From Venezuela to Miami: Anabella Murillo’s Immigration & Wealth Story

Summary

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Stay Tranquilo: "From Venezuela to Miami – Anabella Murillo’s Immigration & Wealth Story"

Podcast: Stay Tranquilo
Host: Kat (Stay Tranquilo Network)
Guest: Anabella Murillo
Date: January 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this laid-back yet insightful episode, Kat sits down with Anabella Murillo, a Venezuelan native who immigrated to the U.S. nearly two decades ago and built a successful career in the trust, estate, and wealth management industry. Through reflections on her personal journey of immigration, adaptation, and professional growth, Anabella shares hard-earned wisdom about starting from scratch, navigating family dynamics as an immigrant, building a career in finance, and the importance of education and planning in achieving financial security. The conversation also touches on cultural shifts in discussing wealth, generational differences, and the unique atmosphere that makes Miami special.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Anabella's Immigration Journey

• Background in Venezuela

  • Grew up in Caracas, attended law school, started a career in tax.
  • Family began relocating to the U.S. in 1999 due to political changes under Chavez.
  • Anabella was the last in her family to remain in Venezuela, managing her own household and completing her studies.
  • "I literally packed my two bags and just left... This is my life in just two suitcases." (06:33)

• Decision to Move

  • With increasing instability and personal vulnerability, her father—already in the U.S.—finalized her Green Card process.
  • She moved to Miami as a young adult, giving up her independent life for an uncertain new start.

• Challenges & Emotional Complexity

  • The heartbreak of leaving everything familiar behind, juxtaposed with the relief of reuniting with family.
  • "It's not easy for who leaves the country, but I also think it's not easy for who stays." (06:54)

2. Professional Adaptation & Career in Wealth Management

• Starting Over in America

  • Relocated to her father’s home, adjusting from independent adulthood to starting again at zero.
  • Relied on guidance from her brothers for navigating early financial and career decisions.

• Career Path

  • Initially planned to pursue an LLM at UF but received a job offer in Miami’s financial sector.
  • Chose practical work experience over further academic pursuit due to the financial crisis.
  • "We’re in the financial crisis. You should take the job… if someone has money now, you’re lucky." (14:21)

• Career Growth

  • Worked in a global trust company, serving Latin American clients; assignments took her from Miami to New York ("the cold was horrible," (16:53)) to San Francisco and back to Miami.
  • Developed expertise in serving ultra-high-net-worth families and their offices in trust, estate planning, fund administration, and outsourced CFO services.

3. Wealth, Financial Planning, and Generational Shifts

• Role of Trust Companies

  • Anabella describes serving as corporate trustee, helping families set up trusts for asset protection, tax efficiency, and legacy.
  • Offers compliance support, fund administration, and fractional CFO services to funds and corporations.

• Advice for the Next Generation

  • "It’s never too early, but it’s always too late." (25:52) — Start educating yourself about financial matters from the outset.
  • Encourages proactive learning: "Be more proactive than reactive. You have to know what’s happening out there." (26:33)

• Legal & Financial Interconnection

  • Every financial decision has legal consequences; urges listeners to ensure investments and accounts (even small ones) have appropriate legal designations (beneficiaries, wills, power of attorney).
  • "Everything you do, there’s a legal consequence there." (29:27)

• Changing Conversations

  • Historically, financial and wealth topics were not discussed at home, especially among immigrants or women. That’s shifting.
  • "Those were not conversations that were being had… now that’s changing, though." (31:56, 32:07)

4. Miami as a Home and Hub for Immigrants

• Why Miami?

  • Its tropical nature reminds Anabella of Venezuela, the multicultural "melting pot" is both challenging at times and a source of comfort.
  • "I love the tropical vibes about it. I love that we have the melting pot of Latinos, which is great… Americans come here, gringos come here, they’re like: What is this?" (49:14–50:19)

• Living Through the City’s Growth

  • "I love the fact that I saw it 26 years ago… and now downtown, Brickell Avenue—it’s unrecognizable. I love that." (51:07–51:29)

5. Insights on Wealth Building & Opportunity in the U.S.

• Opportunities in America

  • The U.S. offers both uncapped opportunity and the freedom to live modestly—one doesn’t have to be Jeff Bezos to succeed.
  • "Good thing or good news is that you can choose." (44:16, 44:19)

• Mindset & Proactivity

  • Immigrants and all Americans should adopt a mindset of looking for opportunities, even in adversity (e.g., inflation).
  • "Where there’s a problem, there’s an opportunity… instead of freaking out, do something about it." (48:34–48:57)

• Community and Lifelong Learning

  • Advises listeners to surround themselves with communities where financial, technological, and life topics are discussed openly.
  • "Surround yourself with a circle of people that you can go and have nice conversations… deep conversations… look for those circles, for sure." (36:39–37:01)

6. Notable Perspective as a Latina in Finance

• Being a Latina in Wealth Management
  • Anabella’s experience is unique and she’s proud to offer mentorship: "If you want to be better at something, ask for help… I’m proud and happy to be someone who pays back to whoever is coming into this country and not understanding the process because it’s not easy, it’s difficult." (40:12–42:02)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Migration & Belonging:
  "You belong there… that’s where you were born. That’s what you breathe, what you smell. It’s like, that’s where you’re from. Absolutely difficult just to… pack your two bags and just leave." (06:21–06:33, Anabella)

• On Immigrant Resilience:
  "Because that’s what immigrants do. They figure it out." (10:53, Anabella)

• On Learning & Financial Planning:
  "Educate yourself on the financial matters… it’s never too late to educate yourself. Be more proactive than reactive." (25:56, 26:33, Anabella)

• On Connecting Legal & Financial Planning:
  "Everything you do, there’s always going to be a consequence legally… financial and legal industries must be connected hand by hand." (27:27, Anabella)

• On Women and Financial Conversations:
  "Those conversations were not held on a table. And that’s why… women do not feel as confident as men on financial decisions. Now that’s changing, though." (31:55–32:07, Anabella)

• On Opportunity in the U.S.:
  "Good news is that you can choose. You have options, and alternatives, and opportunities… You don’t have to be Jeff Bezos. Just be yourself." (44:16–44:57, Anabella)

• On Mindset in Challenging Times:
  "Where there’s a problem, there’s an opportunity… Instead of freaking out, do something about it!" (48:39–48:57, Anabella)

• On Miami’s Unique Flavor:
  "It reminds me a lot of Venezuela… Miami is unique because it’s a city that is still growing… There’s so many things to do in here, so many opportunities that we haven’t even seen." (49:14, 49:27–49:51, Anabella)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:05–07:33]: Anabella’s family history, decision to stay behind, and eventual move from Venezuela
• [11:00–16:47]: Starting anew: career path, receiving opportunity in Miami, and working through the financial crisis
• [18:22–20:11]: Career moves: New York’s challenges and San Francisco’s highlights
• [25:15–26:33]: Anabella’s advice for younger generations on financial proactivity
• [27:43–29:27]: Explaining the critical tie between financial and legal decisions
• [31:55–32:07]: Why money was a taboo topic, especially for women and immigrants
• [36:39–37:42]: The need to find supportive communities for learning and growth
• [40:12–42:02]: Reflections on being a Latina professional offering guidance to newcomers
• [49:14–51:45]: What makes Miami special and its spectacular growth

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Conclusion

This episode offers a heartfelt, practical, and empowering look at the immigrant experience, career growth, financial literacy, and the power of mindset—delivered with honesty, humility, and warmth. Anabella’s story is a testament to resilience and proactive adaptation, stressing the value of education, community, and choosing your unique path in America—whether that means building a business empire or cherishing a modest, fulfilling life.

