2025 Didn't Quite Go To Plan
Some financial turning points are flashy. Others unfold quietly — revealed not by a single event, but by the uncomfortable truths that emerge when we look back at a year’s worth of spending in the aggregate.
For Marcus, it started with exactly that: an annual spending report for 2025.
He’s a young professional in his late 20s, earning solid income and living with his parents by choice. No rent means more flexibility, more savings, and a little more room to enjoy the moment.
And in 2025? He did each of those.
When we tallied the numbers, he’d spent around $10,000 on “weekend activities” — meals out with friends, fun trips, drinks, tickets, you name it.
He wasn’t going into debt. Even with that level of spending, he was still saving, still investing, still paying attention.
But when we reviewed the totals together in January, a strange feeling crept in:
Not shame.
Not guilt.
Just… something unsettled.
Because while it felt like he’d been intentional throughout the year, the numbers told a different story:
He hadn’t planned to spend that much on weekends.
It just sort of happened.
He gave himself permission for each overage as it came. But when viewed in the aggregate, it didn’t feel so aligned with his bigger goals.
And for someone as thoughtful as Marcus, that realization stung.
So now what?
He’s not swearing off joy.
He’s not punishing himself with a no-spend year.
But he is making a powerful shift.
He’s reclaiming his plan — and recentering on the future he wants.
Marcus has a plan to:
Max out his Roth IRA early this year ($7,500)
Build an opportunity fund in his brokerage account — $24,000 projected by year-end
Give every dollar a job before the month begins
Make room for meaningful time with friends without letting that time hijack his whole financial picture
This is what intentional money looks like.
It’s not austere. And it’s not about deprivation.
It’s the confidence of choosing your direction — and the clarity of knowing your money is backing you up.
Your numbers will absolutely look different than Marcus’s.
But the process? That part is universal.
That moment when you realize your money’s been driving the car — and you’re ready to take the wheel again.
That feeling of not being behind — but wanting to do things differently from here forward.
That decision to stop drifting, and start building.
This isn’t just about spreadsheets.
It’s about alignment.
Ownership.
Growth.
And it’s one of the most powerful shifts I see clients make.
If this feels like a season where you’re ready to realign your money with what actually matters to you — I’d love to help.
We’ll take a look at where you are, where you want to go, and how your money can become a tool that supports your vision — not a source of constant second-guessing.
Always in your corner,
— Andrew
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