As we close out 2025, it’s a great time to think about what you want to achieve financially in 2026.

What are the goals you would like to achieve going forward? Importantly, did you make progress towards achieving these in 2025?

Setting goals is hugely important! Sadly, the reality for most people is that after setting financial goals, they then don’t put a plan in place to achieve them. This likely leads to them failing to achieve the set goals, which leads to discouragement. Over time, the failure to put in place a financial plan, costs people the financial freedom they could have achieved.

In many ways, I see the job of a financial adviser as awakening people to the costs of inaction. The longer people take to start implementing a solid financial plan, the harder and harder it gets to play catch-up.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with thousands of people over almost two decades of being a financial adviser. In that time, I’ve noticed there are certain things that have usually held people back when it comes to taking control of their money:

* Most people simply don’t know how to get started when it comes to most things financial. There is just too much information and there are too many options. It can be very easy to get bogged down in paralysis analysis.

* A lot of people prefer to just hope things will work out over time. Hope is not a plan.

* Many of us get stuck in the struggles of our day-to-day existence, trying to juggle work, family and social lives. It’s easy to delay putting in place strategies for long-term financial success.

* People often focus on saving rather than investing. While saving is the important first step, the biggest investment mistake is not investing.

* Often, people fear investing. Many of us are scared of losing money, meaning that fear can override what are sensible investment strategies and lead us to not take action (Hint: there’s crazy, silly investing that has a high likelihood of failure, and then there’s sensible investing… the get rich slowly plan).

* While some people are paralysed with fear of making a mistake, others are overconfident, believing they know what they’re doing. Sometimes they are working on incomplete information (or completely wrong information) that is taking them very much in the wrong direction.

These are some of the things that I’ve found have prevented people from being more financially successful.

A financial adviser can guide you through these hurdles and mental barriers and help you come up with a plan that suits you. At the end of the day, it’s your money and it’s your life, so it is up to you how you choose to handle your finances. If you perhaps feel you haven’t achieved as much as you should have financially, or are unsure of whether or not you are on the right track, then investing in financial advice is something that can pay handsome dividends.

One of the common New Year’s resolutions people have is to get better with money, but few act on that resolution. If you want to take control of your money in 2026, then do your future self a massive favour and do this one thing BEFORE the end of the year… book yourself in for a free initial meeting for the new year and find out how a financial plan can make a world of difference to your financial future.

Cheers,

Daniel

If you’d like to find out more about how INDEPENDENT financial advice could help you manage cash flow, pay off the mortgage faster, get the most out of super and invest wisely, then get in touch on 0411 484 464 or head to wealthtrain.com.au.

This advice may not be suitable to you because it contains general advice which does not take into consideration any of your personal circumstances. All strategies and information provided are general advice only.

Daniel McGregor and Wealth Train are authorised representatives of Independent Financial Advice & Education AFSL 520963