Charlotte News

Charlotte Today News

Meet Tamika Stafford, U.S. Bank’s minority small-business expert


Sponsored by:

Tamika Stafford knows first hand how confusing finance can be. When she bought her first home, for example, she didn’t fully understand the type of mortgage she had or the nuances of her payments. Years later, when she became a banker, Stafford found she enjoyed helping clients navigate the sometimes-complex world of money management. 

Late last year, Stafford took on a new banking role that allows her to focus fully on educating business owners and connecting them with resources to further their financial goals. Her role is unique in that it’s focused on building wealth specifically among minorities in the Charlotte area.

Stafford is one of nine Business Access Advisors hired nationwide as part of U.S. Bank Access Commitment™, a long-term approach by U.S. Bank aimed at helping communities of color build wealth. As a Business Access Advisor, Stafford serves as a trusted advisor to create networking and business development opportunities for Charlotte-area Black business owners. Other Business Access Advisors are located in Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Omaha, Oakland and the Twin Cities.

U.S. Bank is focusing first on Black communities, as data shows that is where the racial wealth gap is the largest. On average, white families have eight times the wealth of their Black counterparts, according to a 2019 Federal Reserve survey. The bank plans to expand the program to other underserved communities in the future.

“Black people have had a hard time accessing capital, and U.S. Bank acknowledges that barriers have existed for people of color,” Stafford says. “We want to be a part of the solution to help close that gap.”





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

thirteen + eight =