Dr. Hite

An Interview with Dr. Eric Hite, Founder

My Core Expertise: Teaching Stock Market Investing to Transform Black Futures
My area of expertise centers on making stock market education accessible, relevant, and transformational for K–12 Black students and educators in low-income environments. I am known for creating curriculum, training teachers, mentoring youth, and transforming school culture through wealth-building practices that start with one question: "What if we taught Black students to own instead of just spend?"

2. What I Want to Be Known For: Ownership Over Oppression
I want to be known as the educator and visionary who flipped the script in financial education by placing ownership—through stock investing—at the forefront of personal financial development in the Black community. Not just budgeting. Not couponing. Not get-rich-quick schemes. Ownership.

3. The Challenges My Community Faces
The Black community, especially in low-income areas, faces a unique trifecta of barriers: generational poverty, cultural normalization of consumerism, and a deep-rooted fear or mistrust of financial systems. These combine to stifle upward mobility and trap generations in cycles of economic vulnerability. In schools, this manifests as disengaged students, under-resourced teachers, and a curriculum that prepares children for jobs—but not for wealth.

4. My Unique Approach: Investing First, Budgeting Follows
Most financial literacy programs start with budgeting and bill-paying. I start with stock investing—because when someone owns something of value, they naturally want to protect it. Stock investing introduces concepts like delayed gratification, research, discipline, long-term planning, and wealth-building, which THEN lead to better budgeting habits. My method ignites hope before it teaches restraint.

5. The Philosophy That Drives Me
I believe exposure equals expansion. The reason so many Black youth fear the stock market is because they’ve never seen anyone like them win at it. My goal is to not only expose students to investing but to normalize it, gamify it, and make it part of their daily thought process. We teach what we model.

6. The Twist That Sets Me Apart
My strategy isn’t just financial; it’s psychological. I’m using wealth-building to rewrite the mental scripts of poverty. By starting with the concept of "ownership" instead of "budget cuts," I shift mindsets from scarcity to abundance. I teach stock investing not as a technical skill, but as a vehicle for emotional healing, identity reformation, and generational legacy.

7. Trends I’m Noticing in the Financial Education Space
Financial literacy is trending, but stock investing is still seen as a niche topic—too complicated, too risky, or too irrelevant for students. There’s a surge in content about crypto and side hustles, but little structured guidance on long-term investing and equity ownership. The trend I’m addressing is this: we’ve made financial literacy popular, but we’ve made real wealth-building optional.

8. What’s Being Overlooked
The emotional trauma of generational poverty is being overlooked. We teach money skills without addressing money wounds. We give students calculators without giving them dreams. I bring both. I’ve seen firsthand how learning to invest changes how students walk, talk, dream, and engage in school. It builds pride. Dignity. Vision.

9. The Status Quo I Challenge
Most schools and even nonprofits believe kids need to "get the basics first" before they can be trusted with investment strategies. I disagree. I believe students rise to the level of expectation. When I introduce investing in middle school, students become more disciplined in math, more thoughtful in writing, more curious in history, and more engaged overall. Investment education is a lever for academic and behavioral transformation.

10. The Myths I Refute
The biggest myths I fight are:

• "Black people don’t invest."

• "It’s too late for adults to start."

• "Kids can’t grasp the stock market." - How insulting is that! We can lean ANYTHING, if we are exposed to it and 

• "You have to be rich to invest." - You can invest with as little as $1.

None of these are true. What people need is exposure, mentorship, and a reason to believe in ownership.

11. Why We Accept Poverty but Fear Wealth
There’s a spiritual, psychological, and cultural acceptance of poverty in many Black communities. People have seen poverty. They’ve learned to survive in it. But wealth? That’s unfamiliar. Uncomfortable. Even taboo. I’m here to change that by making wealth visible, achievable, and repeatable.

12. Why We Gamble but Don’t Invest
I teach that gambling and stock investing are cousins—but only one has a degree. Black communities often gamble out of desperation or fantasy. Investing is rooted in research, discipline, and time. I show how the same thrill people feel playing Powerball can be redirected toward watching a portfolio grow.

13. The Root of Our Fear: Misinformation and Exclusion
We weren’t just left out of wealth-building conversations—we were deliberately excluded. Redlining, job discrimination, underfunded schools, and lack of access have created a generational gap in financial literacy. I’m addressing that by rebuilding the bridge—one school, one student, one teacher at a time.

14. Our Acceptance of Hopelessness
Many students I teach don’t believe they’ll live past 25. Why budget? Why plan? Why save? My program flips that. When students invest, they start thinking long-term. Suddenly, they expect to live past 25. They expect to buy a home. They expect to start a business. Wealth-building makes hope tangible.

15. Teaching Teachers to Believe Again
Many teachers are financially broken themselves. They’re in debt. Underpaid. Overworked. I teach teachers how to invest first, so they can teach from a place of belief, not burnout. When teachers begin building wealth, it naturally overflows into their classroom instruction.

16. What Makes N.U.B.I.A.N. Different
N.U.B.I.A.N. doesn’t just offer programs—we offer a movement. We combine academic standards with cultural relevance, financial mentorship, family engagement, and public competitions to create a full ecosystem. It’s not just what we teach—it’s how we teach it, who we teach it to, and why.

17. The Power of Early Exposure
I believe students should learn stock investing before they learn credit cards. Before they graduate. Before they start working. Early exposure leads to lifelong ownership. Imagine if a fifth grader owned Amazon stock before their first cell phone. That’s the future we’re building.

18. Why I Believe Ownership Is a Civil Right
Economic access is the civil rights issue of our time. Without ownership, we are permanent renters—in our homes, in our jobs, in our minds. I teach that ownership isn’t about money—it’s about agency. Investing is protest. Owning shares is activism. Net worth is political power.

19. Why I Am the Messenger for This Moment
I’m not teaching theory—I’ve lived this. I’ve taught in underfunded schools. I’ve mentored students who went from detention to Capitol Hill. I’ve led teams to national finance competitions. I’ve seen lives change. I’ve buried students who never got the chance. I’m not doing this for applause—I’m doing it because I must.

20. The Legacy I Want to Leave
When they hear my name, I want them to say: “That’s the man who taught us to own.” I want classrooms full of kids with portfolios. Families who talk about dividends at dinner. Churches with investment ministries. Teachers who retire as millionaires. And a Black community that finally stops surviving—and starts owning, building, and thriving for generations because they are also teaching.

This is not just a program. This is a revolution. And the revolution will be invested.