My name is Matthew Adair. I founded Think and Talk Money after years of teaching personal finance for lawyers.
My purpose with Think and Talk Money is to share these principles of personal finance for lawyers with all professionals striving for financial freedom.
To help us achieve financial freedom, we can’t be embarrassed or afraid to talk about money with our friends and family.
What you should know about me.
I’m a husband and a dad.
I’m a real estate investor, with 10 rental apartments in Chicago and a short-term rental condo in Colorado.
I’ve been a law school professor since 2011 and have taught personal finance for lawyers since 2021.
I’m a lawyer in Chicago working for clients suffering from mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
The strategies I teach are the ones I’ve personally used, and continue to use, on my journey towards financial freedom.
I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way, and I’ll be very open and honest to help you avoid those same mistakes.
Why did I Start Teaching Personal Finance for Lawyers?
Since 2011, I’ve taught law students how to research, write, and communicate in the courtroom. I regularly have coffee with students who want to talk about what comes next after finishing school.
I’ve learned that my students don’t typically think or talk about money and how it relates to a healthy life. I wanted to help them avoid the money struggles that I had experienced at the beginning of my career.
That’s why in 2021, I designed and launched a law school course to teach personal finance for lawyers.
My goal in teaching personal finance for lawyers is to help us all think about using money as a tool to build a life that conforms to our personal values.
These personal finance lessons, of course, apply to all professionals. I regularly talk about money with a variety of professionals and learned that most of us are facing the same financial challenges.
My mission is simple: to help professionals reach financial independence.
When we are financially independent, we can choose to live life on our own terms. We can make important decisions based on what truly matters to us, as opposed to being forced down a certain path because of money reasons.
I started teaching personal finance for lawyers to help people develop habits so they can live on purpose. One of my goals is for all of us to live a life where we actively think and choose what happens next.
I didn’t start teaching personal finance for lawyers to help people get rich. Though, you will if that’s your goal and you follow along.
When we are financially independent, we can choose to spend more time with the people who are meaningful to us. We can choose to use our skills for work that is meaningful to us.
Most of us grow up thinking that life only revolves around getting an education and then getting a job. We don’t allow ourselves to believe that financial freedom is possible for us.
This was my limiting belief before I wrote down what financial freedom would mean for me.
My goal is to help all of us realize that financial independence is within our reach.
If we can think and talk about our money choices even a little bit every week, we can make sure our money life remains in balance with the rest of our life.
Each week at Think and Talk Money, we’ll discuss personal finance for lawyers and professionals with one goal in mind: to reach financial independence.