She was literally born the day her mother landed in the US — and that energy of showing up and figuring it out has followed Steph Michelle Pimentel her entire life.

In this episode, I'm sitting down with Stephanie Pimentel, a Dominican American executive and the founder of Lumena Global, whose work sits at the intersection of cross-border leadership, people strategy, and cultural intelligence. She spent 17 years in corporate — starting as an HR coordinator at $11.75 an hour and climbing all the way to the executive level — only to discover that being invited into the room is not the same thing as having real power in it. We are talking about the "fake seat at the table," what it actually means to be an asset that companies exploit without compensating, why US businesses keep fumbling Latino and Latam markets, and why with AI handing you every tool you need, there has never been a better time to say f*ck corporate and build your own table. Stephanie is also giving YQD listeners a free 15-minute strategy call — no charge, no catch. You need to take her up on it.

WE GET INTO:

0:00 - Intro: Born the Day Her Mother Landed in the US

1:06 - Growing Up Dominican & the "Work, Work, Work" Mentality

2:31 - 17 Years in Corporate Starting at $11.75/Hour

4:19 - The Fake Seat at the Table Explained

9:00 - Battling Imposter Syndrome When You're Losing Your Job

10:41 - Why AI Makes Right Now the Best Time to Ditch Corporate

11:44 - The $4.1 Trillion Latino Market (We Are Not a Niche)

15:02 - How US Companies Fumble Latin American Expansion

24:31 - Stephanie's Entrepreneurial Journey: Failures, LLCs & Rock Bottom

34:57 - Free Strategy Call + How to Work With Stephanie

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Being invited into the room is not the same as having real power in it
• Cultural intelligence isn't a soft skill — it's risk management
• The US Latino GDP is $4.1 trillion. We are not a niche. We are the market.
• US companies lose money in Latam because they treat it as cheap labor instead of a talent engine
• You don't need to wait until you hit rock bottom to start building — start before you're ready

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Lumena Global
• Book Your FREE Strategy Call

CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE:

• Instagram 

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She was one of the baddies who showed up on this show back in 2021 — and four years later, Vanessa Wachtmeister is back and she is NOT the same woman. She's paid off $130,000 in debt, earned her German passport, and is about to launch her second tech startup. And she did all of it from Europe, where blueberries cost a dollar and a minor surgery runs you 300 euro — total.

In this episode, Vanessa and I are getting into ALL of it: what it actually looks like to build a career, a business, and a life abroad. How she navigated work visas, taxes, and even burning down a GmbH to the tune of $100K of her own money to rebuild her startup in the US. We're talking passport diversification as the new financial strategy, why the American dream was always a lie, and how her new job platform Go Onwards is coming for LinkedIn's neck.

If you've been thinking about leaving, this is your sign to stop playing and start moving.

WE GET INTO:

00:00 - Intro: The Baddie Who Left America in 2013 and Never Looked Back

02:51 - Why Vanessa Said "Bye, America" at 21 with $2,000 and a Dream

04:20 - The World Tour: China, London, Syria & Germany

05:42 - What Her Life Would Have Looked Like If She'd Stayed

08:42 - How to Actually Get a Job Abroad: Visas, Work Permits & What Nobody Tells You

10:22 - How to Choose Where to Move

13:20 - Grocery Bills, Free Healthcare & Why She Can Never Come Back

16:16 - From Masterclass Girlie to Tech Founder: Her Creator Evolution

18:57 - The Gap in the Market That Built Go Onwards

21:55 - Why LinkedIn Doesn't Give a F*ck About Job Hunters (and She Does)

23:33 - Pricing, Features & What You Get with Go Onwards

24:44 - The $100K Founder Mistake She Made in Germany

28:36 - The Real Tea on European Taxes

31:33 - Digital Nomads, Remote Work & What 100% Remote Actually Means Abroad

32:03 - How She Made $310K and Paid $26 in Federal Tax

35:22 - Passports Are the New Insurance Policy

36:03 - The (Very Legal, Slightly Gray) Way She's Bringing Her Family to Europe

38:08 - How to Financially Prepare to Move Abroad

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Getting a job in Europe as a US passport holder is more doable than you think — but you need to understand how work permits and visa sponsorship actually work
• The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion lets you exclude up to $130K of foreign income from US federal taxes — stack it with tax credits and you'll be shocked at your bill
• Passport diversification is the new financial strategy — multiple citizenships give you options that no investment account can
• Go Onwards filters out ghost posts, non-English jobs, and low-paying roles so you only see high-quality opportunities with visa sponsorship across all 30 EU economic areas + the UK
• You don't need to fundraise to fund a startup — Vanessa liquidated part of her stock portfolio at peak to self-fund, treating it as diversification into a revenue-generating asset
• Living abroad doesn't have to be expensive — Vanessa's all-in monthly budget in Berlin (including rent, health insurance, CrossFit, and Ubers home) is $2,500

