A change of plans
And money I can't get back.
I was supposed to be in Atlanta today.
I’d been looking forward to my four-day, three-night stay since I paid for my trip in March. I told you back in the spring that only a life crisis would prevent me from boarding that plane this week.
My plan was to attend FinCon for the second straight year. It’s the annual conference where money nerds like me unite, learn and grow. For seven months, but really since last October, I was eager to reconnect with familiar faces and meet many more of my fellow FinCon friends.
But duty called. The basketball gods had other ideas. Instead of traveling to Atlanta, I flew home to Chicago early this morning from New Orleans, where the Chicago Bulls opened their season against the Pelicans. When the NBA released its league-wide schedule in mid-August, it delivered bad news to me right out of the gate. There was no way I could skip the first game without good reason. I was forced to forget about FinCon.
It’s OK, though. I believe I’ve got something better.
After canceling my Atlanta itinerary, I secured my spot inside the home for intelligent Black people.
I’m attending the All Black National Convention (ABNC) this weekend. It’s a conference hosted by Dr. Boyce Watkins and his wife, Dr. Alicia Watkins. I introduced you to them in June, initially on episode nine of the Money Talks podcast.
I’m saddened that I’ll miss FinCon. But I couldn’t have scripted a better plan B.
The ABNC will bring together hundreds of like-minded Black people, and it’ll be right in our backyard, in the west suburb of Lombard, Ill.
The three-day conference includes topics such as the psychology of money, the Black family masterplan, mindful mornings, building Black futures through wealth creation and real estate, corporate leadership, God’s plan for God’s people and much more.
Best of all, I’m taking my family.
Rather than learning alone in Atlanta, I’ll be filled with joy from being surrounded by my closest loved ones. Together, me, Triest, Tiffany and Parker will soak up life-changing wisdom to better ourselves and, hopefully, help us more effectively assist others.
That makes the ABNC a far superior investment for me than FinCon.
I paid $424.50 for a family pass to the ABNC. When I purchased our pass, the conference offered a 50% off discount. I pounced.
That’s only $106 more than the price I paid for my FinCon registration.
Because organizers for FinCon do not issue refunds, I had to eat that $318.40. A pass transfer option was provided for a $50 fee. I was the 10th person to list my “creator pass” on the event’s Google doc. I added my name just two weeks before the cutoff. I never found a taker. The conference does, however, make video replays of all sessions available at a later date. So I’m not staring at a total loss.
Even with the positives, there’s no escaping this fact. My forced change of plans became an example of a quick decision going wrong. The old me would have waited to purchase my FinCon pass — and paid more.
I don’t regret taking action.
I saved $566.77 on the Atlanta hotel I would have had to pay for this weekend. I also recouped 15,424 Southwest Airlines points I used to purchase my flight, along with $11.20 in taxes and fees. And I’ll save money on Ubers, meals and entertainment by not traveling to Atlanta.
Financially, the All Black National Convention is a much better fit. And I’m excited.
Come back Monday, and I’ll tell you all about it.
