How to Set Better, More Meaningful Financial Goals for 2026

  • Tillman Hartley

The end of the year is a natural pause point. It gives you space to look at what changed over the past twelve months and decide what you want the next year to look like. If you’ve been setting financial goals for a long time, the process can start to feel routine, even automatic. But 2025 brought enough shifts that it’s worth setting your goals with fresh eyes.

Prices stayed high. Healthcare costs kept pushing upward. Investment markets rewarded certain sectors while adding plenty of volatility along the way. And many people found themselves reconsidering not just what they want to earn or save, but how they want to live.

If your financial life has evolved, your goals should evolve with it. Here’s how to set financial goals for 2026 that are meaningful, realistic, and aligned with the life you want.

#1: Revisit Your Spending Plan

As 2026 approaches, take a closer look at your spending plan. Prices stayed high throughout 2025, and most people felt it in the basics: groceries, transportation, home services. That pressure is likely to continue in the new year.

Healthcare costs deserve extra attention. Premiums are expected to rise again in 2026, and the enhanced ACA subsidies expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress steps in. Anyone using the ACA marketplace—especially self-employed professionals and early retirees—may see noticeable increases.

Given all of this, review where your money is actually going. If certain categories have grown without you realizing it, make adjustments now so rising expenses don’t pull you off track.

Small changes like tightening a discretionary category, renegotiating a recurring bill, or paying closer attention to everyday spending can free up breathing room. A clear, updated spending plan gives you a solid foundation to build the rest of your goals on.

#2: Evaluate Your Investment Portfolio

Stocks reached record highs in 2025, and if you hold stock options or RSUs, your company stock may now make up more of your portfolio than you intended. Concentration builds quietly, and one fast-growing position can shift your risk levels before you realize it.

This is a good moment to check whether your investments still align with your goals, your time horizon, and your comfort with volatility. If your company stock has taken up more space than you’re comfortable with, decide whether rebalancing makes sense and what a reasonable pace would look like.

If diversification is on your radar, you have tax-efficient tools to work with. For instance, donating appreciated shares can support causes you care about while avoiding capital gains. Tax-loss harvesting can offset gains elsewhere.

And if you’re planning to sell vested RSUs or exercise options next year, make a plan ahead of time so the tax impact doesn’t catch you off guard. A portfolio review now ensures your investment strategy supports the goals you want to focus on in 2026.

#3: Reassess Your Charitable Giving Goals

Charitable giving plays a meaningful role in many people’s financial lives, and 2026 is a natural point to revisit how you want to approach it. A few OBBBA updates may influence the timing or structure of your generosity:

  • The new 0.5% AGI floor may shape when and how you give, especially if you tend to make smaller gifts throughout the year.
  • The updated SALT cap affects how itemized deductions shake out, which can shift how charitable giving fits into your broader financial picture.
  • With the estate and gift tax exemption rising to $15 million per person, larger or legacy-focused gifts may play a different role in long-term planning.

Use this as a chance to clarify your giving goals. You might choose to concentrate more giving in 2026, spread it out more intentionally, or use tools like donor-advised funds to separate the timing of your donation from the timing of grants.

It’s also a good time to confirm that your giving reflects your values—not just what’s tax-efficient, but what feels personally meaningful.

#4: Make Sure Your Estate Plan Reflects Your Current Life

Your life may look very different today than it did a few years ago. You may have gotten married or divorced. Or you may have welcomed a child, lost a loved one, inherited assets, sold a business, or stepped into a new phase of life. When those things change, your estate plan needs to keep up.

Set aside time in 2026 to review the essentials: your will or trust, powers of attorney, healthcare directive, and the beneficiary designations tied to your retirement accounts, life insurance, and workplace benefits. These should reflect your current relationships and the decisions you’d want made on your behalf.

If you don’t have an estate plan yet, make it one of your financial goals for the year. Start with the basics: who you trust to handle your affairs, who you want to receive your assets, and who should make medical decisions if you can’t. An attorney can help you put the right documents in place.

A few steps to take:

  • Review and update beneficiaries
  • Confirm your will or trust still matches your wishes
  • Refresh your powers of attorney and medical directives
  • Keep key documents organized and easy to find

With your estate plan up to date, you can set financial goals for the year ahead with more confidence that the things you’re building are protected.

#5: Integrate Overall Wellness into Your Financial Goals

Wellness took center stage for many people in 2025. Workloads were heavier, teams were leaner, and the cost of everyday life kept climbing. It pushed a lot of us to think less about “productivity” and more about what actually makes life feel sustainable.

When you set your financial goals for 2026, look beyond the numbers. Consider your mental bandwidth, your physical health, and your financial stability as pieces of the same system. When one part is under strain, the others usually follow.

There are simple ways to factor well-being into your financial plan. You might set aside money for a future sabbatical or a period of lighter work. You might streamline how you manage your finances to reduce mental clutter. Or you might outsource a few things such as childcare help, household support, meal services, or administrative work, so you have more time and energy for what matters most.

When your financial goals support your well-being, your entire plan becomes more grounded, more personal, and far easier to follow.

Setting Financial Goals That Support the Life You Want

Setting financial goals is a chance to step back and decide what you want the next year of your life to look like: how you want to spend your time, where you want your money to go, and what you want to make possible for yourself and the people you care about. After all the changes we saw in 2025, taking a thoughtful approach to your 2026 goals can bring more clarity and a stronger sense of control over the choices ahead.

Remember, you don’t have to figure it out alone. If you’re looking for guidance as you set or pursue your financial goals in 2026, we’re here to help. Together, we’ll build a plan that reflects what matters to you and supports the life you’re creating for yourself and your family. Contact us to get started.

 

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