Meet the Founder

Maria Melchor is the personal finance expert and content creator behind FirstGenLiving. She was born in Mexico and immigrated to America as a child. She began navigating vast portions of her education and career alone at an early age, all while feeling pressure to overcome generational poverty and build a safety net for herself and her family.

After graduating from Yale University in 2018, Maria felt lost about how to turn her postgrad paychecks into the generational wealth of her family’s dreams. She turned to personal finance books and resources for answers. However, all she found were different versions of the same formula for wealth: decrease your expenses and increase your income to build your individual net worth. But what if she wasn’t out to get individually rich and wanted to bring her family and community across the financial finish line with her?

Maria had to develop a personal finance recipe that worked for first-generation professionals like her. Her innovative values-based money management formula combines modern financial tools with flexible, values-driven budgeting so people can confidently pursue their individual goals while still honoring their cultural values.

Maria lives in Manhattan with her partner, Ian, and puppy, Tuna. She loves sunset runs and black and white film photography and recommends you read Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez’s For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts asap.