TrueStar Staff 
“When you look on social media, everybody and they auntie are the richest people in the world, when statistically, 60% of Americans don’t have $1,000 saved.” These are the words that finance expert Ross Mac said to an auditorium full of people at the recent Maconomics Wealth Summit held at the Barack Obama Presidential Center. While we can’t all be social media rich, the summit strived to teach the Chicagoland community how to build wealth and invest in yourself.
This year marked the 4th annual Maconomics Wealth Summit led by Mac himself, a TV personality, best selling author, and the CEO/Creator of Macanomics. The summit brought together media personalities, business owners, and executives like Grammy winning TV star Kandi Burruss, CEO of GCM Grosvenor Michael Sacks, CEO of BMO Darrel Hackett, and President of BET Louis Carr. These speakers came to Chicago to share their knowledge during Friday’s VIP reception, Saturday’s Maconomics Wealth Summit, all-white yacht party, and Sunday’s Maconomics Foundation Basketball Classic. However, Saturday’s wealth summit included the most needed information on how to make money, manage money, and keep money.
Saturday’s summit held conversations both for older and younger entrepreneurs, real estate agents, media influencers, and so many more. “Getting Started in Real Estate,” “Health is Wealth,” and even a “Pitch Competition” were some of the events participants could learn from.
McKinnly Boston, a 16-year-old 11th grader at University of Chicago Woodlawn, said he was present at the summit to get tips for further developing his career. “As a young entrepreneur myself, I wanna learn how to actually manage my own business and where my money should go.” Boston stated that he learned a lot of valuable information during the summit which he will be sure to apply.
Attendees of the “Mastering the Real Estate Market” session gained insight from the wisdom of agents and experts such as Krystal Corley McDonald, Jemal King, and Rukeem Campbell.
When responding to a question about where the money is actually being made for the everyday real estate investor today, real estate expert and “9 to 5 Millionaire” Jemal King said, “Date the interest rate, but marry the property.”
At the Future Millionaires stage, hosted by True Star’s very own Gary Langfield Jr., emerging adult attendees learned from several speakers during sessions such as “Navigating the New Job Market,” “Monetizing Influence,” and “Building Wealth and Investment Strategies.”
Following the summit, Mac hosted an all-white yacht party, complete with a special performance from Chicago’s very own King Louie, the pioneering artist widely recognized as one of the early influential figures in Chicago drill music. The night was a perfect combination of networking, celebration, and Chicago culture.
On Sunday, Maconomic Wealth Weekend continued with the highly anticipated Maconomic Celebrity Basketball Game. This year’s game featured an all-star roster that included NBA talent such as Matas Buzelis, Tacko Fall, Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson, Kiefer Sykes, Evan Turner, Herbert Jones, and Javonte Green. The lineup also featured Olympic gold medalist Linnae Harper, Ahmad Starks, and Ross Mac himself.
The game lived up to the hype, going all the way to triple overtime in an absolute thriller. Team Ross ultimately came away with a 155–154 victory after Wilson delivered a buzzer-beating and-one to seal the win.
From a star-studded wealth summit and an unforgettable yacht party to a triple-overtime basketball thriller, the 4th annual Maconomic Wealth Weekend was packed with memorable moments from start to finish. Best believe that this is only the beginning for Mac. He plans to bring the event back next year with an even bigger roster, so be sure to stay tuned for updates on the 5th annual Maconomic Wealth Summit Weekend.
By Vanessa Walston, a True Star contributing writer from Girls Like Me
*Christopher Lockridge also contributed to this article.
