Marina Romero: “At 32, I had to move back in with my mother.”

BarcelonaJournalist Marina Romero (Barcelona, ​​1985) grew up in a working-class family. "We didn't have great luxuries, but we did have very solid life values. Having interest and curiosity about things and taking good care of people," she explains in statements toCompaniesHer parents instilled in her a vocation for public service: "I ended up dedicating myself to journalism because I saw my parents understanding society in a certain way: caring about others and about the future." At home, they always read the news and discussed current events: "I fell in love with radio and from a young age decided I wanted to work in it."

Her first jobs as a coach and instructor gave her her first savings, which, after her Erasmus exchange in the Netherlands, she used to buy a bicycle. She used it to get around to her job as an unpaid intern at the radio station in Sant Cugat. This is how she entered the communications sector.

The current presenter of Plus 324 The presenter from 3Cat is fulfilling her dream of working in her field of study: "I'm very happy presenting the program. I really enjoy what I do." And when asked about the future, she's very clear: "To always be as happy as I am with this job." "All the job opportunities that have come my way have exceeded any dream I could have had in life. There are many people who believed in me before I believed in myself," says the presenter, who admits to having suffered from imposter syndrome, the feeling of not deserving her own success.

On the other hand, she's so satisfied because the communications field is "a super difficult world": "It's been very hard for me. I've had many jobs and very precarious contracts." Furthermore, the communications professional entered the workforce when the financial crisis erupted in 2008: "Suddenly I saw how many opportunities were disappearing. I saw how the future was being shattered."

And it hasn't been easy for her, because at 32 she lost her job: "I had to move back in with my mother because I ran out of savings. I thought, 'I can't live on that.'" "You have to be unemployed to understand what it means to be unemployed when all you want is to work. You see life passing you by and you wonder why you're not getting ahead," Romero explains. In fact, it was hard for her to find a regular job, and "if I was paying rent, I didn't have enough to live on." "This period taught me a lot. Now I really value everything I do, and I'm very proud to be financially independent," she adds.

Romero was initially able to become independent thanks to the policies of Sant Cugat del Vallés: "They've made a huge commitment to public housing, and I was able to access a subsidized apartment for five years. So, the subsidized housing policies work." Later, he was able to rent an apartment from acquaintances at an affordable price: "I remember worrying when the water or electricity bills arrived. I'd wonder, 'How am I going to pay it?'" After moving back home, he became independent again, renting until last August when he bought the apartment where he currently lives: "I never imagined I could buy an apartment, but I was able to do it thanks to the years I spent at home and saved up."

The presenter already had financial stability after passing the TV3 competitive exams. And although she had saved up the down payment, she didn't have the earnest money: "It was impossible to afford it all. My uncle Alberto lent me the money, and I paid him back in a month or two. I have my apartment thanks to him." "These days I'd rent if it were affordable, but current prices are outrageous," she explains. In fact, Romero was paying more in rent than she was paying on her mortgage: "But the bank owns the apartment until I'm over 70."

Regarding personal finances, she's not one for luxuries: "I enjoy the little things; for example, I love sleeping in a tent in the mountains." In terms of banking, she manages with two checking accounts: "I receive my salary and pay my mortgage in one, and the other is the one my grandfather opened for me; I still have it. I haven't wanted to close it out of nostalgia, although I still use it." In this respect, the journalist has expressed a lack of financial education: "We should talk more about money. It's very important in people's daily lives. I'm lucky if my brother has advised me; otherwise, I'd be the typical person who gets ripped off."