In 2018, I sat down with my mother to discuss her finances. She wanted some help creating a budget and setting goals. Because of a ton of hard work and a late-in-life career change, she was making more money than she ever had. She was proud of herself and in a really good position for the coming years.

But... She had school debt, credit card debt, hospital bill debt. She needed a new vehicle and a new roof. She wanted to go on vacation. She wanted to have a plan for retirement and needed to start from scratch. We sat down for several hours, multiple times, and made a plan together. We looked at her debts, at her income, at her "discretionary spending" (nonessentials). We would check in with each other regularly and over the course of between 9-12 months, she had paid off ALL her debt except her mortgage. She had about $2,500 in a savings account for emergencies. She was saving $500 monthly toward a newer car. She was (and still is!) crushing it!

The day she paid the last payment on her last debt, her school loan, she called me to share. She was so excited! And she was so thankful and full of hope. I vividly remember when she told me, "Nobody ever taught me how to do this, Phil."

At first I thought to myself, "Well nobody taught me how to do it either!" But that's just not true. I had the opportunity to meet and speak to wealthy people growing up. My best friend's dad was a dentist. I went to church with people who were running their own businesses. I had great teachers in high school that invested in me. I had access to books and podcasts and the internet while I was becoming an adult. As I reflected, I was humbled and I was painfully aware of the great need for help in navigating adult life, especially when it comes to money.

I'm not wealthy. But I have balance and I am content. My wife and I know where our money goes each month and we have a plan for it. We have a plan for how to pay down our debt. We have a plan for a dream vacation to Europe. We have a plan for having children, for building a home together, etc. We have to work really hard to maintain this, but it is SO worth it.

I created Adulting Consulting because I regularly meet people who make enough money to live with balance, living in financial chaos. I'm seeing children repeating their parents' mistakes as they move through high school into adulthood (credit card debt, no savings, bad spending habits). I'm seeing retirement age people working in fast food or retail because they can't afford their rent, groceries, insurance, etc.

I want you to have peace and balance in your life and I'm very confident it's possible with a little help and a lot of discipline. I want you to have joy and wealth to share with the people and organizations you care about (or to spend on yourself!). I want you to not have to work your whole life to afford basic needs. That's my heart and my reason for Adulting Consulting.