27. Meet Fernanda A. - Stepmom Supreme: Managing Money with a Blended Family

Fernanda was born in Mexico City and came to the U.S. for college. She was steadily and successfully working her way up the corporate ladder—but realized she was upgrading her lifestyle as she went. She joined Factora making 6 figures, but was spending out of line with her values. Now, she’s a homeowner with a completely full emergency fund—and a fiance (and stepmom!) with combined finances. They cover: Why “get your money together” feels so overwhelming as a to-do list item and what to do about it. The exact details of her first home purchase in Portland, Maine, using a jumbo loan. How that home purchase saves her $1,600 per month compared to her NY apartment. The credit card system that she and her fiance use to pay for their life and his kids’ expenses. How to deal with the “grey area” in combined finances—not everything’s black + white. How her childhood informed the way she sees money and power dynamics. The conclusion she made after watching her parents live an inflated lifestyle and stress about money.