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Listen to Vanessa’s past episode of the pod
• Go Onwards (Vanessa's job platform)

CONNECT WITH VANESSA:

• Instagram
• Website

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book, Financially Lit!
• Leave me a voicemail

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if having the right money system meant that when your family faced a crisis, finances were the last thing on your mind?

In this episode, I'm sitting down with Sahirenys Pierce of Poised Finance and Lifestyle — one of the OG Latinas of personal finance on the internet — and she's sharing the story behind her High 5 Banking Method. Spoiler: it was born out of one of the scariest moments of her life, when her son needed open heart surgery and she realized that having organized finances meant she could focus entirely on him instead of scrambling for money. That's the real power of a system that works.

We break down the full High 5 Banking Method — the five purpose-driven accounts, how to set them up without starting from scratch, when high-yield savings actually matters, and how to handle the very Latina reality of your family treating your emergency fund like a group savings account. We also get into her four household game changers that eliminate the mental load of running a home without losing your damn mind.

Her book, The High 5 Banking Method: A Money System You Can Count On, drops March 3rd, 2026. Grab your copy — and one for someone you love too, because we're not out here building little rich silos. 

WE GET INTO:

• 00:42 - Meet Sahirenys: Creator of the High 5 Banking Method
• 02:14 - Growing Up Watching Her Parents Lose Everything in 2008
• 05:33 - From Pharmacy School to Financial Planning
• 07:03 - Why Less Than 4% of CFPs Are People of Color
• 09:04 - How Her Son's Heart Defect Inspired a Money System
• 11:14 - Saving with Confidence: The Surgery Fund Story
• 13:10 - How the System Held Up When Everything Went Wrong at Once
• 14:42 - Breaking Down the 5 Accounts (2 Checking, 3 Savings)
• 17:46 - Bills Checking vs. Lifestyle Checking: What Goes Where
• 19:21 - Do All Your Accounts Have to Be at the Same Bank?
• 20:25 - High-Yield Savings Accounts: Do You Actually Need Them?
• 21:18 - Ally Bank's Savings Buckets Feature (Not Sponsored, Just Good)
• 27:00 - Managing Family Financial Pressure the Cultural Way
• 30:29 - The SOP: How to Cut, Keep, or Reduce Any Expense
• 34:37 - The Four Game Changers for Running Your Household
• 41:28 - Can Free-Spirited People Actually Use Systems?
• 44:10 - What's Inside the Book

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Why one checking and one savings account is keeping you stuck
• How to set up five purpose-driven accounts without starting from scratch
• When to use high-yield savings — and when it doesn't actually matter
• How to build an SOP so you're never scrambling financially in a crisis
• The four household systems that eliminate the mental load of running a home
• Why financial systems aren't just about money — they're about protecting your family

CONNECT WITH SAHIRENYS:

• Instagram: @poisedfinanceandlifestyle
• Website: poisedlifestyle.com
• Book: The High 5 Banking Method — available at Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and everywhere books are sold

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book: Financially Lit
• Leave me a voicemail

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honestly, I don't know why it took me this long to get Chloe Daniels — aka Clo Bare Money Coach — on the show, because she is a whole badass and we have been living parallel lives for years. She went from a torrential relationship with money (including being financially trapped in a dangerous situation abroad) to becoming one of the most refreshing voices in personal finance.

Her approach is called lazy investing — and before you scroll past that, hear her out. Because when BlackRock ran 100 years of market data, the results backed it up. We're getting into all of it: the mindset blocks keeping women out of the market, why Wall Street jargon is gatekeeping on purpose, the truth about financial advisors, and the simple strategy that actually builds wealth long term.

