2026 Financial Goals

[bjl584]

Does anyone have any goals for the coming year?

Personally, I have some house remodeling on the horizon, so I'll be budgeting for that.
Other than that, just more of the same as far as saving and investing goes

[cypher1]

Max out Roth and ibonds first of the year. Planning to max HSA but adjusted 401K contribution rate to just company match while putting more in brokerage account. Budget for potential new roof later that year. Possibly new deck (neglected too long) project in the summer and garage door replacement.

[james.hendrickson]

Mine are:

1. Pay off all credit card debt
2. Double my stock holdings to 200k.

[ua_guy]

Insurance review / policy bidding late Jan-early February.
Trust/estate planning to wrap up by March.

Company retirement fund contributions are already cranked.
Now on an HSA, HSA contributions are cranked.

$7k IRA contribution planned for Jan

This may be the year we shift to a 2-state living situation. Still not sure I'm ready, but our planner is providing data insight to many paths forward.

Hoping for No Whammies and Big Money in 2026. But, the reality is, as we advance in our age, so do our parents. There's a likelihood that one of them will become dependent, at least temporarily. We need to help him plan a long-term strategy as taking care of his place / winters / are becoming too much.

[kork13]

I'm conflicted on my financial goals right now, and still trying to decide how to proceed.

The goals that I'm clear on for next year:
- Max 2x Roth IRAs ($15k)
- Fund 3x 529s IAW our plans (~$8500)
- Sell our main rental property for >$275k by Sep'26 to net >$250k.

As for the rest (and I apologize in advance for thinking out loud here) ... We've got a great shovel & well-controlled expenses that provides us with plenty of good options -- about $7k/mo to play with (above the what I mentioned above). Oddly, our long term goals are sitting pretty -- once I hit retirement eligibility in June 2028, we're effectively FIRE without any further effort .... But we're relatively cash-poor with $1.3M in mostly-Roth retirement + 529s; $875k tied up in RELPs + 2x rental properties; but only $165k in taxable investments & $50k cash that are actually accessible.

I want (need) to build up cash over the next few years for purchasing our next house, cars, other large purchases ..... Plus I want to continue buying into RELPs whenever possible. Ultimately, I probably need at least $500k for the house & such, and $250k apiece for successive RELPs. Timeline is sometime between summer 2028 thru 2032. The challenge is getting over my mental hangups about being inefficient with the money -- saving it in cash vs. higher-earning investments, as well as leaving available Roth space unutilized (in my federal TSP).

Right now I'm looking at splitting the difference, with $3.5k/mo toward cash & $2k/mo to taxable investments, and $1.5k/mo toward my Roth TSP. That plan (assuming no changes & keeping he rental sale proceeds in cash) gets me to ~$350k in cash by the time I hit retirement eligibility .... Plus maybe $270k in the taxable investments.

Those numbers just don't get me there, and pushes me more toward waiting until closer to the 2032 timeframe to retire (with $500k taxable investments & $525k in cash). However, if I dedicate the full firehose to cash, I can get to the same ~$525k by Jun'25, right on time .... But that would just really hurt emotionally.

I need to discuss all of this with DW & at some point figure out what we're going to do... TBD.

[srblanco7]

Good question and likely one I have not given enough in depth thought. been largely focused on wrapping up our working careers and transitioning away from work being a large part of our dailly existence.

Easy stuff
- since we'll have some 2026 work-separation related income, we'll fund annual Roth IRA contributions for both me and DW
- first year of retirement income will be funded with 401k withdrawals under the rule of 55
- continue to find opportunities to "gift with a warm hand" sums that help our kids out. No specific plan here - mostly just helping with (partial) support for things like larger vehicle repair bills, gym memberships, and support for their Roth IRA contributions.

Other Items
- will roll our 401ks to IRAs (excepting an amount to fund rule of 55 withdrawals) to provide more investment flexibility
- We're at 65/35 as our target AA, but we're still weighted to large-cap equities. Will work to transition some of our large-cap equities to international and US extended market equities
- Would also like to work on asset location (at some point). We're 51% brokerage, 42% tax deferred and 7% tax free. Roth conversions remain a "want" - though not necessarily something that need to be addressed right away.

Will work with our financial advisor to refine 2026 priorities and tax planning. DW and I have been having regular discussions along the way and she's beginning to engage more on our finances - which is a positive step.

[srblanco7]

I'm conflicted on my financial goals right now, and still trying to decide how to proceed.

The goals that I'm clear on for next year:
- Max 2x Roth IRAs ($15k)
- Fund 3x 529s IAW our plans (~$8500)
- Sell our main rental property for >$275k by Sep'26 to net >$250k.

As for the rest (and I apologize in advance for thinking out loud here) ... We've got a great shovel & well-controlled expenses that provides us with plenty of good options -- about $7k/mo to play with (above the what I mentioned above). Oddly, our long term goals are sitting pretty -- once I hit retirement eligibility in June 2028, we're effectively FIRE without any further effort .... But we're relatively cash-poor with $1.3M in mostly-Roth retirement + 529s; $875k tied up in RELPs + 2x rental properties; but only $165k in taxable investments & $50k cash that are actually accessible.