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Transcript

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[Kat]

Good morning. Buenas dias. Welcome back to another episode of Cafecito. Icrocheta is brought to you by State Tranquilo and H and Co. Today we are joined by Annabella Murillo and I don't know exactly your full story, so I want to definitely use today to be able to tell your story, talk about your experience in the space. Pero, thank you so much for being here. Thank you, Kat, for making the introduction. As always, thank you. And thank you to our partners over at H and Co. So Anabela, please, the mic is yours. Tell us where you're from, a little bit about yourself.

[Annabella Murillo]

Absolutely. Thank you so much. And thank you, Kat, also for connecting me with Andre and say Tranquillo here at the podcast. Well, so I am, I was born and raised in Venezuela, so I grew up there like normal tropical Caribbean girl. And I moved to the states about 18 years ago. So when I went, I graduated high school, then I went to law school there was. And I just started working in the tax industry down in Venezuela. But in 2007, the situation got a little bit complicated, as we know, and my family decided to move to the states. So by 2008 I was already here in Miami starting probably like a new career, like something. I had no clue what I was going to do, but it turned out that I started in this tax trust industry, financial industry, and been there for the past 18 years.

[Kat]

That's amazing. And I definitely want to touch on that. Right. Kind of your experience in that space. I feel like there's a lot of moving parts when it comes to that. But before that I, I do want to kind of touch on that transition from Venezuela, you know, to the States in 2007, 2008. Obviously, like you mentioned, things already were transitioning. Right. And now obviously a lot has happened in the last, you know, month or so, you know, specifically here between US and Venezuela and just globally the impact that that that occurred. But tell me a little bit about that time, right? What, what was Venezuela like in early mid 2000s and how was that process of being able to Even make it into the United States, because now it's that much more difficult to get here.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes, it was difficult, to be honest. My family had moved to the states back in 1999, so my dad decided he was coming back to the U.S. he was trained here in the U.S. my brothers were born here in the U.S. in the 70s, so they basically went back to Venezuela, and I was born in Venezuela. Okay. So my dad had the opportunity to come back, and by 1999, when Chavez got elected, he's like, I'm not saying so. Everyone's like, what? Like, I'm staying. And I stayed.

[Kat]

Wow.

[Annabella Murillo]

You know, I thought that I was gonna, like, you know, fight for my country, go to law school and all these dreams you have when you're a student and everything. Right. So my dad moved to Miami in 1999, and my mom also moved to. First to Washington, D.C. also in 1999, one of my brothers moved to LA, and then I stayed with my oldest brother in Caracas.

[Kat]

Wow.

[Annabella Murillo]

Two years passed, and he moved to the US as well. So I stayed by myself in Caracas while I was still going to law school and working, and that's it. I mean, I just stayed there. So for me, it was actually, I was the opposite of everyone there. First of all, my family was here, not there, which is not, you know, it's not common in Venezuela, like, to live alone by yourself and have your family not being there for you. Right. So that. That was difficult, and it was different. Right. My entire family was here. So I used to come a lot, like on holidays and whatever. Right. Even weekends, if I could. But it was difficult because I was all alone by myself. I had a couple family members, some uncles and aunts, but that's it. In the end, everybody came to Miami during that process. So my aunt came, my cousins came, my uncle came. So I was literally the only one in Venezuela. That's insane. Insane. I know. It's crazy. I just think about it. I'm like, wow. So it was a process because things were getting a little bit more complicated by every day. So, you know, lack of food and milk and things that you were not able to found. And then kidnapping was, you know, something. And then I was living by myself, which made me more vulnerable. So it was a little bit complicated. So by 2007, my dad called me. He's like, hey, you're gonna have a green card soon. Because I was under 21, he did all the process while I was living in Venezuela, he was living in Miami. And because he was a US Green card holder at the moment because of my brothers that were born in the US he's like, I already did this process for you, whether you like it or not. I'm like, okay, cool, let's do it. So he called me one day, he's like, hey, I'm becoming a US Citizen now. Your situation is going to change because you're not the daughter of a US Green card, you're the daughter of a US Citizen. So that changed all my process. And that actually that went really fast back in the days. The situation was not like today, of course. And I think it worked a little. I mean, we still had an embassy in Caracas by that time. Afterwards, it closed. Right. But so I, my dad's like, hey, you're gonna have green card anytime soon. So you have to sit down and think, what are you gonna do? I'm like, okay. So I did all my process. You have to do like lab work. A lot of things you have to do to become a green card holder. And they gave me my package in the embassy and I just did my first entrance in 2007 as a U. S. Ring out hoarder to Miami.

[Kat]

Wow.

[Annabella Murillo]

They take you to a little room, you have to sign some documents, and it's like your first official stamp in Miami as a US Person.

[Kat]

Wow, that's incredible. And I think something interesting, obviously, one, it's difficult that, you know, your whole family leaves. Right. And obviously you made a personal choice to stay in that process. But I think that's the interesting part. Right?

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah.

[Kat]

That's your home.

[Annabella Murillo]

Right?

[Kat]

Right. It's not that easy to just say, it's not, I, I want to leave. Right. Obviously you understand maybe the political climate and things are changing. Right. Like you, you mentioned limited resources. Those are obviously telltale signs to say, you know, maybe I should get out. But it's not that easy because that is your home. Right. Your, your friends are there. Obviously at that point for you, your family is already out, but you still have that element of like being home. Like we were just talking off.

[Annabella Murillo]

You'll belong there.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

You know, that's where you were born. That's what you breathe, what you smell. It's like that's where you're from. Absolutely difficult just to. I literally packed my two bags and just left.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

And I left my apartment, everything there. And I just like two bags and that's it. I remember my, all my friends from law school like took me to the airport, like at 6am in the morning, we literally party all night and we just Went straight to the airport. And I remember myself with my carry on, like my, you know, that's it. I'm like, wow, like, this is my life in just two suitcases.

[Kat]

And just like that.

[Annabella Murillo]

And just like that.

[Kat]

It's like from one moment to the next.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. It's not easy. I think it's not easy for who lives the country, but I don't. I also think it's not easy for who stays in the country.

[Kat]

Oh, absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

I mean, both are pick and choose. Yes. You know, both are very tough decisions.

[Kat]

And I think it helped that your father was.

[Annabella Murillo]

I know, absolutely. That's like, probably the only reason I just came because my entire family was here and I was, you know, very alone.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Like, I. I had a lot of things happen and I couldn't call anyone. Yeah. It's like, you know, things happen and then, okay, who am I going to call? So I realized, like, no, I have to go. I have to go where my family is. I have to follow them in a way and then I'll figure it out through the process. Because you don't have everything figured out at 25, 26 years old, right?

[Kat]

No, absolutely not.

[Annabella Murillo]

So, yeah, I mean, we're still figuring probably things out, right?

[Kat]

Exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

So it's like at 24, you're like, oh, whatever, you know what I'm gonna do. But yeah, I mean, I thought it was like the best thing to do. I had an opportunity to be here, of course, when I got here. Financial crisis. Yeah, that's true, as we know. And then. Well, yes, everything went down there. But yeah, so it was. It was a tough decision, but I think it was the best one for sure.

[Kat]

Definitely. I think now when you look back, I'm sure it's easier to. To sit with your.

