Building a Roadmap to Financial Well-Being: Part Three - Getting from A to B

Financial well-being isn’t a mystery - it’s not even a destination - it’s a journey. Using a roadmap gives you the confidence and control to turn your goals into achievable steps. A financial plan doesn’t need to be complicated - it just needs to be practical and consistent. Afterall, a goal without a plan is just a wish.

Part 3 of our three-part series breaks down how to plan your route from where you are now to where you want to go into actionable steps.

If you haven’t already, go back to Part One - Assessing Where You’re Starting From and Part Two - Deciding Where You Want To Go before working on your action plan.

Break Big Goals into Financial Targets

The first step in creating your personal roadmap is to shift your mindset away from the big and beautiful, but potentially vague, dreams of your imagined future, into concrete financial targets. That means you must translate each of the goals you set in Part Two into:

1) a dollar amount,

2) a deadline, and

3) a weekly/monthly contribution.

For example, if your goal is to have an emergency fund, the first step is to define in dollars what that amount actually is for you. Let’s say, $12,000. Now, ask yourself, how long am I comfortable waiting to build this emergency fund - or when do I want it fully funded by? If your aim is for the pot to be full within 24 months, you know that you need to contribute $500 each month into some sort of savings account to get you there in time. A savings goal calculator tool can help you get clarity on the numbers.

Now that you have the numbers on paper, you can decide if that’s achievable for you. Maybe you need to extend the deadline, maybe you need to lower the dollar amount - or maybe, you can identify opportunities to speed things up. Are you able to ask friends and family to contribute to your financial goals on birthdays and Christmas instead of gifts, if that’s what’s really important to you? Do you have a lump sum you could contribute now, which would also increase compound interest? What we’re trying to do is convert intention into numbers - a tangible definition of what you need to achieve to make your dreams come true. Once you have a starting point, you can play around with the details based on your individual circumstances and any life changes.

Prioritize What Happens First

For most of us, not everything can move full speed ahead all at once - we might not be able to work towards all of our financial wellbeing goals right away or at the same time. It’s important that you make a distinction between:

1) What needs immediate attention?

2) What can move steadily in the background?

One framework that you can use to prioritize is the Protection - Stability - Growth model.

Protection (Insurance, Emergency Fund)

Before you focus on building wealth, you need to reduce vulnerability. This means having safeguards in place that protect your income, your family, and your ability to recover from unexpected events. An emergency fund provides breathing room when life happens. Insurance protects against risks that could otherwise undo years of progress. Protection is about resilience; when you know you can withstand a setback, you make decisions from confidence rather than stress.

Stability (Debt Reduction, Cash Flow Control)

Stability is about creating predictability in your day-to-day finances. Reducing high-interest debt frees up future income and lowers financial pressure. Managing cash flow ensures your money is working intentionally, not disappearing without direction.

Stability allows you to move from reactive to proactive, covering today’s needs while steadily building toward tomorrow’s goals. It’s where momentum begins to feel real.

Growth (Investing, Long-Term Wealth)

Growth is where your money begins working for you; investing is a tool for expanding your future options. Whether through retirement accounts, workplace savings plans, or long-term investments, growth compounds over time. With consistency and patience, you give your future self more freedom and choice.

This framework isn’t asking you to let go of bigger dreams; this is about deciding the order of action. You’re not saying ‘no’ to your growth goals, you might just be saying ‘not yet’ or ‘not as quickly.’

Automate Progress

To achieve any goal, you need to make progress the default. That means not leaving savings for ‘when you think about it’ - because for most of us, that means we’ll never actually start. The best way to do this for your financial well-being goals, is to set up automatic:

• Savings transfers

• Retirement contributions

• Investment deposits

• Debt payments above minimum

Use payroll deductions whenever possible and align contributions with paydays, so that the money comes out before you have a chance to spend it. Even if all you can afford is to save $10 each month, that’s better than nothing. Progression is always more important than perfection - especially when compound interest is involved! Remember, discipline is helpful, but systems are better.

Align Your Benefits with Your Plan

There are many ways your employee benefits can help you make real progress on your financial goals - and help you get there faster. Here are a few options to consider:

• Review insurance coverage to protect income and dependents

• Access financial planning resources available through workplace programs

• Use wellness benefits to reduce future health costs

• Increase retirement contributions to take advantage of employer matching

Speak to your plan administrator or your company’s benefits advisor to better understand what financial support is available in your employee benefits plan.

Build in Flexibility & Celebrate Milestones

A financial plan is a living document. You should expect income changes, unexpected expenses and life transitions. You can manage these changes by scheduling quarterly or semi-annual check-ins to make sure you're on track. Or if necessary, rebalance priorities when life shifts. And if income grows, adjust your contributions to match. There’s no need for re-assessments, this is about maintenance.

Progress helps drive motivation, but of course, life sometimes gets in the way. That’s why it’s important to replace “all or nothing” thinking with an “adjust and continue” attitude. Don’t forget to celebrate your milestones: the first $1,000 saved, debt reduced by 20%, one full year of consistent investing. These small steps turn into big results, so make sure you acknowledge the every day actions you’re taking to help you get there.

Common Planning Mistakes to Avoid

I know, we’ve made it sound easy, haven’t we? But of course, when we set big goals, they’re naturally hard to achieve. And sometimes, we make honest mistakes that set us up for failure. Here are a few common ones to avoid:

• Don’t try to tackle everything at once

• Don’t build a plan that’s too rigid

• Don’t ignore small progress because it feels insignificant

• Don’t wait for the “perfect time” to start

Financial well-being isn’t about dramatic change – it’s about consistent, structured action. You’ve already assessed where you’re currently at. You’ve defined your destination. Now all you need to do is build the bridge to get you there.

Not sure where to start? Choose one goal. Calculate what it requires monthly. Set up the first automatic transfer this week.