02/02/2026
So inspiring! Young people need to read 👇
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Ds6AGCja/
Five friends. Fifty dollars a week. Two years later, they owned real estate.
In 2017, Najee Hannigan had an idea that would change five lives forever.
The 26-year-old from Philadelphia gathered his two younger cousins and two longtime friends around a simple proposal. What if they each saved fifty dollars a week? Not for a vacation. Not for new clothes. But for something that would last.
His cousins Meqai Herder and Ahmid Hill were both 23. His friends Tyree Harvey and Darius Jacobs were 26 like him. None of them came from money. All of them lived paycheck to paycheck.
Tyree admitted he was scared at first. He did not think he could do it. He did not want to waste what little money he had chasing something that might never happen.
But Najee sat with him. Fixed his credit. Built him a budget. Showed him that fifty dollars a week was not about sacrifice. It was about investment.
There is an African proverb that says if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
That proverb became their foundation.
Every Friday they sent their money. Two hundred dollars a month from each of them. One thousand dollars a month as a group. They held each other accountable. They reminded each other of the goal when motivation faded.
Two years passed.
In June 2019, five young men from Philadelphia closed on their first investment property. A house that had been sitting empty on a block that needed hope.
Najee looked at the building and said they wanted to bring the life back to it. Not just for themselves but for the neighborhood they came from.
They planned to rehab the property and rent it out. They established a property management company. They set their sights on acquiring more properties and creating affordable housing in underserved communities.
Their story caught the attention of national media. They appeared on Good Morning America where they were awarded fifteen thousand dollars to help with their renovation.
But the money was never the point.
The point was proving that young people could build something together. That trust and discipline could overcome doubt. That small consistent steps lead to destinations most people only dream about.
Najee said the most challenging part was getting them to understand that time would pass regardless. They could invest in themselves or watch that time disappear with nothing to show for it.
He told anyone willing to listen the same advice. Find people you trust and never give up. Do not argue about small things. Think of the bigger picture. Give up something like cable or new clothes for a year or two and you put yourself in a position to have it for a lifetime.
Five friends from Philadelphia proved that wealth is built one week at a time.
And they are just getting started.
~Weird Wonders and Facts
