Photo: Maps.interlude / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
VM Group has taken its Diaspora financial-services outreach to Maryland, convening Jamaicans in the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region around property, investment and business growth.
Financial guidance closer to the Diaspora
The group’s Yaad & Beyond Financial Link Up was held in Silver Spring, Maryland, on 31 October, with support from the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, DC.
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VM Group said the event was designed to connect Jamaican professionals, entrepreneurs, prospective homeowners and investors with practical information on building long-term financial security across the United States and Jamaica.
The programme focused on three areas: real estate and homeownership, wealth-building and investment, and entrepreneurship and business expansion.
Building ties beyond remittances
Courtney Campbell, VM Group’s president and chief executive, said the initiative forms part of the company’s effort to deepen its relationship with Jamaicans abroad through financial empowerment and direct engagement.
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The Maryland event followed an earlier Yaad & Beyond gathering in Georgia. VM executives and specialists, including leaders from VM Property Services and VM Wealth Management, were scheduled to discuss financial options and answer questions from attendees.
Leighton Smith, the group’s chief Diaspora markets officer, said the DMV’s Jamaican community has strong continuing links to the island, making the region an important place for conversations about investment, property ownership and intergenerational wealth.
Why it matters
For Jamaican families abroad, access to credible financial guidance can shape decisions that cross borders: whether to buy a first home, invest savings, finance a business or acquire property in Jamaica.
Diaspora communities are often approached primarily as sources of remittances. VM Group’s outreach places a wider focus on wealth creation, business ownership and long-term planning — issues that matter to Black immigrant households seeking to convert income and overseas connections into lasting assets.
The event also underlines how Jamaican institutions are competing to serve an increasingly transnational customer base, with financial lives, family obligations and investment ambitions spanning North America and the Caribbean.
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VM Group has indicated that its Yaad & Beyond series will continue to target key US markets as it expands its engagement with Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica overseas.