“Cuz if you can put it in the bag, it ain’t enough!” — LaVar Ball says he rejected a $2 billion offer for Big Baller Brand because keeping full ownership mattered more than cashing out.

See The Blueprint: Skip the shallow media loops and watch BFA Originals live on YouTube.

Good morning, BFA Fam! Marcello Hernández started doing his Kevin Hart impression on the Today show, and Kevin immediately fell apart. Hernández nailed the phone calls, the nonstop business talk, and that very specific Kevin Hart way of turning everything into a hustle. Kevin laughed so hard he could barely respond, while the hosts just sat there enjoying the roast. Then Kevin recovered long enough to start clowning Hernández for not wearing socks.

BFA Recommends

One quick note from BFA…

Why it matters: It turns meetings, interviews, and scattered ideas into organized notes and clear next steps.

THE PICK
PLAUD Note Pro AI Voice Recorder

Read the note →

MAIN STORY

🔥 Black Professionals Have a New Favorite Dating App

⚡ THE SPARK

LinkedIn was supposed to help you find your next job, not your next relationship.

But according to a recent survey, 1 in 8 people say they’ve started a romantic relationship on LinkedIn, while nearly half say they trust the information on someone’s LinkedIn profile more than what’s listed on dating apps. Black TikTok has already caught on, with users joking that LinkedIn is where you’ll find “gainfully employed men” and even your future spouse. As strange as it sounds, the trend may say less about LinkedIn, and more about what people are looking for in relationships today.

🧠 THE LAYER BELOW

At first glance, this feels like another quirky internet trend. But underneath the jokes is a bigger shift in how many people, especially young professionals, are thinking about dating, trust, and long-term compatibility.

People aren’t just looking for chemistry anymore, they’re looking for credibility. Dating apps let people carefully curate who they want to appear to be. LinkedIn, on the other hand, is tied to your professional reputation. Your education, career history, and network are all on display, making it harder to exaggerate or create an entirely different persona. In an era of ghosting, catfishing, and uncertainty, credibility has become attractive.
For many Black professionals, ambition has become part of compatibility. This isn’t necessarily about chasing someone with the biggest paycheck. It’s about finding someone whose values, work ethic, and long-term goals align with your own. In an economy where housing costs, inflation, and financial stress shape everyday life, shared ambition can feel just as important as shared interests.
The popularity of LinkedIn dating says more about modern dating apps than it does about LinkedIn itself. People aren’t abandoning Hinge or Tinder because they suddenly want romance in their work inbox. They’re looking for environments where people seem more authentic and easier to verify. When a networking platform starts feeling more trustworthy than a dating app, it raises uncomfortable questions about how much faith people still have in online dating.

🎯 THE REAL QUESTION

Has economic uncertainty quietly made career ambition one of the biggest dating filters of this generation?

🔮 WHAT’S NEXT

LinkedIn probably won’t replace Hinge or Tinder anytime soon. But this trend highlights something bigger than where people are meeting, it reveals what people increasingly value once they get there.

More people seem to be asking not just, “Do we have chemistry?” but also, “Can we build a life together?” Those aren’t the same question. In a world where trust feels harder to earn and financial stability feels harder to achieve, many singles are looking for proof that someone’s actions match their profile.

Maybe the future of dating isn’t about finding the perfect profile. Maybe it’s about finding someone whose life already matches the story they’re telling.

CAST YOUR VOTE

78.57% of you voted “Yes, directly” in last week’s poll: Have you talked to your kids about being the only Black person in a group?

“I raised 2 sons in the 90s which they had white friendships still the same kids after 20 yrs and my sons been on camping trips with one family( I knew his father from grade Sch- high school) but this incident has me shook when my Grandchildren go off to spend time with white friends. I don’t know their families on a personal level.. This is a conversation I will have with my 1 son”
“And I explained why. He said I sound racist after explaining to him and going in depth anout it, he understood”
“White don’t eat white . That says a lot !!!! especially in Mississippi ”
“I’m going to have this conversation with my kids and grandkids very soon”

Got thoughts? Don’t just vote and disappear. After you answer the poll, drop your real opinion in the “Additional Feedback” box on the next screen. We’ll anonymously feature some of the best responses in the community so your voice can actually be part of the conversation.

