January marks the start of Financial Wellness Month, a time typically defined by ambitious goals and fresh starts. However, according to recent Beyond Finance survey data featured in The Independent and syndicated by Yahoo! Finance, the traditional financial New Year’s resolution is in a state of collapse.
The Beyond Finance New Money Mindset survey reveals that the willpower model is officially broken, with 83% of Americans admitting their financial goals slipped last year.
“January may still feel like a reset, but Americans have stopped believing it leads to lasting financial change,” said Beyond Finance Chief Financial Wellness Advisor Dr. Erika Rasure. “People aren’t failing at resolutions because they’re bad at sticking to them, but because goals don’t tend to stick around if they aren’t aligned with a person’s values from the get-go.”
Even though resolution failure rates were high in 2025, that hasn’t stopped people from setting financial goals for 2026. Nearly half are either making their 2026 financial resolutions or have already made them, according to the survey.
“Despite widespread frustration with setting traditional resolutions, Americans remain intent on improving their current financial footing,” Dr. Rasure noted.
As for why the majority of Americans failed on all or part of their financial resolutions, Beyond Finance’s survey found that what consumers learn about money as children has long-term consequences. Early encouragement to save money or budget wisely, family members setting a good financial example, and embracing money management lessons through an allowance were all cited as a big influence on how adults manage their money today.
Read the full feature here. Download Beyond Finance’s free interactive personal finance guide to examine your money mindset.