A Story You Need to Hear
For years, Naiya lived undocumented in Chicago—she kept out of trouble, networked relentlessly, and spent every free moment reading biographies about rich people.
People say "the key to wealth is having a rich family or being white, or a man." Perhaps it's easier when you have that, but I'm none of those things. All I had were my books, daydreams and my bias for action.
With a networth of $0 and eyes wider than her pocketbook, Naiya bought her first apartment building at age 25 and discovered a different kind of power: the power of equity and compounding interest.
One property turned into two, which turned into 10, and so on. She built Lyric Investment Group from the ground up, managing multi-family properties in Chicago and single-family rentals in Southern California. She started an investment fund that generated 12–20% returns. She designed and built micro-apartments near downtown Chicago that caught the attention of developers, journalists, and even Chicago's Mayor.
I love that I'm the money guy in the room. I'm the reason that these projects happen, and my presence reminds people that young women can be in private equity and finance, too. No I'm not the legal secretary, I'm the lawyer. No I'm not the real estate agent, I'm the investor. I love this flex.
Naiya speaks about money because she knows that financial literacy isn't something most families teach—especially immigrant families, families living paycheck to paycheck, or even wealthy families where money was a source of conflict, not conversation. She wants everyone of all ages to learn the language of money before they need it, not after they've been burned by it.