A lifelong commitment to education and financial empowerment.
At 88 years old, Charles Barker has every reason to slow down. But that has never been who he is.
Instead, he is moving with urgency—learning, giving, mentoring, and pouring decades of wisdom into young people who remind him of where he once stood. For Barker, legacy isn’t something you leave behind. It’s something you build while you’re here.
Finding His Way to The 100
A former senior vice president and CIO in corporate America, Barker’s life has been shaped by discipline, sacrifice, and a relentless belief that financial education can change a family’s trajectory for generations. Today, he is using his experience—and his generosity—to equip students in The 100 Black Men of Indianapolis with something more profound than knowledge: a vision for what is possible.
Barker’s connection to The 100 began shortly after his 13-year role in Kokomo came to an end. For more than a decade, long commutes kept him from truly engaging with the local Black community. When his company was sold, he committed himself—he would return home not just physically, but purposefully.
“I came to The 100 with a particular motivation,” Barker said. “I knew The Dollars & $ense Financial Literacy Program addressed one of the root causes of the wealth and income gap for African-American males—a lack of access to financial education. I had lived that gap myself, and I wanted to ensure the next generation wouldn’t have to learn the hard way.”
By 2009, Barker stepped into leadership as chair of the program. Under his guidance, the program flourished—winning back-to-back national championships, a still-unmatched achievement that became a point of pride for the organization.
From Poverty to Possibility
Barker does not speak about financial education as a theory. He talks about it as a living truth.
“I grew up with very little,” he reflected. “So achieving what I now call financial freedom is more than personal success—it’s proof that the cycle can be broken. I know the journey out of poverty, and I want our young men to know that journey is possible for them too.”
His own path was far from linear. After graduating high school without the coursework needed for college, he returned to the classroom at night to complete chemistry, trigonometry, and algebra. He spent 14 more years in night school pursuing a degree in computer technology—all while working and raising a family.
By age 36, he had earned the degree he once thought was out of reach. Along the way, a stock option packet he didn’t understand sparked a new curiosity. He began researching investments and eventually joined three investment clubs—one of which exceeded $1 million this year.
His transformation became his testimony. His testimony became his teaching.
Teaching Discipline, Planning, and Hope
In classrooms across Indianapolis, Barker became known for a signature moment. He would stroll across the room, pause in front of each student, look them in the eye, and say:
“Financial freedom isn’t out of reach for you. You can build it—with discipline, patience, and a plan you stick to.”
For many students, it was the first time someone had declared that kind of possibility over their lives. His lessons centered on consistency, compound interest, and long-term planning—concepts rarely discussed in many households. Parents often sat in on the sessions and, in many cases, learned just as much as their children.
Those sessions changed families. They changed futures.
Giving While Living
Barker’s newest act of generosity—a $50,000 commitment from him and his wife to fund an annual $5,000 scholarship for The Dollars & $ense Financial Literacy Program participants—reflects not only his gratitude for The 100, but his desire to witness the impact firsthand.
“I want to see the results during my lifetime,” he said. “Not necessarily the outcomes, but the application of my financial success toward young men.”
His decision was shaped by a sobering statistic: 70% of inherited wealth is lost in the next generation, and another 30% in the one after that.
“That propelled me,” Barker explained. “I had planned to leave a gift through my trust. But I realized I needed to start moving that now—to put it into the world while it can still do the most good.”
His scholarship, funded through Qualified Charitable Distributions, also carries tax advantages—a lesson he hopes more families will come to understand and leverage. But above all, he sees this gift as an extension of his purpose: to open doors that were once closed to him.
Breaking Barriers, Not Excuses
Barker acknowledges that history has left profound and enduring obstacles. Yet he remains adamant: while the past may explain inequity, education is what helps overcome it. His philosophy is simple but powerful: If there is a barrier—go around it, dig under it, or break straight through it. That mindset, paired with decades of disciplined learning, has shaped both his achievements and his impact.
A Legacy Rooted in Expectation and Love
For many students in The 100, Barker represents something invaluable: a successful Black man who not only believes in them but expects greatness from them. That expectation can change the trajectory of a life. And because of Charles and his wife, generations of young people will have the chance to prove him right.
As we move through the season of giving, his story offers an invitation—to honor what shaped us, to invest in those coming behind us, and to make an impact that outlives us. Because when we give at the right moment, to the right mission, lives change. And sometimes, entire generations do too.