Yo Quiero Dinero

We were taught to work hard and save money, but nobody explained how taxes fit into building wealth. So this week, I'm joined by Laura Zarrate, CPA and founder of Athena CPAs and Advisors. Laura immigrated from Bogotá, Colombia, at 14 with her dad and two 40-pound suitcases. She started her career at Deloitte, then built her own firm. Today she and her team serve 200+ business owners across the U.S. We get into why the tax code is a playbook, what an LLC actually does, when an S Corp makes sense, and why "just write it off" is not a strategy. If you're an entrepreneur who only talks to a tax pro in April, this one's for you.

WE GET INTO:
[01:45] Meet Laura: from Bogotá to Athena CPAs
[02:34] Not the typical "old white guy" CPA
[03:53] Immigrant frugality and learning to ask for help
[05:48] Choosing the world of "more than enough"
[07:04] Deloitte and the road to her own firm
[11:33] Why she left: freedom and meaningful work
[13:24] The skill that humbled her: sales
[16:56] The tax conversations Latinos aren't having
[18:04] How taxes actually work for W-2 vs. business owners
[20:21] Is the tax code confusing on purpose?
[21:23] Tax prep vs. tax planning
[23:03] Deductions entrepreneurs miss: home office and car
[26:32] Putting your kids on payroll
[30:14] When to hire a CPA
[32:08] What an LLC does (and doesn't do)
[35:39] S Corp elections explained
[40:54] The "just write it off" myth
[43:51] Tax tips that need to go: S Corps, Wyoming and Delaware LLCs
[47:04] Making more money but still feeling broke
[49:40] Paying yourself with unpredictable income
[51:34] Retirement accounts for entrepreneurs
[55:05] HSAs explained
[58:30] Deducting health insurance as a business owner
[1:02:50] Tax relief services: real or scam?
[1:04:58] How to vet a tax professional
[1:09:27] One step to take this week

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
→ The tax code rewards three activities: owning a business, owning real estate, and investing.
→ Tax prep is not tax planning. Your tax pro should give you a plan with real numbers.
→ An LLC is for legal protection and business credit, not tax savings.
→ An S Corp is a tax election, not a new business. It comes with payroll and reasonable salary rules.
→ A deduction lowers your taxable income. It does NOT make the purchase free.
→ Hiring your kids can work, but only with real work, market pay, and good records.
→ Know your break-even number and check your books monthly, not yearly.
→ Anyone can prepare taxes. Check licenses and ask about experience with your type of business.

CONNECT WITH LAURA ZARRATE:
Website: https://athenacpas.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athenacpas

TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO:
📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com
💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/
💬 Book a Coaching Call: https://yoquierodinero.as.me/schedule/a5e9a3eb

FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Talk to a qualified tax professional about your situation. Yo Quiero Dinero is the #1 English-language personal finance podcast for Latinas and people of color. New episodes every Monday.
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So many of us are waiting on "someday" to go after the thing we really want. But what happens when someday stops feeling guaranteed? Yvette Ramirez is a bilingual Cuban and Salvadoran American, a tech professional, and the founder of Kuro Libros, a children's picture book brand that helps families teach their kids Spanish at home. In February 2023, Yvette was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Instead of waiting until retirement, she ran her numbers and realized she could coast FIRE. So she's betting on herself NOW.

WE GET INTO:
[01:24] Meet Yvette and Kuro Libros
[01:54] Why now: a stage 4 diagnosis
[03:00] Cuban and Salvadoran money lessons: saving, property and wanting more
[04:40] From law school to tech startups
[07:56] How a diagnosis changes your view of time
[09:33] Realizing she could coast FIRE
[10:50] Is a steady paycheck really security?
[12:35] Stock options, tender offers and her FIRE number
[16:04] The gap in Spanish children's books
[19:06] Confidence, Caribbean Spanish and choosing the right Spanish
[22:04] Taking your own idea seriously
[23:55] Self-publishing behind the scenes: $50K+ invested
[29:12] Building a business while managing cancer
[31:18] Full circle: EGFR, prognosis and hope
[35:18] Would she have started sooner?
[37:28] "Why not now?" A message for Latinas waiting on someday
[39:33] Your paycheck is your angel investor
[40:03] How she ended up in the Netherlands
[41:44] What she hopes kids feel + where to find Kuro Libros