WE GET INTO:

• 00:00 - Intro: Why It Took Us This Long to Do This Episode
• 00:46 - Meet Chloe Daniels: From Side Hustle to Full-Time Finance Coach
• 04:05 - The Childhood Money Belief That Held Her Back
• 05:03 - Financially Trapped in an Abusive Relationship Abroad
• 07:31 - Rebuilding Self-Trust and Becoming Your Own Hero
• 09:05 - Wall Street Gatekeeping and the Paralysis of Conflicting Info
• 11:47 - The Real Stats on Diversity in Financial Advising
• 14:35 - What "Lazy Investing" Actually Is (and Why It Works)
• 18:42 - ETFs vs. Index Funds vs. Mutual Funds: What You Need to Know
• 20:45 - How to Figure Out Your Investor Type and Build Your Portfolio
• 24:21 - The Common Mistake: Money Sitting Uninvested in a Brokerage
• 27:11 - How to Calculate Your Retirement Number Using the 4% Rule
• 36:16 - The One Thing to Do If You're Not Investing Yet
• 38:46 - Lightning Round: Roth vs. 401k, DIY vs. Advisor, and More

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Why investing feels hard on purpose — and how to cut through it
• The difference between investing and trading (and why most people confuse them)
• How to determine your investor type before picking a single fund
• Why your 401k money might be sitting uninvested without you knowing
• How to use the 4% rule to calculate your actual retirement number
• Why the compound interest calculator is the mindset shift you didn't know you needed
• Why the answer isn't cutting back — it's making more money

CONNECT WITH CHLOE:

• Instagram: @clobaremoneycoach
• Website: https://www.thelazyinvestorscourse.com/ 

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book: Financially Lit
• Leave me a voicemail

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if I told you that you could travel the world without maxing out your credit cards?

In this episode, I'm sitting down with Jess from The Sugar Daddy Podcast to talk about something that's been a game changer for me: travel hacking. And no, this isn't some shady scheme. This is about using credit card rewards strategically so you can live your best life without the financial hangover. Jess and her husband run a financial literacy podcast that's all about normalizing money conversations in Black and Brown communities, and she's breaking down exactly how she's been able to travel to places like Aruba without going broke in the process.

WE GET INTO:

• 00:00 Meet Jess from The Sugar Daddy Podcast
• 03:12 Why money is still taboo in Black & Brown communities
• 07:29 The American Dream is dead – now what?
• 15:45 How rich families talk about money differently
• 22:30 Travel hacking 101: The basics
• 28:15 Strategic credit card spending categories
• 35:40 Which credit cards to start with (and avoid)
• 42:20 Credit score mistakes that will tank your strategy
• 49:40 Do you need an emergency fund first?
• 50:32 Getting started: First steps for beginners
• 52:02 Where to find Jess and more travel hacking tips

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Money being taboo in our communities is literally keeping us broke – start normalizing financial conversations at home
• Rich families have quarterly money meetings and family investment funds. These tools are accessible to us too
• The old "work 40 years, retire with a pension" model doesn't work anymore – we need new strategies
• Travel hacking works, but ONLY if you can pay off your credit card every month
• You need an emergency fund BEFORE you start travel hacking – life will life
• Start with low annual fee cards like Chase Sapphire or Capital One Venture ($95 or less)
• Close predatory store credit cards immediately if you're not paying them off monthly
• Even small amounts add up – imagine 30 cousins each contributing $150/year to a family investment club
• Use referral links for sign-up bonuses to maximize your points from day one

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• point.me
• Chase Sapphire Card
• Venture One Card
• American Express Card

CONNECT WITH JESS

• Website 
• Instagram ​

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book: Financially Lit
• Leave me a voicemail

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the time of recording this episode, Bad Bunny has just made history—TWICE. First Spanish-language artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammys. Then he delivered the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of ALL TIME. But this episode isn't just about celebrating Benito's wins (though we're absolutely doing that too). It's about what this moment means for ALL of us—especially right now, when being Latino has been demonized and criminalized in this country.

Just a heads up that this episode is a replay of a recent Instagram live I did post-superbowl and the audio reflects that in some parts. 

WE GET INTO:

0:00 - Intro: Happy Puerto Rican Month!

