Plenty of capable people never learned how to manage money or run the logistics of adult life, and plenty more have fallen behind during a hard stretch. Blackburn mentors help clients take control of their finances and everyday tasks, one practical step at a time.
Financial skills
- Building a simple budget and sticking to it
- Opening and managing a bank account
- Organizing bills, due dates and automatic payments
- Understanding and rebuilding credit
- Making a plan for existing debt
- Saving toward goals such as a car, an apartment or school
Everyday life skills
- Planning a weekly schedule and using a calendar
- Grocery shopping, meal planning and cooking basics
- Keeping a clean, organized living space
- Handling paperwork, such as IDs, insurance and appointments
- Getting around, whether that means transit, a car or a license
- Preparing to move into independent housing
Why it matters
Financial stress and disorganization weigh on everything else. When bills are paid, the schedule is clear and the basics are handled, there is more room to focus on work, school, health and relationships.
Life skills for students and young adults
Many students arrive at college or their first apartment without ever having managed a budget, paid a bill or scheduled their own appointments. Mentors work through these skills in real life, week by week, until they become habits. See preparing a teen for college and mentoring for young adults.
Online, anywhere in the US
Mentoring for money and life skills happens by video for clients across the United States, scheduled in your local time, with text and phone check-ins between sessions. Clients in Los Angeles can also meet in person. See online mentoring nationwide.
Who money and life skills mentoring is for
- Teens getting ready to leave home: a first bank account, a first paycheck and a plan for the tasks that arrive at 18.
- College students managing an allowance, a part-time job or their own bills for the first time. See setting up a college allowance.
- Young adults living on their own, or trying to, who want rent, bills and groceries to stop being a monthly scramble.
- Not the right fit for investment, tax or legal advice. Mentors teach everyday skills and help clients follow through; a licensed financial professional, tax preparer or attorney is the right person for those questions.
What a typical week looks like
Life skills stick when they are practiced on real tasks, not covered once in a workshop. A common week:
- Session: look at what came in and what went out last week, what is due this week, and one skill to practice, such as reading a lease or calling to schedule an appointment.
- Between sessions: the client does the task themselves (pays the bill, books the appointment, makes the grocery list) and texts the mentor when it is done.
- Next session: review what happened, fix what did not work and add the next small step.
Helpful companions to this work: the young adult budget calculator, how to read a pay stub and scheduling your own appointments.
What progress looks like over the first months
There is no fixed timeline, but the order is usually similar. First, the client can see where their money goes and has every due date in one place. Next come habits: bills paid on time, a small amount set aside each week, groceries planned instead of improvised. Later, the bigger steps become realistic, such as an emergency fund, building credit or a first apartment. With the client’s permission, parents get progress updates instead of having to ask.
Mentor, class or app?
Budgeting apps and personal finance classes are useful, and a mentor will happily use them. What they do not provide is a person who notices that the budget stopped getting updated three weeks ago and helps restart it. For how mentoring compares with other kinds of support, see mentor vs coach vs therapist and group vs one-on-one mentoring. For the broader set of skills, see adulting skills.
Key questions to ask any mentor or coach
- Will I practice these skills on my own real bills and tasks, or only talk about them?
- How do you check in between sessions when a deadline is coming up?
- Who stays in control of the money? (The answer should be: you do.)
- When would you point me to a financial professional instead?
More questions
Can a mentor help my teen learn to manage money before college?
Yes. Mentors work with high school students on a first account, a simple budget and paying for their own things, with a parent involved throughout. See teen money management.
Does a mentor help with filing taxes?
A mentor can help a client gather documents, understand the steps and make the appointment or start the filing, but does not prepare taxes or give tax advice. See filing taxes for the first time.
Can mentoring help with money and ADHD?
Yes. Mentors help set up simple systems, such as automatic payments and a weekly money check, that do not depend on remembering. See ADHD and money management.
Is this the same as financial coaching?
Not quite. Money is one part of the work, alongside routines, paperwork, housing and daily logistics, and mentors do not give investment or financial planning advice.
Can we work on moving out of a parent’s house?
Yes. Mentors help with saving for a deposit, reading a lease and setting up utilities and a budget for the first months. See moving out of your parents’ house.
Related
- Career and education
- How mentoring works
- Credit Score Basics for Young Adults
- Launch Readiness Checklist: Life Skills Before 18 to 25
- Turning 18 checklist
- Emergency fund basics
Money and life skills questions
Will my mentor manage my money for me?
No. Mentors teach skills and help clients build systems, but clients stay in control of their own money and decisions.
Can a mentor help me get ready to live on my own?
Yes. Mentors help with budgeting for rent, finding housing, setting up utilities and the day-to-day skills of living independently.
Get started
Talk with our team about mentoring. Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. We will listen, answer your questions and help you decide whether mentoring is the right fit.
Last updated .
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.