Financial Planning as a Tool for Liberation
By Diana Yañez, CFP®, RLP®
My work in financial services is a calling that supports client’s personal empowerment and their ability to dream a better world for themselves and all of us. Once clients feel settled in their own financial well-being it’s easier to be creative about how they can support others, be it financially, with time, or emotionally.
In financial planning we delve into our client’s goals and dreams, such as retirement, gifting children funds for a downpayment, and redistribution. We also take the time to cover potential difficulties, such as a long medical illness, a decline in the market, or long start-up costs as an entrepreneur. Stocked with these numbers we guide clients into navigating trade-offs as they cultivate their best life.
As a first-generation Mexican-American whose parents immigrated for a better financial future, I understand deeply that financial planning is about more than wealth preservation or accumulation. It’s about creating opportunities, breaking generational cycles, and giving people the confidence to dream boldly.
Every entrepreneur, immigrant, and cycle breaker knows the courage and even blind faith that is required to create something in a whole new paradigm. As a financial planner it is an honor to serve as a guide during these client transitions and as an accountability partner when the inevitable setback comes up.Yet, I’m equally committed to maintaining a rich, balanced life.
Blending professional excellence with personal joy isn’t just a personal strategy. It’s a form of resistance against narratives that suggest we must choose between success and happiness, between professional achievement and authenticity. One of the best ways to build a new narrative is to join communities who are doing so, such as the SER Latin@ Advisor Summit.
The Liberation of Authentic Spaces
There is something beautiful and powerful about having a strong sense of belonging. For those of us who are part of a historically oppressed community (Latine, Black, Indigenous, AAPI, differently abled, LGBTQIA+) we survive the best way we can. Blending in, moving closer to those in power, acting like a spy that will get found out – anyone who has attempted something new will recognize these signs of imposter syndrome.
Recently I returned to my native Southern California to attend the SER Summit, an annual conference designed by and for Latines working in financial services. It provides a unique platform for networking, professional development, and celebrating Latine culture within the context of the financial industry.
This event was the heartchild of Ana Trujillo Limón and Vanessa Martinez – thank you queens for making all this possible! As a fellow Latina in finance I also craved a place to talk about money in my community, and where we could build each other up. I joined the planning committee in 2023 and this year I was proud to have Natural Investments as one of the sponsors.
At the SER Summit, this feeling of belonging was palpable. It was more than just a professional event; it was a celebration of identity and shared experience. It was also an invitation to challenge our stories, such as the idea that Latine communities don’t have wealth, or that we have to compete with each other because there’s only room for one Latine at the top.
Many of us, regardless of identity, carry what could be called a “visibility wound” – early memories of feeling out of place or different. For me, I have a clear memory of feeling shame in school because I ate lentejas (lentils) for breakfast when I imagined my classmates enjoying typical American breakfast foods I’d seen in commercials, like Eggos. There was even a time when I pretended to not speak Spanish in order to better blend in to my new environment.
Because of racism, misogyny, heteronormativity, and other isms, bringing our whole self to work can often feel dangerous, which is energetically draining. While this strategy of white washing is a useful survival technique, spaces like the SER Summit give participants a taste of the freedom and creativity available when we’re not trying to make ourselves conform to unsaid rules. I recently heard that classism implies that if you have to ask what the rules are, you obviously don’t belong… And as any child of immigrants will tell you, it’s exhausting to navigate two cultures and feel left out in both places.
Flourishing in Community
Yet, what doesn’t break you makes you stronger. As Edgar Villanueva points out in his inspiring book Decolonizing Wealth, marginalized people are often better equipped to navigate differences and complexities because our thinking and experiences have primed us to hold “multiple realities simultaneously”. Because we have lived experience in very different contexts our mind is used to both/and thinking.
During the SER Summit I was part of a panel on the importance of mentorship. I shared the stage with Janet Larsen, my mentor, and Alexia Gomez, my mentee. You can see the three of us in the photo above. We each talked about receiving mentorship, creating a mutually beneficial relationship, and acting like a cheerleader and coach to those we mentor. While we do not share a cultural background, all three of us love financial planning and are ambitious about career development while living a full and happy life.
The SER Summit is one example of the many places that celebrate the uniqueness and magic of one particular community. I believe it is both really important to have places like this, as well as places that bring all communities together. Our life is a bouquet of flowers and each different flower, each leafy green, adds vibrancy.
My success as a financial planner isn’t measured by work hours, titles, or assets under management, but by the quality of relationships I nurture, the experiences I cherish, and the impact I create. Whether I’m dancing at a professional summit, mentoring fellow Latinas, or serving clients with aligned values, I’m intentional about creating a life that feels whole and vibrant. We each deserve to experience the fullness of ourselves whether it be in our families, at the gym, and yes, even at work.
May you and your community flourish,
Diana
