Do you make resolutions every year to get your finances in order, but find yourself in the same position (if not worse) by the end of the year? There’s nothing to be ashamed of, as this happens to the best of people. Most people have every intention of making changes that will put them in a better position financially, but intention alone isn’t enough to meet their mark. They end up forgetting their goals and falling back into old habits leaving them more frustrated and stressed out. 

The good news is, there’s a way to get out of that dreadful cycle and start mastering your financial goals in the new year. It will require a bit of time, effort, discipline, and tips such as these provided below: 

How to Achieve Your Financial Goals in 2020

Clearly Define Your  Goals

One of the biggest reasons that people fall short of meeting their financial goals each year is that they have not clearly defined their goals. They have an idea of what they want to do, but have not taken the time to iron out the details. In order to meet your marks this year, you have to write down what you want. 

As you write them down you need to ensure that they are realistic, specific, and measurable. For example, to say that you want to win the lottery and get rich is both unrealistic and broad. However, saying that you want to get your debt to income ratio to less than 30% by December 2020, is realistic, specific, and measurable. 

Vision Boards

They say that seeing is believing and this is very true for a lot of people. If you want to set and stick to your financial goals, perhaps a vision board can help keep you on track. Vision boards are essentially physical boards that you design that include images of things you want to accomplish in the new year and beyond. Placing pictures of your dream home, car, vacation, or other financial goals on the board and positioning it somewhere you can see it every day can give you the extra motivation you need to press on. 

Utilize Digital Resources

Staying on track with your finances, especially when you’re developing new habits can be rough. You create a budget in January and stop using it by March, you manage your spending for a few weeks and then slowly start mismanaging funds again, you begin paying off debts and then find something else to spend your money on that sets you back, etc. While developing new habits requires practice and discipline, having a bit of assistance can make it a lot easier to master. 

There are plenty of digital platforms that can be used to help you stay on track with your finances in 2020. For example, a platform known as hicharlie is ideal for helping you to keep up with your budget, save money on your bills, track your spending, and create and stick to savings plans. Do some research to determine which online budget creators, calendars, trackers, and other platforms to work best to help you manage your finances. 

Get Help 

Setting and reaching financial goals can be more difficult than it sounds. While some may be able to find success using the suggestions provided above, others struggle to develop the basic fundamentals necessary to get started. If you’re in the latter group, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. There are lots of factors that could be keeping you from accomplishing your financial goals. Knowing where to go for assistance is recommended to help give you the boost you need. 

There are plenty of places you can go and get financial assistance. You can talk with a financial advisor to learn how to properly manage your money. If you’re struggling to get out of debt, you can work with a debt management agency to help you set up easy to maintain repayment plans. If you need assistance with earning more income, perhaps talking with a mentor or life coach can guide you down the right path to success. 

If you’re going to take control of your finances and start reaching your goals in 2020, you’ll need to keep the above-mentioned advice in mind. By setting clear, realistic, measurable goals, using resources like financial apps and vision boards, and, if necessary, getting assistance from financial or life experts, chances are this time next year, you’ll be ready to take things to the next level.