What’s your ideal retirement? Traveling? Practicing your favorite hobbies? Caring for loved ones? Whatever you envision, creating a plan of action can feel exhausting. There are, however, a few simple, yet commonly overlooked steps you can take today to help you feel more comfortable throughout your planning process.
Smart investing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Current events matter, and this year, the 2024 Presidential Elections are taking center stage. That’s rattling a lot of us, causing more election stress than ever before.1 It’s also raising a lot of questions about investing in election years, how to respond to market uncertainty, and what money moves truly make sense. Here’s a handful of key factors to keep in mind when you’re investing in an election year.
What was the last money mistake you made? If you’re like most folks, you’ve made at least one upsetting money mistake in the past year — and you’d like to do better. In fact, most folks admit their finances have not gotten better over the past year. And at least half of them say the real problem is that their money mistakes have turned into bad financial habits.
How often do you set new financial goals? How often do you achieve them? Most of us aren’t very successful with our goals, even when we have the best intentions and strong willpower.1 Sometimes, that’s because we’re setting unattainable goals. Other times, we’re missing the big picture and setting our goals with blinders on.