Do You Really Want That Financial Goal? | Ep. 236
A financial goal can sound like something we want until we start considering what making progress toward it will ask of us. Paying off debt or building savings may matter to us, but so might convenience, time with friends, and the things that make an ordinary week enjoyable.
Nino and Catherine Van Der Laan explore that tension in this New Money Habits Classic. Catherine recalls meeting with a prospective client who was struggling to save and felt stuck. As they talked through her spending and the life she hoped to build, Catherine began questioning whether the goals she had named were goals she actually wanted. Their conversation brings comfort and convenience into the discussion alongside financial progress.
They also work through what makes a goal specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Nino describes how putting actual numbers and a timeline around a debt can make it feel more within reach. Catherine shares clients’ excitement at seeing progress, including one who devoted an entire paycheck to debt and paid off her credit card in 90 days.
But that same client needed a break afterward. Nino and Catherine spend time considering the margin a plan needs for everyday life, unexpected invitations, and spending we can enjoy without feeling guilty about the goal waiting elsewhere. Coffee, dinner with friends, and Catherine’s enthusiasm for all things pumpkin find their way into a conversation about pursuing something important without exhausting ourselves along the way.
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If you’d like to put your income, expenses, and goals into a practical plan, the free Payday Power Planner can help you plan around your pay periods.
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