Yo Quiero Dinero

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 US1:06 - Growing Up Dominican & the "Work, Work, Work" Mentality2:31 - 17 Years in Corporate Starting at $11.75/Hour4:19 - The Fake Seat at the Table Explained9:00 - Battling Imposter Syndrome When You're Losing Your Job10:41 - Why AI Makes Right Now the Best Time to Ditch Corporate11:44 - The $4.1 Trillion Latino Market (We Are Not a Niche)15:02 - How US Companies Fumble Latin American Expansion24:31 - Stephanie's Entrepreneurial Journey: Failures, LLCs & Rock Bottom34:57 - Free Strategy Call + How to Work With StephanieKEY TAKEAWAYS:Being invited into the room is not the same as having real power in itCultural intelligence isn't a soft skill — it's risk managementThe 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 engineYou don't need to wait until you hit rock bottom to start building — start before you're readyRESOURCES MENTIONED:Lumena GlobalBook Your FREE Strategy CallCONNECT 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 Back02:51 - Why Vanessa Said "Bye, America" at 21 with $2,000 and a Dream04:20 - The World Tour: China, London, Syria & Germany05:42 - What Her Life Would Have Looked Like If She'd Stayed08:42 - How to Actually Get a Job Abroad: Visas, Work Permits & What Nobody Tells You10:22 - How to Choose Where to Move13:20 - Grocery Bills, Free Healthcare & Why She Can Never Come Back16:16 - From Masterclass Girlie to Tech Founder: Her Creator Evolution18:57 - The Gap in the Market That Built Go Onwards21:55 - Why LinkedIn Doesn't Give a F*ck About Job Hunters (and She Does)23:33 - Pricing, Features & What You Get with Go Onwards24:44 - The $100K Founder Mistake She Made in Germany28:36 - The Real Tea on European Taxes31:33 - Digital Nomads, Remote Work & What 100% Remote Actually Means Abroad32:03 - How She Made $310K and Paid $26 in Federal Tax35:22 - Passports Are the New Insurance Policy36:03 - The (Very Legal, Slightly Gray) Way She's Bringing Her Family to Europe38:08 - How to Financially Prepare to Move AbroadKEY 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 workThe 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 billPassport diversification is the new financial strategy — multiple citizenships give you options that no investment account canGo 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 UKYou 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 assetLiving abroad doesn't have to be expensive — Vanessa's all-in monthly budget in Berlin (including rent, health insurance, CrossFit, and Ubers home) is $2,500RESOURCES MENTIONED:Listen to Vanessa’s past episode of the podGo Onwards (Vanessa's job platform)CONNECT WITH VANESSA:InstagramWebsiteTAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book, Financially Lit!Leave me a voicemailThis 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 Method02:14 - Growing Up Watching Her Parents Lose Everything in 200805:33 - From Pharmacy School to Financial Planning07:03 - Why Less Than 4% of CFPs Are People of Color09:04 - How Her Son's Heart Defect Inspired a Money System11:14 - Saving with Confidence: The Surgery Fund Story13:10 - How the System Held Up When Everything Went Wrong at Once14:42 - Breaking Down the 5 Accounts (2 Checking, 3 Savings)17:46 - Bills Checking vs. Lifestyle Checking: What Goes Where19:21 - 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 Way30:29 - The SOP: How to Cut, Keep, or Reduce Any Expense34:37 - The Four Game Changers for Running Your Household41:28 - Can Free-Spirited People Actually Use Systems?44:10 - What's Inside the BookKEY TAKEAWAYS:Why one checking and one savings account is keeping you stuckHow to set up five purpose-driven accounts without starting from scratchWhen to use high-yield savings — and when it doesn't actually matterHow to build an SOP so you're never scrambling financially in a crisisThe four household systems that eliminate the mental load of running a homeWhy financial systems aren't just about money — they're about protecting your familyCONNECT WITH SAHIRENYS:Instagram: @poisedfinanceandlifestyleWebsite: poisedlifestyle.comBook: The High 5 Banking Method — available at Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and everywhere books are soldTAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book: Financially LitLeave me a voicemailThis 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 Episode00:46 - Meet Chloe Daniels: From Side Hustle to Full-Time Finance Coach04:05 - The Childhood Money Belief That Held Her Back05:03 - Financially Trapped in an Abusive Relationship Abroad07:31 - Rebuilding Self-Trust and Becoming Your Own Hero09:05 - Wall Street Gatekeeping and the Paralysis of Conflicting Info11:47 - The Real Stats on Diversity in Financial Advising14:35 - What "Lazy Investing" Actually Is (and Why It Works)18:42 - ETFs vs. Index Funds vs. Mutual Funds: What You Need to Know20:45 - How to Figure Out Your Investor Type and Build Your Portfolio24:21 - The Common Mistake: Money Sitting Uninvested in a Brokerage27:11 - How to Calculate Your Retirement Number Using the 4% Rule36:16 - The One Thing to Do If You're Not Investing Yet38:46 - Lightning Round: Roth vs. 401k, DIY vs. Advisor, and MoreKEY TAKEAWAYS:Why investing feels hard on purpose — and how to cut through itThe difference between investing and trading (and why most people confuse them)How to determine your investor type before picking a single fundWhy your 401k money might be sitting uninvested without you knowingHow to use the 4% rule to calculate your actual retirement numberWhy the compound interest calculator is the mindset shift you didn't know you neededWhy the answer isn't cutting back — it's making more moneyCONNECT WITH CHLOE:Instagram: @clobaremoneycoachWebsite: https://www.thelazyinvestorscourse.com/ TAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book: Financially LitLeave me a voicemailThis 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 Podcast03:12 Why money is still taboo in Black & Brown communities07:29 The American Dream is dead – now what?15:45 How rich families talk about money differently22:30 Travel hacking 101: The basics28:15 Strategic credit card spending categories35:40 Which credit cards to start with (and avoid)42:20 Credit score mistakes that will tank your strategy49:40 Do you need an emergency fund first?50:32 Getting started: First steps for beginners52:02 Where to find Jess and more travel hacking tipsKEY TAKEAWAYS:Money being taboo in our communities is literally keeping us broke – start normalizing financial conversations at homeRich families have quarterly money meetings and family investment funds. These tools are accessible to us tooThe old "work 40 years, retire with a pension" model doesn't work anymore – we need new strategiesTravel hacking works, but ONLY if you can pay off your credit card every monthYou need an emergency fund BEFORE you start travel hacking – life will lifeStart 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 monthlyEven small amounts add up – imagine 30 cousins each contributing $150/year to a family investment clubUse referral links for sign-up bonuses to maximize your points from day oneRESOURCES MENTIONED:point.meChase Sapphire CardVenture One CardAmerican Express CardCONNECT WITH JESSWebsite Instagram ​TAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book: Financially LitLeave me a voicemailThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.