Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom (eBook)

CINDY ZUNIGA-SANCHEZ is the Founder of Zero-Based Budget, where she offers personal finance education on saving, investing, and strategies for debt repayment. She has been featured in national publications, including Forbes, Kiplinger, Business Insider, and Bloomberg Opinion, and received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Preface xi

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

"Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez has such a gift for teaching and her straightforward guidance makes it easy for anyone pursuing financial freedom to start (or keep going)! This book is a great companion to get you through the bumps along the road so you can reach financial freedom with ease and confidence."

--JEN HEMPHILL, AFC®, 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