[Annabella Murillo]

Now. It's funny, cuz now I'm probably the lucky one because I have my entire family here. And then the rest of the people that came, they don't necessarily have their entire family here.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

So when I was back in Venezuela, I was not the lucky one. I had no family members. Now I'm here and I have my entire family members. So it's like, wow, it's weird, you know, it's an immigration story that it's not common at all, as we know.

[Kat]

My girlfriend's family is from Colombia. Pretty much her whole mom's side of the family is still in Colombia. Abuela, Prima's aunts, everybody. Everybody's still over there. And you know, they've thought about what does that transition, but it's not that easy. It's like, what are they going to come to do? Right. Because then it's like they're already older. Right. They have established a life over there. And Colombia is a, a little bit different obviously than the political climate than, than Venezuela. You know, what, what happens there. But the, the reality is when you've built your life somewhere, you could see the vision of maybe it being the right decision to leave to a place like America, but it's not, it's easier said than done.

[Annabella Murillo]

Right.

[Kat]

And you don't really know because some people come here and then unfortunately, for whatever reason, they may struggle. Right. And then they want to go back home because it's what's comfortable and it's, it's what they know. So it's like almost like picking and choosing. What do you really want to, to deal with?

[Annabella Murillo]

And you never know what's going to happen.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

I mean, you can have something in your mind like, okay, I'm going to do this or do that, and guess what? Everything will change.

[Kat]

Absolutely. And I, and I think that is the story of like, Latinos, right. And immigrants. They don't ever know really what they're going to do when they come here, but they just know that they have to leave. I mean, I come from a similar situation with my grandparents and from Cuba. Right. And understanding like we don't have a life here anymore. As much as they didn't want to leave. I remember to the day my grandmother passed away, it was all about how much she loved Cuba and how Cuba was her home, she wanted.

[Annabella Murillo]

She must be proud of you doing this.

[Kat]

Oh, of course. I hope so. But she, you know, I, I know how good their life was over there until eventually it wasn't. And you hear people to this day, right. Obviously, there's a ton of Cubans, there's a ton of Venezuelans here in Miami, Puerto Ricans, Colombians. Right. You got a little bit of everything. But there's that common denominator that they left for a better life here in America. And we've seen the success of so many influential people now here, and not only in Miami, but in the States that are immigrants. Right. That came here, leaving their whole life behind, probably had a very good life where they were. Right. And then basically had to start a brand new life over here. Right. Some people came with different situations, Right. Because they may be prepped ahead of time and we're able to, to kind of almost soften the blow of that type of transition. But reality is, and my grandfather was one of those people, he had to basically start a. A whole new life.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes.

[Kat]

But he figured it out.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, he did.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Because that's what immigrants do.

[Kat]

Exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

They figure it out.

[Kat]

Absolutely. Absolutely. So you come into the states around 24, 25, right?

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, around.

[Kat]

What was the. What was that thought process of, like, what, you. You were studying to become a lawyer?

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, so I graduated from law school down in Venezuela.

[Kat]

Okay.

[Annabella Murillo]

And I started a master in tax. And in the. It was. It's two years, that master. Right. So in the middle of the master, I moved to the States. That was another.

[Kat]

Oh, wow.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. I'm like, okay, I have to do this whatever. Because you have a specific timing when you get the green card that you have to come into the States. So I had to do it anyway. When you come here, you stay here for a while because they send you, like, your Social Security numbers, and you have to be here to receive it, blah, blah, blah. So. So first shock is coming to the US and moving into my father's house, being living by myself for the past, I don't know, eight years. I'm like, oh, okay. So I have to. Here we go. So I had nothing, literally, like, just my, you know, my brain, like, that's it.

[Kat]

And your Maleta.

[Annabella Murillo]

And my two miles of Maleta. So anyway, I came here and I'm like, okay, what is it that I'm gonna do? So I'm like, I'll just move with my dad. And that's what I did. So I moved with my dad. He's married, and I have an old, younger sister and brother. So they were kids at the moment. They were going to school here in Miami. So I felt so weird because I'm like, okay, I've been living by myself. I'm doing all my life by myself for the past seven or eight years, and here I am back to zero at my dad's house with nothing. And, okay, how I'm going to start this, because I was very grateful to be there, of course, Because I had the opportunity to. To also connect with him and with the family. That was the great part of it. Right. But on the other side, it's like, okay, I need to figure it out. Like, I can't stay here forever. Like, they're helping me. That's fine. But I'm not going to stay here for years. I need to know what I'm going to do. Exactly. It's like a temporary solution. Right. But you have to start thinking, okay, now what? Now what? Now what? Thank God my two brothers were Here. And they were very good at, like, advising me on what to do. Like, you should do this or you should do that, like, you know, look for a job or. Anyway, they were like my financial counselors at the moment, which I appreciate a lot. And. And I had, like, a good. I knew where I was standing at. Right. But I didn't know what to do.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

So. So that was shocking for me, coming back from Venezuela to a house with kids, a dog, and my. And my dad completely different. And my dad. And then my dad's wife, who's not my mom. So it's like. It was difficult. Everything was. All. The process was very difficult.

[Kat]

Yeah. And then from there, you said that your brothers gave you a lot of advice as to what they. What they did. So.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes. Yes.

[Kat]

Did you end up getting a master's here in this?

[Annabella Murillo]

That was one of the things I started as soon as I came. So I'm like, okay, you know what? I'm going to start the process. I have a very good friend. He advised me, and he said, you know what? You can do an LLM in UF up in Gainesville, and then we'll figure it out from there. And you can. If you want to go to law school again, you can do a transfer from your LLM to your whatever. That can take, like, three years. Right. And again, financial crisis, 2007. No credit, no nothing. Like. Like, I had no clue. Right. I'm new, so I do all the process to go to UF in Gainesville, and I. I got admitted to UF for an LLM. And that same week, somebody introduced me to someone in Miami in the community of the Trust and state community. And I ended up having, like, three interviews, and they offered me a job. Wow. So I'm like, okay. I'm like. With my dad sitting down, like, what should I do? Like, I. I have a job offer in the front in the financial crisis.

[Kat]

For having nothing to all of a sudden having options.

[Annabella Murillo]

Exactly. So. So. And then I have the option to go back to school, do an LLM, which I had to request student loans and everything, of course, because I had no money. And my dad and I were like. So I asked my brother, I'm like, what should I do? And we were like, you know what? We're in the financial crisis. You should take the job. Because that was. I mean, if someone has money now through, you know, a job, it's like, you're lucky.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

So that's what I did. So I took the job offer and I started working in a Trust company, which is a global trust company. They offer different, you know, services in the financial industry. And that's what I did. So I started from zero there, giving support to a lot of Latin American clients. They needed someone like, with legal background and that could support them on Latin American clients, mainly. So that's how it started. Right. Like being the support of those directors there that were dealing with clients in, in Latin America. All Latin America and all the countries in Latin America, including Venezuela.

[Kat]

Yeah. Wow, that's incredible. Considering, I guess, like, do I go back to school? Do I get a job? You talk about financial crisis, all these things, right. And it's like you didn't, like you, you mentioned before, you didn't even know where this was going to end up. And all of a sudden you're using something that you learned with your law, you know, with your law degree over in Venezuela.

[Annabella Murillo]

The logic.

[Kat]

Yeah, the international component.

[Annabella Murillo]

Right.

[Kat]

Which you're very familiar with, considering that you just did that and already being able to apply a lot of what.

