Honor Generations Before You With More Than a Diploma

Last week, my husband came home from a financial conference, eager to share his new found knowledge. As I listened to all of this great information pour out of him, one powerful quote stuck with me and I can’t shake it off. He said “...Why is it that a single mother can raise 3, 4 or 6 kids, but 6 kids can’t provide for their mother." Shit. How’s that for a rude awakening?

I’m going to let my husband chime in here and tell you the rest, it's pretty good stuff so pay attention:

As second generation Latinos, we are greatly indebted to our parents; sadly, many of us think that debt can be repaid with a diploma and career. This couldn’t be further from the truth and here’s why:

Can you imagine leaving everything you know, to move to a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, many times – completely alone, with a sack full of clothes, risking your life for just a glimpse of what you imagine could be a better life for your family? Many wouldn’t dare entertain the thought. Our parents came here with a vision of freedom and prosperity, and were ready to literally break their back so that their children and children’s children wouldn’t have to. When you think about the perseverance, resolve and selfless-love they have - it becomes clear - a simple diploma couldn't possibly do any justice, but it’s a start.

Changing your family tree and creating a legacy continues with you and me. The journey of freedom and a better life didn’t end with our parent’s arrival and sacrifice; we have to continue to build that empire they envisioned decades ago. This is no small task. In order to provide for previous and future generations, we need to be purposeful in gaining financial, spiritual and psychological freedom, in order to pass along fruitful resources. How can you justify living paycheck to paycheck? Are you investing in your future? How are you gifting financial freedom to those you love? Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter don’t have the answer. That old and tired song "the rich keep getting richer" is just an excuse; surely you can learn what they know about money if you really wanted to, right? It's one thing to ride the "you don't know what you don't know" wave.  It's another to be lazy.

Follow the ambition of the trailblazers before you. Think of this as a never ending relay where the baton is passed on from generation to generation; we have to start taking massive risk like the generations before us. I truly feel that, if you don’t take a big chance on life, you're not only doing our Latino heroes a disservice- but more importantly you're putting your own family at a disadvantage to achieving true freedom.

We also have to keep in mind that if we don’t pass down this champion mentality, this cycle of conformity will continue. How do we expect our own children to look out for us or others if we're not doing the same? Do you think this is something they're going to learn with their heads buried in their electronics? I'm sorry to disappoint but it's not likely to happen. We learn behaviors from those we admire. (And those we influence are always watching).

Start thinking and acting with the big picture in mind, take large risk in your professional and personal life to become financially independent but more importantly, be intentional about changing the path your family is on- just like your parents did before you. For my wife and I, this currently means guiding our parents into retirement; their golden years! For most 1st generation immigrants in this country – it’s safe to say they don’t know the first thing about receiving their dues. Who’s going to teach them? That is up to you, my friend. Set them up for success. They’ve done it for you, now it’s your turn.

Knowledge is not power. Knowledge is potential power; what you do with it is up to you.

-Osbaldo Alonzo
Twitter: @ozz_ito

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Ummm, how amazing is he?! And how luck am I?! Honoring generations before us can be as small and simple as: helping them use technology, guiding and connecting them with relatives on social media, using Google to search for a recipe, something they saw on Univision or whatever they want.

To share more profound knowledge, learn and teach them about investment opportunities, how to maximize their 401K, stocks, bonds... The beautiful thing is that - all of this information is good for you and your children, too!

Love your parents beyond words. It would be a pity to regret when its too late.

If you'd like to know more about investments, 401K, life insurance, etc. contact me and I can put you in touch with this savvy man right here.

-Daisy De La Cruz de Alonzo
Twitter: @hey_dais

Mis dos amores

Cleaning Up Stereotypes

We booked our first cleaning service today. And I feel really guilty about it. And a little paranoid I might add. But I'm sure it's normal the first time, right?

This is extremely stereotypical to admit - but when I heard a knock at the door, I expected a woman not a man. And I didn't expect him to look.... how do I say this.... a little rough around the edges? All the reviews about this company reflected upon how professional the "women in uniform" looked; this was not what I saw when I opened the door. No woman. No uniform.

I feel awful for even thinking it, but it's true. I am uneasy with the idea that a man is cleaning my home right now. Maybe because I've never met a man that could clean so good lol. I mean really, get down on his hands and knees and clean like my mom taught us to... To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I would feel better if woman did it either. But I would have some kind of false satisfaction knowing she would automatically do a great job.

The whole idea of having a cleaning person to begin with is incredibly taboo in my culture. I mean, (stereo-typically speaking) WE ARE the cleaning people! But my husband and I have found ourselves in a pinch and with super busy schedules, we decided to give it a shot. It's not that we're incapable of cleaning, but giving our home a good hands-and-knees-scrub-down would take a whole day, and right now we can't justify compromising the little bit of "free" time we have in return. I would rather go for a walk or catch a game or just lounge around! I mean, we don't have kids- so it's not THAT messy. But housework is housework, and right now, we are blessed with the option to have someone else do it for us... So why not?

This man (in my home) was very polite, arrived early and wasted no time in getting to work. He asked all the right questions and was careful when bringing in his equipment. So why should it matter?

I don't know where this preconceived notion came from, but I hope he proves me wrong so I don't think like this again. I've been stereotyped against (plenty), and I am completely mindful that it's not my fault - but he who judges, which, in this case- is me.

I am a progressive thinker and I'm disappointed in myself for thinking this way. But I couldn't help it today and I'm really trying to understand why. Maybe because, in my home growing up- my mom, sister and I did all the housework and my father didn't? Maybe because my aunts and cousins had the same routine... ? But my husband and I are not like that. We equally share the chores around the house and I love that. I wouldn't have it any other way. So where does this unsettling feeling come from? Cómo dicen por ahí, "sepa la bola". 

I won't go down that road, tough; my train of thought stops here.

No more feeding into the bullshit