--- title: Here Are the Top Financial Resolutions for 2025 — and How to Stick to Them description: Americans want to save more money, pay down debt and curb spending next year, but they worry unexpected expenses could impede their progress. authors: - name: Andrea Agostini Ferrer role: Lead Staff Writer url: https://money.com/author/andrea-agostini/ bio: Andrea has been writing for Money Group since 2020. Her articles, which have been featured across a wide variety of publications, have helped our readers navigate multiple areas of personal finance including credit, loans and insurance. She's currently part of our team of insurance experts, specializing in travel and pet insurance. education: University of Puerto Rico at_money_since: 2020 articles: 62 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes editors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere has been covering the intersection of college and personal finance since 2015. She enjoys breaking down the complexities of college costs and financial aid, and she also runs Money’s Best Colleges. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ published: '2024-12-31T13:00:55.000Z' section: Personal Finance word_count: 807 canonical: https://money.com/top-financial-resolutions-for-2025/ 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/). ![Sticky notes with New Year's Resolutions on them](https://img.money.com/2024/12/News-Financial-Resolutions-2025.jpg) Exercise more, travel to a new country, resume a long-forgotten hobby — every year, we sit down and draft what we want to do and who we want to be in the new year. As 2025 arrives, nearly two-thirds of Americans are adding financial stability to the top of their list, according to an annual [financial resolutions study](https://newsroom.fidelity.com/pressreleases/fidelity-s-16th-annual-resolutions-study--americans-gearing-up-for-unexpected-financial-events-in-20/s/5613c543-fa52-4539-a690-a9d833773754) from Fidelity Investments. Americans’ top three [financial resolutions](https://money.com/new-year-resolutions-money-mistakes/) for 2025 are to save more money, pay down debt and curb spending, the financial services company found in a survey of 3,000 adults. A significant majority of respondents (79%) is specifically focused on increasing their emergency savings. ## Jumpstart your New Year's resolutions with a High-Yield Savings Account ### Get ahead with your finances. Start earning interest by opening a SoFi High-Yield Savings Account today. Click on your state and find out more. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/jd1a3c315999?ap_referrer=%2Ftop-financial-resolutions-for-2025%2F) The emphasis on savings comes as little surprise considering the impact of inflation on day-to-day expenses this past year. Seventy-two percent of respondents said they experienced a financial setback in 2024 and nearly half of this group dipped into their emergency savings to make ends meet. “Understandably, financial pressures continue to weigh on the minds of many Americans, so having a practical mindset to 2025 will aid in building financial goals for the new year,” Sangeeta Moorjani, head of Tax-Exempt Market and Lifetime Engagement at Fidelity Investments, said in a [press release](https://www.businesswire.com/news/altii/20241212346582/en/Fidelity%E2%80%99s-16th-Annual-Resolutions-Study-Americans-Gearing-up-for-Unexpected-Financial-Events-in-2025-Nearly-3-in-4-Preparing-With-a-Financial-Plan). For 2025, people are taking a conservative approach to their finances, prioritizing savings, paying off debt and having an emergency safety net over long-term goals like retirement or saving for college. ## Unexpected expenses are the most pressing concern for 2025 The survey found that Americans are more stressed about their finances than in recent years, especially about spending that they can’t plan for. About 4 in 10 respondents picked unexpected expenses as their top concern for 2025. Inflation and cost of living were a close second, followed by general economic uncertainty and [fears of a recession](https://money.com/recession-predictions-2025-economists). More than a third of participants said they are also more worried about their ability to pay their bills, settle debt, save and stay on track for their retirement goals. Allianz Life's [New Year's Resolutions Study](https://www.allianzlife.com/about/newsroom/2024-Press-Releases/More-Americans-Plan-to-Focus-on-Finances-in-2025) paints a similar picture — 41% of respondents feel more financial stress now than they did last year and 38% ranked financial stability as their number one area of focus for the new year. Most people's financial challenges in 2024 were caused by external economic factors like [inflation](https://money.com/items-more-expensive-inflation-2024/) and increased cost of living. But respondents in Allianz's survey blamed their spending habits, too. Thirty percent said they spend too much money on things they don't need and 27% said they don't save as much money as they could. Despite broader economic concerns, many respondents in both surveys are fairly optimistic about their