Professional Advisors
Building the next generation of financial leaders
Danny Bullock of Dream Builders Financial Services is reshaping the industry
Danny Bullock has a vision for the next generation of leaders in the financial services sector.
“At conferences and meetings, I was often the only minority in the room. It was intimidating—I had impostor syndrome,” Danny shared when asked about his early days in the field. African American men are the least represented group in financial services, a stat that Danny would like to see change.
As a mentor to many young Black men in the community, he tries to steer them toward the world of finance. “I let them know that I’m not brilliant—I work hard, I study hard. The biggest aspect of the job is knowing how to communicate with people, and this is what I show Black and Brown young men.”
It’s important to him to help others in a way that creates a legacy—a way for him to make a lasting difference long after he’s gone. He didn’t always know this about himself. It wasn’t until after he left a steady career as the director of security for Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that Danny found his calling within the financial services industry.
“I help my clients get to their retirement destination while also building the life of their dreams.”
His initial financial education came during his first job at John Hancock. But it was only when he worked with an independent financial planner that he really learned the field and started to feel that entrepreneurial impulse. He knew when it was time to venture out on his own.
“There was a particular demographic that I wanted to serve—people like me who are in need of help.” Since much of middle-class America does not have a million dollars to invest, Danny saw a huge demographic not being served by the big financial houses. “I had to be able to call my own shots—I didn’t want to follow a matrix determining who is worth meeting with.”
As a member of Rhode Island Foundation’s Professional Advisory Council (PAC)—which offers insight, counsel, and partnership for charitable planning— Danny would like to see more Black people join the Council. “I don’t want to just go away when my PAC term ends—what can I do next to stay involved with the Foundation and the people I have met here?”
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