Finishing Well — Preparing for 2026 With Wisdom and Stewardship Part 3

Over the past two weeks, you’ve done important groundwork. You looked back at 2025 with honesty, reviewed where your money actually went, noticed patterns and pressures, and identified what helped or hindered your stewardship. That kind of assessment takes courage, and it creates clarity.

Now it’s time to move from assessment to action.

This part of the process works best when you give it space. Try setting aside an hour or two to work through this intentionally, or break it into short, focused sessions over a few days. The goal is not speed. The goal is thoughtfulness.

Planning well is one of the most practical ways to steward what God has entrusted to you. When you take time to plan, you reduce stress, avoid reactive decisions, and create room for peace and purpose in the year ahead.

💡 This Week’s Focus: Building Goals That Last

This week is about setting clear financial goals for 2026 and putting simple systems around them so they don’t fade by February.

Instead of chasing motivation, you’ll focus on structure.
Instead of vague intentions, you’ll create clear direction.

The work this week centers on:

• Turning what you learned from 2025 into specific goals

• Using a SMART framework so goals are realistic and measurable

• Building small systems that support follow-through

• Creating rhythms that keep you consistent, even on busy weeks

Faithful stewardship is not about perfection or intensity.
It’s about clarity, consistency, and decisions made ahead of time.

By the end of this process, you won’t just have goals on paper.
You’ll have a plan that fits your real life and supports steady progress throughout the year.

📖 Verse of the Week

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

Faithful stewardship is not about quick wins or perfect plans. It is about staying consistent when progress feels slow, trusting that steady obedience produces fruit in the right season.

Step 1: Set God-Honoring Goals (30 minutes)

Start with focus, not volume.

Choose three financial priorities for 2026. No more.
If everything is a goal, nothing gets done.

Your priorities might include:

• Paying off a specific debt

• Building an emergency fund

• Increasing saving or investing

• Creating margin in your monthly spending

• Increasing income

• Growing in generosity

Once you’ve chosen your three, turn each one into a SMART goal:

• Specific: What exactly do you want to accomplish?

• Measurable: How will you know you’re making progress?

• Achievable: Is this realistic for your season?

• Relevant: Does this align with your values and calling?

• Time-bound: When will this be completed?

Example:
“I will save $3,000 in an emergency fund by December 2026 by saving $250 per month.”

Write your goals down. Goals gain power when they are written and revisited.

Step 2: Define Your Monthly Framework (25 minutes)

Now translate your priorities into a monthly picture.

You are not aiming for perfection. You are aiming for clarity.

List:

• Monthly income (use realistic numbers)

• Fixed expenses

• Giving

• Savings and investing

• Debt payments

• Variable spending categories

• Irregular or seasonal expenses (averaged monthly)

If the numbers don’t work on the first pass, pause.

This is where wisdom lives — not in forcing the math, but in understanding what needs adjusting.

Ask yourself:

• Is this a spending issue, an income issue, or both?

• Where does margin need to be created?

• What must be protected no matter what?

A plan that fits real life is one you will actually use.

Step 3: Assign Your Goals to the Plan (20 minutes)

Now place your SMART goals directly into the framework.

Examples:

• Emergency fund goal → monthly savings line

• Debt payoff goal → specific payment amount

• Giving goal → defined percentage or amount

• Investing goal → automated contribution

Each goal should have:

• A monthly action

• A place in your plan

• A way to track progress

If a goal has no monthly action, it’s a wish — not a plan.

Step 4: Build the Systems That Support the Plan (15 minutes)

Plans fail when they rely on memory or motivation.

Decide now:

• What will be automated?

• What will be reviewed weekly?

• What will be reviewed monthly?

Examples:

• Automatic transfers for savings or investing

• Calendar reminders for check-ins

• One fixed time each week to review spending

• One fixed time each month to reset the plan

Your system should make the right choice easier than the wrong one.

Step 5: Create Your Review Rhythm (10 minutes)

A plan is not “set it and forget it.”

Decide:

• When you will review weekly

• When you will review monthly

• When you will reassess goals mid-year

Use these questions in every review:

• What worked?

• What felt tight?

• What needs adjusting?

• Where did I see God’s provision?

Consistency turns plans into progress.

What This Plan Is — and What It Is Not

This plan is:

• Flexible

• Honest

• Aligned with your values

• Built for your current season

This plan is not:

• Punitive

• Rigid

• Based on comparison

• Dependent on motivation

Faithful stewardship is not about controlling every dollar.
It is about directing your resources with wisdom, trust, and intention.

🎯 This Week’s Invitation

This week is not about checking a box.
It’s about finishing the year with intention.

Set aside focused time to work through this planning process — either:

• One uninterrupted 90-minute session, or

• Three 30-minute sessions over a few days

Give this the attention it deserves. A thoughtful plan now reduces stress, guesswork, and reactive decisions later.

You don’t need to have everything perfect.
You just need to begin.

💬 Reflection Questions

1. What needs to change for my finances to reflect stewardship and wisdom in 2026?

2. Which rhythms will help me stay consistent throughout the year?

3. What is God inviting me to trust Him with in the upcoming financial season?

📢 Closing Thought

You’ve done meaningful work over the past few weeks.

You reflected honestly.
You evaluated what needs to change.
Now you’ve created a plan rooted in wisdom, faith, and stewardship.

As you move into 2026, return to this plan often. Let it guide your decisions, ground your habits, and remind you why you chose this direction in the first place.

Faithful stewardship isn’t about control.
It’s about clarity, consistency, and trust — one decision at a time.

🔁 Missed a newsletter? Read anytime at financebyfaith.beehiiv.com

Blessings and financial peace to you!