2025 Health-Wealth Checkup: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Setting Next Year’s Goals

As the year winds down, you might feel the familiar push to wrap up projects, tie up loose ends, or set ambitious goals for the new year. But meaningful goals typically don’t come from urgency. They come from reflection.

Before you decide what you want next year to look like—financially, professionally, or personally—it’s worth taking an honest look at how you’re doing right now. Not just your bank balance or retirement account, but the full picture of your life: your energy, your stress, your relationships, your health, and the habits that quietly guided your days.

An end-of-year “Health-Wealth Checkup” can help you pause, reassess, and set 2026 goals from a place of clarity instead of pressure. By working through a few thoughtful questions, you can design plans that genuinely support the life you want rather than the life you’re simply moving through on autopilot.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Setting 2026 Goals

#1: What energized me this year, and what drained me?

Every year comes with moments that light you up and others that leave you depleted. Paying attention to both helps you understand what you need more or less of going forward.

Think back to the experiences that gave you energy: time with certain people, specific projects at work, travel, routines that made you feel grounded, or habits that made your days easier. These aren’t just “nice” moments. They’re signals about what genuinely supports your well-being.

Now consider the opposite. What left you feeling worn out? Maybe it was a packed calendar, certain relationships that took more than they gave, a draining work environment, or financial decisions made in a moment of stress. These are equally important signals. They often point to habits, obligations, or patterns that need to be redesigned.

This question alone can reveal powerful themes, helping you set 2026 goals that truly energize you and keep you motivated throughout the year.

#2: How did my spending reflect my values?

Spending is often just as emotional as it is practical. In fact, a recent LendingTree survey found that 63% of Americans say their emotions influence their purchases, and 38% report that economic stress has pushed them to spend even more.

You’re not alone if your financial choices sometimes reflect how you felt in the moment rather than what matters most to you. As you look back on 2025, review where your money actually went. Did your spending support the things you value, such as health, connection, travel, security, rest, or growth? Or did it drift toward stress spending, convenience purchases, or obligations that didn’t feel meaningful?

There’s no judgment in this exercise. It’s not about labeling choices as “good” or “bad,” but simply noticing the patterns.

When your spending aligns with your values, your financial plan feels purposeful rather than restrictive. Identifying and gently correcting any misalignments gives you a clear, grounded starting point for setting 2026 goals.

#3: What is my current financial “vital sign”?

Just as you might check your blood pressure or heart rate for a snapshot of your physical health, it’s helpful to check a few basic financial metrics each year. Think of these as your financial vital signs:

• Your net worth trend (up, down, or stable?)
• Your savings rate (did you save more or less than planned?)
• Your cash-flow health (were you consistently ahead, behind, or breaking even?)
• Your debt load (did you make progress on paying it down?)
• Your emergency fund (does it still feel sufficient?)

You don’t need complicated spreadsheets to do this. Even a rough assessment gives you insight into how you’re progressing and where your plan may need reinforcement.

#4: How often did I feel financially overwhelmed or stressed?

Financial stress doesn’t always come from lack of money. In many cases, it comes from lack of clarity.

Think about how you felt this year when it came to managing your finances. Did you feel steady, organized, and supported? Or did you experience moments of worry, avoidance, or confusion?

Stress around money can have real effects on sleep, energy, and decision-making. If you found yourself overwhelmed more often than you’d like, that’s a sign your financial systems might need to be simplified or supported differently.

Sometimes the right change is structural, like a streamlined budgeting system, automated investments, or regular check-ins. Sometimes it’s emotional; for example, giving yourself permission to ask for help, delegate, or rethink long-standing habits.

Use these insights to set 2026 goals that reduce stress rather than add to it.

#5: Did I take care of my physical health in a sustainable way?

Take a moment to reflect on the habits that shaped your well-being this year:

• How did you sleep?
• Did you move your body in ways that felt nourishing?
• Were your meals supportive of your energy rather than driven by stress or convenience?
• Did you allow yourself rest?

Your body is the engine behind every financial decision you make. When you feel depleted, overwhelmed, or exhausted, it influences your motivation, your spending, and even your long-term planning.

Looking at your physical health through this lens helps you set 2026 goals that aren’t just about money but are also about supporting the version of you that will carry those goals forward.

#6: Did my work support my well-being or erode it?

