Valerie Rivera, CFP®

Financial planning for the Firsts in their family to build wealth.

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FirstGen Wealth Valerie Rivera, CFP®
Chicago, IL

Serving Clients Nationwide

Financial planning for the Firsts in their family to build wealth.

Areas of Focus

  • Education Funding
  • Family and Money
  • Financial Life Planning
  • Investment Management
  • Taxes

About Me

Hi, I'm Valerie Rivera and I am a First in my family. The First to go to college. The First to break barriers at work. The First to make more money than my parents ever did.

Are you a First? I offer no shame, no judgment financial planning for the Firsts in their family to build wealth. Let’s get confident about your money and leave the world a better place.

✅ My Background and Mission:

I entered financial services in 2008 at ShoreBank, a community development bank. The past 10 years have been primarily at large wealth management firms, including AllianceBernstein, Merrill Lynch, and TIAA, serving clients with $5-$10 million of net worth. Throughout my tenure, I’ve learned despite how much money we have, we all want the same basic things in life: to be happy, healthy and to spend time with the people we love.

What I noticed throughout my career was that generally no one looked like me, both on the advisor side AND the client side. Although money is a critical part of our livelihood, we don’t learn about this stuff in school and quality advice is only provided to those who have already achieved financial success.

I have a strong social justice bone. I believe the system is designed to widen the wealth gap. We place the blame on the individual and not the corporations or government that support financial exclusion.

Part of my mission is to break this cycle. To guide all the Firsts and act as a catalyst to feel secure about your own financial success. To create generational wealth. I have a huge focus on providing education and meeting people where they are in life for no shame, no judgement financial planning that will transform your life.

Professional Designations

  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional

Affiliations

  • Fee Only Network
  • National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
  • XY Planning Network

Primary Location

2813 South Eleanor Street Chicago, IL 60608

Meeting Options

  • Video Conference
  • In-Person
  • Phone

Compensation Methods

  • Fee Only
  • Flat Fee
  • Percentage of Assets Managed

What to expect in the first meeting

Click the 'Book Intro Call' button above to schedule a free consultation so we can get to know each other. We’ll discuss your life, your questions, and what your ideal advisor relationship looks like. We’ll share our process and how we can help you. At the end of this session, there won’t be a hard sell. In fact, there won’t be any sell at all. This is too big of a financial decision to make on the spot.

Offers Investment Management

Yes

About our Firm

No shame, no judgment financial planning for the Firsts in their family to build wealth.

✅ FirstGen Wealth is a virtual, fee-only financial life planning practice founded by a FirstGen wealth builder. Let’s start changing your relationship with money from complicated to confident.

✅ We are a fiduciary, which means we are legally and ethically bound to act in your best interests. Also, it’s just the right thing to do. We don’t receive any commissions or sell you any products.

✅ We do our best work for early to mid-career individuals and families who are the First to grow wealth in their world.

Do you want a collaborative financial guide and sounding board as you build your most abundant life? Then, you belong here. Join the wealth building revolution and change the trajectory of your life and generations to come. For all the Firsts. From a First.

Education

DePaul University, Certificate in Financial Planning | Northeastern Illinois University, Bachelor of Arts, Economics

Languages

  • English
  • Spanish

Hobbies and Interests

  • Baseball
  • Dancing
  • Family
  • Reading
  • Traveling

Who We Serve

  • Baby Boomers
  • Business Owners
  • College Graduates
  • Corporate Executives
  • Couples
  • Dual Income Family
  • Foreign-Born Individuals
  • Gen X
  • Gen Y / Millennials
  • Immigrants
  • Intergenerational Families
  • Living in Retirement
  • Newly Engaged / Newlywed
  • Parents
  • Single Women
  • Women in Transition
  • Women Professionals
  • Young Families

To make Wealthtender free for readers, we earn a nominal monthly fee from financial advisors and firms in exchange for marketing services (including being featured on this profile page), subject to terms of use. This compensation creates a natural conflict of interest when we favor their promotion over others. Wealthtender is not a client of these advisors or firms. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success.