As we were putting together our April issue, we learned that Black Enterprise has been voted one of the most trusted and most inspiring publications in the country, according to the American Magazine Study conducted by Affinity, a media research firm. We’re honored that readers like you have such high regard for the articles, columns, graphic treatments, and photography that we conceive each month. We pledge not to rest on our achievements. Indeed, this month we bring you a host of stories designed to enrich your mind, body, soul, and wallet.
Our ability to deliver fresh, thoughtful content each month is largely
due to the access we have to great minds, powerful leaders, and groundbreaking businesspeople in the African American community and in our global society at large. In this issue, for example, Editor-in-Chief Derek T. Dingle interviews U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Dingle’s probing led Geithner to publicly reveal his opinion of the predatory mortgage lending that occurred across the country during the housing boom. Geithner acknowledged that many homeowners who’ve experienced foreclosure in recent years “were taken advantage of†and were “completely innocent victims.†Those words were such a departure from Geithner’s usual close-to-the-vest utterances in the press that The Washington Post cited the interview as a noteworthy read for its audience of Beltway insiders. The Treasury secretary shared even more with Dingle about the Obama administration’s plans to fix the economy, its challenges balancing the federal government’s books, and its new efforts to protect Americans from financial misdeeds. Read the exclusive interview in this issue, or view the entire video interview on our website, BlackEnterprise.com.Our April issue is traditionally devoted to the Annual Investment Guide, timed conveniently to get your mind off taxes and toward a future of opportunities. Many investors have been cautious recently–even though the Dow Jones Industrial Average has
climbed some 84% since the financial crisis-inspired market low of March 9, 2009–but surveys have shown that African American investors tend to be more cautious than most. If you’ve remained on the sidelines as an investor until now, we urge you to carefully consider the advice we’re offering in this issue and take action. Start with our Money section, where columnist Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments L.L.C., urges African Americans to “Forget Fear,†as she offers a new way to look at today’s stock market.For the guide itself, we spoke to four African American financial advisers (Lee Baker of Apex Financial Services Inc., Douglas Coe of Moody Reid Financial Advisors, J. Michael Salley of Salley Wealth Advisors Group L.L.C., and Arnett Lanse Waters of A.L. Waters Capital Management L.L.C.) to get a sense of how they’re advising their clients to invest in some of the faster-growing mutual funds that focus on emerging market economies, precious metals, real estate, and technology. With the help of our experts, we’ve fashioned a guide that will help broaden your investment portfolio–and your thoughts about the long-term direction of global financial markets. It’s all part of continuing to earn your trust, while inspiring you to build wealth and prosperity.