Once you’ve reached your financial goals—or when you’re tracking really, really well on the way to reaching them—what the next finish line for you? Let’s take a look at income- and asset-based finish lines and what you can do beyond them.

One book I’ve really enjoyed reading is God and Money by Gregory Baumer, which explains what two students learned while at Harvard about what to do with all they extra money they’d be making after graduation. In the book, the author lays out a simple matrix that I really appreciate.

The intention behind the matrix isn’t to tell you that you need to start giving all your money away once you reach a certain dollar amount; instead, it’s a framework for thinking about what’s next for you after you’ve met your needs, achieved your goals, and been generous to your family.

Is hoarding assets the name of the game for your family and future generations? For some people, it may be. But the rest of us know that hoarding money doesn’t help people as well as it could, and it keeps us from experiencing certain blessings as well as we could, too.

The matrix in the book is pretty simple:

On the y-axis, it shows a scale for assets. You’ll be at different points along this scale during different seasons of life, but you’ll always have personal wealth finish line that represents the amount of assets it takes for you to feel financially secure. On the x-axis, it shows a scale for income. No matter how much you’re making, you have a personal spending finish line that represents the amount of income it takes to live your ideal lifestyle.

Though your income level and asset level will change throughout your life, you’ll always fit into one of four zones based on your personal finish lines.

In Zone 1, though you may be at a lower level of wealth and income, you might still give what you can because you recognize the blessings that come from being generous. In Zone 2, you can both save a lot and give a lot due to having a high income (which is a pretty fun space to be in). In Zone 3, where many people find themselves during retirement, you can give a lot because you’re secure in your level of assets. In Zone 4, after you’ve crossed both of your finish lines, you can give radically without having to save at all.

Everyone has different finish lines, but my perspective is that giving generously while you’re alive lets you see and experience the fruits of that generosity while you can. After all, you have to give up your money when you die, anyway.

Want to talk about your personal finish lines and how to reach them? Schedule a free meeting with Mike here.