Six ways to set financial resolutions that will actually stick

A whopping 97% of Americans age 25 and older with a household income under $100,000 said they have already set or are considering financial resolutions as part of their 2026 resolutions, according to a survey of nearly 1,400 people conducted by Wells Fargo and marketing research firm Ipsos. The top resolutions are saving more money and spending less, but respondents are also resolving to improve their credit scores, pay off debt and start a new side hustle or income stream, reports Current, a consumer fintech banking platform.

Setting a financial resolution is easy. It’s sticking to it that’s hard. But financial advisors say that there are several simple steps you can take now to help give your future self a leg up.

1. Reflect on the last year

In order to make resolutions that you’ll be able to put into practice, you need to start by reflecting on the last year, says Chelsea Ransom-Cooper, a certified financial planner at Zenith Wealth Partners.

Review your spending and transactions. You can either do this with a budgeting app or your mobile banking app, many of which offer money management tools to see what type of items and services get you to swipe your card most often. Note what your biggest spending categories are, and whether anything surprised you.

2. Be realistic

There’s no point identifying milestones you won’t be able to hit, and doing so can be discouraging. For example, if you only saved $1,000 last year, you probably don’t want to say that this year you’re going to save $10,000.

A key part of this step is determining whether you have any significant changes to your income, Ransom-Cooper says. Perhaps you’re expecting a raise at the end of the year or you’re starting a new job with a higher salary after the holidays. If that’s the case, it may make sense to give your savings goal a bump. But if you know you’re also taking on new expenses, like higher rent or medical bills, you’ll want to adjust for those changes as well.

You should also limit the number of goals you set and keep them simple, says Cristian Mundy, a certified financial planner at LifeLine Financial & Wealth Management Group. Don’t write down 10 to 20 goals, but instead stick to three to five, then build from there if you need to add more goals later.

And don’t overcomplicate things. Make sure these are behaviors you can keep up, such as setting aside $20 each week for a future car.

“You’ve got to make it a habit,” Mundy says.

3. Keep your goals top of mind

Committing your goals to memory may work for the first few weeks of the new year, but it’s easy for them to go by the wayside if you don’t push yourself to reflect on them regularly. Write your goals down somewhere you’ll see them frequently, such as on a note on your desk or refrigerator.

Ransom-Cooper has her goals on her phone’s homescreen so that every time she unlocks the phone, she sees them. She says she’s even seen people write their goals on a sticky note and put them on their credit card so that every time they go to swipe their card, they’re reminded of the debt they’re working to pay off.

“Little things like that can be great nudges to remind you ‘Hey, before you do something that may not be aligned with those goals, here’s a good reminder of where we’re trying to go this year,’” Ransom-Cooper adds.

4. Avoid comparison

It’s hard enough to stick to your own goals—don’t try to meet someone else’s.

That may seem like an obvious tip, but Ransom-Cooper says she’s noticed more recently, with the rise of social media use, that clients can be tempted to choose goals just because it seems like everyone else is hitting that milestone, like buying a house.

“Pick goals that are important to you,” she says. “Try not to latch onto trends or other people’s goals because they won’t feel fulfilling.”

5. Automate

To reach goals, you have to make them part of your daily routine. Automating is a simple way to do that, Mundy says. For instance, if you’re trying to save more money, set up an automatic transfer into your savings account every time your paycheck hits. If you have a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement savings account, you’re likely already making automatic contributions with a portion of your paycheck. A budgeting app can help you track your budget and spending patterns automatically, too.

Mundy says to think of this practice like working out: Once it becomes a regular part of your routine and you don’t wrestle everyday with whether or not you’re going to the gym, exercising becomes easier.

“Anybody that wants to be financially stable, they have to put in place fundamental processes that allow them to be successful financially without them really thinking about it,” he adds.

6. Be flexible

Be ready to adjust your goals if necessary. If you reach your goals, such as funding an emergency fund, sooner than expected, adjust your resolutions to make room for saving for the long term. And if the unexpected hits, like you get laid off from your job, revise your goals to make them attainable for the current moment and keep going.

You also want to be sure that you’re allowing yourself to enjoy your life now, not just saving for the future.

“When it comes to personal finance, it’s all about having a good balance,” Ransom-Cooper says. “We want to have a balance of making sure we’re increasing towards our goals, but also allowing people to just enjoy some of their hard work, too.” 

This story was produced by Current and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.