I want (need) to build up cash over the next few years for purchasing our next house, cars, other large purchases ..... Plus I want to continue buying into RELPs whenever possible. Ultimately, I probably need at least $500k for the house & such, and $250k apiece for successive RELPs. Timeline is sometime between summer 2028 thru 2032. The challenge is getting over my mental hangups about being inefficient with the money -- saving it in cash vs. higher-earning investments, as well as leaving available Roth space unutilized (in my federal TSP).

Right now I'm looking at splitting the difference, with $3.5k/mo toward cash & $2k/mo to taxable investments, and $1.5k/mo toward my Roth TSP. That plan (assuming no changes & keeping he rental sale proceeds in cash) gets me to ~$350k in cash by the time I hit retirement eligibility .... Plus maybe $270k in the taxable investments.

Those numbers just don't get me there, and pushes me more toward waiting until closer to the 2032 timeframe to retire (with $500k taxable investments & $525k in cash). However, if I dedicate the full firehose to cash, I can get to the same ~$525k by Jun'25, right on time .... But that would just really hurt emotionally.

I need to discuss all of this with DW & at some point figure out what we're going to do... TBD.

Congratulations. You're in an enviable position. Seems like you have options to allow ER in either 2028 or 2032 and it's a matter of prioritizing ER or delaying ER to ramp up Roth and brokerage assets. Is that a correct read?

[disneysteve]

I'm retired. Who needs goals?

Seriously, I'll try to earn enough from reselling to cover our health insurance or a good chunk of it. That will also allow us to max our Roths and contribute to my SEP.

Other than that, I really can't think of any particular financial goals.

[ua_guy]

I'm retired. Who needs goals?

Seriously, I'll try to earn enough from reselling to cover our health insurance or a good chunk of it. That will also allow us to max our Roths and contribute to my SEP.

Other than that, I really can't think of any particular financial goals.

This is an enviable position. Very similar to what my dad says. The work is done, now the model is in "output" mode and it generates money and draws down going forward. If the world can keep the wheels on the wagon for another year, he can continue his travels, hobbies, and other pursuits.

[Fishindude77]

Only big change for me in 2026 is that I will begin taking full social security at 66 & 10 months.
That's going to add about $3900 per month income to our bottom line which will be fun.

[riverwed070707]

I haven't penciled mine out yet, but initial thoughts:

• Double the amount of hard money lending in my personal account ($60k -> $120k)
• Pay off a mortgage for the first time ever! (I have a commercial loan with a 5 year term coming due in early 2027 and I think it makes sense to just pay it off vs refi in order to increase our monthly cashflow)
• The usuals=max Roth IRA, 15% to 401k (actually switching to a fixed contribution this year instead of % but it comes out to approx 15%), 5% to travel fund, 5% to HSA
• Get our primary home ready to list for early 2027 -> back deck replaced, siding repaired and painted, little unfinished fixes buttoned up, curb appeal improved
• Declutter entire house in preparation for significant downsizing - loosely financial but I've already arranged areas in the basement for donate vs sell and we might make a little bit off what we're getting rid of
• Long term tax planning - need to get with my CPA for some guidance on the transition away from W2 income and which buckets of investments to tap first when we're ready to start doing that

[disneysteve]

This is an enviable position. Very similar to what my dad says. The work is done, now the model is in "output" mode and it generates money and draws down going forward. If the world can keep the wheels on the wagon for another year, he can continue his travels, hobbies, and other pursuits.

Exactly.

2025 was a big spending year for us due to the kitchen remodel. Our total spending will come in right around $150,000 but as long as the market doesn't implode in the next 3 days, we will end the year with $475,000 more than we started with. When our portfolio grows 3 times as much in a year as what we spend, there just isn't very much planning required.

[disneysteve]

Only big change for me in 2026 is that I will begin taking full social security at 66 & 10 months.
That's going to add about $3900 per month income to our bottom line which will be fun.

That's exciting. What made you decide to start collecting? It sounds like you probably don't need the money yet. Why now and not at 70?

[disneysteve]

I haven't penciled mine out yet, but initial thoughts:

• Double the amount of hard money lending in my personal account ($60k -> $120k)
• Pay off a mortgage for the first time ever! (I have a commercial loan with a 5 year term coming due in early 2027 and I think it makes sense to just pay it off vs refi in order to increase our monthly cashflow)
• The usuals=max Roth IRA, 15% to 401k (actually switching to a fixed contribution this year instead of % but it comes out to approx 15%), 5% to travel fund, 5% to HSA
• Get our primary home ready to list for early 2027 -> back deck replaced, siding repaired and painted, little unfinished fixes buttoned up, curb appeal improved
• Declutter entire house in preparation for significant downsizing - loosely financial but I've already arranged areas in the basement for donate vs sell and we might make a little bit off what we're getting rid of
• Long term tax planning - need to get with my CPA for some guidance on the transition away from W2 income and which buckets of investments to tap first when we're ready to start doing that

Exciting stuff prepping for retirement. Enjoy the journey.

[Fishindude77]

That's exciting. What made you decide to start collecting? It sounds like you probably don't need the money yet. Why now and not at 70?

Really not a lot of serious thought given to it, but wanted to wait to get full amount -vs- starting at 62-1/2.
Could wait till 70 and get a few dollars more but who knows what the future holds health wise or other?

You are correct we don't need it, but may as well start taking it and have some fun with it or invest it.
I'm pretty sure we can do a better job handling the $$ than leaving it in care of the feds