Ask Questions: Operation HOPE Coach Achante Brown Is Bringing Free Financial Coaching Back to North Minneapolis
MSR editor Jasmine McBride profiles Achante Brown, a North Minneapolis native and Operation HOPE financial well-being coach who has worked with more than 230 clients through a free coaching office inside the U. S. Bank branch on West Broadway, helping individuals and small business owners build credit, grow savings and find the confidence to pursue their financial goals.
For many people in underrepresented communities, the barrier to financial wellness isn’t just a lack of money. It’s a lack of trust, confidence, and access. On West Broadway in North Minneapolis, a U. S. Bank partnership is working to change that, one client at a time.
Operation HOPE, a national nonprofit dedicated to financial empowerment, operates a coaching office inside the U. S. Bank branch on West Broadway. One of a small number of locations nationwide with a dedicated brick-and-mortar space. The office was made possible by a U.S. Bank donation following the rebuilding of the branch after the civil unrest of 2020. Today, it serves as a hub for free, one-on-one financial coaching for individuals and small business owners across the Twin Cities.
Leading that work locally is Achante Brown, a financial well-being coach who brings nearly a decade of banking experience back to the community that raised her. Born and raised in North Minneapolis, she spent almost 10 years at U. S. Bank, working her way from personal banker to Banker III across multiple Twin Cities locations. Now, through Operation HOPE, she works with clients at no cost. Helping them build credit, develop budgets, grow savings, and find the confidence to pursue their financial goals.
“A lot of my clients come from the same places,” Brown said. “I know what it looks like where they are and how to get where they want to be.”
That lived connection is central to her approach. She points to trust and judgment as two of the biggest barriers she sees in her community: people don’t ask questions because they fear being turned away or looked down on.
“A lot of people don’t ask questions because they don’t want to be judged,” she said. “They don’t know what to ask, let alone fear being judged for asking.”
Since joining Operation HOPE, Brown has worked with more than 230 clients and conducted over 139 one-on-one coaching sessions. Across those conversations, three themes rise to the surface every time: credit, confidence, and access.
“People, especially small business clients, want to build something real, but they don’t know where to go,” she said. “First, the confidence to even ask the question… the confidence to say, ‘Hey, I need help.'”
The results speak for themselves. Brown shared that one client, a young woman building a beverage business in Minneapolis, spent three months hesitant to follow her advice on improving her personal credit. When she finally committed to the process, her credit score jumped 76 points in just 45 days. With that financial stress lifted, she poured her energy back into her business, and was nominated for and received a best small business award in Minneapolis earlier this year.
“Taking that stress off of yourself, believing in yourself, and pouring it back into what you love… number one game changer,” Brown said.
U. S. Bank’s Greg Cunningham, chief community impact and inclusion officer, said the partnership reflects the bank’s broader commitment to the communities it serves.
“Our partnership with Operation HOPE and its dedicated coaches like Achante Brown in Minneapolis truly makes a difference for communities,” Cunningham said. “By offering guidance, Operation HOPE coaches help to simplify financial terms, work to improve credit scores and help make connections to access capital. Together, we are committed to connecting individuals and business owners in our communities with the knowledge and resources they need to succeed and thrive financially.”
For those still on the fence about seeking financial support, Brown’s message is direct.
“Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions,” she said. “If you don’t know what to ask, or if you’re not confident in asking, no one can help. The help is out there, and community is here.”
Because of the U. S. Bank donation, Brown is able to offer coaching sessions and community workshops entirely free of charge, right in the neighborhood where she grew up.
“Being able to bring back my knowledge at no cost, I really do appreciate that,” she said. “I can do a lot of my coaching, a lot of my workshops, right here in the community that raised me.”
Everyone deserves financial confidence, she says. And for those who don’t have it yet, she’s ready to meet them where they are.
To connect with Operation HOPE’s financial coaching services at U. S. Bank’s North Minneapolis branch, visit operationhope.org.
