The Associated Press spoke with people making financial resolutions for 2026 and with financial coaches and planners who emphasized turning broad intentions into concrete, measurable steps. The common thread in the advice was that a New Year’s start can help people review where their money goals stand, but progress depends on building a plan that fits real life.
Erica Grundza, a certified financial planner at the investing and savings app Betterment, said New Year’s can be a moment to “review and realign your financial goals overall,” and urged people to focus “less on the past” and more on an optimistic but realistic view of the future. She said people can benefit from reestablishing the “why” behind how they approach money, which can be as modest as setting aside $10 each week—or as large as saving to buy a house in coming years.
MarieYolaine Toms, a coach and founder of Focused Fire, said resolutions can quickly become unrealistic and feel “more like a dream” if people don’t set them up as actionable goals. Her approach is centered on “no resolutions,” shifting instead to “plans that can be tracked forward, traced back, and tweaked until completion,” she said. Toms has also encouraged clients to check their credit report with the three credit bureaus and, based on those reports, make an attainable plan to start a savings account—such as adding $25 each week.
In practice, the AP story described budgeting as the starting point for many of these plans. It noted that when people are trying to pay off debt or save for a trip, creating a budget can help them pick a structure—whether they use a classic 50/30/20 split or a different budgeting style—so their spending and savings align with what they said they want to accomplish.
Several individuals described how debt and savings goals can come together even when their circumstances changed during the prior year. Rachel Pelovitz, 33, said she lost her job as a magazine editor in September and later had to look closely at her finances after accumulating debt in recent years tied to her husband’s unemployment. She and her husband chose to sell their house, Pelovitz said, and her 2026 goal includes paying off half of her credit card debt while starting to invest moderately with some of the money from the sale.
For Jenni Lee, 27, the 2026 focus is on savings—specifically, getting strict about building a savings account. Lee, who described herself as generally good with money but said she overspent over the last six months, tied her long-term aim to buying a house. She said she is thinking about where she “pinch[es] now” so it “won’t hurt later,” and she also said she wants to cut unnecessary spending on clothing items and eating out, including what she described as overspending influenced by social media microtrends.
Melanie Duarte, 23, of Worcester, said her New Year’s goals include paying off her student loans and credit card debt while also building an emergency fund. She said she made sure to include emergency-fund contributions in her budget, “even if it’s something as small as like $50,” adding that she wants that to “eventually multipl[y].” She also described how her family didn’t openly discuss finances when she was growing up, and said that since starting her own marketing agency she has been trying to reshape her relationship with money.
The AP story also included advice about not letting savings goals crowd out all enjoyment. Tiana Stewart, 26, of Maryland, said after her grandfather died not long after he retired, she didn’t feel he got to enjoy the fruits of his labor, and she traveled during the past year. Stewart said she understands saving for retirement is important, but in 2026 she wants to work toward a “healthy balance” that includes paying off debt, saving and investing while still enjoying her money “especially being in my 20s.”