Empowering Financial Inclusion: Adina’s Vision for Immigrant Finance
Adina launched Immigrant Finance under the umbrella of International Empowerment LLC in 2018, driven by personal experience and a glaring gap in financial services for immigrant communities. Inspired by challenges she and her husband Mauricio faced when navigating financial systems after Mauricio immigrated from Ecuador, Adina recognized the critical need for specialized financial education and resources tailored to immigrants.
Initially starting as an anonymous blog to share insights and learnings, Immigrant Finance expanded significantly in 2020 with the introduction of Immigrant Finance School. This signature program offers financial counseling and coaching to immigrants and first-generation Americans, covering essentials of financial literacy, investing, property ownership, and even entrepreneurship. Adina, leveraging her background as an immigration attorney and as an Accredited Financial Counselor, built this program directly from the real needs and questions of her students, making it highly relevant and impactful.
Despite substantial progress, Adina continues to combat widespread misinformation that immigrants, especially undocumented individuals, cannot access financial systems. Her organization’s mission clearly reflects this struggle: to help 1,000 immigrant families invest over $10 million in the next five years, fostering generational wealth and financial independence.
Becoming a certified B Corp aligned naturally with Immigrant Finance’s core values of social impact and community empowerment. For Adina, certification represents more than just recognition; it was validation and structure for her deep-rooted commitment to business as a force for good. She notes, “Everything the B Corp movement stands for put into words what I had long been passionate about.”
The certification process helped formalize Immigrant Finance’s impact measurement, pushing the organization to enhance sustainability practices even within its digital-based operations. “It reminded us to always seek the environmentally friendly option, even with a virtual office,” Adina explains, exemplifying how the process reinforced sustainability measures.
Adina emphasizes a significant opportunity for other businesses, especially B Corps, to actively support immigrant communities. She advocates strongly for financial education, underscoring how tangible support in this area can empower marginalized populations significantly. “Financial planning gives more choices and stability, providing a powerful tool for resistance against anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies,” Adina highlights.
Her ultimate goal is clear: integrating immigrant-focused financial empowerment into broader business conversations and encouraging actionable support from employers and financial institutions.
Looking ahead, Adina is committed to deepening Immigrant Finance’s influence, fostering strategic partnerships, and continuously advocating for financial equity for immigrant communities. Her visionary leadership demonstrates that empowering individuals financially isn’t merely about economic growth—it’s about enabling entire communities to thrive sustainably and equitably.
