Black Dollar Series: The Hood Accountant

For the Black Dollar Series, one of the most fun discussions in regards to faux pas of Black money management is the The Hood Accountant. This is someone in the family who keeps up the generational security net of the family (by any means). This is someone who knows how to stretch not only a dollar, resources, the electric bill, and spin something someone privileged would see as disaster, into a quiet opportunity.

Threat to the Community: LOW

SCAM Meter: Moderate

The Mindset

The Hood Accountant is the most sustainable person in the community. They are the ones that create the 3 course meal from the corner store when food budget gets low, they’re the one’s that see barely any money in the account and always finds a way to make things work. They know instantly they have to figure something out, and most likely no one will save them. All legal but sometimes pushing the boundaries of legality. They will work at Home Depot get discounts on supplies to flip a house and gain health insurance.

The History

The Barter system is an old transaction but in American history, it’s the ancestor of the Hood Accountant. It was a system for someone who knew they may not have the funds to pay but saw the value in a skill, trade, or connection that bought them the time they need to execute the goal they sought. In the past when Black people weren’t allowed to fully engage in the Banking system for loans and transactions, bartering quantified money to skills. The money that couldn’t be raised to pay for the truck to get fixed, went towards using the garden you grew in the back into food for the neighborhood mechanic, needing to feed his family. Now he gets two weeks worth of food, for fixing your truck.

Fast forward, the Hood Accountant will drive their Aunt in the commissioned Uber car, to the airport and then get uber rides beyond the gates, without paying for the airport pickup permit. The Hood Accountant will work as college janitor at night or school security to use the computer lab after hours for free to complete their assignments needed to keep their scholarship.

From the out looking in, this person is down and out, and gets judged as someone who is always systematically broke. When the account is always $10 overdrafted, or $10 short the notion of low financial literacy comes to mind.

Faux Pas

What’s not discussed is that the Hood Accountant’s lack of constant positive cash flow requires constant monitoring of budgets. They know they’re short $10 because they know what has been spent to get to $10 in the first place. Anyone who’s been subjected to that level of brokeness doesn’t assume someone will save them. They already know after the next two bills are paid, they got $10 to stretch until the next paycheck or paid invoice.

There is a HIGH level of awareness and reality.

The Asset

The Hood Accountant’s personal sacrifices for others comfort is highly overlooked. They are usually secretly paying child support, helping a financially weak family member, or pouring into project that can’t get loans or funding that requires all of their extra funds. They are in a sense other’s assets, spread extremely thin, barely having enough for themselves but enough to be an asset to everyone else or the investment they believe in. Because they believe in themselves, they see the broken moments as apart of the journey to success.

The Weakness

The Hood Accountant doesn’t know how to say no. They know they can figure things out and more open and willing to help those they who struggle with money, than their more comfortable counterpart. They see themselves in others struggle with trying to make it. Because of this, they respect people who try. But, when they do say no or can’t come through, then the negative discussion of how they’re always broke or resort to grifting, borrowing, or pirating suddenly becomes their sole identity. This can turn them retaliatory, petty, and lean into drug dealing or other illegal activities to sooth an ego. All things that land someone in jail (or dead).

Overall

The ironic twist the Hood Accountant can also become someone who is constantly broke because paying back and respecting Black effort is a strong character and tenet. They are a lot of times not properly compensated. Being spread thin, without support or space, curses the forensic auditor into a perception of never getting things right. But it stems from being unvalued and exploited not just by a bias lending system but also Black people who dishonor the barter system and get things for free, no longer respect the ethics of bartering. Without space, there isn’t a lot of time to improve past survival.

When they’re not payed or suffer from imbalance that once maintained the barter system, it creates distrust of Black transactions and eventually burns them out. The Hood Accountant is a lot of times short at times when thers are compensated for the same services.

If someone is a Hood Accountant, if pride doesn’t hinder they’ll be more than grateful getting extra help, even if it’s not financial.