatility and the uncertainty driven by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,
ethnically diverse investors are confident and engaged in their financial futures, and hopeful about the
year to come.
According to recent Fidelity research, ethnically diverse investors expressed more
optimism for 2022, with 81% of respondents saying they’ll be better off this year than last (vs. 67% of
white respondents.
They’re also planning to change the way they invest, with 60% of respondents saying they’ll invest differently knowing that the market experiences ups and downs (vs. 41% of white respondents).
We’re seeing a doubling-down of these trends within younger demographics as well. In Q4 2021, we
found that twice as many Black young customers (26%) aged 18-35 are confident in their ability to start
investing or will invest more outside of their retirement 401(k) than their white peers (13%)
And, more Black people 18-35 (33%) planned to invest in stocks for themselves than white investors (21%).
There is often talk about the lack of resources in Black communities, but this data uncovers another side
of the story. Black people, and in particular young Black people, are excited, eager, and prepared to take
hold of their financial futures. This story emerges at a particularly interesting time as we enter year
three of the COVID 19 pandemic, which has inarguably had an outsized impact on Communities of Color.
So…why the sunny disposition among these communities? Over the past two years, our country has
experienced a racial reckoning in the midst of these unprecedented times.
And while we collectively agree companies have a responsibility to do more to address the systemic issues that uniquely impact ethnically diverse investors, the past two years have also shone a light on the economic influence these communities can wield. They’re feeling acknowledged, recognized, and seen for that power, and now, they’re taking note by taking control of their financial futures.
Last year, I joined Fidelity’s newly formed Customer Inclusion Team which helps ensure our products
and services are relevant for everyone. We’re committed to creating a financial services system that
works for all, including Black people.
This #BlackHistoryMonth—both in my day job and as a young, female Black investor myself— I’m celebrating the power of the Black community. I look forward to seeing what Fidelity’s Customer Inclusion Team can accomplish, and I can certainly be counted among those who are optimistic about the collective financial future of the Black community.
Nakia Tull is Head of Black Segment, Customer Inclusion Team, Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC
900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917
Fidelity Distributors Company LLC,
500 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917
National Financial Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC
245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110
Additional sources: CDC: Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
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