Here Are the Top Financial Resolutions for 2025 — and How to Stick to Them

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 from Fidelity Investments.

Americans’ top three financial resolutions 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.

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. 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. 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 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 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.

“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, 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.

More from Money:

How to Ask for a Raise — and Get It — This Year

4 Major Changes That Could Reshape How You Save for Retirement in 2025

5 Ways to Ditch Your Credit Card Debt for Good