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Hoodline: Waikiki Summit Tackles Hawaii's Cost-of-Living Challenges

October 10, 2026

By Erin Collins

Young professionals across Hawaii are being asked a blunt question this month: can you actually afford to build a future here? The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s Young Professionals program is holding its fourth annual Cost of Living Summit, a day-long gathering built around workshops, panels and economic presentations aimed squarely at the forces pushing younger residents off the islands.

According to the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s press release, this year’s summit carries the theme “Rooted in What Matters” and is organized by the Chamber’s Young Professionals program, presented by Tradewind Group. As KHON2 reports, the event is set to convene young professionals, business leaders, policymakers, economists and community leaders around three core areas: housing and pathways to homeownership, wages and economic opportunity, and childcare and family formation. The gathering is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, 2026, at Prince Waikiki.

Chamber of Commerce Hawaii President and CEO Sherry Menor framed the stakes in personal terms for the next generation of business leaders. “We have to give them tools and a platform to make it happen,” Menor said, per the Chamber’s press release. Courtney Wagner, chair of the Chamber’s Young Professionals program, put it even more directly to KHON2, saying many young professionals wonder whether they can realistically build their future in Hawaii.

A Day Built Around Money, Housing and Career Moves

The schedule opens with financial literacy workshops covering investing, homebuying and entrepreneurship, according to the Chamber’s press release. Christopher Chow of WestPac Wealth Advisors will lead a session on building long-term wealth, while Claudia Chen and Jesse Nishita Wilson, representing Northwestern Mutual and Rite Wealth Management, will lead an Investing 101 session, per the summit program cited by KHON2. Stefan Kant of American Savings Bank is slated to lead a homebuying workshop, and Keanu Wilson of Hawaii FoundHer will lead a session on developing a business, the same program notes.

From there, the morning moves into three TED Talk-style presentations featuring Aaron Merchen of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Cole Phillips of Small Kine Things Media LLC, and Lee Wang of Housing Hawaii’s Future, according to the Chamber’s press release. Those talks will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Hawaii Public Radio, addressing how housing, work and family intersect with the cost of living. The panel will include Wang alongside state Rep. Greggor Ilagan, the Chamber notes. A legislator connect lunch is also built into the day, giving attendees a chance to engage directly with policymakers, per KHON2’s reporting.

See the full story here.