As a teenager, Jeff Badu found himself in the wrong company and in conflict with the law. Born in Ghana, Badu first migrated to the United States when he was only eight years old and fell into Chicago’s gang life.
He returned to Ghana at age 16 and upon seeing the horrific situations of people in the country of his birth, he decided to turn over a new leaf. The powerful images of homeless people, women with babies wrapped around their back while hawking on the streets, among others, changed his perspective about life.
Badu decided that he wanted to be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem. He wanted to serve humanity and empower people to achieve financial freedom.
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“I saw how people were living in Ghana, how so many were homeless, including a few of my family members, and I knew I just couldn’t have a life like that,” said Badu in a blog post. “From then, I started going to church, and my goal became to help an infinite amount of people who have a profound desire to do better in life.
“I had been a bad kid who surrounded myself with the wrong things, and I had almost been put in handcuffs, and I knew that had to change,” the Chicago resident noted.
Now 28, Badu is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a millionaire, a status he achieved at the age of 26. Badu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois and a Master of Accounting Science degree.
He started his career at PwC, one of the Big Four accounting firms in the world. After a year of working with PwC, he went ahead to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
He subsequently launched his own business called Badu Enterprise, which propelled him to a millionaire status at age 25. His firm is a multinational tax practice and with a successful real estate arm, which he started with one unit. Today, he has over 100 units and counting.
The entrepreneur now wants to give back to society through his Badu Foundation. He has launched a financial literacy program to teach people about money and investment. He believes it is the most viable option of empowering people out of trouble.
Badu told the Chicago Sun-Times: “I didn’t have someone to teach me about money and finances and prepare me to live the best abundant life possible. With all of the violence going on in Chicago with our youth, I guarantee you that if they had more financial education and empowerment, they would be able to stay out of trouble. They just want to sustain themselves and get out of poverty.”
The financial literacy program targets persons between the ages of 6-18 years old. What is more, the foundation is aiming to raise $100,000 to fund scholarships. He is also raising additional cash through a GoFundMe Financial Literacy Scholarship Fundraiser.
