I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay
Ain’t it sad
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me
That’s too bad
In my dreams I have a plan
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn’t have to work at all, I’d fool around and have a ball

ABBA, “Money, Money, Money”

I have had a bad relationship with money all my life. Even when I was making a lot of it, I didn’t save, and I squandered it easily. Although my parents were extremely hard workers and they instilled the same in me, we never spoke about wealth management. In their defense, you don’t know what you don’t know.

My financial health was in jeopardy for the better part of the first half of my adult life. Just the thought of taking care of money gave me extreme anxiety, and I evaded the conversation as much as I could.

Also, this discussion, like so many others, doesn’t happen as readily as it should in the Latino community. We believe in prosperity like anyone else, however we also revere humility. I love this about my culture and practice it, but also now know that both are not mutually exclusive.

I recently learned I am a savvy business woman and talented when it comes to creative ways of making money. At the age of 39, I have come to feel a sense of loss when thinking about how much time I wasted. I wish in my late teens or early twenties someone had sat me down and explained wealth management to me. I could have owned real estate by now and be on a set path for retirement if I had only thought about my finances – and myself – more seriously.

So thanks to my younger brother, since November I have been taking classes on wealth management. I have done so well in my program that I graduated at the top of one of my classes, winning a scholarship. I say this not to brag, but to encourage the many of you out there who have not started looking at retirement and savings.

Someone very close to me once told me I was not good with money. I believed this person and ended up at a standstill in my finances for five years. Since I decided to begin anew and change the course of my life, my positive attitude and openness has attracted economic opportunity and stability.

Quite simply, I am saying educate yourself and go for it! For all of you out there who don’t believe you will ever make money or have enough money to retire, you can and you will if you commit to it. Break down the barrier! I recently learned this from my parents who have become my biggest cheerleaders. They repeatedly tell me how talented I am in this new world. But I only really began to see the transformation once I believed it.

Banks and credit unions offer customers access to money management classes. There are also tons of free classes you can take out there. NYC Department of Consumer Affairs has classes on how to get out of debt, create a budget, and save for your future. Check it out here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/ofe/html/find/find.shtml

Don’t let fear hold you back. We all deserve financial stability and economic empowerment. Try to educate the young people around you as well. There is a good chance they won’t have Social Security when they need it; and God forbid we have another year like 2008 in the market, they need to know how to survive. We all deserve to thrive!

Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know. And you don’t want to figure it out at the age of 77 when your retirement runs out!

How have you started planning for the future? I’m sure my readers would love to know!