Letting Down Your Guard with K. Kenny Davis, The TransCapitalist
By: Tash Moore
Tags: Mindset Shift, Qtbipoc, Money, Bipoc, Money Management

Quench Finance: Do you have a background in finance?

Kenny Davis: Yeah, I have my master’s in finance from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business.

QF: What led you to have an interest in this financial path?

KD: I [got] my bachelor’s in civil engineering. I had the option of being kicked out for who I am, living on the street, or go to college. I was miserable in the program and even after I graduated, I had a six-figure income and was still facing repossession, and in debt, and then I picked up Rich Dad Poor Dad [by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter] and it blew my mind that there were rules to money. I [then] consumed every book on money I could find, and realized I wanted to know what people on Wall Street knew about money that I didn’t know. I wanted to know what the W.O.W. [walk out with] factor was and why are those people 10x wealthier than the average person.

QF: There is a strong contingent in queer circles of anti-capitalism (We’re admittedly sympathetic given the exclusionary nature of cishet majorities); how can queer folx be more integrated into our current systems until something else evolves?

K. Kenny Davis, The TRANS CAPITALIST

KD: That’s why my brand is called The Trans Capitalist, I help people use the rules. Capitalism is an economic state, it’s not going anywhere [so] we need to make do with what we have. In our community, we do not use business the way we should. When those tax laws come out, they are for businesses. When I work with clients I don’t just do finance, I do mental and emotional support because we have so much financial trauma [in our communities], and a lot of our rules speak [with the assumption of] emotional and mental well-being. When the rules start with “you need to do XYZ…” well, you have to start with ABC. It goes back to your parents or guardians, how we saw our parents handle and carry money. 10 out of 10 we haven’t seen good relationships with money, we’ve seen scarcity and lack. How do we get through that first? Then we can talk about finances and what to do with our money. We have to unpack that [and] talk about family trauma and see where we’re at.

It has to be through financial literacy first. You don’t do better until you know better… A lot of people just don’t know financial rules, they don’t know what they can do or their potential and capacity. And they have no idea what they’re capable of. Financial literacy is the key that unlocked this for me and that’s the key for everyone. I feel more non-profits need to have financial literacy and it needs to be taught in [more] schools and homes to break that chain of poverty and from a capitalistic perspective.

QF: What is one thing someone can do today to change the direction of their money story?

KD: Just ask for help. A lot of people have their guard up when it comes to money and I understand because money is a vulnerable topic, it’s even closer than talking to your doctor about your health, and it’s not something you’d talk about with your hairdresser. Even when we have assistance, we are often given poor advice, [such as being steered] towards credit cards instead of investments. Even how women are treated in finance versus how men are treated and given advice and access to resources.

QF: What are some of your favorite money blogs and podcasts?

KD: I’m listening to one, it’s Earn Your Leisure, and I like it because it’s two black males and they’re discussing how to break down the scams or detail the hustle and how to apply the knowledge. A lot of blogs don’t give you the background info, or they make you feel bad if you’re not taking their advice, or they’re not considering it from a minority perspective. I don’t apply cishet white male rules or even gay white male advice. Their advice is based on an outdated perspective and for white people who have jobs, not us because they have easier access to things.

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K. Kenny Davis is The TRANS CAPITALIST, is a proud black Transgender Financial Literacy Activist! He is dedicated to challenging many of the financial rules, institutions, and taboos that are in place as they no longer work for our generation.

Is the CEO of “THE TRANS CAPITALIST L.L.C”, which is the fastest growing financial literacy resource for the Queer-Transgender community. He has spent the past three years of teaching, coaching, and motivating hundreds of queer people around the world.

This story was told in partnership with Daylight, Banking for LGBT+ folx, by LGBT+ folx. K. Kenny Davis is a financial coach partnered with Daylight to provide a wealth of experience and perspective.