For many people, I’ll even say most people, financial goals are very amorphous. Some people just want enough money to cover bills. Other people want to be rich. But if you ask them to be a little more specific, or to describe specific plans with which they are in the process of achieving these ends, they come up short. Personal finance is one of those things in life that needs careful planning and perseverance.

Like fitness, career, family, your financial life won’t get where you want it to be without a solid goal. But even a goal isn’t enough. You’ve also got to have actionable steps to get you there. Finding the goal is the first part, and it may not be as easy as you think. The second part is to plan for achieving those goals. Here are some things to consider when you are solving both parts of this equation.