John’s Blog
Back on The 85 South Show with DC Young Fly and Karlous Miller
June 19, 2026There is no other room quite like The 85 South Show. DC Young Fly and Karlous Miller brought me back for a second visit, and between the laughs we covered real ground: negotiation, credit, investing in assets, Atlanta, the middle class and Capitalism for All. Comedy reaches people a lecture never wi
Opening the Market to Everyone: Operation HOPE, Inc. and the Nasdaq Foundation Launch the Investor Mindset Experience
June 11, 2026Introducing the HOPE Investor Mindset Experience The Investor Mindset Experience — A Free On-Ramp to Wealth Building for First-Time Investors Operation HOPE, Inc. has launched the Investor Mindset Experience in partnership with the Nasdaq Foundation — a free digital education tool designed to equip
My Fireside Chat with Marshall President Brad D. Smith, in Four Videos
June 3, 2026In February, during the 100th observance of Black History Month, Marshall University President Brad D. Smith and I sat down for a fireside chat in Huntington. I wrote about that visit at the time. Over the spring, Brad’s office released the conversation as four short videos, and I wanted to ga
Why I Believe Culture Is the Key to Closing the Financial Literacy Gap
For more than three decades, I’ve believed one simple truth: you cannot have a rainbow without a storm first. Operation HOPE was born out of that conviction—that the underserved deserve not charity, but access. Not a handout, but a hand up. And today, I’m prouder than ever to share a new
TIME OpEd: What America’s Fastest-Growing Cities Tell Us About the Future, by John Hope Bryant
May 28, 2026Last month, Walmart asked me to do a signing for my book, Capitalism For All: Inclusive Economics and the Future-Proofing of America, at their new store opening in Celina, Texas. The actor Anthony Anderson and I signed books, talked about the future of America, and I left wondering: Why Celina?
The Best Leaders Podcast from U.S. News & World Report: John Hope Bryant on the American Dream, Inclusive Capitalism and Building Hope.
In December, 2025, I was honored to be recognized amongst the 2025 U.S. News & World Report 25 Best Leaders, and to now contribute to their Best Leaders Podcast Series as one of their first guests. As America celebrates 250 years, one of the things that defines this great but imperfect nation is
AJC ‘Politically Georgia’ Podcast: Atlanta and the American Dream, with John Hope Bryant
May 26, 2026AJC editor-in-chief Leroy Chapman sits down with John Hope Bryant on the AJC Podcast Politically Georgia, to discuss Bryant’s new book, Capitalism for All, and his argument that economic mobility is the unfinished work of the civil rights movement. Bryant explains why he believes Atlanta is uniquely
Measuring America’s Financial Soul: What the HOPE Community Credit Score Index Reveals About Inequality, Life, and the 700-Score Threshold
May 25, 2026How One Nonprofit Mapped Every Zip Code in America and Discovered That Credit Scores Predict Life Expectancy, Crime Rates, and Homeownership—and Why It Matters for Policy, Practice, and American Renewal Part I: A Map of Inequality—Drawn from Home When I drive through the Crenshaw District today—the
What It Takes to Win in Corporate America | Kristy Fercho on Money & Wealth
May 22, 2026Episode Description This week on Money & Wealth with John Hope Bryant, John sits down with Kristy Fercho — Senior Executive Vice President at Wells Fargo and the first Black woman ever to serve on the bank’s operating committee. From growing up in Compton to leading billion-dollar businesses and
Butternomics: Buy-Outs Over Boycotts, and the Silver Tsunami
May 19, 2026Two ideas from my conversation on Butternomics are worth sharing on their own. The first is the Silver Tsunami. Trillions of dollars sit in profitable businesses owned by baby boomers who are ready to retire and have no one to hand them to. Before you exhaust yourself building a startup from scratch