The Intentional Money Playbook(2): Winning with your personal finances in 2026

By Desmond BREDU

In the first part of this series, I laid the foundation for our conversation on financial fortitude and the need to be intentional about your inflows and your expenditure, in particular. Remember Delores and Jane?

In this second part, I will share into greater details why foregrounding your financial circumstances can determine the phase of your growth, both as an individual and as a professional or entrepreneur.

How do you become intentional with your finances?

First, you must understand the trade-offs in every financial decision. Every choice has a hidden cost. When you buy a new phone today, you are also choosing not to invest that money, save it, or use it to reduce debt. When you give in to lifestyle pressure, you are also choosing financial stress later.

Intentionality forces you to ask: What do I gain, and what do I give up, if I spend this money today?

From years of engaging people, I have observed that those who achieve financial stability do not always earn the most. They simply understand that every decision is a trade-off, and they consistently choose the option that aligns with their long-term goals.

It is also well known that every cedi must have an assignment. Money without a clear purpose has a tendency to disappear without explanation. Intentional individuals do not leave their money wandering. Instead, they assign every cedi a role.

Some money is allocated to essentials and planned pleasures that make life enjoyable. Some is saved for short-term needs and emergencies. Some is invested to support long-term growth, stability, and wealth creation. And some is set aside for giving, reflecting personal values and meaningful causes.

When every cedi knows where it is going, it stops slipping through your fingers and starts working for you. This approach is not budgeting for budgeting sake; it is budgeting with purpose. When money has a mission, it no longer leaks into impulse purchases and emotional spending.

Another critical aspect of intentional financial management is being proactive rather than reactive. From my experience as a financial literacy coach, I have realised that many people, especially young people, drift through their financial lives, responding to sudden expenses, unexpected requests, lifestyle pressure, and emergencies driven by emotion.

Intentionality reverses this pattern. Instead of asking, ‘What do I do now that this has happened?’, you begin each month already knowing what you can afford, what you are building toward, the boundaries you will not cross, and the plan for every inflow of money.

Here is a truth that may sound amusing but is painfully accurate: planning after payday is already too late. Once the money arrives, emotions are already involved. Money without a pre-payday plan becomes fuel for emotional decisions. Proactive planning reduces stress, builds confidence, and protects you from being controlled by circumstances.

When it comes to managing your finances, design systems rather than relying solely on willpower. Discipline, as popular as it sounds, is overrated. Systems are what truly create consistency and ensure discipline.

Intentional people build structures that make good decisions automatic. These may include standing orders for savings and investments, separate accounts for bills, business, and spending, automated transfers toward long-term goals, spending limits within digital wallets, and clear debt repayment schedules.

Relying only on discipline makes you vulnerable on days when you’re tired, emotional, or stressed. Systems, however, keep you consistent even when motivation is low.

Finally, measure progress, not perfection. Intentional finances are not about doing everything right. They are about asking meaningful questions: Are you saving more than last year? Is your emergency fund growing? Are your debts reducing? Are your investments compounding? Are you controlling lifestyle inflation? Are you moving closer to your goals?

Small improvements, applied consistently, can produce remarkable transformation over time. I have seen this both in my own life and in the lives of those I coach. You do not need perfection; you simply need progress.

Final Thoughts: Control your money or it will control you

Whether you earn GHS 1,500 or GHS 30,000, your financial life will always reflect your level of intentionality. Intentionality is not a gift, it is a habit, a decision, and a mindset.

The year 2026 can be the year you transform your finances, not only by earning more, but by directing what you already earn with clarity, discipline, and purpose. Take control before your next payday. Assign every cedi a job, build systems, measure progress, and choose your trade-offs consciously.

Your money is waiting for instructions. Give it purpose, and it will help build the life you want.

 Desmond  is the Head, Client Coverage ,Stanbic Investment Management Services (SIMS)

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