Seasoned banker Darrell Wilson is well aware that a number of Barbadians have started 2026 focused on improving their physical and mental health.
While seeing this as laudable, he is urging them not to neglect their financial wellness.
Wilson is going a step further by offering his expertise “to empower people to take control of their finances and earn a certain degree of financial independence and literacy”.
This was a prime motivation for the establishment of his business, Avenica Financial Advisory, last October.
Wilson, who has more than 25 years of experience as a banking professional in Barbados, having previously worked in Trinidad and Tobago, is Avenica’s advisory lead.
“Avenica is designed to help companies and individuals achieve their financial goals, so we have a range of services. We will also host workshops that are geared towards teaching people how to budget effectively, plan their financials, and achieve financial literacy,” he noted.
A major part of Wilson’s objective to help people improve their financial health will come on January 23 when he holds a financial literacy workshop at the Sky Mall Conference Centre
at Haggatt Hall, St Michael.
He explained: “The impetus for the workshop is helping people improve their financial health. So we are encouraging participants to make a new year resolution to improve and conquer their financial health
and make it just as important as their physical health and general well-being.
“So it’s going to tackle all aspects of financial literacy and planning and financial management and budgeting. And then it’s not just going to be a one-day workshop, it’s going to have a 12-month coaching module where participants come back to me once a month to keep on top of whatever goal they come up with in the workshop. So it will be teaching people how to budget effectively and manage their finances,” he added.
Wilson stressed the need for more financial education in Barbados, as he acknowledged Government’s effort in this regard.
“I think that we have a far way to go in terms of educating the public on the financial aspects of their well being,” he asserted.
“Every year, people start off the year with a new year’s resolution to take care of their health and to lose weight and to do various things, but you very rarely hear people start off with a new year’s resolution to tackle their financial health.
“We have a lot of people who may be qualified with various degrees, but there are many professionals who lack financial intelligence and financial literacy, and they are not competent in terms of the effective management of their finances and making sound financial decisions.”
His view was that financial literacy should start from school.
“I think it should start from the time you come into school at age four, all the way through secondary school. And in fact, I have actually designed such a programme, and I have been waiting on a meeting with the Minister of Education,” he shared.
With a full year of business ahead, Wilson’s plans include working with professional service providers, including real estate companies. He said, for example, this could include helping these entities determine
“if a client is suitably placed for bank financing”.
“I’m in discussions with a few financial institutions, and I’m currently putting together proposals in terms of how we could work together to help them more quickly identify the suitability of clients and to help my clients obtain the right bank, and find the right financing,” he said.
Wilson is hopeful that 2026 is the year when more Barbadians increase their financial knowledge not just theoretically but in a way that brings them closer to achieving financial independence.
“I want to empower people to break the barriers around finance, demystify the whole idea that finance is only for certain people. Every and anybody can achieve financial independence,” he said.
