Greg Baumer naviHealth God and Money Financial Finish Line Podcast (1)
Finish Line Podcast Episode 19

Greg Baumer, Coauthor of God and Money, on Asking “How Much Should I Keep”

You may have a plan for generosity while your finances feel predictable, yet a promotion, windfall, or growing net worth can quickly test how clearly you have defined enough.

How can you prepare in advance to steward greater resources faithfully without turning a financial finish line into either a rigid rule or an easy promise to abandon?

Meet your guide

Greg Baumer, co-author of God and Money and True Riches and a board member of Generous Giving, began reconsidering money while earning his MBA and studying the intersection of faith and finance with co-author John Cortines. Their research led Greg from asking how little he needed to give toward a deeper question: how much did his family really need to keep?

That question became practical almost immediately when an unexpected business sale created a significant financial windfall. Greg shares why deciding about spending, saving, and giving beforehand made that moment easier to navigate, while also revealing that a finish line does not eliminate temptation. He explores how his family has adjusted their guardrails as their children, housing needs, and finances have changed, along with practical questions about large purchases and using both money and time wisely.

Greg also explains how a thoughtful giving strategy and financial accountability can deepen spiritual formation. You may come away better prepared to define enough with freedom, hold that commitment thoughtfully, and recognize generosity as part of becoming more like Christ.

What you’ll gain

  • Why defining enough before a windfall changes financial decisions
  • How finish lines can provide guardrails without becoming legalistic
  • What large purchases reveal about your financial priorities
  • How to build a thoughtful strategy for generous giving
  • Why stewardship includes managing both money and time
  • How financial accountability can strengthen long-term generosity

Inspired? Take your next step

Financial Finish Line Pledge Step 1

Take the Finish Line Assessment

Take a brief assessment to see if you are ready for a financial finish line right now 

Financial Finish Line Pledge Step 2

Build a Finish Line from Scratch

Use the Finish Line Builder to identify the finish line that fits your season of life best

Financial Finish Line Pledge Step 3

Try a 90 Day Finish Line Experiment

Receive practical guidance and encouragement as you spend 90 days with a finish line.

Complete your first step right now in under 3 minutes.

Play the Game of Life Simulator

Not ready for the assessment? Try a quick interactive simulator to see how you stack up in managing wealth.

play now →

Inspired? Take your next step

Try the Game of Life Simulator

Step into a four-minute interactive experience and see what unfolds as you decide how to manage your resources.

Game of Life Simulator Mobile Screenshot
Game of Life Simulator Mobile Screenshot

Inspired? Learn how to partner with ministries well.

A compelling ministry story can inspire you to respond. But wise partnership often begins with better questions.

Applied Generosity Intervention Partnership Focus

What is the ministry really seeking to restore?

Learn to look beyond visible needs toward people, context, relationships, and flourishing.

Applied Generosity Intervention Partnership Fruitfulness

How do you recognize meaningful impact?

Consider how ministries learn, evaluate their work, and pursue lasting change.

Applied Generosity Intervention Partnership Faithfulness

What does genuine ministry partnership look like?

Explore how to foster trust, alignment, and shared mission in your giving.

In our Intervention Series on the Applied Generosity Podcast, we’ll help you become a more thoughtful, discerning, and faithful partner.

Quotes to Remember

  • “We were dutifully paying our 10% tithe, but there was no worship in it. It was not a way for us to interact with God, it was more like the cost of admission we paid God every week so that we could spend the other 90%.”
  • “Everything that we have truly belongs to God.”
  • “It is so helpful to have done the work in advance around the finish line concept, because then when the money comes, it is relatively straightforward to allocate it across the categories of giving, spending, and saving.”
  • “Generosity is not a choice that we make one time, but rather a choice that we make daily in gratitude to Christ for his generosity towards us.”
  • “The wrestling with the Holy Spirit, with your spouse, in the counsel of other wise Christians, is in fact the point.”

Links from the Show

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Free Guide

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Use Our
Free Guide

Have you considered the ways you are uniquely called into generosity? We’re not all called into the same adventure.
Generosity Profile Image
Enter your information below and we’ll send you our free PDF guide to explore the specific adventure you were called into.
Generosity Profile Image