Wall Street Bound
Launched in Summer 2019, Wall Street Bound's goal is to recruit and train 10,000 underrepresented youth for careers in finance by 2030. Our mission is to provide diverse young adults with the skills, experience, and social capital that empower them to reach their full potential through "front office" financial service careers. Wall Street Bound trains urban youth ages 16-24 in finance technical skills and the all-important corporate professional skills. By cultivating the next generation of finance professionals, we hope to grow the number of people of color in finance and give underrepresented youth a chance to become future leaders on Wall Street and masters of their own financial worlds. Since its inception, across the New York City community and beyond, Wall Street Bound has hosted finance workshops, boot camps, live and virtual company visits, and other learning opportunities for more than 300 diverse urban young college students and recent graduates. Underserved communities suffer from a lack of access to financial education programs. Building financial security involves harnessing the array of resources, capabilities, and institutional supports that enable vulnerable families to sustain themselves, thrive, and move up the economic ladder. Sponsoring finance education programs in schools is instrumental in cultivating a pipeline of the next generation of Wall Street titans. Leveling the playing field starts with early exposure to knowledge and the industry's vast range of career paths. Our solution benefits low-income individuals, families, employers, and entire cities/regions. Students gain the skills and resources, including employer connections, to acquire and maintain successful careers far beyond family-sustaining jobs. They learn to address financial security challenges and develop lifelong strategies for economic mobility. Employers benefit from an expanded pool of qualified diverse talent, and cities/regions thrive from retooling their youth workforces. Low-income individuals are emblematic of overlooked human potential, their limited economic mobility rooted in geography (zip code as destiny), social pathologies, and economic exclusion. We remediate these barriers by accelerating student potential in ways that employers in financial services need and prescribe.

Purpose

The median U.S. household income is less than $35,000; the average Wall Street salary is close to $400,000. The securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments industry (NAICS Industry 523) is heavily concentrated in New York City with 90% of the state’s jobs in this industry located here. Nationally, there are more than five million young adults without access to opportunities connecting them to the economic mainstream. Wall Street Bound provides training and social capital to diverse young adults from the most disproportionately affected communities, preparing them for internships and lucrative jobs in the financial services industry while reducing unemployment.

The stock market and investment knowledge in general provide a powerful opportunity for wealth accumulation. Generational wealth — inheritances in particular — perpetuate the Black-White wealth gap to the tune of $40,000 vs $150,000+, respectively. 30% of black households in the US have retirement accounts, compared with approx 60% of whites. Almost half of all American households and two out of three households of color do not possess enough savings to sustain themselves for three months if their income were disrupted. One-third of African Americans and Latinos have no financial assets at all. Wall Street Bound helps combat the wealth gap by funneling diverse talent into positions on Wall Street which is the first rung on the ladder to building generational wealth. 

Moreso, diversity is good for our employer partners. However, the lack of diversity in the world’s top finance companies is outstanding; less than 20% of Goldman Sachs, Citibank, and JPMC’s executive staff are people of color. Wall Street Bound offers the finance industry a robust, reliable pipeline of hungry, savvy talent who simply lack the social capital necessary to secure choice positions on Wall Street, but more than make up for it with ability and hunger. Multicultural workplaces can expect to generate 19% more revenue and outperform competitors by 35%, compared to their less diverse counterparts. 

Troy Prince

Founder and CEO, Wall Street Bound

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