Pastoral Finance
The Pastor's Mid-Year Checkup

We're halfway through the year. Have you looked?

Six questions. Fifteen minutes. Catch the small thing now, in July, while there's still half a year to fix it.

Most pastors don't drift because they're careless. They drift because they're busy. The year starts with good intentions, and then Sunday comes every seven days and doesn't stop.

Most money advice aimed at pastors is about retirement, decades away. This isn't that. This is a mid-year pause, one honest look at the things that quietly slip between January and December. The kind of things that are easy to fix in July and painful to fix in April.

You don't need a budget overhaul. You need fifteen minutes and a checklist.

What the checkup covers

  • 1Is my SECA set-aside actually happening?The tax nobody withholds for you
  • 2Did life change in a way my money hasn't caught up to?Raises, moves, a new baby
  • 3Is my housing allowance still designated correctly?The lesser-of-three test
  • 4Is there margin between me and the next surprise?Buffer before emergency
  • 5Is retirement getting anything, even a little?Church plan vs. IRA
  • 6What am I paying for that I'm not using?The five-minute audit
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Get the Mid-Year Checkup

Enter your email and we'll send you the one-page checklist. Print it, work through it, keep it for December.

One email with your checklist. Occasional notes from Todd on pastor finances. Unsubscribe anytime.

Todd Hukill

Todd is an ordained pastor and has served 18 years as Finance Director for the Tennessee Ministry Network, which serves roughly 200 churches. He entered the financial advisory profession in 2000 and holds a BS in Finance with a concentration in Financial Planning. He writes Pastoral Finance for one reason: pastors deserve financial guidance from someone who has actually sat in their chair.

Educational only. Not individualized financial, tax, or legal advice. Pastoral Finance is editorially independent from Legacy Path Advisors LLC. Tax rules apply differently to each person and change over time. Consult a qualified professional who understands clergy taxation before acting on your specific situation.