[Annabella Murillo]

And I think also knowing, I guess, the right people, the right connections at the right time, for sure. Because when I moved here, I was like, you know, I was coming from a big audit from Erson Young and I just came with some reference, you know, under my arm, like, well, I mean, this can give me some idea of where to go. So I went and had different interviews and some of my, you know, former bosses in New. I connected me to people here in Miami and that was, I think, the good, you know, thing because they connect me to people here who are also Latinos and they're always, you know, doing the same thing as us, whatever. And that's how I got this interview. So I'm like, okay, I'll go. And then. Yeah, that's how it happened.

[Kat]

Amazing. And then when you worked there, how long were you with that company?

[Annabella Murillo]

So for that company I worked for about almost eight years. So the first year, year and a half, I was supporting again all the directors on the Latin American market and then offering them the products the company, you know, had and like meeting with them and traveling too. By a year and a half, I got transferred to New York for a six month assignment and I stayed for six months more and I ended up like a year and a little bit more in New York. So dealing with the office there and mainly just like doing all the business development for the company from New York.

[Kat]

Amazing.

[Annabella Murillo]

That was tough for a Latina coming from the career.

[Kat]

How is that? How was the call?

[Annabella Murillo]

That was. That was horrible. The Call was horrible. Like, horrible. Like, no. I literally had to come back to Miami. All of my sins. I was dying.

[Kat]

All my friends that ever moved to.

[Annabella Murillo]

New York, I, like. I'm like, I cannot do it. This. I know it sounds. It sounds bad, but I mean, I. I couldn't do it either.

[Kat]

I mean, they lasted. A lot of them lasted a year. I want to move to New York. I want to move to New York. They do one winter in New York and they're like, I need to come back.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. No. One winter. That's it.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, that's it. Not more than that. I. I got sick. I had to come back to Miami. I don't know how many times I couldn't understand. Like, how do people actually do this? Like, so many different type of clothes. Like, so many, you know, temperatures and weathers. I'm like, no, this is too much. I can't. On the professional side, it was great. It is amazing. You grew up. You know, I grew up a lot as a professional, meeting a lot of people, also understanding the industry I work with. Like, it's. It's. It was a blessing to be there. Right. At the same time, I was like, oh, I hate this city.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

But again, it's a love and hate relationship, too. Like, people either you love New York or hate New York.

[Kat]

It is a love hate.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. By the end of, like, probably the end of the year, I was like, I like it here.

[Kat]

That's how I feel about it. And then I came back.

[Annabella Murillo]

And then I came back to my. I'm like, okay, game over.

[Kat]

I'm not a person that could do the cold very well. Like, I like it to experience it, because obviously we don't get it here exactly. Like, today, you know, experience that. But to have to do that every day, Like, I mean, right now I think they're dealing with, like, two feet of snow. Can you imagine? No.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. No, no, no, I can't.

[Kat]

We're here. Windows down, cruising.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. So nice in the sunshine. Like, hello. The sun. Everything's.

[Kat]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

So that was. So I came back from New York and I did Miami for another bit, and then I moved to California. So I lived in San Francisco for a couple of years. That was great. One of the best experiences. Yes. In San Francisco, doing the same thing, just business development for the company. I also travel once a week to San Diego. We had an office in San Diego, which was perfect because it was a perfect mix, you know, being in San Francisco and then in the East Bay and then going down to San Diego for, you know, a week, a month was perfect, honestly. Yeah. So it was great. It was a really good time. And then I came back to Miami. So for the past 10 years, I've been in Miami.

[Kat]

Wow, that's amazing. And when you came back from Miami, what was that transition? Did you.

[Annabella Murillo]

I transitioned for a new job. Yeah. So I did a transition from this company that I spent years. I'm very grateful, too, because, you know, I met a lot of people there, a lot of mentors, great bosses. I mean, it was great. And I transitioned, I switched jobs, and the new job was here in Miami. So we were ready to come back to Miami and, like, just, you know, define Miami as our new, I guess, headquarters, like, home place. Like, my family was here, so it just made sense to come back, you know, and that's what we did, like, in 2015. Yes. I came back and I started a new job with a financial institution, and that's it. I had to travel a lot because I was doing Mexico, Colombia, Peru. I was doing, like, a lot of markets in Latin America. I had to travel a lot, so I was exhausted. But it was a pretty good, you know, pretty good job, and I learned a lot of things in the trust and state industry. And it was. It was fun, too, you know, like traveling and doing all this thing. It's fun, but you get tired. So it's like, where's the balance here?

[Kat]

Yeah, exactly. It's like you love going to see all these new places and the thrill of getting on the airplane, but there's.

[Annabella Murillo]

Something about exhausted when you. Yeah, exactly. When you come back home, you're like, this is where I want to be.

[Kat]

Yeah, 100%. I totally get that. So I think that's amazing. Right? It's. It's that. That path, Right. Where you don't really know, but everything just kind of takes care of itself.

[Annabella Murillo]

Right.

[Kat]

You obviously did your part doing what you can control. Right?

[Annabella Murillo]

Correct.

[Kat]

Making all the right connections, networking, putting in the time, the energy into learning and bettering yourself.

[Annabella Murillo]

Exactly. Like you said.

[Kat]

Right. But it led you to the path of. Of who you became today.

[Annabella Murillo]

Absolutely.

[Kat]

Which is absolutely incredible.

[Annabella Murillo]

I think a lot about that.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Wow. How, you know, all those years unfolded up to here.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

Like, I did a lot of things.

[Kat]

It's hard to put. It's hard to put. Put it into perspective when you're always going through the motions. Right. But now, you know, when you kind of look back at things, you look back and you're like, wow, look. Look how much I've done Look how much I've accomplished. I didn't even think I would maybe even be doing this right. And I think that happens to a lot of people. Right. Where kind of just go through the motion of life and then when you look back and reflect, you realize like, wow, look what I did.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. I mean, hard wake, hard work pays off. Yeah, that's why they say it's true. Absolutely, it's true.

[Kat]

It definitely does. So talk to me a little bit about what you're doing today.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes, absolutely. So I still work for a global company. So there's two things we do at this big company. We're in 26 jurisdictions in the US we cover mainly the world in terms of countries and cities where we are. But we do two main things. One, we have like a private client line or a private wealth line that we call so where we serve ultra high net worth families and their family offices and advisors. And we set up trust structures for them. So, so we act as corporate trustees. We can act also as corporate service provider, depending on what the family needs. And we basically create those trusts where the family puts their assets and they're protected. Now, there's different reasons why someone would need to do something like this. It could be tax reasons, it could be asset protection reasons, it could be legacy, it could be like a lot of things, right? Absolutely. So we work in partnership with tax attorneys, trust and estate attorneys from the industry. They are the ones drafting the documents. We are the ones being appointed as trustees. And then we deal with the family on a daily basis. So that's, that's one of the business lines that we do on this company. Then on the other business line is more like the institutional corporate business side where we offer services to corporate entities or financial firms or RIAs or those type of firms where we do fund administration. So we're not managers, we're not managing the fund. We're doing the administration of the fund since its launch until it's liquidation or termination. And and then because that connects to regulatory and compliance, we can also support those institutions and clients on the regulatory and compliance part. So for example, if you're launching an ria, then you need to know about compliance. You need to have a compliance officer. You need to know you're gonna be registered before the sec. There's a lot of things you need to know. So we offer that services to our clients too. And then we also do a lot of outsourced cfo, which is getting pretty hot there. Yeah, so lots of outsourced services to those firms that need bas everything.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

And then middle office, which is, you know, helping all those clients, putting all those capital calls and trade scenes and everything. And that's like the other business line. So I'm, I'm like, I work on both business lines. Like I work a lot with the private wealth team. That's my team. And I'm now also shifting a little bit on the, on the cfo, middle office services.