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
→ Your parents may have taught you to save, but saving alone isn't the whole wealth plan. Investing is how your money grows beyond what you earn.
→ FIRE calculators can reveal you're closer to freedom than you think. Yvette found she needed around $600K to $700K invested to coast, and her equity had already passed that.
→ A steady paycheck isn't the only kind of security. After her diagnosis, Yvette started measuring wealth in time, flexibility, and freedom to see her family.
→ Your lived experience is a business idea. Yvette saw friends struggle to raise bilingual kids and saw a gap for a Latino main character in children's books.
→ There's room for more than one of us. Seeing another Latina-owned brand succeed showed Yvette the market was ready, not taken.
→ Treat your passion project like a business from day one. That means trademarks, an IP attorney, a professional editor, and the right illustrator.
→ Rest is part of the strategy. Building on your own terms means giving yourself flexibility and slowing down when your body needs it.
You don't have to quit to start. Your paycheck can be the angel investor for the thing you want to build.

CONNECT WITH YVETTE:
🤝 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kurolibros
🌐 Website: https://www.kurolibros.com (free resources available)

Leave a review of the podcast & be entered for a chance to win a gift from KuroLibros.com!

TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO:
📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com
💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/
💬 Book a Dinero Power Hour: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/

FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode came from a very real, very tearful moment on my Instagram: the realization that there is no magic number that makes you feel financially secure. So I brought back someone who can actually help us unpack that. Jacent Wamala is the founder of Wealth and Wellness University where she helps high-earning women of color break the cycle of financial anxiety and build real, lasting wealth without burning out.

We're getting into it: the difference between earning money and actually FEELING financially free, why your nervous system is running the show more than you realize, the identity shift nobody warns you about when you go from debt payoff mode to wealth building mode, first-gen money programming, the pressure of the sandwich generation, and why community (not hustle) is the real key to building wealth. If you've ever felt like you're doing everything "right" on paper but still panic every time you check your account, this episode is your permission slip to look deeper.

WE GET INTO:
[01:32] Meet Jacent: from therapist to financial coach
[03:04] Reconnecting: how her relationship with money evolved since 2021
[06:06] The signs someone needs a financial therapist or coach
[08:19] Unpacking childhood money programming
[09:40] First-gen wealth builders and immigrant money lessons
[12:06] The sandwich generation squeeze
[16:36] The identity shift from debt payoff to wealth building
[20:46] Hypervigilance vs. healthy financial responsibility
[23:12] Money isn't the only currency — bartering and community
[27:35] Giving yourself permission to enjoy what you've built
[31:36] What people assume disappears at a high income
[33:12] Earning money vs. feeling financially free
[36:41] How motherhood changed her relationship with risk
[41:27] Why "working harder" isn't the answer
[45:22] Generational wealth requires generational healing
[45:48] Defining what "enough" actually means
[50:04] The financial story she's not passing down to her kids
[52:05] Therapist, coach, or both? How to know it's time
[55:01] Where to find Jacent + her free resources

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
→ There is no dollar amount that automatically makes you feel safe. Safety is a skill you build by defining what it actually means to you, then reminding yourself of the evidence daily.
→ Paying off debt and building wealth require completely different strategies, so expect an identity shift, not a straight line.
→ First-gen and immigrant money lessons often center on survival (save, save, save), but the next generation gets to honor that sacrifice while also learning to invest and take calculated risks.
→ "Working harder" has a ceiling. Without clear milestones, you're working toward nothing measurable, and you cap yourself out of passive income, leadership, and building beyond yourself.
→ Generational wealth requires generational healing. Building wealth for your lineage means facing what your ancestors couldn't, which is part of why the work feels so heavy.
→ Defining "enough" starts with a baseline (physical safety, no food insecurity, a cushion if something goes wrong) and everything past that is a bonus, not a requirement.

CONNECT WITH JACENT:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JacentWamala
Website: https://wamalawellness.com

TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO:
📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com
💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/
💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/

FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've ever stayed calladita when you should've spoken up, this episode is your permission slip to stop. This week Jannese sits down with Hady Mendez — bestselling author of Calladita No More, speaker, and leadership coach — to talk about what happens when you finally decide to use your voice. They get into Hady's corporate STEM career, the promotion that got away, the negotiation that made her a director overnight, and the real, unfiltered story of betting on herself by moving to Madrid in her 40s. This one's for every mujer who's tired of playing small.

