OUR VISION
The Roach Family Trust is for the benefit of the direct descendants of Pearl and Pemberton Roach and their families. The trust will serve to build a legacy of generational wealth and support and pave the way for members of the Roach Family to achieve their dreams through education, homeownership and entrepreneurial endeavors.
OUR MISSION
To educate and support the financial growth and development of the members of the Roach Family by leveraging knowledge and experience combined with other resources to build generational wealth that will allow our family to become financially self-sufficient.
OUR CORE VALUES
Our family core values of love and acceptance; respect and integrity, accountability, and creativity will ground future generations and secure our legacy.
Letter to the Contributors
Another year has passed, and we continue to make strides towards financial independence for the Roach Family! Since we started this journey in January 2021, we have collected $29,306 from 19 family members who have contributed. We have invested $17,500 of that money to-date. As always, MANY THANKS to all of you who believe in the vision and continue to contribute and support the Roach Family Trust. And MANY THANKS to the members of the 2023 Board of Trustees for their hard work which has resulted in another successful year!
Over the past year, we continued to do our best to be good stewards of the money you have contributed. We added another $7500 to our managed brokerage account with Fidelity Investments bringing the total amount invested to $17,500. The remainder of the funds are in our savings account with Capital One. We also kept expenses to a minimum, only spending a total of $300, to maintain the Roach Family Website.
The website (www.roachfamily617.com) is still the primary communication source for everything related to the family, especially the Trust. We enhanced it by rolling out the Trust Contributors page on the website to increase the transparency into the Trust operations for all of you who contribute. In addition, we created a social media presence by establishing the Roach Family Instagram page. We posted upcoming events and other information throughout the year.
As discussed previously, we realize to build family wealth, we need to help family members build individual wealth. So, we worked throughout the year with several family members to put in place a Partnership Agreement, Operating Guidelines and legally established the Roach Family Investment Club on November 15, 2023. We currently have 10 family members who have signed up to participate. It’s not too late, if you want to join see the website for more information.
In 2024, our primary focus will be getting the Investment Club fully operational as we continue to enhance Financial Literacy to help family members build individual wealth. We believe this will lead to more family participation and contributions to the Trust. In addition, we will continue to build structure around the Trust and increase the number of family members engaged and participating in the Trust.
In closing, remember that our success is your success. So, get engaged and involved and let’s take the Roach Family Trust to the next level. We are thankful for this Blessing!
Much Love,
2023 Board of Trustees
Joel Roach – Chair, Jason Roach – Vice Chair, Michele Brooks – Secretary, Keith Roach – Treasurer, Donna Ramos-Johnson, Jeff Roach, Lois Roach, Rod Roach, Tanesha Roach
2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- We increased contributions by $4,950 for a total of $29,306. However, contributions dropped in 2023 by 29% as compared to 2022 (note: does not include 2022 matching gift of $5000)
- To grow the money in the Trust, we invested another $7,500 in our Fidelity GO Account for a total of $17,500. This money is invested in the stock market using a moderately aggressive strategy and is managed by Fidelity.
- We engaged contributors and created a Marketing subcommittee to assist with creative ideas to help increase the number of contributors and contributions to the Trust. For example, the Summer of Financial Independence Campaign raised $2,500.
- To help build individual wealth within the family, we established the Roach Family Investment Club (RFIC) in November 2023.
- To improve communication and transparency, which are critical to eliminating any doubt, we rolled out and enhanced the Trust Contributors page on the Roach Family Website. This page provides insight into the inner workings of the Roach Family Trust and is also a place where contributors can post information.
- We created the Roach Family Instagram Page and sent out newsletters to family members to keep family members updated on plans and activities.
2024 Goals
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Revisit the plan and cost to make the Roach Family Trust a fully legal entity. Present it to the contributors for vote and implement it, if we agree the time is right.
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Engage family members and contributors in standing committees and other activities with a goal of increasing participation from 19 to at least 25 so we can fully implement by-laws (i.e. officer elections, etc.)
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Maintain a sound foundation and good management practices for the longevity of the Trust. We will continue to take our lessons learned and use them to enhance our operating guidelines, policies, and structure.
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Complete the rollout of the Roach Family Investment Club by the end of Q1, which includes setting up bank and brokerage accounts, filling management positions and creating a financial education curriculum.
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Continue to expand the website to include more information on the Trust, Family Ancestry and other happenings. In addition, we plan to continue to leverage social media as another communication tool.
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Keep moving forward, one step at a time, so we can ultimately attain Roach Family Financial Independence!
