2021 Financial Resolutions: Expert Insights & Strategies

Time is arbitrary and a social construct, of course, but when the calendar switches over, a new year is as good a time as any to reassess how we deal with our money. New Year's resolutions can be as silly or as serious as we want. For 2021, however, we're pretty much universally trying to get our financial acts together.

Over the past few weeks, companies have been releasing survey results about how consumers are resolving to improve over the new year. According to MagnifyMoney, more than half of us have or plan to set a resolution related to money; more than half of those who did so last year achieved their goal, while more than one-third made some progress on it. To be able to do so even during a pandemic (and everything else) shows that we shouldn't be afraid of tackling these issues in our lives.

Meanwhile, SlickDeals found that Americans are hoping to put around $327 each month into savings. Its survey found that we're most focused on getting out of debt, but right on its heels, we're equally set on cutting out unnecessary bills, getting craftier about using coupons and discounts, and just being smarter about how we spend overall. About 1 in 3 of us plan to use an automated savings app to set it and forget it to achieve our savings goals.

New Year's resolutions seem like a great idea at the beginning of January, but if you find yourself flagging, don't give us — if you can keep up your habit through early March, you're far more likely to stick with it through the long haul.