The fundmaster

Black Enterprise, Oct, 1998 by Matthew S. Scott

McCall is campaigning nationally to encourage African Americans to begin thinking about investing as a part of their retirement. "People in our communities ought to go to meetings and seminars and read publications that will give them real information about personal investments," says McCall. Most pension funds are run by boards that often give members the right to vote board members or fund directors out of office. McCall says that people should scrutinize the quarterly reports and other information that funds send to their members as well as actively monitor the investment activities of their pension funds. If they have complaints or requests, they should write letters to their fund managers. "Members of pension funds should ask their fund managers why they don't invest in affordable housing and whether they invest in organizations that are providing loans to small businesses. Are they putting money back into our communities?"

As influential as McCall is, he tries to maintain the persona of a regular guy. Although he and his wife Joyce Brown, president of the Fashion Institute of Technology, make quite a high-profile couple, he's still an accessible leader. "He does a great job of networking, and sharing ideas, resources and contacts," says Cazenave, who speaks to McCall about every six weeks. "If he sees a promising young man or woman, he'll pick up the phone and ask me to talk to them about money management careers. For a busy man to do that is admirable."

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