Dear Reader, At some point in your financial journey, you are going to want to avoid opening your banking app or credit card statement because you already know you'll feel embarrassed. Many of my clients come to me saying, “I don’t even want to see what I’ve spent. I’ll feel ashamed.” They believe looking at their numbers will confirm their worst fears—that they’re “bad with money” or “too far behind” to ever invest. So they avoid the numbers, which only fuels more shame and keeps them from...
14 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Have you ever thought, “I’ll never be disciplined enough… organized enough… smart enough to build wealth”? That quiet belief—that you’re not enough—can feel heavier than the numbers in your bank account. This self-doubt doesn’t just live in your head. It shows up in action. You put off opening your Roth IRA. You avoid looking at your accounts. You start and stop money routines. Every “not enough” thought chips away at your confidence, leaving you stuck in the same financial spot....
16 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Most people think building wealth means cutting out all the things they love—no more coffee, no more perfume, no more eating out. But deprivation doesn’t make your Roth IRA grow. Sustainability does. If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll never be able to invest because I’d have to give up all the fun stuff,” you’re not alone. Many first-gen wealth builders assume investing requires self-denial. But when they try to cut out all the fun from their life in order to save, they burn out, and...
21 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, You scroll through Instagram, see someone your age talking about buying a home, or a colleague bragging about maxing out their retirement accounts—and suddenly, you feel behind. The shame hits fast: “I should have started earlier. I’ll never catch up.” That comparison spiral doesn’t just sting emotionally—it also freezes action. Instead of opening your Roth IRA, you avoid it. Instead of making your weekly contribution, you push it off. Comparison turns into paralysis, and...
23 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, If you're in your "Learn How to Invest in the Stock Market" era, then you've probably heard “Invest in low-cost index funds." It’s smart advice—until it isn’t. Here’s what I see too often: investors proudly pick a “low-fee” fund, thinking they’ve cracked the code to wealth building. But years later, they realize their account hasn’t grown nearly as much as they expected. Why? Because fees are just one piece of the puzzle. These investors haven't thought about the rate of return....
28 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, You work a 9–5 that already takes so much out of you. By the time you finish, the last thing you want is another system, another spreadsheet, another “should” on your list. So the thought of building wealth—on top of everything else—feels impossible. I hear this all the time: “I don’t have time to build wealth.” And I always respond with "Wealth building isn’t about squeezing more hours out of your day. You’re not struggling because you lack time. You’re exhausted because your...
30 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, If you’ve ever set up a budgeting app, a spreadsheet, or a financial system—only to abandon it a few weeks later—WELCOME TO THE CLUB. Most of my clients come to me with a trail of systems that never lasted. And it’s not because they are lazy, disorganized, or bad with money. It’s because most systems are built on willpower. They demand you to “try harder,” “stay disciplined,” and “push through” no matter how you’re actually feeling. Eventually, life happens—work deadlines, family...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, You’ve been diligent. You’ve set up accounts, chosen funds, and you’re consistently investing. So you wonder, "What would make paying $4,111 to work 1:1 with Soledad worth it?" Many of my clients come to me with portfolios that look fine on the surface—balanced, steady, “good enough.” But buried inside are high-fee funds, underperforming investments, or accounts that were set up years ago and never re-optimized. Over time, those small inefficiencies quietly eat away at growth....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, “I have all this money in my account… but I don’t know what to do with it.” That’s what one of my 1:1 clients told me recently. No debt. Steady income. Multiple accounts. On paper, he looked like he had it all figured out. But he was stuck. His nervous system was still in scarcity-mode. And now that he had overflow? He was afraid to touch it—afraid to mismanage it, afraid it might disappear, afraid of “getting it wrong.” He didn’t need another budget template. He needed someone...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read