When it comes to finances, it’s easy to assume more is better: more income, more savings, more investments. But this “more mindset” can also lead to more
It’s worth pausing to consider exactly how much money you would need to feel like you have enough.
Defining “enough” is a personal question that concerns our deepest values and greatest aspirations. Read on to hear from Thrivent financial professionals on how to live with greater purpose no matter what your “enough” threshold is. We’ll also meet some Thrivent clients who, through very different routes, have found clarity and contentment in their financial situations.
Putting money in its place
The first step toward defining “enough” in your own life is clarifying how money helps you achieve the life you want. This requires a bit of soul-searching in addition to financial know-how, which is why many people turn to a financial advisor for guidance.
“‘Enough’ is personal,” says Sara Juran, vice president of Advice and Planning Solutions at Thrivent. “It’s ultimately tied to whatever goals you have.”
Juran works to ensure Thrivent’s financial planning services stay rooted in a client’s goals and values, especially when it comes to building a long-term financial plan.
“A financial plan has to be personalized for the client to feel like they have enough,” she says. This is why Thrivent’s financial advisors are trained to get to know their clients on a personal level—their values and goals, not merely their account statements.
Juran notes that Thrivent’s financial planning platform was designed to facilitate just these sorts of conversations. The proprietary digital tool integrates a client’s stated values, goals, financial accounts and statements, action steps, and more into a single dashboard.
Taken together, all that data tends to tell a story, says Alexander Newby, a Thrivent financial advisor with Legacy Wealth Group in Las Vegas.
“‘Enough’ often begins as an abstract feeling,” he says. “Our team’s job is to help translate that feeling into something measurable. Eventually, ‘enough’ becomes more of a statement like: ‘If we can safely and consistently generate $100,000 per year after taxes, maintain a reserve for healthcare, and leave a meaningful gift to our children and church, we have enough.’”
But our “enough thresholds” are rarely permanent. Rather, they shift over time.
“We’ve never met a client whose definition of enough stayed completely static for 30 years,” Newby explains. “A person in their 40s may define enough as financial independence. In their 60s, enough may mean more family time or travel time. In their 70s, it may become about legacy, generosity or making sure they don’t become a burden to others.”
Defining “enough” empowers you to make financial decisions that fit your specific situation, not some ideal. Maybe a couple decides one partner will stay home with the kids for a season instead of earning two salaries. Maybe you work odd jobs on weekends to pay down student debt. Maybe a widower creates a charitable fund to support causes dear to his late wife.
Regardless of specifics, the goal, at each stage, is to define enough for now.
Define your ‘enough’
- What would make you feel like you have enough? Reflect on these questions to get started.
- What expenses does “enough” need to cover?
- Do you feel guilty spending money, or do you spend without noticing it add up?
- What about your life would you change if you knew you had enough?
- Has anything in your life changed recently that’s reshaped what “enough” means to you?
- If you have a surplus, where should it go?
Reaching financial freedom
Greg Durivage, Thrivent wealth advisor with Pilot Wealth Advisors in Waterville, Ohio, suggests people without a clear sense of “enough” tend to fall into one of two camps. Some remain chronically uncertain about money. They’re fearful of running out, so they feel guilt when spending any amount, or they spend as little as possible for the same reason—even if they have plenty.
“If you don’t know where you sit in relation to your goals, whether you’re on track or not, you can’t confidently make many financial decisions,” says Durivage.
In the other camp, some people unconsciously adopt the “more mindset,” progressively earning and spending throughout their careers. “They get a raise, so they get the bigger house or buy the newer car,” Durivage says. “All of a sudden, they don’t have anything to show for that pay increase.”
What both sides lack is the freedom often afforded by a sound financial plan. “In my experience, financial freedom allows people to have clarity around their financial situation,” he says. “They’re able to confidently live the lifestyle they want without having to worry about making ends meet.”
Durivage notes that this confidence often inspires new forms of generosity. “If we’re able to show [clients] that they have enough—and in fact they’re going to have a sizable surplus—then we get to start having some fun conversations about giving,” he says.
That’s what defining enough boils down to: freedom to spend, save and give your money with a good conscience and clarity of purpose.
Start your ‘enough’ conversation
Cameron Brooks is a marketing strategist at Thrivent.
All his financial needs were met in an instant, for life. After the initial shock settled, Rik remembers asking himself a question: “What is my responsibility?”
Having grown up in smaller cities across the Midwest, Rik was struck by the levels of homelessness in Santos, a city near São Paulo, where he settled in 2024. Walking the favelas (low-income neighborhoods) of Santos exposed Rik to the acute needs of the community: food, clean water, money for bills, steady work.
A father himself, Rik says he was particularly troubled when he met children in poverty. “They didn’t do anything to be in that situation,” he says. “Every kid has a right to food and shelter.”
Rik had been working with Thrivent Financial Advisor Alexander Newby, a childhood friend, for a few years at this point. When the money came in, they sat down to discuss next steps.
“I explained my situation to Alex and his partner [Thrivent Financial Advisor Glenn Vallercamp],” Rik says. “The first thing we did was put 10% of the money in a donor-advised fund to support future giving.
“Then, they explained my options in the simplest terms—how I could invest the rest of the money in such a way that it would potentially keep growing and my family could live comfortably on dividend payments alone.”
Then came another serendipitous encounter. While making renovations to his home, Rik met a local contractor named José.*
“I quickly learned that he also had a heart for helping his community,” Rik says. Before long, the two joined forces to organize a more tactical approach to meeting needs in Santos.
José, a local and fluent in Portuguese, began helping with on-the-ground communication and administrative tasks. Rik continued financial support while keeping active in the community.
“José has been key in identifying families to support,” says Rik. “We especially like to give working families a sort of business loan to help them earn a living. We’ll lend them a certain amount upfront and ask for a small return with time—though we don’t really expect anything back.”
Today, Rik and a small board are establishing a nonprofit to expand their outreach in Santos and beyond. “If I have enough,” Rik says, “somebody else should get the surplus.”
*This name has been changed to respect his privacy.
“In 2018, I asked my own roommates to move out, converted my personal home into a safe sanctuary for system-impacted youth, and moved myself into a small trailer on the property with no running water for six months,” says Garrett, who is the founder and executive director of Seed House Project, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people ages 18 to 28 through healing-centered, innovative housing solutions.
Garrett says living in that trailer allowed him to experience some of the isolation and vulnerability his unhoused neighbors navigate daily. It also taught him lessons about living with less and finding fulfillment beyond material comfort.
Seed House Project was founded on the conviction that homelessness is a result of both material and immaterial problems. “Housing is a non-negotiable tool,” Garrett explains, “but a set of keys can’t heal trauma, and it can’t teach someone how to build a life. That’s the gap we exist to close.”
In addition to temporary housing, Seed House Project offers education, therapy and career coaching programs. Above all, Garrett and his team value human connection. In his words: “People are currency.”
“True rehabilitation doesn’t happen in isolation,” he says. “It happens where a person feels seen, safe and connected to a circle of belonging.”
And money? “Money is just a tool that can support the lifestyle of nourishing human connections,” Garrett says. It can nurture relationships, but relationships—not money—are the source of fulfillment.
“You can have all the money in the world,” he adds, “but you’re not free if you don’t know what you value.”
