Call Our Office
(559) 384-2900 | Fresno
(619) 480-1413 | San Diego
Your Money
Your Life
Your Way
Article

The Power of Financial Wellness

Financial Wellness

Transform fleeting resolutions into lasting financial habits with SMART goals, realistic budgets, and accountability for less stress and a secure future.

  • Tips for setting and achieving meaningful financial goals
  • Strategies for creating a realistic budget and tracking spending
  • Guidance on staying motivated and accountable in the long run
January 17, 2025
Financial Wellness
Important Disclosure: Content on our website and in our newsletters is for informational purposes only. The information provided may (or may not) directly apply to your situation. We recommend that readers work directly with a professional advisor when making decisions in the context of their specific situation.

The New Year is a time for resolutions and new beginnings.

Every January, local gyms are inundated with people looking to get fit. But by February, those same local gyms are ghost towns.

The challenge: Self-improvement requires new habits, not just resolutions, and it extends beyond our health. As we embark on a new year. Let's focus on wellness habits for our wealth too. By incorporating financial wellness into our daily routines, we can build lasting habits that will benefit us for years to come.

Here are four practical tips to help turn financial wellness into a lifestyle:

Success begins with goal setting. When setting goals, make them:

Set SMART Financial Goals

Success begins with goal setting. When setting goals, make them:

Specific: Clearly define your goals, such as saving for a down payment or paying off debt.

Measurable: Set quantifiable targets, like saving $500 per month.

Achievable: Break down large goals into smaller, manageable steps.

Relevant: Ensure your goals align with your overall financial objectives.

Time-bound: Set deadlines to keep yourself accountable.

Create A Realistic Budget

A good budget is all about being realistic. If we trim too much, we cheat. If we don’t trim enough, we don’t see results.

Track Your Spending: Use a budgeting app or spreadsheets to monitor your income and expenses.

Prioritize Needs Over Wants: Allocate funds for essential expenses like your mortgage, rent, utilities, and groceries.

Build an Emergency Fund: Aim to save three to six months' worth of expenses in case of an emergency.

Automate Savings: Set up automatic transfers to your savings account.

Success requires long-term goals with short-term milestones. When it comes to financial wellness, we cannot set it and forget it.

Review Your Progress Regularly

Check Your Accounts: Monitor your bank accounts, credit cards, and investment portfolios.

Reassess Your Goals: Adjust goals as needed to adapt to changing circumstances.

Celebrate Your Successes: Reward yourself for achieving milestones.

Find an Accountability Partner

Success never happens on an island. Financial wellness requires a village of advisors and partners. You don’t have to climb this mountain alone. Together, we can help you develop a budget, reduce debt, and define your goals to create long-term habits. 

By incorporating habits into your daily routine, you can build a strong financial foundation to pursue long-term financial confidence. Remember, small steps can lead to big results. So, let's make this year the year you prioritize your financial wellness and set yourself up for a prosperous future.

Other content you may like

  • 6 Steps to Build Your Financial Foundation

    December 26, 2024
    Instead of being tossed about by constant worry over your finances, keeping track of your finances with money management disciplines can help you focus on the important issues that affect your entire financial picture.
    Read this Article
  • Stock Performance in Election Years

    Stock Performance in Election Years

    May 23, 2024
    Historical data showing how U.S. stocks have tended to lose money less often in election years, showing the smaller percent of calendar years that lost money, which often tended to be driven by historic economic events, not elections. Included is a glimpse at seasonal stock and bond returns in election years. Also asset classes, inverted yield curve update, high yield bonds environment, and private credit returns.
    Read this Article
  • Strong Valley Special Webinar - Sep 23 2020

    Immediate and Long-term Economic Outlook with special guest Strider Elass

    September 26, 2020
    The Strong Valley Advisor Team along with special guest Strider Elass will be giving broad insights on the economy. We discuss how the COVID recovery, exorbitant national debt, and the current political climate, may impact the economy in the immediate and distant future. Strider is a Senior Economist and is part of the First Trust Economics Team that Bloomberg has ranked as one of the top forecasters of the U.S. economy over the past several years.
    Read this Article
  • GRATs: A Planning Tool for Business Succession

    GRATs: A Planning Tool for Business Succession

    September 27, 2022
    Have you heard about the ways to reduce your family’s tax burden while keeping your business intact? With this planning tool you can put all or part of your company’s stock into an irrevocable trust that pays you, the business owner, a fixed income for a specified number of years, being especially useful if a business or estate assets will appreciate in value.
    Read this Article
  • The link you have selected is located on another server. The linked site contains information that has been created, published, maintained, or otherwise posted by institutions or organizations independent of this organization. We do not endorse, approve, certify, or control any linked websites, their sponsors, or any of their policies, activities, products, or services. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information contained therein. Visitors to any linked websites should not use or rely on the information contained therein until they have consulted with an independent financial professional. Please click “Continue to Link” to leave this website and proceed to the selected site.
    phone-handset