Victor Hicks II Brings His Expertise to the Flinn Foundation

Meet the newly-appointed treasurer of the Flinn Foundation Board of Trustees.

When Victor Hicks II, the newly appointed treasurer on the Flinn Foundation’s Board of Trustees, was growing up, mental illness was not openly discussed.

“Growing up in the black community, mental illness was not a thing. It was not accepted. But I always saw people having problems, though not necessarily directed to resources,” Hicks says. “My wife helped me see this because in her family, they did grow up acknowledging mental illness and she has a history of mental illness on her side of the family.”

Today, access to mental health resources and the stigma surrounding mental illness still impact the Black community, but Hicks is hoping to change that through his work with the Flinn Foundation.

Here, Hicks shares about his journey to Flinn and how he keeps himself grounded when life gets tough.

The path to serving

Hicks, a Romulus native, graduated from the University of Michigan’s Ross Business School and has been a certified financial planner since 1995. He was the first person in his family to graduate college, and he’s been the owner and managing principal of Lumin Financial, LLC since 1998. He spends his days helping clients plan for their futures.

“We essentially have two types of clients. They are either individuals and their families, or they are small businesses,” Hicks says of his company. “For our individuals, we would work to help you accomplish all your personal financial goals and to save for retirement, so you can live on your terms.” He even assists with estate planning.

Hicks is passionate about his work, and he wanted to be able to put his professional skills to use serving the community. That’s where his work with the Flinn Foundation began.

After meeting Flinn board member Duane Tarnacki through a mutual client, Hicks recognized an opportunity to bring both is personal and professional background together to help a cause that mattered to him.

“I’m passionate about what we do at the Flinn Foundation because it’s serving people first. Mental health is important to my family, my friends and so many people.”

Life outside of work

When Hicks isn’t working with clients at Lumin Financial, LLC, or serving on the Flinn Foundation Board of Trustees, he is spending time with family and friends, watching sports — football is his favorite — and catching up on his favorite shows. While he loves to laugh, Hicks admits he rarely watches comedies and prefers procedural crime dramas like NCIS, which is his favorite show.

Hicks understands the importance of keeping himself grounded when life gets hectic. He finds peace through yoga, taking walks around the neighborhood and chatting with a confidant. He and his wife, Emily, love spending time on the water, too. The couple, who has been married for 32 years and have a 30-year-old son and 27-year-old daughter, love visiting Lake Michigan or simply hanging out by their pool at home.

“I love being around water for some peace and balance,” he says.

When it comes to protecting his own mental health, Hicks says, “I work at avoiding or minimizing my time around negative people, toxic people. I like to increase how much time I spend around people who are compassionate, who are loving, who are caring.”

When life is hard, Hicks says faith and thinking positively helps him — and can help others, too.  

“We are either in a storm, going into a storm or coming out of a storm. We are usually in one of those three positions,” he says. “Life does get hard, but I would encourage people to get themselves connected with the right people, the right resources. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”