I help Hong Kong families stop worrying about money

I spent eight years as a financial advisor at one of Hong Kong’s biggest banks. I helped people with mortgages, investments, insurance — all the standard stuff. But here’s what I noticed: even my smartest clients struggled with everyday spending. They’d have perfect investment portfolios and then overspend on groceries every month.

One afternoon, a customer came in frustrated. She earned well. Her husband earned well. They had a solid financial plan. But they couldn’t stick to their budget. Every week they’d spend money they didn’t plan to spend. Gifts for relatives. Dinners out. Random purchases. She asked me: “Why is it so hard to control what I spend if I know exactly how much I have?”

That question haunted me. I started researching behavioral economics. I read about why tracking spending on apps doesn’t work for most people. And I discovered something: the envelope system. Not the old-fashioned cash-in-envelopes approach — that was just one part of it. The real power was psychological. When money is in a specific envelope for a specific purpose, you actually think before spending it.

I became fascinated. So fascinated that I started helping clients try it. Then more clients. Then I realized this wasn’t a side project anymore — it was what I actually wanted to do. In 2015, I left banking and started studying how to adapt envelope budgeting specifically for Hong Kong families. Our costs are different. Our spending patterns are different. Our family structures are different. The global advice doesn’t work here.

Over the past nine years, I’ve worked with more than 2,000 families. I’ve seen what works. I’ve seen what fails. I’ve learned that envelope budgeting isn’t about deprivation — it’s about clarity. When you know exactly where your money goes, spending becomes intentional instead of accidental.