Save

Now that you hopefully have a handle on your budget, are contributing to your work retirement plan to get a matching contribution, have created an emergency fund, and have addressed your consumer debt, it is time to talk about additional savings options.

You’ve likely noticed by now that these steps on the Stewardship Well Done Journey are fluid. You might move on to step 5 or 6, but then find a need to revisit a previous step. That’s why we refer to this as a journey – it’s an ongoing process, not something you can accomplish once and move on. Step 7 is dedicated towards making additional savings for the future. This step often requires people to revisit steps 1 & 2 to help inform their future savings goals (that is, save according to their priorities – step 1) and manage their ongoing progress (using their budget from step 2).

There are multiple reasons to want to make additional savings beyond your emergency fund. Perhaps you’d like to make a large purchase in the future, or save for your children’s education. Maybe the Lord has given you a heart for a certain ministry and you would like to give a specific amount to their cause. This step would also encompass making additional savings towards retirement.

There are different tools available to use for saving. Depending on the time-frame of your goal, you may want to consider different investment options. Shorter term goals should be invested conservatively while longer term goals could be invested more aggressively. Speaking with a professional may be helpful in determining which tools would best suit your situation.