Entrepreneur Empowering Millennials Through Real Estate and Financial Literacy

Pongee Barnes
Pongee Barnes

Entrepreneur Empowering Millennials Through Real Estate and Financial Literacy

Pongee Barnes, born and raised on the south-side of Chicago, is a political-science graduate of Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. Barnes embarked on her real estate career as a college student in 2005 at the age of 20, buying her first condo in Chicago. After buying 2 condominiums during the most recent tumultuous real estate market collapse, she was able to endure and purchase flips and rentals.

As of late, Barnes has done both rentals and flipping. Her current portfolio consists of properties with a mix of multi-family, commercial and single family properties. Barnes’ competitive edge is building a real estate portfolio by buying undervalued distressed properties in urban areas. She is passionate about real estate, but most importantly, inspiring millennials to invest in real estate.

This passion birthed her first book entitled, “Real Estate & Chill,” which was released in February 2018. Barnes’s zeal for educating millennials on real estate investing led her to teach in Andre Hatchett’s, “Black Real Estate School,” and she was featured in the Crain’s Chicago Business Newspaper. Barnes was also featured on the Dr. Boyce Watkins Intellectual Chocolate YouTube Channel as well as on a radio interview with 1690 AM in Chicago. She also recently published an article for XoNecole and was featured in Medium.

Together, she and her two sons, Benjamin 9, and Franklin 6, have created a series of children’s books, “Little Owners,” focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and community leadership. “Ben the Banker,” and “Franklin the Franchise Owner,” was released in December 2019 while “Riley the Real Estate Investor,” and “Robert the Real Estate Investor,” was released in January 2020. Barnes enjoys raising her two sons in Chicago with her husband, who is also her business partner.

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