Prospero’s office at 126 N. Main St. in Lake Elsinore. (Photos by Emily Baierl)
People walk into Prospero’s Lake Elsinore office with all kinds of questions.
Some seek help understanding immigration paperwork. Others want to start a business, buy a home or find financial resources. Some simply want to know if they’re about to be scammed.
That range of needs is exactly why Prospero Founder and CEO Rudy Cortes created the organization.
“We offer free services to the Latino community to help them on their journey from immigration, if that’s where they’re at, all the way to help them reach their American dream,” Cortes said. “They can get help with whatever it is that they need, as little as figuring out something online, maybe looking over some documents, all the way up to immigration questions, questions on how to start a business, how to start buying a house.”
Prospero was founded in January 2025 and offers free one-on-one guidance, educational workshops and connections to other community resources. The organization aims to help Latino families build financial stability and work toward long-term prosperity.
For Cortes, that mission is personal.
Growing up in a first-generation Mexican American family, he watched relatives arrive in the United States looking for opportunity. As he got older, they often turned to him for help understanding paperwork, navigating financial decisions or figuring out where to go for answers.
“I would over and over see them and my parents kind of get scammed and screwed by either the system or bad actors in the financial world,” Cortes said. “That always just kind of left a mark on me.”
That experience stayed with him and eventually led him to launch Prospero, hoping to create a place where people could find trusted and accessible guidance.
Today, that support often starts with a simple conversation.
Instead of a traditional office, Prospero is designed to feel more like a home. Visitors are greeted at the door, offered coffee or water and invited to sit on couches before talking through what brought them in.
Inside Prospero’s office, the space is set up like a living room to make visitors feel comfortable.
“We want them to feel at home,” Cortes said. “Like they’re talking to their tío, their tía or primo.”
After discussing the situation, staff members help identify the next steps, whether that’s researching a question, connecting them with another organization or helping them complete paperwork.
“We follow up and try to get them to take that next step,” Cortes said. “We do it one step at a time and we try not to overwhelm people. We’re just helping people take small steps.”
Those conversations have led to a range of success stories since Prospero opened its doors.
One stay at home mother turned her homemade pupusas into a small business after receiving help with marketing and startup guidance. A local contractor completed his first house flip after Prospero helped connect him with funding, investors and property resources.
Sometimes, the impact comes down to answering a single question.
An elderly man who had just paid off his home walked into the office after being told he still owed $1,000 to finish the process.
Cortes reviewed the paperwork, called the title company and confirmed the man’s mortgage had already been paid in full.
“As we were walking out, he said in Spanish, ‘You don’t know the weight you just lifted off my shoulders,’” Cortes said. “He was about to get scammed by someone. Those are the kinds of stories and kinds of problems we’re trying to solve.”
A mural inside Prospero’s office representing people being well-rooted and diversified.
In addition to one-on-one support, Prospero hosts classes and workshops on topics including financial literacy, homeownership, business development and mental health.
“Sometimes people can’t even think about being financially prosperous if their health isn’t good, their mental health isn’t good or there are other issues involved,” Cortes said. “As a social enterprise, we want to be able to provide not only financial workshops and financial resources, but other resources on that journey, including mental health, physical health, anything and everything that can help someone take that next step.”
This year, Prospero says it has impacted roughly 4,000 people through workshops, outreach and one-on-one services. The organization has set a goal of reaching 10,000 people by the end of the year.
Looking ahead, Cortes said his goal is to expand Prospero beyond Lake Elsinore, with future locations planned for Riverside and Santa Ana.
“We built Prospero with the idea and our goal to be a national solution for Latinos,” Cortes said. ”Our Big Hairy Audacious Goal is to be in every Latino community across America.”
For Cortes, the focus remains on making sure people know they have somewhere to turn for trusted guidance.
“Our vision is to be the number one most trusted and recognized brand in the Latino community when it comes to financial empowerment,” Cortes said. “When people in the Latino community ask, ‘Do you know who can help me with this?’ we want the answer to be, ‘Prospero will help you out.’ We’re trying to make sure Latinos have access to trusted resources and a path to prosperity.”
For more information about Prospero and its services, visit its website linked here.