Work has a profound impact on both your financial stability and your emotional well-being. According to SHRM, 31% of American workers say they feel stressed “always or often” because of their job, a level of pressure that inevitably spills into mental, physical, and even financial health.

As you look back on the year, it’s worth taking an honest look at how your work supported you, and where it may have challenged your overall well-being:

• Did you feel valued?
• Were you compensated fairly?
• Did you have opportunities for rest, growth, or flexibility?
• Did work leave you feeling stretched thin, under-recognized, or constantly behind?

Sometimes the insight is simply that you need clearer boundaries, better time protection, or more intentional downtime. Other times it may signal a need for conversations about compensation, workload, or career direction. Asking these questions can help you better understand which adjustments might create a healthier balance in the year ahead.

#7: How did I invest in my growth, personally or professionally?

Growth doesn’t always look like big achievements. Often it shows up in small, consistent efforts: a book you read, a class you took, a skill you practiced, or a routine you strengthened.

Think through the ways you invested in yourself this year. Maybe it was a new fitness routine, career development, therapy, coaching, mindfulness, or even taking a vacation that gave you perspective.

These investments influence both your earning potential and your quality of life. Recognizing them helps you set 2026 goals that build on the foundation you’ve already created.

#8: What habits helped me feel grounded, and which ones pulled me off track?

Every habit has a ripple effect. Some support stability—for instance, regular exercise, consistent saving, mindful spending, protecting your sleep, or a weekly financial check-in. Others may quietly drain your energy or finances: late-night scrolling, impulse purchases, skipped meals, or avoidance of tasks that bring stress.

As you look back on the year, pay attention to the habits that grounded you and the ones that quietly pulled you off course. Understanding which routines support your well-being and which tend to snowball helps you set more intentional, sustainable goals for 2026.

#9: Did I nurture my relationships and support system?

Well-being is often shaped as much by the people around you as by any financial decision you make.

Think about the connections that strengthened you this year. Which relationships felt nourishing? Who made you feel supported, grounded, or inspired? And on the flip side, which relationships consistently left you drained or uneasy?

Your support system isn’t just emotional. It influences your daily choices, your career path, your financial choices, and the way you weather stress. This question helps you see where you might invest more time, as well as where you might create healthier boundaries in 2026.

#10: What do I want more of in 2026, and what do I want less of?

This final question acts as a bridge between reflection and action. You’ve looked at your habits, your energy, your finances, your relationships, and your well-being. Now, step back and ask yourself:

• What do I want to expand?
• What do I want to reduce?
• What do I want to protect?
• What do I want to release?

Your answers don’t need to be detailed goals yet. Think of them as themes: more rest, less rushing. More savings, less stress spending. More aligned work, fewer draining obligations. More movement, less burnout.

These themes become the foundation for 2026 goals that actually support your life, not goals that pressure you into a new year you aren’t ready for.

Turning This Year’s Insights Into 2026 Goals

Now that you’ve taken a full look at your health and wealth from every angle, the next step is weaving your insights into a clear plan. Start with three to five themes that showed up repeatedly as you answered the questions. Those themes can guide your decisions in a grounded, sustainable way.

For example:

• If your spending didn’t reflect your values, one goal might be simplifying your spending plan.
• If you felt overwhelmed, a goal might be automating more of your finances or setting regular check-ins.
• If burnout was a theme, you might set boundaries around work hours or build in non-negotiable rest.
• If your physical energy struggled, a goal could focus on sleep, nourishment, or movement.
• If certain relationships supported you, you may want to nurture them more intentionally.

The point is not to create a list of demands for your future self. It’s to create a structure that supports you financially, emotionally, and physically.

Pursue Your 2026 Goals with Clarity, Confidence, and Support

Taking time to reflect on these questions now can help you design 2026 goals that are grounded in what truly matters to you. Before the holiday season sweeps in, give yourself a moment to pause and reconnect with your priorities, so you enter the new year feeling clear, prepared, and steady.

As life becomes busier and your financial world more complex, professional guidance can be one of the most meaningful investments you make in yourself. If one of your goals is to feel more organized, confident, and in control of your financial life next year, SageMint Wealth is here to support you.

At SageMint Wealth, we believe a fulfilling life is built by caring for every part of yourself—not just your portfolio. Our approach is designed with the goal of helping you reduce stress, build long-term stability, and align your financial strategies with the life you envision.

If you’re ready to pursue a future that feels rich in every sense of the word, we’re here to guide you. Contact us today to begin your journey.