If you’ve ever plugged your assets and debts into a net worth calculator and felt... underwhelmed, you’re not alone. We’re taught to see that number as the ultimate scoreboard—the defining figure that sums up how "financially successful" we are.

It’s easy to feel stuck between two versions of adulthood. One is Pinterest-worthy: your name on the deed, keys in hand, cozy fireplace, houseplants that somehow never die. The other? Well, it’s the version you’re probably living now—paying rent, juggling bills, maybe saving a little, maybe not, and wondering if building a down payment means sacrificing every last thing that makes life feel good.

A few years ago, I was standing on a rooftop bar, half-listening to my buddy talk about his third real estate deal while trying to casually hide the fact that I was sipping the cheapest beer on the menu. He wasn’t bragging—just sharing. But still, the knot in my chest was impossible to ignore. I smiled, nodded, and laughed at the right moments. Then I went home, lay on my couch, and did what too many of us do: I spiraled into a private shame session.

A few years ago, I got a call from a friend who sounded excited—finally, he told me, he found a way to simplify his debt. He’d signed up for a debt consolidation plan that promised one monthly payment, lower interest, and a faster path to financial freedom.

There’s this moment I think most people hit—often in their late 20s or 30s, sometimes later—when you look around and think: Is this it? Not in a dramatic, burn-it-all-down kind of way, but in a quietly curious one. Your days feel full, but not always fulfilling. Your paycheck covers what it needs to, but it’s not exactly stretching toward what you want.