About Me
My path to financial planning started with an eye-opening experience: arriving as a freshman on campus at Notre Dame. I, the youngest of six kids and the first in my family to leave home for college, witnessed firsthand how different my financial experience was vs. most of my peers.
It wasn’t hard to recognize other first-gen students. We were the ones with on-campus jobs, we knew everyone in the financial aid office, and we knew our FAFSA EFC number (since we had to fill it out ourselves). No one prepared us, and success was dependent on our ability to figure it out.
Graduating from college didn’t change my financial circumstances. I graduated with $60k in student loans and no clear idea of what I’m supposed to do with them. No one told me exactly how I was supposed to start "building wealth.” It frustrated me. I turned to the internet and discovered the world of personal finance. For the past decade, I’ve consumed all of the personal finance blogs, books, and podcasts. In 2020, I officially made the career pivot and became a financial planner.
After working with high-net-worth clients for a few years, I realized something: this industry overlooks the people who need financial guidance the most. It’s focused on helping those who are already wealthy, leaving out first-generation people like myself who were building wealth from scratch.
That’s why I founded Canela Wealth – to provide support and guidance to people who don’t have a financial safety net. To give people who are 'figuring it out' access to knowledge, best practices, and strategies to help them feel secure and always keep their goals within reach. No matter what your financial background looks like, I’m here to create a space where you feel seen, supported, and empowered to take the next step.
When I’m not helping clients, I’m chasing my two kiddos, Luca (4) and Camila (1), and dreaming up our next big family trip.