Linda Rapisardo, CFP®’s Post

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.   In January, I made one of the scariest decisions of my life: leaving a great, well-paying job while pregnant with my second child. Walking away from a role many would dream of was daunting (more on that in the future!).   By March, my husband, our two-year-old, and I—seven months pregnant—moved from Pensacola, FL, to St. Louis to be closer to family.   In June, we welcomed Camila Aurora to the family!   Like any high-achieving, first-gen who grew up believing that taking breaks was a sign of laziness, I planned to launch Canela Wealth during my self-imposed maternity leave. I told myself, "It'll launch by September at the latest!" Fast forward a few months, and I’m thrilled to share that Canela Wealth is finally live —better late than never! 😂   So, what caused the delay? Turns out having a toddler and a Velcro baby is no joke. A few weeks into maternity leave, I realized I wasn’t having 𝑓𝑢𝑛. Instead, I found myself stressing over things like my website and post-partum headshots. That’s when I hit pause. I chose to let go of my launch timeline and focus on cherishing my maternity leave. I didn’t want to miss the special “firsts” my children and I experienced together.   I don’t take for granted how fortunate I was to make that choice—to postpone earning income for a few extra months. So many families don’t have the luxury of taking weeks off, let alone months.   𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. That experience is at the heart of 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑎 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ. I launched this firm to help first-gen wealth builders create financial plans that reflect their goals and prepare them for life’s big changes. Whether it’s taking time off to cherish life’s moments, caring for a loved one, or following your dreams, a financial plan can help make it possible.   If you're interested in learning more about Canela Wealth and our financial planning services, check out the link in my bio. [We also snuck in a trip to visit family living in Lucca, Italy. This picture captures the joy and chaos of life as a family of four.]