Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom
8 Pillars to Build Wealth
1. Edition November 2022
288 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Further versions
Transform your financial situation with easy-to-follow advice from a first-generation professional
In Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom: 8 Pillars to Build Wealth, lawyer, business owner, and first-generation professional Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez delivers a practical and actionable blueprint for financial independence. Full of easy-to-apply advice for young adults, students, and early-career professionals, the book is a holistic guide to responsibly managing money and debt while building your nest egg.
In the book, you'll explore how to be a responsible consumer, how to budget, save, invest, pay off debt, build credit, and increase your income. You'll also understand much of what school didn't teach you about student loans. The author explains:
* Strategies to create a realistic and actionable debt repayment plan that will save you money and time
* Strategies for maximizing your income by negotiating your salary and finding profitable "side hustles"
* Techniques for straightforward forms of investing that responsibly balance risk and reward
* The money strategies that she put into place and resources that she used to go from having six-figures of debt to a multiple six-figure net worth
An essential money resource for students, professionals, entrepreneurs, young families, and anyone else hoping to reduce their financial stress and improve their lives, Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom is the simple and powerful money guide you've been waiting for.
Acknowledgments xv
About the Author xvii
Part 1 My Money Story 1
1 Money Lessons from the Bronx 3
2 Financial Hurdles in Pursuit of the American Dream 9
3 The Journey to Financial Freedom 17
Part 2 Eight Wealth-Building Pillars 25
4 Take Inventory of Your Numbers 27
5 Choose the Best Budget for You 45
6 Become a Conscious Consumer 71
7 Save with a Purpose 87
8 Create Your Debt Payoff Plan 109
9 Master Your Credit and Your Credit Cards 141
10 Invest for Future You 165
11 Increase Your Income 193
Part 3 Implementing the Pillars 211
12 Your Financial Roadmap 213
Notes 231
Index 245
--JEN HEMPHILL, AFC(r), host of Her Dinero Matters podcast
"Too much personal finance advice is unclear, irrelevant, and outmoded. Thank the money gods for giving us Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez, who shares her personal success story in support of an even grander mission: to materially change the lives of hardworking people who've long been left out of these important conversations about building wealth."
--AMANDA HOLDEN, Founder, Invested Development
"In Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom, Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez confronts the reality of a changing American Dream--one that isn't defined by a specific salary, job title or milestone, but by the flexibility, autonomy and options to spend our time, money, and energy in whatever ways align with our own personal priorities. With empathy, understanding and a clear step-by-step action plan, Cindy empowers readers to overcome common barriers, like student loans and credit card debt, to achieve that financial freedom on their own terms."
--STEFANIE O'CONNELL RODRIGUEZ, Host, REAL SIMPLE Magazine's Money Confidential podcast
"I'm a first gen Latina, and last Christmas my cousin asked me 'Do you know Cindy from Zero-Based Budget? She's a huge inspiration to me, as a Latina lawyer.' Cindy has written a book that my cousin and so many other Latinas need and want; it's a toolkit and representation all in one."
--KARA PEREZ, Founder, Bravely Go
"Cindy's powerful story and uniquely accessible way of talking about finance makes her the perfect teacher for anyone looking to transform their relationship with money, especially coming from being in debt. This book is practical, easy to understand, and takes the reader through the full process of building a healthy relationship to money without ever feeling overwhelming. I love Cindy's work!"
--CHELSEA FAGAN, Founder & CEO, The Financial Diet
