Meet Luzy King | Financial and Business Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luzy King and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luzy, what role has risk played in your life or career?

By definition, we have been conditioned to believe that risk involves a situation in which you are exposed to danger. I view risk as the opposite; risk is part of building self-trust.

I am a first-gen professional and the first person in my family to hold a top executive job. I spent 17 years working in the hospitality industry, starting as a housekeeper and then learning nearly every position throughout the company. My curiosity and ambition led me to become a general manager eventually.

In 2019, I left this job after 17 years because I was underpaid and overworked. For nearly two decades, I was focused on climbing the corporate ladder, but now I had to discover my own path. I put myself back in school to earn my MBA while transitioning as a stay-at-home mom. While pursuing my MBA, I learned more about the stock market and investing through one of my finance classes. As I started learning more about investing, I began to question why the fundamentals of money management weren’t ingrained in me. The topics of how I could build wealth as a first-gen were never taught to me at home, in school, and I didn’t have a clear understanding of how my previous employer’s retirement plan worked. My bank account and finances did not reflect my hard work of 17 years. I was working hard for my money and not letting my money work for me, all due to my lack of financial literacy.

In 2020 while watching the news on TV, I witnessed how many women, mainly Latina women, were losing their jobs because of COVID. It shocked me to learn that most of those women didn’t have an emergency fund of $500.00 to provide the financial stability they needed after losing their jobs. The lack of financial literacy was affecting the entire nation. A few months before the pandemic hit, I was denied financial advice because I didn’t have $100K to start investing and was even told that most financial planners don’t seek women of color as potential clients.

I took the risk to launch an online financial literacy agency and business coaching to help bridge the gender wealth gap.

Coming from a corporate background and having studied business, I was constantly encouraged to have a business plan, a sales plan, a marketing plan, and I didn’t have all of those plans fully developed yet. What I did have was a lot of passion and commitment to teaching others how financial literacy and investing is the key to financial stability. So I took the risk to share my story online even though I was raised to be a private person and never talk about money matters in public. This risk has let me find my purpose, run my dream business and create a community of Latinas and WOC to talk about money, their ambitions, and their genuine desire to build generational wealth beyond our ancestor’s wildest dreams. I’ve become the coach/mentor I wish I had growing up by taking risks.

Success is not linear, and I encourage anyone to take a risk and start before they are ready.

What should our readers know about your business?
My Online business is all about finance and wealth building. I talk about money mindset, systems, stock market investing, and online business. What sets me apart from other financial literacy agencies and business coaching is that I’ve incorporated a holistic approach to money. I help my clients unlearn their money stories, create wealth based on their values, and dream big. I do not teach them to cut expenses but rather increase their income. My previous experience as a top executive manager helps me teach my clients the critical compounding habits they need to adapt to change their financial trajectory.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My friends would love a nice 10-mile hike or a 50-minute bike ride. I have friends that love to move and spend time outside. We love supporting local coffee shops, restaurants, and book stores. We also spend time at my friend’s “little white house,” where we meet monthly for our book club. We enjoy kayaking or traveling together; we are the WHOA group (Women High on Adventure).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thank you to my Speaking Coach Yvonne Armienta from Chat with Yvonne, for supporting my passion for the art of public speaking. Thank you to Yoli Magna-Valencia from @latinastwhotrade for persuading me to share my story, even when I thought it wasn’t worth sharing. Thank you to my WHOA Group for supporting my journey. Thank you to my amazing husband for always supporting my wildest dreams. Thank you to all of the fantastic clients who have trusted me with their money stories and ambition to start building wealth beyond our ancestor’s wildest dreams.

Website: www.vivalabudgetandfinance.com

Instagram: @vivalabudgetandfinance

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luzy-d-king-mba-78b366b2/