We lay out everything: what comes in, what goes out, every debt, what you’ve saved, what you own, and what you’re actually trying to get to. No judgment, no shortcuts. We also check the basics are covered: a roof, food, the lights staying on.
What this looks like
- List every source of income
- List every expense, fixed and variable
- List every debt, balance and rate
- List your savings and assets
- Write down what you actually want
Move on when: You can see the whole picture clearly, and your essential costs are covered.
We build a spending plan you can actually run, not a spreadsheet you abandon in three weeks. You set aside a $1,000 starter cushion, so one bad week doesn’t become a new debt. We also plan ahead for the expenses you know are coming, car repairs, gifts, annual bills, so they stop feeling like emergencies.
What this looks like
- Build a monthly spending plan around how you actually live
- Set aside a $1,000 starter cushion
- Set up sinking funds for expenses you can see coming
Move on when: The plan has held for a real month, with no new debt for ordinary living.
This is the stage most people picture when they think about getting out of debt. We pay off everything except the mortgage, smallest balance first by default, because the early wins are what keep you going. If the math clearly favours a different order, we’ll talk about that too. Once the debt is gone, we build a real emergency fund: three to six months of essential expenses. If life throws a setback and you use your starter cushion, we rebuild it first, keep the minimums moving on everything else, then get back to extra payments.
What this looks like
- Pay off every non-mortgage debt, smallest balance first by default
- Keep reasonable employer matching or pension contributions going
- Build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses
Move on when: Every non-mortgage debt is gone, and your emergency fund is fully built.
With debt gone and a real cushion behind you, we turn to the long game: investing steadily, and the goals that matter to your household specifically, a mortgage paid down faster, a child’s education, retirement on your terms. I’ll walk you through the thinking, but any percentage I mention is a starting point for your situation, not a rule for everyone.
What this looks like
- Build a sustainable, ongoing investing habit
- Work toward household-specific goals: mortgage, education, retirement
Move on when: You have momentum and a plan you understand, and you’re ready to think past just yourself.
There’s no finish line here, no number that means you’re done. This stage is about protecting what you’ve built while actually living with it: family, generosity, experiences, the freedom to make real choices. What you give grows as your capacity does, now that the debt which once limited you is behind you.
What this looks like
- Keep building and protecting what you have
- Give, spend and plan around what actually matters to you
Move on when: There’s nowhere to move on to. This is where you keep living.
