Gamifying the gap between investing & education, for first-generation wealth builders.
Our Story
It all started in a classroom in th middle of the pandemic...
Ray'Chel, our founder, saw her high school students hesitant about money decisions—not just about investing, but about how to save, budget, and trust the financial system at all. Inspired by their questions and her own goal-based approach to paying off student loans, a new type of curriculum was born: real, practical, and collective.
From those first lessons came the ForOurLastNames app—a digital community built for everyone breaking generational barriers, not just those historically invested. Our platform is co-designed with first-generation students and young adults in mind—across all backgrounds—because practical financial education and access should serve everyone, regardless of identity
What Sets Us Apart
Collective Empowerment: We foster community features that let users share knowledge, celebrate wins together, and support one another through the ups and downs of financial life.
Stage-Not-Age Interventions: Financial pathways are personalized for life stages, not birthdays. First time saving? Building credit from scratch? Planning to invest for your future or your family? You’ll have clear, actionable steps—plus tips and “don’ts” for what matters right now.
Vulnerability-Informed Design: We break down the fear and risk of "starting from zero," with tools and conversations that make it safe to learn, ask questions, and recover from mistakes together—because resilience means knowing what to do even when things don't go as planned.
Practical Power Moves: From fluctuating incomes and savings “envelopes” to daily spending hacks, our app delivers both the context and real-world tricks first-gen users want—always ethically and transparently.
Life-Long, Not Just Legacy: We connect the desire for a better lifestyle now with the goal of building for tomorrow—for your last name, whatever your story or heritage.
Radically Inclusive: Our visuals and success stories spotlight people from every race, gender, and background. Economic empowerment is for everyone.
The Founding Team
Ray'Chel Wilson, CEO
Ray’Chel is a nationally regarded educator and Certified Financial Therapist-I who is passionate about closing the racial and gender wealth gaps. During her time in nonprofit, Ray'Chel annually fundraised upwards of $800K. With an Investment Management specialization from University of Geneva, a BSPH from Ohio State University, and a Certificate in Women's Entrepreneurship from Cornell University, Ray'Chel brings a wealth of knowledge to her team and clients. Ray’Chel’s purpose is to empower us to build wealth for our last names.
Tiffany Bogert, CTO
Tiffany Bogert is an Associate Manager for Accenture, a global business leader accelerating change and innovation. Leading products in edtech, healthtech, and fintech, Tiffany has 7+ years of experience specializing in implementation and dev ops.
Lead Investor
Our Values
Excellence | Trust | Unity | Stewardship
Tiffany was a former mentor of Ray'Chel's first business, Raise the Bar Investments, which reached international sales of their Black Wealth Freedom workbook series. When ForOurLastNames CTO role opened, Tiffany was compelled to apply. Together, Ray'Chel and Tiffany are the cornerstones of the winning team to achieve a future where unrepresented people can build wealth for their last names.
Our Vision
Our vision is to empower underrepresented individuals to make informed financial decisions that will positively impact their families for generations to come.
Our platform closes the gap for those who have felt left out, whether due to background, knowledge, or trust. We make winning with money accessible, welcoming, and free from jargon or judgment.
Our Impact
80% user satisfaction from our private beta test, with early users rating the experience as positive or “highly positive” and actively referring friends.
400+ people on the app waitlist—representing a broad mix of first-generation wealth builders, career professionals, and aspiring investors of all backgrounds.
Q2 2025 partner workshop: 90% of pilot participants joined our app waitlist after learning about investing basics for the first time.
80 million first-generation wealth builders in the U.S. need access to practical, trauma-informed financial education and collective support—ForOurLastNames is built for them, but welcomes all.
Our Notable Achievements
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