The Corporate Latina: Let's Talk Money

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Corporate Latina! It’s been quite a while—a long while. I had planned to publish these monthly, but life had other ideas, mainly involving my little sister. I have two younger sisters and a brother, and when I reflect on the journey that led me to becoming The Corporate Latina, the one constant has always been that they are my “why”. To give you an idea of how important they are to me, there was a time when my work computer password was “IDoThisForMyFamily.” Don’t bother trying it now—corporate security makes me change it every 90 days, which I find extremely annoying.

My sister recently had a stroke, and watching her struggle to walk or talk was devastating. I call her my little “chuleta head” (pork chop head). She pretends to hate it, but I think deep down, she likes it, at least a little. She is 21, a burst of energy who is constantly dancing, cooking, writing, or painting. So, seeing her struggle to string together words felt unnatural because she’s never been one to stay still… ever.

For a long time, I couldn’t write because I had no words to describe what was happening internally. I felt unsteady. But now, seeing my sister mobile and mostly back to her old self, the words have come to me. So here I am, back to it with you all. Since her stroke, she’s gone through both speech and physical rehab, had heart surgery, and used the “I had a stroke” card to guilt me into getting her fresh chocolate milk directly from the farm. Not going to lie, I might never buy store-bought milk again.

As her medical bills continue to come pouring in, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I’m fortunate to be in a position where, when my sister’s life was on the line, I didn’t have to worry about affording to fly her home. I never had to delay her surgery or treatments due to financial constraints. I could focus entirely on making sure she had everything she needed to recover. So, each week when I get a new stack of bills, I pay them and I give thanks that my sister is still here, because to lose her would be like losing a piece of me.

Early in my career, I was earning $38,000, I lived paycheck to paycheck, constantly stressed about rent and groceries, convincing myself that money didn’t matter, even though I desperately needed it. It wasn’t until I started earning a six-figure salary that I realized how much financial stability could impact my life. I’m not one for fancy clothes or cars—I am a believer of leveraging the clearance rack—you say last season, I say 80% off. But the ability to care for the people in my life…that changed the game for me.

I see so many amazing, brilliant, and talented Latinas just scraping by because they don't believe they deserve more. They’re afraid to ask for more because society has convinced them it’s noble to sacrifice their own stability to help others. They often end up in service roles like non-profit work, teaching, or nursing—all amazing and necessary jobs, but why can’t those roles be executives, doctors, and leaders instead? Why can’t we hold roles that allow us to build generational wealth that will allow us to break free?

Once, I told an executive I didn’t care about my salary—I was just grateful for the chance to make real change. Again, the societal brainwashing rearing its ugly head. She looked at me thoughtfully and then said, “April, I love what I do, and I hope my decisions make this company and our employees’ lives better. But I also want to be paid what I’m worth, so I can take care of my family and myself.” This was years ago, so I’m paraphrasing, and I remember it sounding much cooler when she said it.

Her blunt honesty caught me off guard, but it also transformed my perspective. So, in honor of this leader, here’s my own straightforward advice:

Stop Settling for the Status Quo: Being content is fine, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting more. If you dream of more, pursue it. It doesn’t make you ungrateful or greedy.

Talk About Money: Know the market rate for your role, discuss salaries with friends, and learn how they achieved their financial goals. Talk to your kids about money. Demystify it. Growing up, money was an uncomfortable topic, alongside boys and alcohol—subjects I wish I’d known more about before college. Now that is a story for another day, but information is power; don’t let a company take yours.

Don’t Be Ashamed: When I struggled financially, I felt immense shame—for not having money and for wanting it. It was overwhelming. Overcoming this starts with acknowledging where we are and where we want to be.

The bottom line is, having financial stability has helped my family, my sister, and given me a level of security I’ve never imagined. So, mis hermanas, let’s start building our generational wealth so that we’re never in a position where we can’t afford to live and thrive.