2:42 - The Best Halftime Show Ever

4:47 - Why Unity Over Division Matters Right Now

7:12 - Bad Bunny's Cultural Impact & Timing

9:38 - The American Dream Story We Can All Relate To

15:30 - Breaking Down THAT Grammy Win

22:15 - Benito's Activism: From Day One

28:45 - The Super Bowl Performance Analysis

35:20 - Ricky Martin's Powerful Appearance

40:10 - Understanding "El Apagón" & Puerto Rico's Reality

45:02 - Hurricane Maria's Lasting Impact

47:06 - How Non-Puerto Ricans Can Actually Help

48:30 - The Flag Parade & Unity Message

50:48 - Community Growth & Connection

52:50 - Closing: Rock Your Flags & Stay Poderosa

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-language artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammys
• His Super Bowl halftime show was the most-watched of all time
• This moment represents Latino power, visibility, and refusal to stay small
• Benito's activism isn't performative—he's been consistent since day one
• The halftime show featured powerful moments like the kid sleeping in the chair, the flag parade, and Ricky Martin's appearance
• Puerto Rico cannot vote for president and has no voting representation in Congress
• We can support Puerto Rico by staying at locally-owned businesses, eating at local restaurants, and voting for representatives who support pro-Puerto Rico policies
• Reading Puerto Rico's history reveals shocking treatment by the U.S. including birth control testing, military testing, and bombing
• Unity over division is the path forward—they want us divided to maintain control
• We are taking over the world on our own terms, in our own language, for our own people
• This is a reminder to rock our flags, tell our stories, and stay loud

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book: Financially Lit
• Leave me a voicemail

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is going to shift how you think about success, abundance, and where you belong. I'm sitting down with my vecina, Rebecca Gitana Torres, a spiritual guide who rematriated to Puerto Rico after realizing the American Dream was never meant for people like us. We're talking about what holistic abundance actually means—and spoiler alert, it has nothing to do with your bank account or where you live.

Rebecca shares her journey from working a city job in the Bronx to creating “transformation cocoons” in Puerto Rico, and why so many of us have been taught the colonial lie that we need to leave our homelands to find abundance. We talk about the generational programming that keeps us chasing external validation, why you need to stop clinging to old identities and relationships, and how to tap into your magnetic energy no matter where you are. If you've been feeling stuck, unfulfilled, or like you're chasing someone else's version of success, this episode is going to give you permission to redefine everything.

WE GET INTO:

• 00:00 - Intro: Meeting My Vecina from Puerto Rico
• 02:03 - Rematriation vs. Economic Refugees: Reclaiming Our Roots
• 06:09 - How Rebecca Left Her City Job 20 Years Ago
• 08:27 - Why External Validation Will Always Leave You Empty
• 13:45 - Discovering Your Value in "Regular" Jobs
• 22:30 - The Mothership: Creating Matriarchal Safe Spaces
• 28:40 - Stop Clinging to Old Identities & Relationships
• 35:09 - What Happens in a Transformation Cocoon
• 39:17 - Start Here: Clear the Clutter First

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The colonial lie that you must leave your homeland to find abundance
• How to disconnect from external validation and find your internal power
• Why clinging to old identities keeps you stuck
• The importance of clearing clutter before anything else
• How to recognize and develop your spiritual gifts in any job

CONNECT WITH REBECCA:

• Website 
• Instagram 
• YouTube 

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book: Financially Lit
• Leave me a voicemail

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome To Perreo x Power, a new series brought to you by Yo Quiero Dinero. In this series, we're analyzing the origins of some of the biggest stars in the Latin Urban/Reggaeton genres and pulling out all the gems that you can apply to your money, business and life! In this debut episode, I'm breaking down a 2020 interview of Rauw Alejandro, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and performer known for blending reggaetón with R&B, pop, and electronic sounds. Born Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz in San Juan, he grew up between Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S., with early exposure to music and a strong foundation in dance, which later became a defining part of his artistry.

He spent years releasing music and refining his craft before breaking through globally, building a reputation for high-level performance, futuristic visuals, and constant reinvention. Rather than chasing trends, Rauw has focused on skill stacking and evolution, allowing him to remain relevant in a fast-moving industry. Find out how a tragic end to his original career goals inspired Rauw to pursue music, and he went from an unknown musician to a Latin Grammy award-winning artist in less than 5 years!

