This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Prudential and DiMe Media. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
It’s kind of hard to put into words how much it meant to finally bring a Hispanicize signature event to the state of Texas, but I think the reactions from attendees afterwards pretty much sum up my sentiments exactly. There was a sense of energy and excitement at every turn during the first ever Hispanicize Texas event that took place on July 29, 2017 in the city of Houston. From the moment I arrived to Silver Street Studios where the one-day event took place, people were lined up and smiling, eagerly awaiting what was ahead for them at Hispanicize Texas.
Because it was the first event of its kind in Houston we weren’t sure what to expect. How many people would show up. How long they would actually stay. And what their overall reception to the event would be once it was all over.
Anjelica and I had a gut instinct the reception would be a great one, but it’s always a little unnerving to see if what you think will happen will actually happen. What was great to witness from the beginning was the support of longtime Hispanicize partners like Prudential who pretty much from the beginning were just as excited to come to Texas as we were to have them coming as the official flagship sponsor of the event. I believe they understand the needs of the community in the Lone Star State and were excited to be able to empower so many Texans in a single day.
That was the theme of their participation on July 29: Financial Empowerment.
For me personally, as a new business owner and father to a now high school freshman this topic really hit home. I have been paying much more attention to my personal finances ever since I ventured on my own about 14 months ago. I am sad to admit, however, that it took me this long to actually realize how much my personal finances can lead to freedom. Freedom from working a 9-to-5 job, freedom from debt, freedom from being stuck in a job that I didn’t really care for that much anymore. Being financially stable means being independent to me, and that is something I had been wanting for a very long time.
During our lunch with the Prudential leadership team – as ambassadors of the event – Anjelica and I also had a chance to talk about our finances as a married couple. That’s not something we do on a regular basis, but it did make me vocalize something we had only talked about to each other before and which I think is such a critical conversation to anyone who is in a marriage or a long term relationship. Finances are tough. They’re even tougher as a married couple, especially during the early years of your union. Not only are you learning to live with one another then, you are also learning to prioritize your finances together.
Regardless of where in your life you are right now the message of financial empowerment shared by Prudential at Hispanicize Texas is one that is important to all of us – today and in the future. That was the biggest takeaway for me as a Prudential ambassador.
There’s no time like the present to start planning ahead.
