Financial Goals for the New Year

Key Takeaways:

• The new year is the ideal time to set new financial goals. 
• Financial goals examples are budgeting better, improving credit scores, saving more, buying a home, and investing.
• Maximizing employee benefits can help you build wealth faster.

The new year is the perfect time to reassess your budgets and financial habits and make new goals for yourself. Whether it’s improving your budgeting, saving a little bit more, or getting started with investing, achieving your financial goals will make so many other goals possible—the next family vacation, higher education, paying for a wedding, or whatever you’re hoping the next few years will bring. Get started with these financial goals examples and tips.

Saving More

If saving more is a top goal for you in the new year, you’re in luck. There are countless ways to go about achieving this goal, no matter what your current financial situation is. You can set up automatic transfers to a high-yield savings account, increase 401(k) contributions, and budget to cut back on unnecessary spending.

Improving Your Credit Score

Work toward improving your credit score by:

• Paying all bills on time and in full
• Paying off debt (especially credit card debt)
• Limiting how many different lines of credit you have overall

Budgeting

Sitting down at least once a month to go over finances and plan out how you’ll spend your money in the coming month is an important step in maintaining a budget. Once you’ve decided how you want to spend your money, make it a priority to keep track of your spending throughout the month to make sure you’re sticking to your plan.

Investing

Once you’ve started to budget, you may be able to allocate some of your income toward investments. An important first step to investing responsibly is research. You can do research online or sit down with a financial advisor to get guidance.

Maximize Employer Benefits

Another place you can improve your financials in the new year is at work. Find out what benefits your employer offers and make sure you’re taking advantage of any you can. For example, if your company offers a 401(k) contribution match program, try to put at least the amount your employer will match into it every month.

Buy a Home

Another popular new year’s goal is buying a new home. Whether you’re looking to purchase your first property, move into a house with more space, or downsize, we have mortgage products designed to fit your lifestyle and budget.¹ To learn more about your options, connect with a local lender or start your application now.

If you have questions or need one-on-one support with your goals, we’re here to help. Schedule an appointment with your local banker to take the first step.

¹Not all borrowers will qualify. This is not a commitment to lend.