Latina Financial Education, Investing & Wealth Building: MoneyChisme
MoneyChisme is a personal finance podcast for women of color ready to take control of their money, build wealth, and create financial independence.
Join Violeta Sandoval, a first-generation Latina investor and entrepreneur, for honest conversations about money management, investing for beginners, paying off debt, growing your income, and starting a business. Get practical strategies to build generational wealth—even if you’re the first in your family figuring this out.
We talk about the money questions you’ve been afraid to ask and the cultural expectations that can make building wealth complicated: supporting family, feeling guilty for wanting more, and learning financial lessons nobody taught you.
Through relatable stories, expert interviews, and candid hot takes, MoneyChisme makes financial education approachable and connects your money decisions to what matters: freedom, family, and community.
The mission? Help close the racial wealth gap and give more women of color the tools to build wealth on their own terms.
Subscribe to MoneyChisme for personal finance tips, real-life money conversations, and a little chisme. Let’s grow your money, buy back your time, and rewrite your family’s money story.
Have you ever made a financial decision that seemed like a good idea at the time, only to realize later how much it cost you? In this episode of Money Chisme, Violeta and Lynn get real about some of the financial mistakes, money traps, and scams they've fallen for along the way. From getting caught up in a timeshare presentation in Mexico to losing $1,500 in a failed investment, they share the stories behind their experiences and the lessons they learned.
Lynn opens up about signing up for a timeshare at just 22 years old after being promised free vacation activities, only to spend five hours in a high-pressure sales presentation and end up with a two-year contract she couldn't easily cancel. She also shares how misunderstanding her 401(k) led her to cash out her retirement savings multiple times to pay for school and eventually buy a home, resulting in an unexpected $14,000 tax bill.
Violeta shares her own experience of following investing influencers and putting $1,500 into a company she believed in, only to lose the entire investment when the company went under. They also discuss how growing up without much financial guidance, having a scarcity mindset, and not knowing what questions to ask can lead to costly financial decisions. Whether you've fallen for a scam, made an investment mistake, or simply wish you had known more about money when you were younger, this conversation is a reminder that mistakes can become valuable lessons when we take the time to learn from them.
We cover:
How Lynn got caught up in a timeshare sales presentation while vacationing in Mexico
Why timeshare presentations can use free activities, food, and drinks to encourage people to sign up
How high-pressure sales tactics can make it difficult to walk away
Why you should never feel rushed into signing a financial agreement
How Violeta lost $1,500 after investing in a company promoted through influencer content
The risks of following investing advice without understanding what you're buying
How Lynn misunderstood her 401(k) and initially treated it like a regular savings account
Why cashing out your 401(k) early can come with penalties and unexpected tax consequences
How Lynn ended up with a $14,000 tax bill after withdrawing her retirement savings to buy a home
How a scarcity mindset can influence financial decisions
Why many first-generation immigrants and young adults lack access to financial education and guidance
How financial mistakes can become valuable learning experiences
Why researching, asking questions, and seeking guidance can help you avoid costly decisions
This episode is a reminder that nobody gets every financial decision right, especially when we're learning as we go. Don't beat yourself up over past mistakes. Take the lessons with you, do your research, ask questions, and give yourself time to make informed decisions about your money.
Disclaimer: I’m not a financial advisor. The information contained in this video is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed professional before making any financial decisions. I shall not be held liable for any losses you may incur for information provided in this video. Please be careful! This video is for general information purposes only and is not financial advice.
*Affiliate links: I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. This helps me provide you with free content, like this podcast! You can read my full disclaimer here: MoneyChisme Affiliate Links and Paid Advertisers Disclosure.
SPEAKER_00
Then the next day when I file my taxes, the CPA or TuroTax tells me you owe $14,000 in taxes. And I was like, what? $14,000? Yes. I was like, what? There's no way I owe $14,000. Like I just bought a house. Like I put $60,000 down and I put $20,000 in repairing it. And I have no money. I have no money. Right?