finances looking into next year. About 70% of respondents in Fidelity's survey say they have a plan for reaching their financial goals and more than half (65%) believe their financial situation will be better in 2025. ## Tips to stick to your New Year's resolutions Sticking to your New Year's resolutions will take a bit of effort, especially after the daze of the holiday season wears off and everyone's back to their regular routine. But with a solid financial plan, you can stay [on track to meet your goals](https://money.com/new-year-resolutions-money-mistakes/). “Creating a financial plan that is clear, realistic and tailored to individual needs is key to making it attainable and can serve as the basis for the financial security Americans are looking for,” Moorjani says in Fidelity's press release. A clear and realistic plan should contain specific, bite-sized goals that you're more likely to maintain. For example, if your goal is to [boost your emergency fund](https://money.com/tips-save-money-emergencies/), set a resolution to transfer 10% of each paycheck to a high-yield savings account rather than just saying you want to save more money. The idea is to break big financial goals into small, attainable tasks and habits that are easy to remember. And don’t forget: If you’re going to be successful, you need goals that are compatible with your current financial situation. Once the financial plan is done, share your resolutions with a trusted person, be open about your progress and let that person hold you accountable if need be. Sometimes, someone else has to be the voice of reason and remind you of your goals when your favorite store has a sale or when you want takeout even though there's food in the fridge. When it comes to unnecessary spending, ask yourself whether you really need an item before buying it. Often, you already own something that can serve the same purpose. You can also put the item that you want to purchase on a wishlist and wait — if it isn't something you really need, you'll likely forget all about it. ## Reduce payments and make debt manageable with a Debt Relief program ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/94739ab2701c?bidid=4026612005&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=661940497&ptoken=e058a770b0e422623d2aed36649eb2cc) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/23879/medium_3847e650-29eb-411b-9b8c-05deb0d02cbc.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/5a0a805ef47d?bidid=4026612006&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=661940497&ptoken=8c4f84f56d8d5df69fa13a98db46644c) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/15565/medium_832cc4b7-74f8-4735-8fe1-6917816cbe8d.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/05b4a78753d9?bidid=4026612004&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=661940497&ptoken=a5b4231ec1883130506d81a0f52bb5c4) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22445/medium_ba73f26a-1e1e-4e49-9739-df1298783de6.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/108e95619c57?bidid=4026612011&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=661940497&ptoken=083c968d019bfb509f3713104a90b198) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/9246/medium_94931930-28cf-46b5-b09d-683979caec81.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/c0be4ed5c6f7?bidid=4026612007&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=661940497&ptoken=6bc7a25c7b5c213ab3203569a08bbb2f) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) If you owe over $20,000 or more, Freedom Debt Relief can help you get back on your feet! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u5c2defb44d4?ap_referrer=%2Ftop-financial-resolutions-for-2025%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/top-financial-resolutions-for-2025/#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": "Here Are the Top Financial Resolutions for 2025 — and How to Stick to Them" } ] }, { "@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/top-financial-resolutions-for-2025/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/top-financial-resolutions-for-2025/", "name": "Here Are the Top Financial Resolutions for 2025 — and How to Stick to Them", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2024-12-31T13:00:55.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/top-financial-resolutions-for-2025/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/top-financial-resolutions-for-2025/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Here Are the Top Financial Resolutions for 2025 — and How to Stick to Them", "articleSection": "Personal Finance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2024/12/News-Financial-Resolutions-2025.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "News-Financial-Resolutions-2025" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrea Agostini Ferrer", "url": "https://money.com/author/andrea-agostini/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/andrea-agostini/#author", "description": "Andrea has been writing for Money Group since 2020. 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