WE GET INTO:

1:06 – Welcome & living in the "f*ck it 40s"
1:50 – Hady's origin story: wanting to be a writer
3:03 – Growing up in a traditional Puerto Rican household
4:15 – From social worker dreams to computer science and Accenture
4:55 – Advice for parents raising kids with "unstable" dreams
9:39 – Unpacking the "calladita" messaging from her mom
12:17 – The moment staying quiet started costing her
13:31 – The "Chad" story: watching someone else get promoted
18:20 – What self-advocacy actually looks like
19:57 – The negotiation that made her a director overnight
23:57 – The "brag sheet": self-promotion without bragging
26:45 – Navigating the "difficult Latina" stereotype
32:36 – Leaving corporate: the layoff that led to entrepreneurship
35:07 – One year of Calladita No More: reader reactions
37:19 – The decision to move to Madrid
43:32 – Microaggressions and advocating for herself abroad
50:16 – Rapid fire questions + where to find Hady

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

→ Staying "calladita" has a cost — missed promotions and raises add up over time
→ The first offer is never the final offer, in salary negotiations or in life
→ Self-promotion isn't bragging — if people don't know what you've done, they can't trust you with more
→ The "difficult Latina" stereotype is real, but it's not a reason to stop speaking up
→ Career paths don't have to be linear to be successful
→ Community — not just individual grit — is what reminds you who you are

CONNECT WITH HADY:

🌐 Website: https://www.boldlyspeakingllc.com
🤝 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calladitanomorebook
📚 Subscribe to Hady’s Substack: https://hadyunfiltered.substack.com/subscribe

TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO:

📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com
💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/
💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/

FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's talk about the conversation that sends me over the edge every single time: the gender pay gap, and what it REALLY costs women of color. This week I'm joined by Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families, to break down what's actually driving the gap (spoiler: it's not "women's choices"), why the national averages hide what's happening to Latinas and Black women specifically, and what policy changes could put real money back in our pockets. We get into the wealth gap math (we're talking a MILLION dollars over a career, mi gente), the motherhood penalty, why DEI rollbacks are making things worse, and what you can actually do right now if you find out you're getting paid less than your coworker.

WE GET INTO:

00:00 — Intro: Why we're still talking about the pay gap in 2026
02:15 — What are we actually measuring when we say "pay gap"?
04:17 — Debunking the "it's just women's choices" myth
06:37 — The real numbers: 76 cents, 54 cents, and what the average hides
08:24 — Why education alone doesn't close the gap
10:35 — The unpaid care work baked into how workplaces are built
11:47 — The wealth gap: what losing $900K–$1M actually looks like
13:23 — Finding power in a hopeless-feeling conversation
16:27 — The motherhood penalty, explained
19:46 — Why so many moms are choosing entrepreneurship instead
20:38 — Black and Latina moms as breadwinners
22:40 — Do salary transparency laws actually work?
23:57 — What to do if you find out you're underpaid
26:28 — How DEI rollbacks are showing up in real workplaces
30:24 — The "trad wife" pushback and what it means for women's choices
35:06 — Jocelyn's 3 policy wishes for women's financial security
37:17 — State level wins and what's next
39:54 — Grounding policy in your actual paycheck
43:15 — What you can do right now, no Congress required
48:00 — What gives Jocelyn hope
51:23 — How to support the National Partnership for Women & Families

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

→ Latinas earn closer to 54 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the gap widens further when you break it down by race and part-time status.
→ Education alone won't close this gap; the same degree, same experience, and there’s still a pay gap. This is systemic, not individual.
→ Black women lose an estimated $900K over a 40 year career because of the pay gap. For Latinas, that number can hit $1M.
→ Motherhood changes everything financially. Moms who step out of the workforce to care for kids come back behind, and most never fully catch up.
→ Caregiving is invisible labor with a real cost. Workplaces were built around a male default that assumes someone else, usually women, will handle caregiving for free.
→ DEI rollbacks aren't just political theater, they're making it "safer" for employers to avoid hiring women and people of color, and harder to document discrimination at all.
→ Salary transparency actually works. Posting pay ranges and banning salary history questions closes gaps faster than you'd think.
→ You have options if you find a pay gap. Document it, talk to HR, and know that local civil rights and know your rights organizations exist for exactly this.
→ State policy is already working. Comprehensive paid leave, universal pre-K, and childcare caps are already law in some states, and they're the blueprint for what's possible nationally.

CONNECT WITH JOCELYN:

🌐 Website: https://nationalpartnership.org/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NPWF

TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO:

📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com
💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/
💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/

FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast

This episode was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.