Violeta
Like, hola, hola. Welcome to another money achievement episode. Today's gonna be kind of just laid back because I mean I'm tired. We're trying to get everything, you know. It was a I'm running on a high of what happened over here in Texas and everything that happened with the midterms. So it's because I was just up all night watching everything. And then of course the memes and the TikToks. There were some funny ones, but I was like, oh, let's just do things that we do a fun one where we talk about some decisions that well, I guess it wasn't fun at the time, right? Because we usually we made some poor financial decisions. Um and then we fell for some scams. So I thought that we could just kind of talk about that. And I have Lynn, my co-host from Real Estate Cheese May, and she has some juicy ones that she was sharing on her Instagram. So I was like, come over here and share your trauma, your financial trauma over here at Money Cheese Me. So that way, you know, pa' que puedan aprender too, and know what not to do. And yeah, so we're just gonna chit-chat about the tough money lessons that we learned along the way. So Lelyn, thanks for coming over here on the money cheesement side.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, no, thank you. Yeah, so this series was I don't know if you guys know about content, but there is a lot of content out there, and then the more personal you get, the more it seems like to fly off the handles. And then I was like, okay, what is personal about myself that I'm willing to share that can make me a little bit uncomfortable divulgering because I I'm trying to learn this content game, right? It's not easy. I currently don't have a W-2, so I do have more time to devout to the content creation game. And so, in order to grow and then to get more people engaged in real estate investing or even finance or literacy one-on-one, anything of the like, then you have to catch every people's attention, and then catching people's attention is from learning to how to use hooks or make the videos short if you're into short form content or long-form content, which is this kind of podcast, right? Like you listen for a long period of time. So, yeah, I was just like, what am I willing to share in terms of my past, in terms of my financial uh money traps that I felt through mistakes? And then right from the get-go, and I was like, Okay, I fell for a scum. I mean, I have to tell people that, right? That I did that, so yeah, it was the first video that came out from my series, and you guys had a response to it.
Violeta
It's like people like the cheese me when the bad stuff happens. I'm learning that too, because I'm like, oh, trying to push educational content, but get in the cheese me. They want the cheese mail on on the stuff, and we should be sharing it, right? So people learn from our struggles and stuff. So you had one that I almost fell for because I did go to and it's like the timeshare. So I want to get into a little to that one. That one's I almost fell for that one, and actually I think it was here in San Antonio, and they took us like ni sabien nada, like they're like, Oh, you know, vacation, blah blah blah. And then they I remember getting on a bus, and they were gonna take us somewhere, but then they started talking about what would be happening, and then we got to the place, I think it was like a hotel or something, and then they on the bus they were telling us what to expect, so and then we're like, I think it was gonna be like a 90-minute thing or whatever, and we're like, wait, this sounds scammy, and so we ended up just leaving, so like we didn't go through the whole thing, but like, oh yeah, I almost was almost there, but it sounds like you went all the way, yeah.
SPEAKER_00
So I went to Mexico for the first time. I'm from Peru, I lived in California since I was 16, and then I was in love with a man, and we decided, oh, we should go do a trip together. We've been together for like a year or two years, I think I believe at the time, maybe going on two years. And then me, a college student at the time, I was like broca student for sure. So we're like, oh, we can't really do much, it has to be something affordable. So we decided to go to Mexico, right? Like book a all-inclusive resort for the both of us. But I think at the time it was like $500 for the both of us, which was like super cheap. It was a super cheap all-inclusive resort, and I was like, we're so excited. I never been to Mexico. I recently became a citizen, I'm gonna use my passport, right? And all of those things. And then so we landed. Obviously, didn't do any research about like what it's like to go to Mexico, what is gonna happen when you land, or anything. So we landed and we went through the gate, and there was just a lot of people, vendors of car rentals, activities that you could do, and all those things. So I was just like, Oh, we'd like to do some activities while we're here. Might as well check these vendors out that are right out of the airport gates. So they're like, Come on, guys, let's go. You guys want to do kayaking? Do you want to do like barrel selling? Do you want to just do the ATV and all this? And so I was like, I kind of want to do the ATV, let's go and check it out. And then they were breaking down the prices of everything, and it was like $200 for two people for three hours and all these things. And then he started saying, But you don't have to pay for them. And I was