Smart Financial Resolutions to Strengthen Your Finances in 2026
Happy New Year! As you know, this is the time of year for making resolutions. Some people want to lose weight, take up a hobby, or even start a business. Others want to volunteer or read more. These are all great goals, but when you sit down to plan out your resolutions, spare a thought for your finances. There are several great financial resolutions most people could focus on that could have a wonderful impact on your year.
Some of these may not apply to you, but all of them are a valuable way to make your finances stronger and healthier in 2026. Maybe you could pass on the ones that don’t apply to you.
Truly Get to Know the Investment Options at Your Company
Whether you are running your own company or participating in a company plan, there are many options to consider:
- Does your company offer stock options or do you have restricted stock units (RSUs)? What is the vesting schedule and how do those stocks fit into your overall portfolio and plan?
- Have you maximized your employer-sponsored retirement plan, but could still use some other options to save in a pre-tax way? Does your company have the option of a cash balance plan?
- Many 401(k)s have options for how you invest the funds in them. Have you properly evaluated the funds you are invested in? How do the investment options you’ve selected work with the rest of your portfolio to help you achieve your overall financial objectives?
- What happens with your various investment options with your employer once you retire? Will you roll your 401(k)? What happens with your RSUs or stock options?
In short, make sure you are utilizing the options your company has to maximize your benefits. No one should ever have to be put in the same box as everyone else.
Review Your Insurance Strategies
No one likes to talk about, think about, or pay for insurance. Yet insurance should be a vital part of your financial plan for two main reasons. First, let’s face it—no one can predict what life has in store for us. Life is full of wonderful things, but not everything in life is wonderful. Sickness, accidents, and even age can all drain our finances dry. What’s worse, they can affect our loved ones, too, should they ever be forced to provide for us.
Insurance also can be a great estate and legacy planning strategy. When properly used it can be an effective way to leverage today’s assets for something in the future.
So, in 2026, bite the bullet and really think about insurance. We can even sit down and analyze what you currently have to be certain it still meets your needs.
Update Your Estate Plan
Take a look around you. Look at your home, your car, and your family heirlooms. These might seem like simple possessions, but they’re more than that. They’re assets. They’re part of your estate. That makes them very valuable.
So, to ensure your assets go to who you want, you need to ensure your estate plan stays up-to-date.
It’s easy to create your will, set up a trust, and take care of your power of attorney and then think the work is done, but life changes constantly. Your estate plan needs to be regularly refreshed to reflect that. So, if it’s been a while since you’ve looked at your estate plan, if changes have occurred in your family, or if you suddenly find yourself the proud owner of an impressive stamp collection, let’s update your plan accordingly.
Stop Just Thinking About That One Goal, and Start Planning for That One Goal
You know the one I’m talking about. That one goal that’s been in the back of your mind for ages. A goal you’ve daydreamed about, maybe even talked wistfully about, but never really thought was possible. That one.
Maybe it’s going back to school to get your doctorate. Maybe it’s taking six months off to drive a jeep down the Pan-American Highway. Maybe it’s starting a new business. Maybe it’s something nobody else could even think of because it’s so specific to you.
Whatever it is, it’s time to dust it off and bring it down from the attic of your mind. Come in and tell me about it. Let’s figure it out — and make 2026 the year you start planning for that goal instead of merely dreaming about it.
The best thing about resolutions like these is the peace of mind that comes from achieving them. And with that peace of mind comes a gift: the gift of time. Time you don’t have to spend worrying…but living instead.
Good luck with your resolutions!