Chris Sain Jr.’s story hits hard. His life was changed when his oldest brother, who was Sain’s “guy,” went to prison for nearly 25 years. (His brother would complete his sentence, graduate from
Grand Rapids Community College, and become a top manager at businesses in addition to working in real estate.)
Sain, 40, who was born and raised in Grand Rapids, was a star two-sport athlete at Ottawa Hills High School. He graduated in 2001 with dreams of playing in the NFL, and walked onto the football team at Michigan State University. When playing football didn’t work out, he earned his master’s degree in social work by age 24 and went to work.
“The fact that two siblings can come from the same household but yet have starkly different paths and outcomes in life was unique to say the least,” Sain shares. “After I got my master’s degree, I got on my grind. I wanted to make sure my brother was good when he came home from prison. I was a young, highly educated guy with street smarts, book smarts, and common sense, so I climbed the corporate ladder quickly – as an academic advisor for student-athletes at the University of Notre Dame and as a coordinator of student success and retention at GRCC – while running my business and nonprofit on the side.”
Learning from others’ mistakes
Sain did something else that changed the trajectory of his life: He started investing young.
“As an athlete who had my sights set on one day becoming a professional athlete, one thing that always intrigued me was the fact that professional athletes earned so much money over their playing career but somehow ended up broke or filing for bankruptcy three to five years after their playing career was over,” Sain says.
“This was a problem I desired to solve and become an expert in to ensure I did better with my own resources. Financial literacy is not something that is taught in our schools, and for some of us, our parents know very little about investing and building wealth. That alone compelled me to learn about the stock market, how to build wealth, investments, treasury bonds, life insurance, and all the other wealth-building tools not commonly discussed in our communities.”
Doing his own research
Beyond his job and the 401K provided through his employer, Sain started researching stocks in college and learned how to invest on his own. That’s when he discovered individual brokerages such as
Vanguard and
Fidelity.
“I opened up a Vanguard account, began to research the companies I know, like, and loved, and learned about the fundamentals of the company, how it made money, who was on the board and a host of other important factors you should know before investing,” Sain says. “The stock market is the greatest vehicle for wealth creation and, combined with compound interest, it is something that can truly change your life with time and patience.”
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Courtesy Chris Sain Jr.Chris Sain Jr. and his wife recently hit 603,000 YouTube subscribers.
Fast forward to now. Sain and his wife are retired after becoming debt-free in 2018, they travel and speak all over the world, and they recently hit
603,000 YouTube subscribers while earning well over a million dollars. And they started that last venture in 2020.
“My focus now involves continuing to spread the message of financial independence and financial freedom,” explains Sain. “I want to normalize money talk and the types of conversations we should be having in our homes.”
Becoming a philanthropist
His philanthropic work started as soon as he graduated from college.
“The first thing I did (in 2008) was form my 501c(3) nonprofit organization
Grand CITY Sports, which, since its inception, has been geared toward at-risk youth using sports and financial education to reach them at a greater capacity,” says Sain.
“Sports is often the draw to bring [the kids] in, and from there I am able to teach them about money and investing as well as how to become civic leaders, advanced learners, and responsible young adults. This also went well for the work I was doing as an administrator at Grand Rapids Community College and my role with the NAACP.”
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Courtesy Chris Sain Jr.Chris Sain Jr. and his wife are retired after becoming debt-free in 2018, they travel and speak all over the world.
Sain regularly donates to local nonprofit organizations, including $200,000 recently to
LifeQuest Urban Outreach Center and the
GR Youth Football League.
Sain’s other donations range from $1,000 to $50,000 for organizations doing great work in the community or who are championing worthy causes.
“Our youth need constructive programs and activities to participate in, so supporting the various youth leagues around town to ensure our young people have some positive outlets to engage in was a no-brainer,” he says. “This is something I have done since 2014.”
‘Unmatched work ethic’
LifeQuest was founded in 1997 by the Rev. Jerry Bishop as a ministry in the urban core of Grand Rapids. While it is open to everyone and serves anyone, it has a strong focus on the restoration and renewal of men and young men.
“Chris has been connected to LifeQuest literally from the very beginning, first as a teenager participating in our Sunday hoopfest, then, as a member, then elder, now an adviser, and supporter,” Bishop says. “Our work post-college came about through a like-mindedness for urban renewal and advancement, first through LifeQuest, then in various collaborations with Grand CITY Sports.”
Bishop described Sain in basketball terms.
“He's a triple threat—a dynamic believer, husband, and leader. But he is also a dynamic son, great sibling to his brothers, and father,” Bishop says. “Chris’ vision and unmatched work ethic is one of the missing pieces of progress in all areas of life.”
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Courtesy Chris Sain Jr.Sain regularly donates to local nonprofit organizations, including $200,000 recently to LifeQuest Urban Outreach Center and the GR Youth Football League.
Over the next five years Sain hopes to expand his network to align more with his goals.
“I'd love to be at the table with owners of professional teams to see how the process works to get in position to own a minority stake in a professional team,” he says. “I'll also continue my efforts around the world spreading the message of financial freedom, being debt-free, living within your means, and the type of sacrifices you must be willing to make in order to live like no one else.”