A Shift in Focus & Priorities Allows Black Communities & Others to Attain Financial Freedom, dfree® Conference Speakers Say

Franklin Township, New Jersey – Speakers from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to New Jersey Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman lauded the dfree® financial freedom movement and called for the black faith-based community to honor their life purposes by making important decisions to invest in themselves and black businesses, during the 5thAnnual Financial Freedom Conference last week.

“There’s a whole ecosystem created around not having to have anything to get started,” said Navarrow Wright, president of Maximum Leverage Solutions and a tech savvy entrepreneur who was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. “If you really want to upset the Trump presidency, imagine if all of the people who look like us became financially independent and were able to take advantage of the policies he’ll put in place.”

Johnson, who focuses on economic empowerment and entrepreneurship, was a former NBA player and said, “Everybody wants black athletes to save our communities….We play a role, but we’re not going to solve the problem.”

Johnson quoted Marcus Garvey in saying, “‘A race that is solely dependent upon another for its economic existence sooner or later dies’” before encouraging the hundreds in the audience to rely upon their own talents instead of governments or fundraisers. “This is about a freedom movement for us. dfree® is the first step for all of us to get on board,” Johnson said. “The second step is collectively investing together.”

Conference host Rev. Dr. DeForest “Buster” Soaries, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) and dfree® creator, also encouraged the audience to dig deep. He said, “Getting out of debt is not the goal. Getting out of debt is the first step toward financial freedom.” From dfree® training to sessions on credit scores, wills, taxes and retirement, Soaries said the conference was planned to help people get to the next level of financial success.

“My brothers and sisters, we’re talking about a shift in the way we think, live and act,” Soaries told the audience. “Too many of us get our financial advice from the beauty shop and barber shop….We have financial planners and advisers here. We have entrepreneurs. We have corporate partners who offer tools for success…. dfree® is a spiritual movement aiming at financial challenges. This is not about money. This is about surrendering to the power, presence and purpose of God.”

Speakers and panelists also shared very personal stories of how they moved from “deficit to surplus.” Pastor Samuel Tolbert, of Kentucky, president of the National Baptist Convention of America International (NBCAI), told of how shocked people are when they see him pull up in his used Lincoln, for which he paid $2,000 cash. “That’s my dfree® car. I’m excited because of the liberation we’re feeling from dfree®.” He went on to note that dfree® thinking helped him move his church away from a deal that would have cost $22,000 to $24,000 per month for a mortgage to one that cost about $4,300 per month. He created another partnership whereby the NBCAI headquarters was moved to Simmons College and a contributor pays them $36,000 annually toward the lease.

“It’s because of dfree®,” Tolbert said. “It’s because of a new mindset. Every time I’m given a decision to make, I’m trying to figure out how I can eliminate debt and not create debt.”

Tolbert moderated the “dfree® and the Local Church” panel, where Pastor Dharius Daniels, of Kingdom Church in Ewing and Burlington, New Jersey, called dfree® a new evangelical tool for churches.

“dfree® has transformed us as a church in terms of the way we view disciple making,” Daniels said. “People’s finances touch every aspect of their lives….Freedom in this area allows you to find your life’s purpose.”

The pastors and audience members came to the conference from as far away as South Africa and from many states including: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

“I’ve tried other approaches when it comes to financial empowerment,” said Dr. Bruce Williams, senior pastor of Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Kentucky, noting that often the church is asking its congregants to give to the church. “This (dfree®) is an opportunity for the church to do for them. This is the best, by far. It’s unique in that it really speaks to African Americans, although it speaks to everyone.”

Pastor David Craig, of Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Fairfield, Alabama, said that sometimes people have been down so long they don’t realize there is a better path. “It’s a real challenge. We’ve settled for the crumbs, not realizing there is better and God wants better for us,” Craig said. “There is a road map you can take to get out of financial slavery.”

Rev. Frank Thomas, of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Highpoint, North Carolina, said it’s important that dfree® calls for involvement from church leadership. “Sometimes even a shepherd ought to smell like sheep,” Thomas said. He said he and his wife had been living dfree® before they knew about it but, after, they refinanced their mortgage and allowed interest from investments to pay for a new car note. “dfree® is important to every person and the only way you’re going to get there is to take the first step,” Thomas said.

Dorinda Walker, a vice president at Prudential – the lead sponsor of the conference, told the audience that she once was an at-risk youth, a high school dropout, and a drug dealer who tried to kill herself twice as a teenager. She said that many people fear talking about money but that “we need to understand how money works.” She said, for instance, that there is a myth that black people don’t buy life insurance and that even though they do, blacks are underinsured and don’t do enough to pass on wealth. She said her own great grandfather, for instance, was a millionaire in Newark but because he had no will, “by the time my mother was born, there was no evidence of his legacy.”

Obie McKenzie, managing partner at BlackRock, said he became curious about the links between money and faith when he noticed that there were 2,300 scriptures in the Bible about money. “God knew the biggest competition for our souls would be the love of money,” he said. “Man’s economy is motivated by self-interest and greed and the objective is money. God’s economy is motivated by love and the objective is abundant life in the here and eternal life in the hereafter.” McKenzie also called for people to come together and create “masterminds” to succeed.

