A Fresh Start: Your 2026 Financial Health Checklist
Every year from December to January, home fitness equipment flies off the shelves and gyms overflow with people motivated to make a strong start on their physical health goals for the new year. Give your money the same energy and intention.
According to a recent survey conducted by Ipsos, nearly 97% of U.S. adults 25 and older said they have made or are considering making financial well-being a part of their 2026 resolutions.
But good intentions only matter if you have a plan to support them. Here is a checklist of items you can start on now to improve your financial fitness in 2026:
- Track Your Spending — You can’t measure what you don’t know. Whether you use an app, a spreadsheet or pen and paper, take this month to review where your money went over the last 90 days. Tracking your spending can help build awareness, reduce stress and uncertainty about where your money goes, and create the foundation for a realistic budget and smarter choices.
- Create a Plan to Tackle Debt — The holidays can be costly as credit card balances and extra expenses add up. Create a payoff strategy now and start by organizing balances, interest rates and minimum payments and prioritize paying off larger balances with the highest interest rate to help reduce interest charges.
- Review Your Credit Report — After the holidays, look at your credit report, which you can get for free every 12 months, and check your credit score. Look for errors, unfamiliar accounts or outdated information. Report any errors you see immediately to save time, money and hassle in the future, particularly if you plan to borrow in the next year.
- Check Your Savings Progress — Ask yourself if you’re saving consistently and enough, especially if your financial life changed in 2025 with a new job, new home or other expenses. Automating transfers to your emergency fund, retirement accounts or other savings goals takes temptation off the table. At Arvest, you can apply online for a savings account or visit a local branch to talk with an associate about all your savings account options.
- Revisit Your Investments — Start the year by reviewing your retirement and investment accounts. Talk to your financial advisor to make sure your portfolio aligns with your long-term goals, risk tolerance and timeline.
- Update Beneficiaries and Key Documents — Outdated or incomplete information can make life’s most difficult moments more complicated. Update beneficiaries on your insurance policies, bank and investment accounts, and estate documents. If you don’t have a will or an estate plan, assemble a team with an attorney, financial advisor and tax professional to help you start.
- Set SMART Goals for 2026 — Hope is not a strategy, so set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) goals that plan for your current expenses, anticipate emergency and unforeseen expenses and build security for the future.
The start of 2026 is an ideal opportunity to reassess your financial goals, reset saving and spending habits and make a plan for the life you want in the New Year and years ahead.
Barbara White is an executive vice president and sales manager for Arvest Bank - Greater Kansas City.
With more than $27 billion in assets, Arvest is a full-service bank that delivers financial solutions to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Since entering the Kansas City market in 2009, Arvest has grown to become one of the top 20 banks and the sixth-largest mortgage lender in the region. The bank has 20 locations in the metro area. Arvest is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC.
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