[Kat]

I could see kind of like that fractional cfo, right? Correct.

[Annabella Murillo]

They call it that way.

[Kat]

Yeah, yeah. Has evolved.

[Annabella Murillo]

Correct.

[Kat]

I think a lot of businesses are, are taking that approach across every kind of like executive role. CM, you know, there's fraction CMOS, CFO is even CEOs. Right. Kind of these people that, hey, we need you for 15, 20 hours a week to really kind of sit in the business, understand and, and operate. And it's valuable as, as a business to have someone like that. Right. Because when you're, you know, the CEO or founder or whatever that may be as your title within the company, you have so many different hats that you're wearing. Right. And yes, you got your hands a little bit of everywhere. But in that weird growth period as a company, you're going to need someone like, you know, that CFO to really be understanding the dynamics of the business, understanding, hey, these are growth opportunities, tax benefits that you might be missing. Which I think a lot of people not, not their fault. Right. Because they're just so stuck in every other aspect of the business. Don't realize that.

[Annabella Murillo]

Well, that's interesting because that's what we say to clients. It's like, hey, you are the investment mind. We don't do investments. Right. We're not in that part of the job. So you focus on your investments. We'll take care of the rest, we'll take care of everything. Everything that's back office will take care of it. You just figure out your investment part. That's it. So for them, and it's actually a good model because they outsource a lot of work. So instead of hiring, sometimes people, they basically outsource it. So for them, tax wise, even better. Right. So that's how it works. And then you have a lot of things to do and a lot of things to pay attention to. If you have a big fund you're launching on, you know, 300, 400, I know, $500 million fund, and guess what? You need to wear a lot of hats like you say. And it's like, okay, what do you do? What I do now.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

So we kind of Support them on every single process since day one.

[Kat]

No. That's interesting. And I. And a ton of value, I guess, for, for the audience. Right. And anyone that's kind of in similar situations. Right. I think for the younger generation. Right. We're maybe not at that stage yet. Right. But how do we plan ahead to start thinking that way? Right. We, we may not have assets for, for a trust yet. Right. But we're looking to build that long term future and be able to kind of set ourselves up for those levels of success down the line. What would kind of be your advice for someone?

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, I would say that it's never too early, but it's always too late.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

So just, it doesn't matter if you feel you're 21 or 22, right. It's like, oh, I'm too young, I don't have money, whatever. So first of all, educate yourself, educate yourself on the financial matters, right. If you are buying a life insurance policy, what does that mean? If you are putting money away on a, you know, I don't know, cash account or some sort of saving account, is it better to put it on a different type of account with a little bit of more, you know, you're going to get a little gain there. It doesn't matter. It's like 5% or whatever it is. Right. Like first of all, educate yourself because it's never too late. That's like to educate yourself. Right. To be more proactive than reactive. Like you have to know what's happening out there.

[Kat]

True.

[Annabella Murillo]

You need to go out there, you need to do the work, you need to meet people in the industry, whatever industry you are in. Right. And you just need to be proactive, like think and then act, you know, ask the questions, look for help, all those things. It doesn't matter. I mean, I know that people are like, no, I'm too young, I don't have money, I don't know, like it doesn't matter. You can start with $1 investing if you want to start investing today, Right. There's lots of places out there online that you can start investing, just start, do something and just get well informed before doing it. So that's something that I would say to the younger generation and always make sure that it doesn't matter what you do financially, there's always going to be a consequence legally. So make sure that whatever decision you take financially doesn't matter what it is, there's always going to be a consequence, legally speaking. So always make that connection. So for me, financial and legal industries must Be like connected hand by hand.

[Kat]

Absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

Because everything happens together.

[Kat]

And can you elaborate a little bit on that? Right. Obviously I understand the, the connection, right. Where there's always going to be some sort of legal component, especially financially. But what, what exactly? Legal?

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah. Let me say very simple example. Let's say you open tomorrow investment account, I don't know, in Fidelity. And this is not paid, right. You know, advertising. But I don't know, you go and you open an account and you start investing and you're like, you know, buying stocks, shares, whatever, right. ETFs, whatever it is, and you're the sole owner of the account, right. Something happens to you, it translates to the legal side, Right? Right. If you don't have like a specific power of authority, if you don't have, like, for example, will or testament, like, what happens legally is that whoever is your family, you know, your heirs are going to be going through processes legally in the US or in Miami, let's say.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

So those are the things you always need to think, right? Same thing. When your parents or someone in your family buys real estate, if that person is a US Person, then some rules apply. If that person is a foreign person, let's say a Colombian from your girlfriend's family, come here, they buy a beautiful apartment in Brickell under their own names, guess what, they have tax consequence.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

If they pass away, even though they're not US People.

[Kat]

Interesting.

[Annabella Murillo]

Okay.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

So all those things, you need to know that when you're making an investment, there's something legal connected to it. Something's going to happen eventually. So make sure you connect the dots on that and make sure that when you are doing the investment, make sure that there's, you know, you know exactly what's going to happen if you, I don't know, falling sick, if you fall in any incapacity, that happens to physical, mental incapacities, right? What happens then if someone passes away, like the owner of the assets passes away, Right. Well, the Florida state has a, you know, solution for you, but maybe you don't want what the Florida state says, right? So you're like, okay, I'll do a will or I'll do a trust or what do I do? And then if you don't have a will, then you family has to go to probate. So that's court, that's hiring a lawyer, and it's a lot of money and it's legal. So everything you do, there's a legal consequence there.

[Kat]

And then let's say you. Let's say that exact Scenario, where do you all come into the fold in that process?

[Annabella Murillo]

I'm in the middle, which is the funny thing, because I'm not the tax attorney or the trust in the state attorney drafting documents, but I am not doing the investments because I'm not telling the client, hey, buy Apple as opposed to Amazon. I'm not doing that.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

But I work with all of those parties and I'm in the middle making sure that whatever assets are in trust, they're well kept as trustees. You have a future duty.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

So first of all, we're regulated. Right. By the division of banking. And then you have a fuchsia duty to make sure that whatever you keep there, you're keeping it safe. And you're doing everything from the admin side. So you take care of, of that trust assets as a. With. With your future duty. Right. So even though I'm not telling that guy, the advisor, where to invest and I'm not telling the attorney what to draft, I work with them, so I see their work.

[Kat]

Understood.

[Annabella Murillo]

And I work with the families and I bring the families and I say, okay, let's talk to your tax attorney. Let's talk to someone I don't know, you're a financial advisor, and let's tell him this is the way we're going to do it. And I kind of like put together everything so we're all on the same page. So you need to work like with a very holistic team.

[Kat]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Which is good.

[Kat]

Which is great person here. A Right. Where everybody's assisting you. Right. It's, it's a team effort at the end and it should be that way because whether you're operating a business, you know, your life is a business as well. Right. And, and it needs to be operated.

[Annabella Murillo]

In the correct manner and there's no such thing as you can do at all.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

That's not true. You have to, you know, find the right people and that's why everyone's specializing something.

