Linda Rapisardo

I'm Linda Rapisardo, CFP® and founder of Canela Wealth, a flat-fee, advice-only financial planning firm for first-generation wealth builders.

My clients are first-gen professionals in their 30s and 40s who have worked hard to build successful careers, but never got a roadmap for what comes next. They're often the person their family turns to with money questions, even while quietly asking themselves: Am I saving enough? Am I spending too much? What should I even be prioritizing right now? That mental load is real. And it can feel heavier when you've spent most of your life figuring things out on your own.

I know that feeling. I grew up in a working-class, immigrant family where my parents navigated an unfamiliar financial system without anyone trustworthy to guide them. The 2008 financial crisis hit us hard. My parents were smart, resourceful, and hardworking, but the system wasn't designed with them in mind. I watched what it costs a family to go it alone, and it shaped everything about how I show up for clients today.

My goal is to be the person my parents never had: someone who cuts through the noise, explains how things actually work, and makes sure you never feel alone navigating the financial system. I believe transparency and education are everything.

As an advice-only planner, I never manage assets or earn commissions. My flat-fee structure means my only incentive is to give you excellent, unconflicted advice. I help with comprehensive financial planning, including cash flow, debt strategy, retirement projections, tax planning, insurance review, home-buying decisions, and investment guidance for those managing their own portfolios.

My favorite moments are when the weight lifts. When a client stops stressing about money and starts focusing on the things they actually care about. That's why I do this work.

My mission is to be the knowledgeable, trustworthy guide that first-generation families rarely have access to: someone who explains how the system actually works, builds a plan rooted in what truly matters to you, and makes sure you never have to figure it out alone.

My parents immigrated from Mexico and built a life here without a financial safety net and without anyone they could fully trust to guide them. I watched my mom use tandas, informal savings circles, because she trusted her community more than the banks. Over time, as my parents leaned into more traditional financial products, the stress of navigating an unfamiliar system took a real toll. The 2008 financial crisis hit us hard, and in many ways, they never fully recovered. They were smart and hardworking. It wasn't about effort. The system just wasn't designed with them in mind.

That shaped everything about how I think about money. I arrived at Notre Dame as the first in my family to leave home for college, immediately aware of how different my financial situation was from my peers. I graduated with $60,000 in student loans and no roadmap. Out of frustration, I spent the next decade self-educating. I read every personal finance book, blog, and podcast I could find. In 2020, I made the leap into financial planning professionally.

Working with high-net-worth clients, I quickly noticed something: none of them looked like me. They hadn't had to figure it out the way I did. I wanted to serve the people who didn't have a safety net. People like my parents. People like me.

I can't change the systems that made things harder for families like mine. But I can make sure my clients never feel alone navigating them. That's what drives me every single day.