Darrin Wilson spent 10 years working for JPMorganChase as an investment consultant in New York City when he got the opportunity to come home to Delaware. For the past four years, he’s worked from the Chase branch at Market and 9th in Wilmington as a community manager.

“A colleague mentioned this opportunity to me, knowing how passionate I am about this community, being from Delaware myself,” Wilson said. “This role has created a lot of excitement and opportunity for me. I’m motivated to make change and have that kind of impact and be that connector in the community.”

For Wilson, one  of the most rewarding experiences of his new job has been working with local schools to get young students to start thinking about their finances early – especially these days. In an uncertain economy, it’s critical to build a financial cushion for the unknown. But some people don’t know when is the right time to start and what resources are out there to help improve their financial plan. 

We sat down with Wilson to hear more about his work in the community, some of his top tips to managing finances, and how the Delaware community can benefit from free financial health sessions:

Tell me about your role and the impact you’re having in Delaware.

I’ve been a community manager for Chase for over three years, and my goal has remained steadfast in working towards improving the financial health of the residences and businesses, community overall, here in Delaware. I’m always looking to identify opportunities to help my community’s needs by improving financial literacy and uplift the underbanked communities. I do this by prioritizing outreach, community engagement and driving the financial initiatives that the bank has to offer.

I personally like to engage not only just with individuals within our community but with companies and organizations. And I’ve noticed more people are paying attention to their financial structure. There are a lot of ongoing changes in our economy, people are being attuned to how their money is being spent. For instance, when I talk to local business owners who are struggling to get financing, I share the importance of credit. Personal credit is important to starting a business. By taking action do more planning and being more sensitive to where they stand financially, that’s the beginning to changing people’s lives.

What is your approach to financial planning?

Prior to my role as Community Manager, I worked as a financial planner for many years. There isn’t one single approach to managing finances for all people. However, the one thing you have to do in today’s world is to build a budget and savings. This is critical to maintaining your level of financial health, especially when you look at emergency funding. The money basics include having a good budget, a strong savings, then from there you can start to build credit and look at investing opportunities. It doesn’t matter where you are, start changing money behaviors now. When you have your budget and savings in good shape you can go on to do many things that get you closer to your financial goals.

What has been your most rewarding experience?

The work I do with Autism at Work, an initiative that supports the advancement of employees on the spectrum. What began in Delaware as a pilot in 2015 with four employees has seen remarkable growth since its inception. By 2019, the program had a footprint in all four regions. And today, we have more than 70 roles in 10 countries.  I also do a lot of work with that team tied to our Tech Center in Delaware. From that initiative, I’ve seen interns from that program stay on to work at our Tech Center. That’s the kind of impact I’m looking to have!

What are some financial tips that are top of mind for you?

You have to create a financial buffer. Savings is so vital. By planning and being diligent about your finances, making sacrifices here and there, you can really drill down on your budget to extract extra money for yourself. A budget is a tool to pull funds from when unexpected expenses come up. My goal for my community and organizations I work with is to find financial independency. It’s never too early to start. I talk to people as little as the First grade about the aspect of saving. Behavior has a huge impact on where you end up financially and the younger you start learning, the easier it is to change and form that behavior.

How can the local community work with a Community Manager at Chase and are there upcoming financial seminars we should be aware of?

Wilson: We work with a lot of groups and organizations to produce financial seminars throughout the year. We have a program opening up soon with a calendar of events on upcoming financial health sessions that are available to the public. Visit your local branch to inquire about upcoming financial health sessions to find out about virtual and in-person options available to you. We’re a bank for all, and we’re here to do outreach and engage the community to change their lives financially. It’s at no cost to visit and we want to help motivate and educate you. I look forward to seeing you at one of my sessions!

For more financial health tips, visit your local branch and ask about access to financial health sessions, or check out chase.com/personal/financial-goals.

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This feature is part of an ongoing sponsored content series with JPMorganChase through a collaboration with the American Journalism Project and Spotlight Delaware. The editorial staff of Spotlight Delaware had no role in its production.