“Faith is essential in your success. Faith is needed in almost every area of our lives: work, projects, and small business endeavors,” – Alex Cook
Goal setting is nothing new, but when it comes to managing personal finances it’s essential to wise stewardship. It is difficult to make good financial decisions if we have no parameters or objectives. We will just be blown around by the wind and all the latest fads.
Goal Setting is about:
As you plan your goals, be sure that they are S.M.A.R.T.:
S – Specific – they cannot be too general
M – Measurable – there must be a way of determining they have been achieved
A – Achievable – they must be realistic
R – Relevant – they must have a meaningful purpose to your life
T – Time bound – goals without timeframes will be put off
For example: Pay off my $200,000 mortgage in 10 years
Specific: Pay off Mortgage
Measurable: $200,000
Achievable: Depends on many variables (income, growth in income, discipline)
Relevant: Who doesn’t want to get out of debt?
Time bound: Within 10 years from today
To be specific, you need to avoid certain words like “try,” “should,” “could” or “shortly.”
Money goal setting can be for the short-term (1- 3 years), medium-term (3-10 years) or long-term (greater than 10 years).
Examples:
Short-term: Save $20,000 to buy a new car in 2 years
Medium-term: Save $200,000 for my children’s education, with fees starting in 7 years.
Long-term: Achieve financial independence by age 65, requiring a capital sum of $750,000 to give me an income stream of $35,000 per annum
Sample Personal Money Goals
Sample Eternal Money Goals
The list can be endless. However, I believe that, it is important to focus on a few important goals which reflect your stage in life, your financial situation and your desire to steward your resources for the King of Kings.
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Most times, we understand that prosperity only means financial gain. I think God’s definition of prosperity, which is absolutely true, is when a person flourishes in every area of life. Physically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually.
Most of us would create perfect financial plans on paper. It’s all good UNTIL you need to take the plan into action. You will never see your financial situation improve and set you to a better future if you do not execute. Execution is key!
Handling money is, by far, much easier than people believe. So before the big day, sit with your partner and make a simple list of your early financial plans as life is full of stormy ends and enormous pressure will surely come.
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