178. From Surviving to $27K Saved & $9k Debt Paid Off: How Ariana Did This With Inconsistent Freelancer Income

186. Why "Can I Afford It?" Is the Wrong Question to Ask Yourself [A Real Money Check-In Story]

You said yes before you even checked. You know you want to go. You know you'll figure it out. But somewhere in the back of your head, there's this low hum of uncertainty that follows you the whole time — and it takes the edge off the fun. A few weeks ago, a friend texted me about a beach trip for the Fourth of July. It was an immediate yes. No hesitation. But before I sent that confirmation text, I asked for a few days to look at the numbers. In this episode, I breaks down exactly what happened when I sat down to do that money check-in, what I found, what I adjusted, and why my husband didn't quite get it at first. I also explains the difference between asking "can we afford this?" and asking "how are we going to cash flow this and still hit our wealth goals?" — because those are two very different questions, and only one of them actually builds wealth. You'll learn: ✅ Why "can we afford it" is not the right benchmark if you are serious about building wealth ✅ What it actually looks like to cash flow a fun expense without derailing your goals ✅ Why a 20 to 30 minute money check-in, asking yourself the right questions, before a big decision can give you total peace for the whole trip ✅ How to give every version of yourself — present you, future you, mom you, wealth-building you — a seat at the table If you are the person who always figures it out later but never quite feels settled about it, this episode is going to hit home. The goal is not just to afford the trip. The goal is to enjoy it fully, knowing your numbers are already handled. Let's connect: Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/] Instagram: @building.gen.wealth [https://www.instagram.com/building.gen.wealth/] Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching]

185. 3 Reasons Your Money Still Feels Tight Even When You're Making More

You check your bank account, the number looks okay, and you feel like you are probably fine. So you spend. Or you think you can save a little this month because things have been pretty good. And then somehow, at the end of the month, you are sitting there wondering where all your money went. If that cycle sounds familiar, this episode is for you. In this episode, Andrea breaks down three money decision-making patterns that feel completely right in the moment but are actually keeping you stuck. It's not that you're being irresponsible or undisciplined. But that you might be making money decisions without the right information, and your brain is doing exactly what it was built to do: help you survive. But what if the goal isn't survive...but build wealth? In this episode, you will learn: ✅ Why checking your account balance feels helpful but is actually giving you a false sense of financial security ✅ What energetic minimums and maximums are and how they are silently running your money decisions ✅ Why saving only when it feels like you have enough will never build consistent wealth ✅ What a real money system looks like and how automation removes the mental load and helps you build wealth with every paycheck If you are making more than you ever have and still feel like nothing is sticking, this episode will show you why, and what to do about it. Let's connect: Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/] Instagram: @building.gen.wealth [https://www.instagram.com/building.gen.wealth/] Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching]

184. Roth IRA vs 401k: How To Use Both to Build A Comfortable Retirement

You have a 401k through your job and you keep hearing that you also need a Roth IRA. But no one ever sat you down and explained how these accounts actually work together, what the difference really is, or whether you even need both. So you are out here doing your best, hoping it all adds up one day, and trying not to feel behind. In this episode, Andrea breaks down the 401k and the Roth IRA in a way that actually makes sense, starting with what these accounts really are, how they are different, and how they can work together to build your retirement. In this episode, you'll learn: ✅ What a 401k and a Roth IRA actually are and how to think about them as tools, not just accounts ✅ The key tax difference between both accounts and why having both gives you more flexibility when you retire ✅ When it makes sense to focus on just your 401k and when it is time to open a Roth IRA ✅ How to shift from hoping your retirement works out to actually knowing it will If you are ready to stop guessing and start building a retirement strategy that is specific to your goals and your life, this episode is your starting point. Let's connect: Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/] Instagram: @building.gen.wealth [https://www.instagram.com/building.gen.wealth/] Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching]

183. Why First Gen Latinas Struggle to Ask for More And How to Change That With Career Coach Evie Prete

Have you ever gotten a raise and immediately thought, I am going to get fired? Have you ever avoided looking at your debt because something about that number feels like it says something about who you are? If you are first-gen, you probably were not taught how to build wealth. You were taught how to survive with money. And there is a big difference. In this episode, I sit down with a career coach Evie Prete who has been in the trenches of this work for years, helping first gen Latinas/WOC stop undervaluing themselves, start asking for what they are actually worth, and build the kind of identity that can hold more money without self-sabotaging it away. We get real about our own stories, and what it actually took to go from knowing we needed to do something different with money to actually doing it. This episode is for you if you have ever felt like asking for more was ungrateful, if you have ever taken a job offer at the bottom of the salary band when you deserved to be at the top, or if you have ever wondered why building wealth feels so hard even when you know all the right steps. You'll learn: ✨ Why survival money advice keeps you in protection mode and how to start shifting toward a wealth-building mindset ✨ How your nervous system responds to debt, salary negotiations, and financial wins, and why getting neutral matters before the strategy does ✨ How visualization and journaling help your body get familiar with a version of your life it has never lived before, so you can actually receive it when it arrives ✨ Why detaching from the outcome of a negotiation is not about not wanting it, it is about showing up from your value instead of your fear This conversation is the one you did not know you needed. It is honest, it is warm, and it is going to give you a lot to think about, journal on, and move through. Connect with Evie: Salary Negotiation Checklist [https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60ab290a5e1bdf682015607e⁠] Pagame Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p%C3%A1game/id1727965605] Let's connect: Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/] Instagram: @building.gen.wealth Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching]

182. The Difference Between Saving Money and Strategically Building Wealth

You are saving every month. But somehow it still feels like you are not really getting anywhere, and you are not sure what you are missing. If you grew up with the message that saving money was the goal, you probably nailed it. You figured out how to put money aside. You built up your savings. And now you are wondering why it does not feel like wealth. In this episode, Andrea breaks down the difference between saving money and being strategic with your money. She shares why the blanket advice most of us grew up with, save your money, was a starting point and not a destination. She walks through how to start thinking about money as a resource you can direct toward specific outcomes, how to use every paycheck to get closer to real goals, and why building the skill and identity of a wealth builder matters more right now than the exact amount you are working with. You'll learn: ✅ Why saving alone will never build wealth and what to do instead ✅ How to treat your money as a resource that creates specific outcomes ✅ The formula Andrea uses to reverse-engineer financial goals by timeline ✅ How to stop feeling powerless with money and start feeling like a creator of your own outcomes Let's connect: Website: www.buildinggenwealth.com [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/] Instagram: @building.gen.wealth Learn more about 1:1 Money Coaching: www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching [http://www.buildinggenwealth.com/moneycoaching]