Financial Literacy with a Cultural Lens: Suma Wealth’s Beatriz Acevedo on CBS 8 News
SUMA Wealth is a fintech platform empowering millennial and Gen Z Latinos to manage their finances through culturally relevant content, tools, and experiences.
April is National Financial Literacy Month, and Beatriz Acevedo—Co-Founder and CEO of Suma Wealth—used the moment to spotlight why financial empowerment should be year-round, especially for underrepresented communities. Appearing on CBS 8 News in partnership with Verizon, Acevedo shared actionable savings strategies while championing transparency, predictability, and cultural relevance in personal finance.
“Now more than ever, we really need to have a grip on our finances,” she said during the segment, emphasizing that inflation and economic uncertainty make budgeting a must-have skill, not just a nice-to-have.
Her top tip? Predictability. Acevedo praised Verizon’s 3-year price lock on mobile and internet plans, pointing out that having fixed costs helps families budget with greater accuracy. “Nothing is better for a budget than predictability,” she said, noting that stable, known expenses make it easier to set financial goals and stick to them.
Acevedo also broke down the tried-and-true 50/30/20 rule:
50% for essentials like rent, food, and transportation
30% for wants
20% for savings, investing, or debt repayment
“It doesn’t matter how much money you make—if you follow this approach, you’ll be in good shape,” she said.
As the head of Suma Wealth, a platform built to empower Latino communities with culturally relevant financial tools and content, Acevedo brought the conversation back to financial transparency. She encouraged viewers to monitor subscriptions, automate savings and bill payments, and—most importantly—ask for discounts or alternate plans, especially on big-ticket items like internet services.
“There are options out there, but sometimes they’re not fully advertised,” she said, urging people to take an active role in understanding what’s available. “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
Acevedo closed by recommending Verizon Forward, an affordability plan tailored to households that may not be able to pay full price for internet services—just one more example of the kind of programs that can make budgeting a little easier for families navigating financial stress.
From practical tools to community-centered content, Suma Wealth continues to position itself not just as a fintech platform—but as a movement making financial literacy more inclusive, more actionable, and more human.
Watch the full CBS 8 News segment here
Listen to Beatriz Acevedo chat with Anna Barber on the Venture Everywhere Podcast: Todo Suma. Now on Apple & Spotify and check out all our past episodes here.
