Setting financial goals sounds productive until you realize “become a millionaire by 40” wasn’t exactly realistic when you were already 38 and broke.
The problem isn’t that we don’t set goals – it’s that we set goals like we’re writing fiction instead of looking at our actual bank statements.
Start with something achievable:
- save $1,000 for emergencies
- pay off one credit card
- contribute enough to get the full 401k match
Goals that don’t require winning the lottery.
Breaking “retire comfortably” into “save an extra $200 this month” makes it less overwhelming and more likely to actually happen. Small wins still count as wins.