[Kat]

Exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

And that's a reason you just go to a specialist, ask for help, pay for it, and have your solution.

[Kat]

Absolutely, absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah.

[Kat]

That's amazing. And yeah, I, I think that's something that I think the next generation is becoming more aware of and more conscious of.

[Annabella Murillo]

Right.

[Kat]

Is understanding I can only do so much. And what are the, what are the resources that I need to be able to elevate my life to the next level? Right. Financially, it's the same thing. Like if someone hires a personal trainer. Right. For their wellness. Right. You need that coach.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah.

[Kat]

For your Finances and the future of, of your. Of your well being right across every single facet of. So I think it's interesting that this new generation is starting to become a little bit more conscious of that.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah.

[Kat]

Right. I look at my mom and my grandparents. Those were not discussions that were being had.

[Annabella Murillo]

No. And it's actually studied. Like, those conversations were not held on a table.

[Kat]

No, absolutely not.

[Annabella Murillo]

And that's why there's a lot of stats out there that shows, like why men are more confident than women in financial decisions and why women do not feel as confident as men on financial decisions. Now that's changing though.

[Kat]

Of course.

[Annabella Murillo]

But if you see back in the days, those were not conversations you had on the table. And I think, I mean, it makes sense in a way because imagine immigration, families coming to a country where they had nothing and they had to start from zero. Like, what conversations are you going to have on a table where you're exhausted, probably doing two or three jobs a day and trying to get a little bit of money to survive? Basically, it's. Right, that's what happened. That's the story of Miami. Right. People coming from Cuba or other countries. So that's the story. So how are, you know, how are we doing that conversation? If it's. It's difficult. Right. But that's evolved, thank God. Right. So now, I mean, it's. That's the other thing. I think we need to be very proactive. Again, parents have to have conversation with their children about money. This is not a taboo thing. You need to explain to them. This is what it is. This is something you need. This is, you be. You need to be aware. And this is how it happened. The wealth, I mean, people, you know, we work with, families that we work with generation four, generation five, sometimes even generation six. And it's just spectacular to see how that wealth has been, you know, from generation to generation.

[Kat]

Those are families that have done it.

[Annabella Murillo]

Well, exactly. And then. Okay, what do you do?

[Kat]

Right, right.

[Annabella Murillo]

Because I. And then trusts are always involved, most likely. Right. So you're like, okay, this is, this is a good thing. So the good thing is that you have to be transparent, too.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

With the families too. And with your kids. If you're, if you want to have a nice, you know, conversation, you have to be transparent. You have to tell your kids about money. You need to understand that they are learning too.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

And if you're not giving them the tools, it's the same thing with a new generation.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Like, how are they supposed to know? You don't Know what? You don't know?

[Kat]

No, exactly. 100%. I mean, I, I look back and I'm like, wow, I wish I knew a lot more of this, you know, back then. Right. I, I did well for myself in college. I, you know, I, I, I was also forced to grow up very early. Right. I mean, I got, I was already working at 15, 16 years old, you.

[Annabella Murillo]

Know, making money too.

[Kat]

I started at 15, like having to make money. And you know, my, obviously my parents helped where, you know, where they could. But come 18, it was like I was not getting anything. It was like, yeah, if I, if I don't make money, I don't have anything. Right. So I had, I had to figure that out. And I did well of making the money. Right. Especially for an 18 year old still in college, but finding ways to be creative and find ways to make money that I did well. Right. And I think that's like the, the Latino.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, yeah. Survival mode. You're like, I need to survive.

[Kat]

But one thing I didn't know how to do was save money because no one told me it's like, you make it great. No one told me that you got to make it and then save it.

[Annabella Murillo]

It's not only making it, saving it too, for rainy days. Right.

[Kat]

You're only setting yourself up for that much more success. Right. I mean, imagine even just putting, you know, 20 of my college income into a high yield savings account.

[Annabella Murillo]

Exactly.

[Kat]

Or even investing it a little bit more aggressively, like in an Apple or an Amazon. Right. And saying back in the days, imagine, can you imagine? Imagine, like, are. But no one's even having that. And then you look at a lot of these, you know, what they call old money, Right. Especially here in Miami, because Miami is kind of one of these cities that has, has boomed. But those are families that just did things right. And well, they didn't at the moment. They took advantage of the systems that were in place, Right. They followed protocol. I said, what you should be doing with your money. And they may have not been wealthy at the time, but now here they are. They are, you know, they've maybe owned their home since the, you know, since the 60s, 70s. Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

They took advantage of the interest rates back in the day.

[Kat]

Right. Bought land, invested their money, started businesses, and now they're the ones.

[Annabella Murillo]

And those are the baby boomers that nowadays is the wealthiest generation in history.

[Kat]

In the U.S. exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

Because they started back in the days, like in the 60s, I guess, and pretty much they started making money and now they're the wealthiest generation.

[Kat]

Absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

And it's impressive. It's really impressive because I think they. They start. They were the ones who started like the movement. I don't think they were ready enough to have conversation with their children. Right, exactly. But they started the movement and then probably a younger gener was like, okay, let's have this conversation with my kids.

[Kat]

I think part of it's too is they don't really understand yet what the benefits of it is. Right now they're looking at what they did 20 years later and they're like, ah, okay, yeah, you need to do this too, you know.

[Annabella Murillo]

Totally, totally.

[Kat]

I think for us, like, it's. It's being able to now educate the next generation and, and preparing them. Obviously, things change. Right. You know, from generation to generation. So there's always a willing to adapt. But at the end of the day, a lot of the same systems are.

[Annabella Murillo]

In place and something to like younger generations now they have more resources than we did.

[Kat]

True.

[Annabella Murillo]

Which is something they need to take advantage of. And I think they do.

[Kat]

Yes.

[Annabella Murillo]

Right. Also, I think they need to surround themselves with, you know, good circle of people or community. You know, surround yourself with a circle or of people that you can go and have nice conversations. Right. Like deep conversations. Like, you can have conversations about money, you can have conversations about wealth, you can have conversations about everything. And you're not going to feel like, oh, I'm left out.

[Kat]

Exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

You know, like, look for those circles for sure. There's so many communities out there, so many you would be surprised. Just Google and go and, you know, you'll find people that are going to be on your same page that are also trying to learn, that are also looking to see how am I going to be investing even. You know, this guy should be educating us on Bitcoin and stuff. You know, like, we are like, we're like the viejo. So you come here and tell me how high invest in BTC now.

[Kat]

It's true. Yeah. And I think that, you know, that whole cryptocurrency was one of those things that everyone was like, what is it? But.

[Annabella Murillo]

And who were the first to understand it?

[Kat]

The younger generation. Yeah. Because there was more.

[Annabella Murillo]

Because they're completely digital too.

[Kat]

Exactly. They're like, we're like, I could do everything right here.

[Annabella Murillo]

Exacto.

[Kat]

And that was it for them.

[Annabella Murillo]

And they're digital since they were born.

[Kat]

Yes.

[Annabella Murillo]

Our generations went in the transition from analog to digital.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

So we're. We are like in the middle and we get the digital thing and we get the. But we're not like pros like them. I see my brother, I'm like, they're like so, I mean, crazy.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Like he was born in the digital era.

[Kat]

Yeah. It's true. And it's different, the Internet, it's like the Internet wasn't even around that long ago. Like there was a point where dial up was a thing and all these things Skype and it's, and it's crazy to think about how much has evolved over the course of, you know, the last 15 years or so and how rapid it's changed and how continuously rapid it's going to change. Obviously, like AI is now the hottest conversation right now and we've just like touched the surface of what that's going to.

