--- title: 4 Ways to Hit Your Money Goals description: It's one thing to know that you need to save more money, find a better job, or pay down debt. It's another thing to actually do it. Employ these strategies to stay on track. authors: - name: Donna Rosato url: https://money.com/author/donna-rosato-3/ at_money_since: 2013 articles: 125 covers: - Personal Finance - Career Advice - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Mortgages - Retirement - Taxes social: - https://x.com/RosatoDonna former_staff: true published: '2015-02-18T11:00:30.000Z' modified: '2024-04-16T05:19:50.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - behavioral finance - financial fitness - Financial Planning - followupthen.com - Retirement - Saving - Saving & Budgeting - setting goals - StickK.com word_count: 528 canonical: https://money.com/reach-financial-goals/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![150218_FIT_MOTIVATION](https://img.money.com/2015/02/150218_fit_motivation.jpg) *Welcome to Day 2 of Money's 10-day [Financial Fitness](https://money.com/topic/financial-fitness-2/) program. Yesterday, you did a [self-assessment](https://money.com/financial-fitness/) to see what kind of financial shape you're in. Today, we help you find the motivation to take your finances to the next level.* Okay, you've checked your vitals, and you're probably feeling pretty good about your starting point. According to Gallup's annual [Personal Financial Situation survey](http://www.gallup.com/poll/181163/americans-personal-financial-assessments-sharply.aspx), 56% of people in households earning $75,000 or more say they are better off financially now than they were a year ago, up from 44% who felt that way in January 2014. But just as even the most devoted gym-goer can get complacent, your financial confidence could stop you from reaching the next level. "In good economic times people save less and spend more," says Dan Geller, a behavioral finance expert and the author of *Money Anxiety*. Keep the eye of the tiger even when you're doing great. Here's how. **1\. Make a Specific Goal** When you show up at the gym without a plan, there's a good chance you'll shuffle on the treadmill for a half-hour and call it a day. Your financial life is no different. To boost your performance, start by zeroing in on a goal. A [study](http://content.money.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/researchsummary2.pdf) by Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University, found that you're 42% more likely to achieve your aims just by writing them down. Indeed, people with a written financial plan save more than twice as much as those without a plan, says a Wells Fargo survey. The more specific the goal, the easier it is to tackle. Rather than plan to "cut costs," focus on, say, paying off your mortgage five years early. **2\. Buddy Up** Much as a workout partner provides motivation to get to the gym, recruiting a family member or friend to hold you accountable is a good way to stay on track. In another study by Matthews, some participants shared their goals with a friend via weekly updates—achieving their aims 33% more often than those who did not. **3\. Get a Nudge** Sometimes you just need a reminder. A [study](http://crr.bc.edu/working-papers/getting-to-the-top-of-mind-how-reminders-increase-saving/) by the Center for Retirement Research found that bank account holders who got reminders about their savings goals put away more cash than people who didn't. It's easy to set recurring calendar reminders on your PC or phone, or try a service like [FollowUpThen.com](https://www.followupthen.com), which lets you schedule emails to your future self. **4\. Stickk It** Need something with more teeth? The website [Stickk.com](http://www.stickk.com) allows you to pledge a sum of money toward a goal, sign a commitment contract, and pick a friend to monitor your progress. Achieve your aim, and you get the money back. Miss it, and you lose the money, which is donated to charity or a friend. ***Previous:*** - [***10 Days to Total Financial Fitness***](https://money.com/financial-fitness/ "10 Days to Total Financial Fitness") ***Next:*** - ***Day 3: Know What You Look Like to Creditors*** - ***Day 4: [Settle on the Best Stock/Bond Mix](https://money.com/how-to-invest-smarter/)*** - ***Day 5: [Track Your Spending Better](https://money.com/track-spending-budget/)*** - ***Day 6: [Cut the Fat From Your Budget](https://money.com/cut-budget-savings/)*** - ***Day 7: Find Ways to Save More*** - ***Day 8: [Boost Your Earning Power](https://money.com/boost-earnings-change-jobs/)*** - ***Day 9: [Learn How Better Health Can Help Your Finances](https://money.com/4-health-moves-that-can-help-build-wealth/)*** - ***Day 10: [Shore Up Your Safety Net](https://money.com/insurance-checkup-financial-fitness/)*** ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/reach-financial-goals/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Personal Finance", "item": "https://money.com/personal-finance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Financial Planning", "item": "https://money.com/financial-planning/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "4 Ways to Hit Your Money Goals" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/reach-financial-goals/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/reach-financial-goals/", "name": "4 Ways to Hit Your Money Goals", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2015-02-18T11:00:30.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/reach-financial-goals/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/reach-financial-goals/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-04-16T05:19:50.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "4 Ways to Hit Your Money Goals", "articleSection": "Personal Finance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2015/02/150218_fit_motivation.jpg", "width": 2100, "height": 2793, "caption": "150218_FIT_MOTIVATION" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Rosato", "url": "https://money.com/author/donna-rosato-3/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/donna-rosato-3/#author", "image": "https://img.money.com/2014/05/140530_bio_author_rosato.jpg?quality=85&w=190&h=190&crop=1", "email": "donna_rosato@moneymail.com", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/RosatoDonna" ] } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2015-02-18T11:00:30.000Z", "description": "It's one thing to know that you need to save more money, find a better job, or pay down debt. 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