If you have ever felt like money is something you are just trying to survive rather than something you actually own, this episode is going to feel like a breath of fresh air.
Today I am sitting down with my client Ariana for a real check-in conversation, about a month after she finished her 1:1 Money Coaching program.

Ariana came to me in June of 2024 as a freelancer and independent contractor dealing with inconsistent income, a blurry picture of her spending, and a Fidelity account with thousands of dollars sitting untouched for almost two years. She knew something needed to change, but she did not know where to start.
What she shares in this episode is honest, real, and the kind of story that plants a seed. Because if you have ever thought this might work for other people but probably not for me, hearing where Ariana started and where she is now might just change your mind.
You'll learn:

✅ What it actually looks like to build a money system around freelance and contractor income when your paychecks are inconsistent and unpredictable

✅ How Ariana went from financial avoidance and a survival mindset to checking in on her money every week and feeling genuinely empowered by what she sees

✅ Why Ariana had thousands of dollars sitting in her brokerage account for nearly two years without investing a single dollar, and what finally helped her move past the intimidation

This episode is a reminder that the money journey is not about being perfect. It is about building a system, shifting your mindset, and giving yourself the space to actually learn.
@arianabautista_

Let's connect:
Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

Register for my free training here: https://www.bgwprograms.com/any-economy

You know you should be doing more with your money. You have savings sitting somewhere, maybe in a Chase or Wells Fargo account earning practically nothing, and you keep hearing about investing but you are not sure if you are ready, or where your money should even go.
In this episode, I am breaking down the difference between a high yield savings account and a taxable brokerage account. Not just what they are, but when to use each one, how much to keep in each, and how to think about your money in a way that actually makes sense for where you are right now.
You'll learn:
✅ What a high yield savings account is and why it earns significantly more than a traditional bank savings account

✅ What to keep in your high yield savings account

✅ What a taxable brokerage account is and how it can grow your money outside of retirement accounts

✅ How to use timeline sensitivity to figure out exactly where your money belongs right now

If you are ready to stop letting your money sit and start building a real strategy, this episode is your starting point.

Let's connect:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

Register for my next investing training here: https://www.bgwprograms.com/any-economy

With rising prices, market volatility, and constant headlines about a potential recession, it’s easy to feel like you should wait before investing. But the truth is: building wealth isn’t about timing the market. It’s about having the right strategy.

In this episode, I’m breaking down how to grow your money even when the stock market feels uncertain. You’ll learn what actually happened in the market recently, why some people panic while others lean in, and how to position your money so you can feel confident no matter what the economy is doing.

In this episode, we cover:

💰 What’s really going on in the stock market (and why it’s not as scary as it feels)

💰 The 3 things you need to grow your money in any economy

💰 Why most investing advice (like “just buy this one fund”) isn’t enough

Let's connect:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

If you grew up in a household where money was protected, preserved, and kept safe at all costs, the idea of investment risk probably feels like a threat.

But for first-gen women building wealth, learning how to tolerate and use risk strategically is one of the most important shifts you'll ever make.

In this episode, Andrea breaks down what investment risk actually means, why first-generation women tend to be risk averse, and how to start stretching your capacity for risk so your money can actually grow.

We'll cover:

✅ The difference between playing defense with your money and playing offense, and why first gen women default to protection over growth

✅ How to figure out where you fall on the risk tolerance spectrum and what to do with that information

✅ 2 powerful strategies to reduce your investment risk in the stock market

Let's connect:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

Making a money mistake doesn't make you bad with money, it just means you're first.

If you've ever made a money decision you regret and spent months (or years) quietly carrying the shame of it, this episode is the permission to finally put it down. Andrea shares a personal breakthrough she had during a recent coaching call — a moment that helped her finally release the shame she'd been holding around her own money mistake.

What she heard reframed everything: when no one has taught you how to steward money, and you don't come from generational wealth, mistakes aren't a character flaw. They're part of the journey.

This episode is for every first gen WOC who has told herself "I should have known better," and needs to hear why that narrative isn't fair and isn't true.

In this episode we cover:

✅ Why money mistakes are inevitable for first gen wealth builder, and what to do instead of spiraling in shame.