During “Living in Your Purpose to Achieve Financial Prosperity,” panelists encouraged participants to let go of materialism in order to find greater meaning and to create support teams.

“We can’t bind ourselves to things that don’t really mean a lot, whether it’s that house or car or whatever,” said Michele Thornton, senior vice president of BET Networks. “If you’re not honest with yourself you cannot be successful and it starts with money. I wasted money because I didn’t love myself.”

Dee Marshall, founder of Girlfriends Pray Inc., said that she has created a personal motto, “DAIO (pronounced day-oh): do all things decent and in order.” She said, “Too often, as brown folk, we beg for what we need and buy what we want.” Marshall said she started turning things around when she joined dfree® and did a thorough self-assessment that included what her deep-rooted issues were with finances.

Grammy Award-Winning Gospel Artist Myron Butler said he went through a similar exercise and realized he could not buy into the American cultural aspects that glorify celebrity lifestyles. “I decided, I’m going to take control of my journey. I am not going to live beyond my means,” Butler said. “When you live your life with purpose, God will allow you to experience abundance….I’ve learned to live a life of surrender.”

Thornton noted that part of what she had to do was pay attention to the “people I was hanging around” and “create an elimination list.” “You can’t be the best person in your circle,” she said. Several entrepreneurs also noted how important it is to have the right mentors and sponsors.

“I wish I had trusted my intellectual capital,” said Beverly White, president of BKW Transformation Group, when asked what she would have done differently. She called for entrepreneurs to develop support mechanisms and to stay nimble to take advantage of opportunities like today’s technology.

“Enough of us don’t know about the opportunities out there,” added Wright, who called for people to change their perception of opportunities, understand the importance of numbers, and invest in themselves. “For me, it’s all about understanding the value that’s within you already and not letting anyone diminish that.”

Michelle Duffie, founder and CEO of D3Entertainment Group, said she was able to start her business, which ensures Fortune 500 companies get their messages to faith-based communities, because she recognized opportunities while she was in college. “I grew up homeless, with my brothers and single mom, and I was determined when I grew up that my story would be different,” she said. Duffie was among the many panelists who left audience members ready to take action.

Wes and Sasha Ifan, who have been FBCLG members for about five years, said they were inspired to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams as a result of the conference. “The Money in Black America panel opened my eyes to understanding how much money doesn’t actually circulate in our communities and what we need to do about it,” Wes said. “The facts have changed my entire perception of the opportunities available. We’re already talking about how we can move our ideas into action,” Sasha added.

Cora Watson, a FBCLG member for 14 years who is active among the seniors, said she resisted learning new things before she retired. “Up until this point, I was fighting computers,” Watson said. “Today, I learned just how much I am missing. So I am going to go home and tell my niece and her husband and three children that they have one more to teach – me!”

Nelson, a 15-year-old from Edison, New Jersey, said he was glad he attended the conference with his parents because, in the “Say Yes to a Brighter Future” youth conference, he learned valuable tools including how to pay for college. “I learned all about how to keep within a budget. I plan on staying debt free!”

The “Say Yes to the Next Level” conference, Nov. 10-12, 2016, was intended to motivate existing dfree® participants to accomplish their goals and to attract new audiences. The conference encouraged participants to reevaluate personal values, habits, attitudes and relationships in order to prepare themselves to move toward financial wholeness. It was held at FBCLG, 771 Somerset Street, Somerset, New Jersey 08873. It included concerts, networking, youth activities and dfree® training and support -- including workshops by the Money Coach Lynette Khalfani-Cox and concerts by Erica Campbell, the Grammy Award-winning recording artist & singer who formed gospel duo “Mary Mary,” and DEE-1, a positive hip-hop artist.

The title sponsor for the conference was Prudential Financial, with Wells Fargo, Chase Bank, City National Bank, Mazda Motor Corporation, Lyft, Stand Together, Griffin Capital Funding, Independence Realty Trust, Federal Home Loan Bank of NY, Merrill Lynch, Think Finance, Mobiloans and others also participating as sponsors.

About dfree®:

Founded in 2005, dfree® is a financial freedom movement that addresses the cultural, psychological and spiritual influences on financial wellness and offers practical strategies for achieving financial success. dfree® was featured by CNN in a 90­minute documentary, “Almighty Debt,” an installment of the “Black in America” series, hosted by Soledad O’Brien. The dfree® strategy is being used by hundreds of churches and organizations worldwide. For more information about dfree® visit www.mydfree.org and follow the hashtag, #dFreeNextLevel, on social media.

About Soaries:

Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries Jr. is known as an active agent for change and is a widely-requested speaker. He is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey and former New Jersey Secretary of State. His pastoral ministry focuses on spiritual growth, educational excellence, economic empowerment and faith-based community development. Soaries, author of Say Yes to No Debt: 12 Steps to Financial Freedom, has issued a Billion Dollar Challenge as a national initiative and free resource to help individuals and families collectively pay down $1 billion in consumer debt.