Faith & Finance - Setting Your First Finish Line with Cody Hobelmann

“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth…” - Deuteronomy 8:17-18

This passage powerfully reminds us that God owns everything, and we are merely stewards of what He has entrusted to us for a season. Today, Cody Hobelman joins us to discuss how you can establish your first financial finish line.

Cody Hobelmann is a Certified Financial Professional (CFP®), a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®), and is the Chief Business Development Officer at Turning Point Financial. He and his brother Kealan founded the Finish Line Pledge and cohost the Finish Line Podcast, where they discuss the intersection of faith, generosity, and personal finance.

The Challenge of Prosperity

Prosperity presents a significant challenge—perhaps more so than hardship. While we live in one of the most prosperous nations in history, this struggle with abundance is not unique to our time.

The book of Deuteronomy mentions how the Israelites stood on the edge of the Promised Land after 40 years in the desert. Moses knew that once they entered the land flowing with milk and honey, they would face a new kind of test—not hunger, disease, or war, but the temptation to rely on their own strength rather than God’s provision.

Just as the Israelites needed a reminder that all wealth belongs to God, we, too, need to set guardrails against the deceptive power of wealth. One of the most effective tools for doing this is the concept of a financial finish line.

Five Approaches to Giving

Before diving into how to set a financial finish line, here are five major approaches to giving:

1. Spontaneous Giving—Giving as needs arise, without much planning.
2. A Giving Goal—Setting a target amount to give annually.
3. Percentage Giving—Committing to give a fixed percentage of income.
4. Incremental Percentage Giving—Increasing the percentage of giving over time.
5. A Financial Finish Line—Setting a cap on personal spending, allowing everything beyond that to be given away.

The first four methods focus on how much to give, while the financial finish line flips the paradigm. Instead, it asks, “How much do I truly need?” and commits to giving away the excess.

Breaking Down the Financial Finish Line

So, how do you actually set a financial finish line? Financial stewardship can be broken down into four key categories:

1. Personal Spending—Lifestyle expenses (housing, food, transportation, etc.).
2. Taxes—The portion owed to the government.
3. Future Planning<