Dear Family,

As a business owner, I spend a lot of time learning.

I listen podcasts, read books, and take courses. I also seek out groups and conversations that challenge me personally and professionally. Whenever I invest in my own growth, I make sure to invest in my team’s growth too. Because if we’re going to build something meaningful together, we have to speak the same language.

I’m not just talking about financial jargon or business frameworks. I’m talking about cultural context, understanding how the ideas we’re learning translate into serving our people: Black and underrepresented professionals like us.

If you’ve ever been around Silicon Valley or walked the halls of places like Stanford or Harvard, you know what I mean when I say they have their own language. Words like family office, wealth manager, or liquidity event roll off the tongue like everyday vocabulary. Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying everyone from those circles grew up with a silver spoon. But proximity is power.

When you’re surrounded by people who talk about investing, scaling, and building generational wealth as normal conversation, you start to believe it’s possible for yourself; it's damn near expected.

The challenge for many of us is that we weren’t raised in those environments.

We had to learn that language later in life, and sometimes, it can feel like being on the outside looking in. That’s one of the reasons I started LUX Wealth Planning. Coming from St. Benedict’s Prep and Howard University, I understood the environment my peers came from.

I wanted to build a platform that could serve as a bridge, helping

us get from where we are, to where we want to be—financially, professionally, and generationally.

We’ve still got a lot of work to do. But every piece of content we create is meant to help you gain that same cultural context. So when you walk into the boardroom, the bank, or the next big deal, you’re not just in the room, you belong there.

The more we normalize these conversations, the more we normalize excellence.

From LUX, With Love

Matt