Saturno Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kIVZbDqHZEqhCdjjEMm-PoYy0l3GpXHto&si=MNm7VFD8ny_DfLn1

Check out the Yo Quiero Dinero Podcast at https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book: Financially Lit
• Leave me a voicemail

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is going to be one of the most honest conversations I’ve ever had on Yo Quiero Dinero. It's a raw, unfiltered conversation about what happens when you mix family and business—and spoiler alert: it gets messy as hell. My sister Lianne is back after a year-long hiatus, and we're spilling ALL the tea. From her rapid social media growth that turned into a nightmare with death threats, to being diagnosed with MS at 37, to almost filing for bankruptcy—this episode holds nothing back.

We talk about what it was really like when she worked for me while I was a brand new mom, how her personal struggles spilled into the business, and why we ultimately had to make the difficult decision to part ways professionally. This isn't some sanitized "family business success story", it is the real shit that nobody talks about.

If you've ever worked with family, hired a family member, or wondered if you should mix business with blood, this episode is required listening.

WE GET INTO: 

00:00 - Intro: Family, Business & Messy Dynamics

02:03 - From 0 to 100K Followers to Death Threats

05:03 - MS Diagnosis, Hospitalization & Bankruptcy

07:20 - "I Was a Horrible Employee": Taking Accountability

10:58 - The Performance Improvement Plan & Final Warning

30:38 - The Money Problem: 1099 Tax Chaos

37:26 - Digging Out of the Spiral: The Brutal Reality

41:36 - Landing the New Job & Finding Peace

54:56 - The 2026 Comeback: What's Different This Time

58:29 - Should You Work with Family? The Real Answer

KEY TAKAWAYS:

• ​​The gift and curse of rapid social media growth
• Why follower counts don't equal money
• How to navigate difficult conversations with family in business
• Recognizing when a business relationship has reached its expiration date
• The importance of boundaries in ALL relationships
• How to rebuild after burning everything down

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Listen: Episode 179: 2 Sisters, 2 Survivors | Lianne Torres | Watch Us Thrive Podcast
• Erica Kramer

CONNECT WITH LIANNE:

• Website
• Instagram: @watchusthrivepodcast

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Yo Quiero Dinero Private Membership
• Read my book: Financially Lit
• Leave me a voicemail

*Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of mental health struggles, financial hardship, and online harassment.

This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this data-packed episode of Yo Quiero Dinero, Jannese sits down with Dr. Marlene Orozco, founder of Stratified Insights and lead researcher behind one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on Latina wealth in America. Together, they break down the receipts real numbers, real stories, and real systems that explain why Latinas continue to earn less, save less, and carry more financial responsibility, despite being one of the fastest-growing economic forces in the country.

This conversation goes beyond hot takes and dives into the structural barriers, cultural expectations, and systemic inequities shaping Latina wealth today from entrepreneurship and homeownership to caregiving, education, and retirement. If you’ve ever felt like you’re working twice as hard for half the reward… this episode will make you feel seen and fired up.

What We Get Into

00:00 Why this Latina wealth data matters

01:10 Meet Dr. Marlene Orozco

04:25 First-gen roots & entrepreneurship

09:30 Necessity vs opportunity businesses

12:50 The Latina wealth paradox

17:45 The 27% pay gap explained

23:50 Entrepreneurship as a wealth strategy

29:55 Homeownership & credit barriers

34:10 Retirement & investment gaps

37:45 Financial first responders

47:40 The motherhood penalty

56:20 Hope, policy & what’s next

Key Takeaways

• Latinas are not behind because of bad choices — the system is working exactly as designed.
• Education and entrepreneurship do increase earning potential, but they are not enough without access to capital and policy support.
• Caregiving, cultural expectations, and family responsibility significantly limit Latinas’ ability to save and invest.
• Homeownership remains a primary wealth strategy, but affordability, credit access, and insurance risks threaten long-term stability.
• Real change requires structural solutions, not just individual financial literacy.

Resources Mentioned

• REPORT - Latina Wealth In America: https://latinoprosperity.org/research,
• Latino AI Summit: https://tinyurl.com/latinoaisummit2026 
• Stratefied Insights: https://www.stratifiedinsights.com/ 
• Marlene's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlene-orozco
• Free Download: New Year Dinero Reset Guide
• My private membership: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/founders
• Have a question? Leave me a voicemail
• Book: Financially Lit by Jannese Torres

This podcast was produced and edited by Idea to Launch Productions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.