Louis Barajas, a financial advisor with nearly 40 years in the industry, tells you not to trust him blindly. He warns against confusing credentials, book deals, or follower counts with actual trustworthiness, and urges you to question advice and verify claims over time.
Don't trust me. I know that's a strange thing for a financial advisor to say, especially after I've been doing this for almost 40 years. I've written 6 books, I've been a leader in the financial planning profession, I'm on a television series on PBS, I've advised families for decades, and I've spent a huge part of my career trying to bring financial education to the Latino community. So yes, I believe I've earned some credibility, but I still don't want you to blindly trust me. I want you to listen to me, I want you to question me, look up what I'm telling you. See if I've been consistent. See if what I teach actually makes sense for you and your family. Because I understand why so many Latinos are skeptical about money. A lot of us didn't grow up around wealth. We didn't grow up around financial advisors. And sometimes when somebody offered to help us financially, well, they were sometimes just trying to sell us stuff. So being skeptical can protect you, but being cynical can cost you. Because if you believe everybody has an agenda, eventually you stop listening to people who might actually be there to help you. So don't trust somebody because they have a nice title or wears a nice suit, or don't trust them because they have a lot of followers, and don't even trust them because they've written 6 books. Look at what they've done over time. Trust isn't something somebody should ask you for. It's something they should earn. And after almost 40 years, I hope I've earned the opportunity for you to listen.