[Annabella Murillo]

We don't even know what's down there. We try, we're trying. And in the corporate world you try a little bit more because you need to understand. But again, they are the ones that.

[Kat]

Know more than generation and that's, that's that, you know, when you talk about that hiring people and bringing in people of what they're good at. Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes.

[Kat]

The young generation will be the ones that come in.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes.

[Kat]

Kind of lead this AI boom. Yet you need kind of more of that, what's the word? Kind of the, you know, original ways of thinking. Right. And the more practical ways of applying some of this. Right. Because you need to find that, that.

[Annabella Murillo]

Balance and have that perspective too. Like not be, you know, square minded, like be open minded. Try to like I would love to have a 26 year old guy giving me a class on bitcoin.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

Like, why not? You know, like tell me, tell me. I invest in bitcoin. I do.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

But I mean, I need more information. Like what else should I be doing? Maybe I'm not doing the right thing. Maybe I'm not buying the right stable coin. You know what I mean?

[Kat]

Like, exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

I think, I mean, maybe I'm missing something. I'm sure I'm missing something. So, okay, bring me that 25 year old guy and you know, tell me what I have to do.

[Kat]

Absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

So they need to also be aware that they are very knowledgeable on things we are not.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

You know, so just go out there and tell us what to do.

[Kat]

Oh yeah, very true. It is a phenomenon that I think we all live in and it's, it's interesting to see how everybody plays a role in it. But something that you brought up that I thought was interesting that I wanted to ask you, Right. You talked about kind of like how back in the day, you know, Females were not involved in a lot of these conversations. So for you, like, now being one, a Latina, but also, you know, Latino, you know, female, in the, in the, in the space, like, what does that mean to you? Like, how, how impactful is that to you? And how would you recommend, you know, someone that's in your space, Latina, that wants to get into something like this?

[Annabella Murillo]

It means a lot. Yeah, it means a lot to me. I'm very proud of what I've done, to be honest, and of who I am here in this country. And I had a lot of good, again, advice and family and friends around me that kind of guided me in the process. And I grew up with two brothers, three brothers. So that was good for me because they gave me perspective. And they were sitting down to me and saying, okay, you need to do this. This is the way you have to buy a car. Not lease a car the first years, just buy it cheap. Cheap car. So I drove a cheap car for years, but guess what? My insurance was. Was 40 bucks, right? And everyone was going into crazy, you know, very expensive leases, which is the Miami. Which is the Miami. It's fine. I mean, that's fine. But my brother was like, don't do it. I'm like. And I follow his advice, you know, so in. In a way, I am who I am because I had those, you know, people guiding me through the process. So I feel proud that I heard them. Because you have to listen to. You also have to listen. If you need, if you want to, you know, do something or create something, look for help. If you want to be better at something, ask for help. So that's what I did. So I'm proud. I'm happy with what I'm done, to be honest. And I want to be someone who also pays back to whoever is coming into this country and not understanding the process because it's not easy, it's difficult. If you're coming from Latin American country, completely different. If you're coming from Europe, it could be in some ways similar, right? In some ways, no. But it's just like, I'm proud to be, you know, that person. And I'm happy to sit down with whoever is lost in the process and just tell them, hey, this is a way you can do things. Just have perspective, be patient, work hard, because it's got. Something good is going to happen to you. Like, always, keep pushing, Keep pushing always. Because if you stop, it's like, game over. Yeah. And it is what it is. And that's a us grind. You Know, that's what.

[Kat]

Right. Which, yeah, I think there's, there's something interesting and all of that. Right. Where it's like what America has been built off of. Right. Is, is this work ethic. And you know, being a capitalist country obviously provides a massive level of opportunity, but it's like it's just never ending.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes. And then you think, when is it too much?

[Kat]

Exactly. Right, yeah. You know, because you hear about these countries like Europe. Right. And you know, where it's a, maybe a more laxed way of, of living. Right. But here we are, we have, you know, some of the most wealthy in, in the world. Yes, Right. And that's because of the systems that are in place. And I, and I think you, at the end of the day here in America, you could pick and choose how you want to live.

[Annabella Murillo]

I agree.

[Kat]

You know, you live your life, there is essentially no untapped opportunity here. The sky is the limit. Not even the limit.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, exactly.

[Kat]

You know, there is no limit.

[Annabella Murillo]

I'll be in Mars next year.

[Kat]

You know, I think that's the way that's what makes America so special is the, is the amount of opportunity and the uncapped opportunity that is here. But you also have that opportunity to say, hey, like, I am fine just making my salary, taking advantage of the 401ks and the benefits and the insurance policies that are in place for me and living a nice modest life, because that exists too.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah.

[Kat]

I, where I think the disconnect is, is everybody thinks they have to go and be Jeff Bezos or they have to be Elon Musk. Right. And because that's what's, I guess, sexified, I don't know if that's a word. Right, right. But that's what, you know, that's what America is all about. Go be Jeff Bezos. Which. Right, you can. But you also can go be the respectable guy that owns the car shop across the street.

[Annabella Murillo]

Absolutely. You know, making jobs to a lot of people out there. Yeah, absolutely.

[Kat]

You know, and I, and I don't think that that is spoken enough or highlighted or celebrated.

[Annabella Murillo]

That's a good point.

[Kat]

Right. I think that's where maybe the disconnect is. It's like America is great for the untapped, untapped opportunity.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yes.

[Kat]

But you don't need to go for it if you want to. Right. I think that that ambition is always going to take you further and further and keep you motivated, but also realize, hey, you can make a great modest salary, run a small family owned business. Like you said, employee, maybe Two, three people. And all of a sudden, you're taking advantage of what the systems are in place here.

[Annabella Murillo]

I mean, good. Good thing or good news is that you can choose.

[Kat]

Exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

Because you have the options and you have alternatives and you have opportunities. And like you said on top opportunities out there. Maybe someone looks at something at you, and you know, you're good for this, and they come and say, hey, why not do this? You know, you don't have to be the next Jeff Bezos. You don't have to be the next, you know, Elon Musk or Facebook guy, whatever. You don't have to just be yourself. And that's something too. As a Latina and as an immigrant, sometimes you don't know how to, you know, act or react or like, okay, should I do this or I do that? And then couple of, you know, not long ago, I realized I have to be myself. Right. Like, that's where your magic is. You have to be you. Because everyone else, like they say, is taken.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

But I mean, it's like everyone else is taken. So just be yourself. And that's like, that hit me, like, not long ago. I'm like, yes, I have to be me, because guess what? Somebody else. It's somebody else. Exactly, exactly. So just take advantage of it. Trust yourself, do the process, do the work. But I mean, you know that you can choose. And there's different opportunities for everyone.

[Kat]

Absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

And there's on top opportunities, like you said. So I agree 100%.

[Kat]

Yeah. No, absolutely. I have one last question for you. And. And it's kind of piggybacking off, kind of both. Right. We talked about the opportunities here in America, and then you know, kind of like this estate planning and kind of planning for, you know, the next generation. But in this process, Right. Cost of living has also gone up in the United States. Right. So how have you seen it kind of evolve when it comes into, like, estate planning and kind of like the next generation knowing that cost of living is more expensive in the States?

