Dear Reader, You earn good money. But you may still have debt you want to pay off, less savings than you expected to have by now, and no clear plan for retirement. And because you’re a high achiever, you may assume the answer is to work harder and make even more. But before you pursue another promotion, add more clients, or start a side hustle, I want you to answer a more important question: Do I need to earn more—or do I need a better plan for the income I already have? Because those are two...
5 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Most people feel a lot more empowered to decrease their expenses than to increase their income. If the numbers aren't working, they know how to look at their spending and ask: What can I cut? Where am I overspending? What can I go without? Increasing your income can feel a lot less within your control. So one of the first things I help people figure out is whether they actually have a spending problem or an income problem. Because you can't budget your way out of not making...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I talk to people all the time who feel like they should be further ahead financially. They’re trying to pay off debt, build savings, invest for retirement, save for a house, help family, prepare for the future, AND use money for their wellness and joy. And somehow, all of it feels urgent. So even when they’re making progress, they don’t get to experience themselves as making progress. They pay off debt and worry they’re behind on investing. They invest and wonder if they should...
11 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Clients come to me saying things like: “Sol, I always overspend.” “I spend too much on arts and crafts.” “I get lazy and start ordering food.” “I make a budget, but I can never follow it.” They've turned these behaviors into evidence about their character. But I know it's not who they are, it's just a behavior that meets a need. Maybe arts and crafts are an important source of pleasure and creativity. Maybe you're ordering food because you're exhausted after a long day and need...
16 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I come from a very resourceful family. We're the family that saves containers so we can reuse them. Before throwing something away, we're going to figure out whether we can fix it. And Ross and Marshalls? That's practically a sport. My tías will brag about the deal they found. “Look how much this originally cost. Guess how much I paid.” There's pride in the coupon. Pride in the discount. Pride in figuring out how to get as much as possible while spending as little as possible....
18 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, It took me about eight months to learn how to budget. As a second-gen wealth builder married to a first-gen wealth builder with two children and single mother's who needed help financially, there was always something coming up. And at the time, we didn't have the skill of saving and didn't understand sinking funds at all. So I would create a budget based on what I thought was supposed to happen that month. Then life would happen. An expense I hadn't anticipated would appear, the...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, You can have an incredible offer. You can reverse-engineer the perfect pricing strategy. You can design a sustainable way to work. But if nobody knows the offer exists, you're not making any money. That's where outreach comes in. Outreach is intentionally sharing your skills, services, and offers with people who may need them. And before you panic: outreach doesn't have to mean cold pitching strangers all day. It can look like: Sending emails to your list. Posting on Instagram,...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Ambitious professionals who are ready to increase their income know their work is valuable, but they're still pricing like they need everyone's permission first. And I get it. When you're a compassionate person who has navigated financial insecurity, pricing feels vulnerable. But there's a difference between pricing FROM fear and pricing WITH fear. Pricing from fear sounds like: “I'm scared they won't pay this, so I need to lower the price.” Pricing with fear sounds like: “I'm...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, The biggest mistake I see first-gen wealth builders make when they're trying to increase their income is asking: “What can I sell?” That's the wrong question. The right question is: “What problems do I already know how to solve?” Because people don't pay for your skills, they pay for outcomes. They pay for the transformation you create. They pay for the problem you solve. On my webinar on August 18th, I'm walking you through the exact exercise I use with my wellness-centered...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read