| Participation in the financial markets means to save money, access credit, buy homes, purchase insurance products, start a business, own stocks and bonds, and retirement accounts. Immigrants can invest in these assets to create wealth and improve their welfare. Research indicates that many immigrants do not invest in financial assets in the United States because they have low education, are unemployed, or have low income. The problem addressed in this study was low financial market participation among African immigrants in Connecticut despite high education and employment. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore their perceptions of why they did not invest in financial assets to build wealth. A sample of 15 educated and employed African immigrants were selected by purposive snowball and criterion sampling from a personal list, and specific sites. Three research questions asked African immigrants to describe what they perceived impeded their participation, what they could do, or might be done to help them participate, and whether or not lack of financial literacy was part of the problem. In this study, multiple data collection methods were conducted including informal face-to-face, open-ended semi-structured/unstructured interviews, online questionnaires, telephone interviews, and document review. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analyses to identify themes related to the research questions. Results indicated that low financial literacy was the most important factor contributing to low financial market participation among educated and employed African immigrants. Acculturation apathy, impinging on the ability to learn and embrace American values might contribute to low financial literacy among African immigrants. Pointedly, African cultural anchors doused with religious beliefs, which undermine hard work and preparedness for the future, may also contribute to low financial participation. Recommendations for practice include providing African immigrants with financial literacy education by community- based organizations, non-profits, service providers, and financial institutions. Future research should explore how African cultural and religious beliefs might influence financial behaviors. This study was limited to African immigrants in Connecticut; future research may replicate this study in different geographical locations, or explore how two different groups- Christians and Muslims, operating under the same economic and cultural environment in Africa perceive money and wealth. |