like, What do you mean I don't have to pay for them? Like, you can just meet with my colleague, my partner tomorrow at this hotel. I forgot that hotel name. And then you sit for a breakfast, it's like a presentation that they're gonna give to you, and after you're done with the presentation, you can do these activities for free. And I was just like, What? We just have to sit there, me 22-year-old with my boyfriend. I'm like, we just have to sit there, and he's like, Yeah, they're gonna try to make sure that you are able to see what packages the hotel offers and the room rates and all these things, and then after the presentation, you're free to go, and then they'll give you the tickets for the activities. And I never heard of anything like that timeshare or anything like that, so I didn't like okay, go sit there. Like, we're here for like four or five days, I don't remember how long, but let's just do breakfast. So we went to breakfast, right? The next day, we took an Uber to that breakfast place, and it was a nice hotel, beautiful. Like, we went in, we had breakfast like Beachfront, right? I don't even remember the name of the hotel, but beachfront, beautiful. The art of Los Cabos and the background, right? We're having all the food that we could want. They kept giving us alcohol, they have like mimosas, marritas, and everything. We were like talking, and the people that were there, they're just talking about their adventures and other different parts of Mexico. It wasn't selfie in the beginning at all. So I feel like I'm doing this story very long, but it wasn't selfie. So it's like, oh, we went to Puerto Rico and we went to the Maldives and we went to this and that, and then so we were like, okay, it's been 45 minutes, it's time to wrap it up. Okay, then I guess we can go. And then everything came up from the sales part, right? They told us like this is the luxury timeshare that we have. Like, you can book this for two weeks at a time, it's gonna block off completely for you. You can send your family, you just make sure that you book in advance. But this is the amount of dates that you are because of the timeshare fee. Of you can stay in the resort, and then they'll take us to the resort's rooms. They took us to the Resumption Roots, beautiful resort rooms. Like, they have like saunas, they have all the amenities that you want, they have all of jacuzzi's that are out outlooking, beachfront. And I was just like, Oh my god, this is beautiful! Like, obviously, I already seasoned with some alcohol, but yeah, like envisioning myself, like, oh my god, I can come back next year, I can stay in this like nice hotel, maybe for a week, and it's gonna only cost me, I think there's like a cleaning fee of like $200. That's amazing. I can bring my family, and then me like 22-year-old, I was just like, wow, this is so cool. And then come to see the fees is a monthly membership, right? That you have to pay for a timeshare for a set amount of times. And I was like, Okay, now like I don't really have money, first of all. Um, like brokiness at the time was like a share at Bonds, making like nine dollars an hour. And my my boyfriend at the same time, he was working, I forgot what he was doing, but he was working at a retail company as well, not making that much more money than me. And I was like, we cannot afford $500 a month for the tier luxury package. So we're not even gonna think about it, anything now, we're just gonna say no. And then they're like, Well, if you can afford $500, maybe you can afford $400. And I'm like, we can afford $400. Maybe you can afford $300. $300 a month. Yes. Oh my god. Maybe you can afford $300 because that like over the course of two months is $3,600. And how much is it gonna cost you to come back here to Mexico? And I'm like, well, we'll pay $500 for a hotel room right now, so much less than $3,000. They keep lowering the price, they keep lowering the price, and then with lowering the price came the amount of days that you can stay in the year in the timeshare. So they will they will lower and lower. And then finally, they said we were there for like five hours, I want to say that they wouldn't let us go, and we were not felt like I think what 2012 is pretty much vulnerable to not being like they were not forcing us to stay in there, but I kept saying, like, yeah, they were doing it. I can give you excuses. So finally it said, Okay, we can do it for $88 a month. And then my boyfriend looked at me like, we can do $88. That's 442, 44 me. And then we can do it for like, and then it was like a two-year program, uh to a two-year membership. So you had access to all the timeshares, not just the one that was there, but like everywhere in Mexico, some in the Maldives, some in like Puerto Rico, and I was just like, Oh, so we can do so many things. So we finally decided, like after five hours, to like basically sign the agreement, and that was a two-year agreement. They did an automatic payment, so we're really quick to setting up the payment schedule and everything. But yeah, so once I came back, I was like, Well, I have this time sure, I can use it again. Funny enough, my boyfriend and I broke up just a week after coming back because I found out he was seeing somebody else at the same time. So I was with him maybe like almost two years while I was in college, and he had been dating this girl for seven years. So I was the other woman on that situation. So I found out that's the worst thing.
Violeta
Like you find out you were the other woman. I know.
SPEAKER_00
Yes, and I found out a week after coming back from the trip because we stayed in Mexico for like five, six days. I don't remember how long. But I was staying over at his house, and all of a sudden at the middle of the night, somebody knocked. This is so much chasing me. Somebody knocks on the door, like saying, Danny, get the fuck out, get the fuck out, get out of the house, get out. Who are you with? And it was me. I he was with me, right? And come I come to find out he's been dating this girl for seven years, he's cheating on her with me for the past year and a half. And oh wow, which is more even to his meet what's that I was like, it that doesn't make sense. You were with me in Mexico for almost seven days. Like, where do you think he was? And if you in fact, you know, the girlfriend, and then he had lied to her saying that he was in jail and that he could not get a hold of him because he was with me the whole time, so he wasn't on the phone, he wasn't texting, he wasn't like there was no signs, right? That somebody was checking up on him or he was stressed or anything that he had blocked her number and said that he was in jail for the last seven days, and he was so ashamed that he didn't want to contact her, and that's how she was, I guess, lied to. Yeah, that was like a whole fucking other story.
Violeta
Yeah, he's gonna be the lion. I've had that happen like twice. One was just like we weren't really dating, we're just like whatever, and yeah, he had a pregnant girlfriend that he was living with or whatever, Miyammo and everything. I was like, Well, I don't know, like and then the second one, the wife, yeah, called me, and then we actually met up. She was nice about it, but she just wanted to ask me questions. I was like, because I had been dating that guy for like I think it was like two years too. They they had been together, yeah, we're almost I think the same amount of time, I think. That it meant the Miyamo because he she got had gotten my number from his watch, I guess, or something like that. Forgot what was connected to his phone, and she saw it that I had been we were texting and stuff. He was like, and then we met up and had some dinner at some restaurant or whatever, and she was asking me, and I was telling her, I was like, Well, I met him here, and I don't know. And I was like, Well, I'm not gonna be seeing him again. And she was like, Yeah, and then her thumb go, pero she still stayed with him. I don't know if they're still together, but I was like, She still stayed with him. I was like, Ugh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00
I think my ex-boyfriend, they got married. I believe they got married. Wow, yeah, because that girl was like found my Facebook, she was bullying me over Facebook, and I was like, I didn't know, like, girl, yeah, take your man, I don't care.
Violeta
Like, I know, I mean, like, I mean me valid. You and my husband is my not this husband, but my first husband, like some girl, and I was like, take his ass, not that attached, not attached to it. But like, we were really married for like maybe like almost six months.
SPEAKER_00
But that complicated things because then I had a timeshare, yeah, had a timeshare. So the week after, I think he paid for like three or four months, like he sent me the money to pay his half of the timeshare. Yeah, but then he stopped paying. And I was just like my mother, yeah.
Violeta
Because I leave if you wouldn't stop paying, he doesn't give a shit like his credit or whatever.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, he's not getting anything out of me. We're not together anymore, right? So he's like, You forget her out.
Violeta
Oh wow.
SPEAKER_02
Did you end up canceling, or you just paid for the two years? No, I paid for it. I tried to cancel many times.
SPEAKER_00
Me, a 23-year-old trying to cancel, they'll keep sending me the contract stipulations. There's no way I can stop it, but I just ended up paying the $88 for two years, which at that time it was a lot of money for me. Yeah, making $9 an hour. It was like significant. I was already living by myself and living in a studio, so my major expenses were renting gas, right? And I was going to school full-time, going work full-time, and then having the $88 really. I was eating at a subway and McDonald's most days, like because I don't cook. So you guys you can bash me in the comments. I don't cook. So but eating the dollar menu, yeah, making sure you got the five dollar back in the day when it was five dollar a sub for a foot long. Yeah, all of that.
Violeta
Oh wow, but you never ended up like using the timeshare, just with what money cooking. Oh, that's crazy. Yeah, they almost got me, but my ex-husband at the time, when we were in the bus, they were saying stuff and we were like, it sounds raro, whatever. And then when we got to the spot, we just left. We just left. We're like, no, never mind. So that's good because I probably would have felt for it too. Like comida, and then they got you drunk, yeah, I would have gotten a contract and stuff.
SPEAKER_00
That's why I don't drink, guys. You can't get out of anything out of me anymore.
Violeta
Yeah. No, see it's certain though. They every time that somebody's trying to sell you something, like you go to these events, whatever, siempre they liquor you up. When you go like even if you go to those luxury places, like oh, you want some champagne or something, to loosen that wallet. So yeah. Let's see. So, yeah, so you fell for the timeshare. I almost fell for the timeshare. I think one thing that I did that was kind of like a big loss at that time, because again, like minimum wage job, young and stuff, but I was starting to learn about stocks. I fell for the stock bros content where they were like, yeah, you could be like get this stock and blah blah blah. And you're learning about like what it is, kind of how it works, or whatever, but I didn't know about like index funds or like anything like that. Ethania my 401k, which is another kind of like mess up right there, but I'll talk about that one in a little bit because that one's just a little quick. I messed up on how I set that up. But like I was sending a little bit of money to like the 401k, pero como que because I was following that content on YouTube of oh, you know, buy stocks and buy X amount of stocks and this and that or whatever, like basically like day trading kind of. And at that time, you mean YouTube. It was I watched a lot of YouTube like influencers and stuff like that. Like I was the makeup ones were like my favorite and stuff. So I was into like makeup more at that time. And you would get wines sent to your door and stuff. And I used it, I signed up because like the influencers sold it to me, and I was like, you know what, like why not? Right. It was around the pandemic, anyways, too. So that was another bonus as well. And I was like, oh, that's cool. Like, so I I was getting the wine, and then they ended up going, I think it was Kedad, I forget what app, but it's not necessarily like a Robin Hood or anything like that, but they can sell shares, and it's like to raise money, almost like crowdfunding, but it's called it was called something else. I can't remember what the app was, and so like I got the email from the their newsletter because I was signed up for the subscription and they talked about it. It's like, oh yeah, you put this money in, and then you'll get this, and eventually you'll get dividends once they go public, blah blah blah, all this stuff, right? So you'll be in chingona right there, right? Thinking, like, oh yeah, I'm gonna be an investor, I can put stocks and week. I mean, like, I was using it, so of course it's a good company, so iBoy, yeah, yeah. At this time I was going to school and I was still in the military, so I was getting money for school and then no, a job, and I was still getting my military paycheck. So I was like, oh, this is perfect. I could use my money to actually make me more money, and so I put $1,500, $1,500 worth. And me mandaron a little paperwork and all that stuff, and I got this stuff. I don't know, I don't know what I did, and so I was like, okay, cool, sounds great. But it was like ni duraron el year, ni duraron year, wink went under. And they tried they tried to come back, and no sé qué pasó con los stocks. Like I just lost fifteen hundred dollars, it just went down the drain, and I was like, oh shit, well, I was thinking I was being like uh an investor. Can I just bought $1,500 in stocks? It's like I was like, uh wine, not like something could have at least sent me a wine bottle. Like nothing, oh my god, nada, like yeah. So I don't know whatever happened. I think they did try to go public or algo paso así. I never figured out what happened to them, but like I just got the letters to be like, yeah, you know, we're going uh basically your shares are worth nothing now. So I know let's do $1,500. But yeah, that was the beginning of my investing journey, and I thought that I was being smart about it. And then I was like putting money in my 401k, but you know, you had to like also put it into like a fund, and there was different funds, like you got like target funds and stuff like that. And we have that too in the military, but there's something called the G Fund, which is where like the bonds and things like that, very little return, but it's pretty safe, right? Yeah, that's where I was sending my money, and for like 10 years, no, not 10 years, like maybe only eight. I think it was like eight years. I was just sending money and money, you know, my my 401k because it was just sitting in like bonds for the most part, and I was like, Yeah. No, I never went back to see like the calculations, like if I would have put it here, how much it would have grown, but I don't even want to know. So yeah, that was the time that I lost. I can't believe which was significant to me at that time. Because even though I was in the military, like I still was like, Randall, like a little bit, and that was like a lot to just lose.
SPEAKER_02
Sometimes these financial lessons they cost money, they do, they do, and then you don't know everything, and you don't really have a lot of guidance either.
SPEAKER_00
Like being first gen immigrant, I asked my mom what a timeshare is, she doesn't even know what that is, right? Like, and I never was exposed to it at 20 years old. But another thing that I used like a bank account was my 401k too. So when I turned like 2021, I became a nurse assistant and I was working at a nurse assisted leaving facility. And then this old lady that onboarded me with the facility, she asked me. I remember distinctly because I had to watch videos and videos about this first job that actually had training for two weeks and just me sitting in a room watching videos. She came and she said, Oh, do you want to sign up for the 401k? Because I was being hired full-time. And I was like, I don't know what that is. I'm like 20, 21, or whatever. And and then she's like, Oh, I just signed you up. And then she just marked the form. And I didn't know like my 3% of my paycheck was being going, it was going to the 401k, right? When I finished with that company, when I quit that job, I got a paycheck. Like I got a statement, which I didn't receive any statements in the past from it. I never saw it. So I was like, it was so weird. Yeah, it might have been like paperless or whatever, maybe. Yeah, she probably did paperless for you. Whatever it was, I never got any statements. So I got like this statement saying I had six thousand dollars or something like that, or whatever. And I was just like, What? This must be a mistake. And then I called the bank at the time it was Fidelity. I don't even remember if it was Fidelity or Experience or whatever. And then they're like, yo, this is your contributions for 401k. We want to send you a check to see if you want to roll over to somewhere else. And I was like, Oh, I don't want to roll it over, I wanna take it out. And then they're like, Oh, there's some penalties by taking it out. I was like, I didn't know they had I had this money, just take it out. Like, I don't care about the penalties. So I like I paid a hundred six hundred dollars or whatever I paid, and then they sent me a check, and I use the check to pay for like things for my schooling, right? Because like I said, I was a struggling college student. I was in nursing school, I had a car that was breaking down all the time. I paid for books, I paid for uniforms, I paid for like my community college fees. So that $6,000 helped me finish school, my associate's degree in nursing. And I was like, wow, that's what you can do by having a 401k. When I became a nurse and I worked in my first hospital, I still signed up for 401k. And I was like, Oh, I can use this money again when I need it. I didn't know this was a retirement account or anything that you're supposed to delay growth for the future. I was like, oh, this is just like another benefit that you have from your job. You put money into it, if you want to take it out, there's like a penalty, but that's it. So I took it out again. I was just like, after getting my associates, I went to I wanted to get my bachelor's, and that was something that I had to do online, and that program was like $18,000. Me working as a nurse was paying me more, but I didn't have $18,000 and I didn't want to get loans. So those are things that you get from a scarcity mindset. Getting loans for me was such a no no-no, right? Like school would initially I wanted to be a doctor, and then they told me you probably need to get $200,000 worth of loans. And I'm like, I'm not gonna be a doctor then, because I don't, I don't how am I gonna pay $200,000 back? Like when I was 17, that sounded like incredible, an incredible, yeah. And it's still a lot right now. But so I was like, I'll just be a nurse, I go to community college, I'll do this. And then so after doing that for my bachelor, it was an additional $18,000. I just graduated from community college, um, barely making a paycheck. I don't have money. Let me cash out, like let me work my W2 and cash on my 401k again so I can pay for school. And I did. I did again. I worked for like a year, I went back to school. I cashed out my 401k. I think I cashed out like $12,000 at the time. But the thing is, when you make less money, yeah, your penalties, it's still 10% to take it out, but it doesn't really advance much more into your income, right? So the next year when I filed taxes, I didn't realize I was paying more in taxes because I cashed out my 401k, right? Because I was not making that much money, so it wasn't a significantly drastic tax liability that I have the following year. So I keep doing that twice. And then finally, when I was 29, I wanted to become a homeowner. And I was like, I'll just put more in my 401k and I cash it out later. So that's what I did at 29. I have about $70,000 in my 401k. And I was like, I'm gonna take it all out to buy this house that I really want, that I like my dream to be a homeowner, right? Yeah, so I took it all out. I paid the $7,000, and then the following year, because now I'm 29, I've been in nursing for a while, I moved jobs, I increased my income, right? Like I bought this house, I repaired a lot of this house because I had a fixer up, or obviously I deployed like an additional $20,000 on repairs, just like the first year. Then the next day when I filed my taxes, the CPA or TuroTax tells me you owe $14,000 in taxes. And I was like, What? $14,000? Yes, for I was like, What? There's no way I owe $14,000. Like I just bought a house, like I put $60,000 down and I put $20,000 in repairing it, and I have no money. I have no money, right? Like, I can't pay $14,000. I remember seeing that and crying and like getting very depressed and being like, I feel like I'm being punished for wanting to be a homeowner, and I just put a new roof in this house, put new floors because that's all I could afford. A fixer up or a 600k house in Los Angeles. Yeah, that's what I could afford. And then so I was very depressed by what I just did that I set up a payment plan with the government. I had to work extra time the whole next year. So over the time a lot, yeah, I was really bad. And then COVID hit, so it was extra bad. So yeah, it was uh a lot of sacrifice at that day. But that was like I don't regret cashing out my 401k, but I do regret not doing the research of what the tax implications we're gonna have in terms because I could have prepared, I could have just delayed so much repairs from the house that I bought, like I could have done it very slowly, yeah, instead of having that like so and to quay you, like the $14,000 that you owe Uncle Sam. Yeah, it's crazy.
Violeta
Yeah, speaking of like my mom, I guess she saw your TikTok earlier or something, and she's like, Diletoniga, no and send us a cosmore one K. I was like, Mom, she already did. Yeah, it's too late. She was telling the story, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's too late. Yeah, I'm gonna pull that as a call table. Yeah, as you can, yeah, there's just things that we don't learn, and one of the things is yeah, it kind of sets us back a little bit, like obviously 14,000 Isufrias for that year, like making it up. But it's still like, you know, now you have your house, and then you use that to buy more houses, and then now with ADUs, right? So, like sometimes, yeah, especially when you make them at such a young age, and at least you still use that money for something like your school, which obviously that increased your salary because now you you ended up getting your degree and stuff like that, and then you used it to buy your house, which appreciated, and then was used to buy more assets. So, like I know we like to beat ourselves up like with these poor financial decisions, but like it's learning experiences, yeah. But in the most, even with me, with my wasn't as much as yours, but oh, like I still learned it was a very expensive $1,500 stock investing a course for myself. But yeah, now I know better, and so that's the thing, that's the way the journey goes. Now, you know, we're learning as we go, nothing's gonna be perfect. We just do our best and like take your time when you don't know something, definitely like research, ask people a little bit. Yeah, ask people that could help you prevent that. And we have so many resources now, like back in the day, like what I think. Like, we have so many books, even more books, and some like written by Latinas and women of color and stuff like that. So it's pretty awesome to see. And of course, there's money cheese made and our real estate cheese may podcast and stuff like that. It's also here to help y'all. So yeah, but yeah, it's we're doing better now. We're making smarter decisions, right?
SPEAKER_02
With our investments, more than it's working out.
Violeta
Yeah, so I'm sure we're gonna do some more. I mean, I just had a close call, I think I would feel where I almost bought like property in Mexico and stuff like that, but I ended up backing out of it. Because let me go stall, I don't like how the system is set up. It feels I don't think it's probably not scammy, but just kind of like very a poor setup how they have it. They're more focused on selling the terrenos versus like actually building the community because like they're selling terrenos in a community that they built, like a gated community, but they're allowing people to like just make very minimal payments. It's like, oh, but to build, like you know, I want to build my house here, and I don't want like empty lots, and you're supposed to have commercial lots and stuff, it's supposed to be a nice community. Like, I'm gonna be on my deathbed by the time people end up like paying, you know, these terrenos and actually paying to build their house. So I was like, Nah, never mind. I would always look for something different. So yeah, I ended up having to back out on that one. But yeah, we learn and we keep going. So other than that, I want to know what mistakes that y'all have done. You know, leave it down in the comments if you're watching on YouTube. And other than that, we'll see you in the next episode. Bye. Yeah, see you.