I’m 63 With $1.5M. Can I Spend $10K a Month?

You’ve saved $1.5 million. Now comes the real test.

Can it produce $10,000 a month, or will that pace drain your portfolio?

Most retirees do not get a clear answer until it is too late.

The issue is not just how much you have. It is whether your portfolio was built to pay you, not just grow.

That difference can determine whether your money lasts decades or starts breaking down early.

Sequence of returns, taxes on withdrawals, healthcare costs, and whether the 4% rule still applies all play a role.

Fiduciary advisors created a breakdown showing what drives sustainable income and why the same $1.5M can produce very different outcomes.

If you have $1M or more invested, do not guess.

See How Long My Money Lasts

Learn More

THE FLIP SIDE

📉 Black Women’s Unemployment Fell. But the Numbers Tell a Different Story. Black women’s unemployment rate dropped from 7.07% in March to 5.73% in July, a shift that might look encouraging at first glance. But a deeper reading of the labor data shows why the headline number deserves scrutiny. During that period, employment among Black women fell by 212,000, while the labor force shrank by 387,000 and 454,000 more Black women were counted outside it. Because unemployment only measures people actively seeking work, the rate can improve even when fewer people are employed. Economists say the broader picture points to weakening participation, lost opportunity, and a labor market leaving Black women behind. (Fortune)

🚓 Black San Diego Cop Wins $3.1M After Calling Out Racism. A Black San Diego police sergeant will receive $3.1 million after years of accusing the department of racial discrimination and retaliation. Sgt. Arthur Scott said supervisors dismissed his concerns as “hypersensitive” after he reported racist images, including a cartoon depicting the city’s first Black officer as an ape. He later alleged the department denied him promotions, demoted him, investigated him for perjury, and moved to terminate him after he testified in other officers’ cases. San Diego’s City Council approved the settlement after more than a decade of litigation, covering damages, legal costs, and attorney fees tied to Scott’s combined claims. (Atlanta Black Star)

🙏🏾 Al Sharpton Turns Nolan Wells’ Funeral Into a Powerful Call for Answers. Rev. Al Sharpton turned Nolan Wells’ funeral into both a tribute and a demand for accountability. The 18-year-old student-athlete disappeared after a July 4 boating trip to Mississippi’s Horn Island and was found dead two days later, leaving his family searching for answers. During the service, Wells’ parents remembered his faith, warmth, and influence on his younger siblings. Sharpton urged authorities to conduct a full and thorough investigation, warning that the community’s response could either heal or deepen the family’s pain. He also announced a $50,000 reward, matching Tyler Perry’s pledge and bringing the total to $100,000 for credible information. (Newsone)

⌨️ Job Applicants Are Facing a New Kind of Background Check. Employers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to review job seekers’ public online activity before making hiring decisions. These tools can scan years of social media posts, forum comments, and other digital records for content companies consider risky or damaging. Some services even use facial recognition and data matching to connect applicants with accounts they believed were anonymous. Regulators have warned that automated hiring systems must follow anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws, but privacy and bias concerns remain. Career experts say deleting everything may also raise suspicion, making it increasingly important for applicants to understand what their digital footprint reveals today. (Black Enterprise)

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

Rocketbook Core Smart Notebook — Write by hand, send your notes to the cloud, wipe the pages clean, and use it again. View
JBL Clip 4 Portable Speaker — A compact waterproof speaker with surprisingly strong sound and a built-in clip for travel, workouts, or the backyard. View
Timex Weekender Watch — A clean, affordable everyday watch that works with nearly any casual outfit without trying too hard. View

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Syd

Syd is back with Beard, her first new album of 2026. The Internet frontwoman leans into heartbreak, healing, and all the complicated feelings that live between the two, wrapping it in the cool, late-night R&B sound she does better than almost anyone. It’s smooth without fading into the background, and well worth adding to this week’s rotation.

Know someone who would enjoy BFA Collective? Send them a copy! New to BFA Collective? Subscribe here.

LinkedIn Is the New Tinder ❤️