We tend to get really excited about setting financial goals and making pretty vision boards with pretty pictures, but the excitement can quickly disappear because hitting financial goals can be challenging! As a financial coach, I want to help you build plans that help make smashing your financial goals a little easier!
Let's start with setting the goals:
Think about what you want to accomplish financially and why it is important to you. Having the why is a key piece of the puzzle because it will help keep you focused when challenges come up! Get specific with your why. Think about how your life will be impacted, and how you will feel when you achieve your goal.
Here are a few things to consider when setting your goals:
Be specific with the goals - If it's a savings goal, how much do you want to have, where do you want to have it saved (like in your KOHO Vault), and when do you want to have it saved by.
Break the larger goal down into smaller chunks. How much do you need to save, each week or month to hit your goal?
Set a few different goal targets. If you are working to save $1,000, pick three different target dates. I like to call them good, better, and best goals. The advantage to doing this is that if you set one goal to save $1,000 in 3 months and you're almost 2 months in with $900 saved, it can feel less exciting to push to hit your target. It can shift you into easy mode because you have a month left to hit your goal. If you had a 'better' goal to hit it in 2 months, that can give you an extra push!
Now for the best part, how can you make it easier for you to HIT your financial goals?
As I mentioned earlier, understanding WHY the goals are important to you, and the impact they will have on your life is important-take time to revisit your why regularly.
Think about how you can make it easier. For me, automation is a HUGE part of saving. I set automatic transfers each payday to move money to savings. Can you add automation to make hitting your goal easier?
DON'T set it and forget it! Set up regular check-ins on your goal so you can make adjustments to your plan if you are off target. Setting a phone reminder or adding it to your calendar can help you remember to check in!
Now for the most challenging, and most important part of any financial goal, building a plan for your money! Yes, I'm talking about a budget. Having one is an important part of your financial health. I strongly believe that everyone needs a budget, regardless of income. A budget tells your money where to go each month and it will help you align your spending with what is important to you in your life.
Remember, achieving your financial goals takes time and discipline. It's important to stay focused and committed to your plan and to seek help if you need it. Learn more about Financial Coaching here!