[Annabella Murillo]

That's a good question, because it depends on. On who do you ask? Right. Like, you know, people like us mortals, I guess we feel it more. Yeah. Because, you know, first time ever, we felt inflation in Miami for the past, you know, four or five years after Covid. And then if you ask wealthy families, I mean, they might tell you they feel it too. And. And that means they have to be a little bit more creative or maybe more proactive on investments because they want more money and they want, you know, more gains and return of investments. So they're like maybe looking for more opportunities on investing and maybe going into A.I. you know, we've been going into all those new projects, right. So you kind of see that they diversify a lot, which is, which is good, right. So they go, it's not only the financial world in terms of like public market, you know, stock exchange, it's also like the private equity world. Right. Like I want to invest in private equity. Like everybody knows it's different. Everybody knows it takes time, it's different type of investment. But guess what, they're maybe doing it for their kids or maybe they're thinking of the legacy. Exactly. Long term opportunities and then diversify on real estate and stuff. So I think is an opportunity for wealthy people to be honest. Like they, they, they start looking for new. Right. Because they know they have the money, but they also know that it's less money. Like their mindset is different, right. So they're like, okay, I have the money, that's fine. But why am I losing money because of the inflation or because of this or because of that? So you have to take the money and invest it because if you don't do it, then you're losing money. Just, just not doing anything. You're losing the money anyway because you got inflation, you know, so that's one point. And, and then I feel that for us, I mean, morals again, we have to be more aware of savings. You know, we have to find, we have to do our health checks in terms of financial health checks, you know, we have to sit down, do the work, maybe do like a nice, I don't know, night date with your spouses and whatever and sit down and say, where, where can we save? What can we do? Where can be invest? Like those type of exercises, you know, they call it admin nights nowadays. It's like you sit down with a glass of wine or whatever, but you're having those conversations and you're having those.

[Kat]

Conversations should be had.

[Annabella Murillo]

Exactly, exactly.

[Kat]

Things are going great. Things are not going so great.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah.

[Kat]

Finding it a way to make sure that you're holding yourself accountable. Because it's very easy to.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah.

[Kat]

And you know, and absolutely, you said you got to be proactive, not reactive.

[Annabella Murillo]

Proactive all the way. And something I see about this, you know, well, millionaires or billionaires, we know they see opportunities where we don't see them.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

Which is amazing. So we are thinking our inflation, we are thinking about, I don't know, horrible things, whatever, right. Financially speaking, these guys, these guys are like, you know, thinking about okay, this is what I can do.

[Kat]

Right?

[Annabella Murillo]

This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to bring someone, I'm going to do this, I'm going to mix it out. So that's how we have to think, too.

[Kat]

True.

[Annabella Murillo]

We have to, like, you know, shift.

[Kat]

Shift the perspective. Shift away.

[Annabella Murillo]

Absolutely.

[Kat]

You know, where. Where there's a problem, there's an opportunity.

[Annabella Murillo]

Exactly, exactly.

[Kat]

And instead of like, being like, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my.

[Annabella Murillo]

God, like, freaking out, like, this is too expensive, right? Yes, it is.

[Kat]

Is.

[Annabella Murillo]

It is. But guess what? It's still something about it. It's not just, you know, whine about it.

[Kat]

Exactly, exactly.

[Annabella Murillo]

I mean, there's. You can choose again.

[Kat]

Absolutely.

[Annabella Murillo]

You choose.

[Kat]

Absolutely. No. Amazing. That's incredible advice and insight into it. And then my last, more fun question. Okay, you've been San Fran, New York, obviously, Venezuela. But what is it that makes Miami so special?

[Annabella Murillo]

Wow. The melting pot of Latin, I mean, for me is. It reminds me a lot of Venezuela in a way. It's very tropical.

[Kat]

Yes.

[Annabella Murillo]

Which I love. I love the beach. I have to be close to La Playa because, you know, I love to go to the beach. I think Miami is unique because it's a city that is still growing. If you go to other CITIES in the U.S. they're already there. They've been there for 250 years. Right. Miami, it's a really new city. There's so many things to do in here, so many opportunities that we haven't even seen. Right. And we're not even there yet.

[Kat]

No, not even close.

[Annabella Murillo]

I love the tropical vibes about it. I love that we have the melting pot of Latinos, which is great. Sometimes I don't like it when I'm driving a 95. Right. But, you know, when I'm here, I get it. Right. Like, we're cool. We're all the same. I love it. Right. Even though we come from different backgrounds, but we have that thing that's a connection that other. Other cultures don't have. And I love that, you know, Americans come here. Gringos come here. They're like, what is this? Like, this is not even the U.S. you know, they don't even feel they're in the U.S. which is funny.

[Kat]

It is true.

[Annabella Murillo]

Everybody speaks Spanish. It's just like a different, you know, thing. I like that, too. It's so unique.

[Kat]

U.S. caribbean, and Miami, it's like.

[Annabella Murillo]

It is unique.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

I think it has its own, like, magic city, like they call it. Right. And. And I think we haven't Seen it all yet?

[Kat]

No, no, I agree. I think Covid. I think expedited the inevitable of what Miami was going ahead. To and to your point, we're just touching the surface of what Miami exactly can be and will be. Obviously you have the international component to it. Y from Latin America, Europe, the Caribbean investment, all that opportunity that's there. And then just all the influx of opportunity from the United States. Right. Being able to tap into the opportunities that.

[Annabella Murillo]

But you know what's cool? Seeing the evolution of a city where you live like, you know, try to think 20 years ago, right? How. How was it?

[Kat]

Oh, my God. You wouldn't even recognize the city.

[Annabella Murillo]

Let's say Brickle Avenue.

[Kat]

Yeah. Oh, my God. I'm always astonished when I'm going down to 836 and I look towards downtown.

[Annabella Murillo]

And I'm like, exactly.

[Kat]

I remember that many buildings being there.

[Annabella Murillo]

The skyline.

[Kat]

Right.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, it's so. I love that. I love the fact that I saw it 26 years ago, especially, like coming.

[Kat]

From, like, New York. And then you go to Miami, you're like, oh, okay, I see what's happening.

[Annabella Murillo]

I love it. Because you see the city growing.

[Kat]

Yeah.

[Annabella Murillo]

Like you are actually seeing whatever what's happening. And I love that you go to New York and everything's already there. Which is cool though, right? But it's already there. I mean, the Brooklyn Bridge is already there. You never saw someone building the bridge. Right. You are seen here. People in the rich.

[Kat]

That is true, right? That is very true.

[Annabella Murillo]

And I think that's cool.

[Kat]

That is cool. Yeah, I think you. We could say that now when you're sitting on the traffic on 95. I hate that bridge. Why the hell are they building that thing?

[Annabella Murillo]

Why are they doing construction every single and a night?

[Kat]

Why have they been building since two year 2000.

[Annabella Murillo]

Exactly. No, you'll say, but when it takes. It takes that.

[Kat]

Exactly. It's the growing pains of a city. And I. I think once we get through it, we'll be like, holy cow, look. What? Miami is big.

[Annabella Murillo]

I love that. That's what I love about it.

[Kat]

That's awesome. Well, thank you so much. I really enjoyed this conversation.

[Annabella Murillo]

Me too. Thank you so much.

[Kat]

I know we were talking offline. Maybe. Maybe we have a. A nighttime segment.

[Annabella Murillo]

Yeah, we should do it with the Kenyon.

[Kat]

Well, thank you, guys. Thank you. Gracias for being here. And as always, enjoy your cafecito, enjoy your croquetas, and we'll see you on the next one.