✅ The 3 part framework for moving through a money mistake: compassion, wisdom, and resilience

✅ How releasing shame is actually what keeps you in the game and building wealth long-term

Let's stay connected:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

Discover the Hidden Power of the 530A Account for Your Child's Future

Money isn't just personal—it's political. As first gen WOC, knowing how policy impacts your financial options is crucial. In this episode, I break down the new 530A accounts, often dubbed "Trump accounts," and their potential for your child's financial future. While the political landscape may not always align with our values, understanding these accounts can open up powerful opportunities for wealth-building in your community.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ The unique benefits of the 530A account for your child's retirement

✅ How a simple $1,000 seed can grow to nearly half a million dollars

✅ Strategies to leverage this account even if your child isn't eligible for the initial contribution

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Let's stay connected:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

Have you been thinking about joining 1:1 money coaching but something holds you back? In this episode, I share with you 3 hesitations that might be getting in the way of going after your desire of saving, investing & building wealth.

You'll learn:

✅ You're brain's main job and how it actually goes against personal growth

✅ What you miss when you only focus on getting to your goals "as fast as possible:

✅ The reason you aren't moving in the direction you want with your investments and the 4 stages you have to work through to take action

Let's stay connected:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

Living with your parents is one of the biggest wealth-building advantages you can have. But only if you know how to use it.

A lot of first gen WOC are in this season right now: low expenses, decent income, and a gut feeling that they should be doing more with their money before they move out. The problem is most people make this leap based on a number that feels right, not one they've actually run.

In this episode, Andrea walks you through the exact three-step process she uses with her 1:1 clients to help them move out of their parents' home feeling financially certain, and not "financial hope." From building a real money system to saving for the right goals in the right order, this episode gives you the practical framework to make that transition without gutting your savings or starting from scratch.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ Why a budget alone isn't enough — and what a money system actually is and why it's the piece most people are missing

✅ How to identify and save for the right goals before you move out so you're not draining your emergency fund the moment you sign a lease

✅ How to figure out exactly how much rent you can afford while still saving, investing, and building wealth on your new income

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Let's stay connected:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

If the headlines are making you want to pull back from investing right now, this episode is for you.

The market feels uncertain. There's recession talk, layoffs, inflation, and a lot of noise. And if you grew up in a household where money was scarce, that noise hits different — it goes straight to your nervous system and tells you to protect, hoard, and wait it out.

Andrea gets it, because she feels it too. In this episode, she gets real about her own fear response to economic uncertainty, where it comes from, and why she's still investing anyway.

She walks you through exactly what she did during the 2020 and 2022 market crashes — including the $1,000 she pulled from her emergency fund and the $10,000 she invested while prices were dropping — and what those experiences taught her about how wealth is actually built.

This one is part data, part pep talk, and all the way real.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ Why market downturns can actually work in your favor as a long-term investor — and how to think about them without panicking

✅ How scarcity programming from childhood shapes the way first-gen women respond to recession talk and economic fear

✅ Why blindly following investing advice on social media can leave you stuck when the market gets rocky — and what to do instead

. . .

Let's stay connected:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching:

www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching

You can save, invest, and pay off debt at the same time — and Viviana is proof.

In this episode, I'm sitting down with my 1:1 money coaching client Viviana Gonzalez, who came into coaching with $7,000 sitting uninvested in a Roth IRA, $18,000 in credit card debt, and a retirement goal she thought was probably unrealistic.

On top of that, she was navigating her mom's divorce, a family health scare, and a car accident — all at the same time. Life was chaotic, and she still chose to work on her finances and that decision changed everything.

Viviana shares what it was like to go from feeling overwhelmed by a brokerage platform to moving a large chunk of her savings into investments — and actually seeing it grow. She opens up about the shame of putting herself first as an eldest daughter, the money beliefs she had to unlearn, and why she now tells every coworker she sees to open a Roth IRA.

If you've been waiting for the "right time" to get your money together, this episode is your sign that the right time is now.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ Why you don't have to choose between paying off debt and investing — and how to do both at the same time✅ How understanding your investor type gives you the confidence to stop following the herd and make decisions rooted in your own goals✅ Why working on your money is also emotional work — and how setting financial boundaries with family is part of building real wealth

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Let's stay connected:

Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com

Instagram: @building.gen.wealth

Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching