Giovanna "Gigi" González

Episode 70: Cultura & Cash: Empowering Finance

Meet Giovanna “Gigi” Gonzalez, a financial educator and author of Cultura & Cash, a practical, jargon-free money guide for first-generation Latinx to tackle their finances. 

Giovanna is a Mexican-American financial professional turned influencer and financial educator for first-generation individuals looking to take control of their finances. She is a trailblazer who grew up straddling two worlds in a border town, with one foot in Mexico and the other in the US. “Gigi”. After a decade-long career in corporate America, Gigi amassed a large online following, providing financial tips, and 3 years later, she published her first book, Cultura & Cash. 

Here is what we talked about: 

Bicultural Roots & motivators: Giovanna’s unique upbringing and how it shaped her money mindset, and the practical way her parents used to encourage her to pursue higher education. 

Community College Gateway: Accessing higher education via community college: The pros and cons.

Harmful stereotypes in the Corporate world: Overcoming stereotypes in corporate environments where her passion was misinterpreted as anger.

Financial Awakening: Despite doing everything ‘right,’ the struggle with living paycheck to paycheck prompted a deep dive into self-education on finances.

Cultural Financial Literacy: Recognizing the need for a cultural perspective in financial education that takes into account the unique challenges of first gen individuals from collectivistic cultures.

The ‘First Gen Five’ Method: The five pillars of financial education that can help you move the needle from financial chaos, to stability and even financial independence. 

Webpage: The First Gen Mentor 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovannagonzalez/