Ray’Chel Wilson
Ray’Chel Wilson
The vision of ForOurLastNames is to empower individuals to build wealth for their colliective last names. During the pandemic, Ray’Chel Wilson moved to Tulsa, OK to teach biology as part of Teach for America and found herself teaching the descendants of families who had thrived during the days of Black Wall Street. Struck by the current economic disparity, Ray’Chel designed her original curriculum to provide basic financial literacy for graduating high school students. This curriculum, informed by Ray'Chel's goal-based investing methods to pay off her student loans, was a hit and students showed a particular interest in learning how to invest. Ray’Chel created her first company, Raise the Bar Investments, as a resource for holistic financial literacy and as a step toward closing the racial and gender wealth gaps. ForOurLastNames is an app that supports first-generation investors in building education & wealth.
About Ray/Chel Wilson:
Ray’Chel Wilson is a nationally regarded educator who is passionate about closing the racial and gender wealth gaps. Originally from Ohio, Rachel moved to Black Wall Street, Tulsa, OK with Teach for America to teach biology and began to develop her own path to wealth as a first generation entrepreneur. After paying off her student undergraduate loans, Ray’Chel created a holistic curriculum to help her high school students graduate with financial literacy and a plan for success. This curriculum became the undergirding for Raise the Bar Investements, her first company and the parent company of ForOurLastNames. Ray’Chel is the published author of Black Wealth Freedom, a 3-part workbook series that is the foundation for generational wealth building.
During her time in nonprofits, Ray'Chel annually fundraised upwards of $800K. With an Investment Management specialization from University of Geneva, a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Ohio State University, and a Certificate in Women's Entrepreneurship from Cornell University, she currently serves as Director of Development for KIPP Oklahoma Public Charter Schools and works to ensure North Tulsa students have resources and funding for quality education. Ray’Chel brings a wealth of knowledge to her mission to bridge the racial and gender wealth gaps. She recently completed a Master of Divinity at Duke University.
ForOurLastNames
ForOurLastNames is a Fintech startup company committed to providing high-quality personal finance and investing education to historically underserved minority communities, with a particular focus on first-gen investors facing the racial wealth gap.
Approximately 50% of Black Americans do not have invested assets. Through her work, Ray’Chel came to recognize that financial knowledge alone does not always lead to action. Many capable people understand what they are supposed to do but remain immobilized by fear, shame, family pressures, or the stress of starting from zero. ForOurLastNames™ responds to these emotional and behavioral barriers by helping users regulate financial stress, access personalized guidance, and develop sustainable habits that fit their actual lives.
This trauma-informed, behavior-based approach distinguishes ForOurLastNames™ from traditional financial-literacy programs. Instead of overwhelming people with information, the platform meets users at their current financial stage—whether they are establishing credit, managing unpredictable income, beginning to invest, or planning a family legacy. Its app, workbooks, and institutional resources are designed to help individuals, students, employees, and organizations turn financial avoidance into consistent progress.
For Ray’Chel, building wealth is about more than individual financial success—it is about expanding what is possible for families and future generations. Through ForOurLastNames™, she is creating a compassionate and practical pathway for first-generation wealth builders to move beyond fear and shame, take meaningful action, and build lasting financial security. Her work invites people to see themselves not simply as investors, but as cycle breakers whose choices can shape the stories—and possibilities—carried by their last names.
