Setting yourself up for financial success in 2026

A NEW YEAR IS UPON US. AND JUST LIKE SETTING THAT NEW FITNESS ROUTINE. MAYBE AS PART OF YOUR RESOLUTIONS, THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME TO SET FINANCIAL GOALS FOR 2026, ESPECIALLY IF THE HOLIDAY SEASON. JOINING US THIS MORNING IS ROCHELLE SMITH, FOUNDER AND CEO OF AIMS FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS. GOOD TO SEE YOU ROCHELLE. HAPPY NEW YEAR JASON I WAS SAYING IT EVEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS WEEK AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE IT’S IT’S WELL BEYOND IT’S TOO LATE. IT’S LIKE, NO, NO, IF I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU YET, WE’RE SAYING HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR. YES. WE JUST GOT INTO JANUARY. IT’S HAPPY NEW YEAR, OF COURSE. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THE YEAR THAT WE SAID GOODBYE TO 2025. WHAT HABITS DO WE NEED TO LEAVE IN THAT YEAR? SO THE FIRST THING IS WE DID SOME SPENDING. YEAH. IN THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON, APPARENTLY SPENDING WAS UP 4%. OKAY. SO THE FIRST THING THAT I’M GOING TO DO IS TELL US TO PAUSE ON THE SPENDING. LET’S LET’S TAKE A BREAK. I KNOW WE ASSOCIATE DRY JANUARY WITH A DIFFERENT HABIT, BUT I WANT TO ASSOCIATE IT WITH A MONEY HABIT. SO LET’S PAUSE IN JANUARY. LET’S HAVE DRY JANUARY WHEN IT COMES TO SPENDING OKAY. SO IF WE REALLY CUT BACK ON ON THOSE THINGS THAT REALLY BLOW THE BUDGET, AND MAYBE IT IS LIKE GOING OUT AND HAVING A DRINK WHICH CAN QUICKLY ADD UP INTO 20S AND 40S AND $80 TABS OR HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS, WE SHOULD BE INVESTING THAT KIND OF MONEY, RIGHT? SURE. AND DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU DRINK, IT COULD GET UP THERE WAY, WAY UP THERE. OKAY. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT WE’RE SAYING BYE TO SOME BAD HABITS, BUT WE WANT TO ADOPT SOME HABITS FOR 2026. WHAT ARE YOU SUGGESTING? SURE. WE’RE SAYING GOODBYE TO IMPULSE SPENDING AND WE’RE GOING TO SAY HELLO TO INTENTIONAL SPENDING. SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO LOOK AT OUR SPENDING HABITS. BUT WE FIRST HAVE TO GET OUT OF DEBT BECAUSE WE SPENT A LOT MORE DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. SO I WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU LIST EVERYBODY THAT YOU OWE, INCLUDING THE BUY NOW, PAY LATER PEOPLE, BECAUSE THAT TYPE OF SPENDING PLAN WAS UP THIS YEAR. AND SO WE WANT TO LIST EVERYBODY THAT WE OWE. AND IF THERE’S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN KNOCK OFF IMMEDIATELY, ANY LITTLE SMALL AMOUNT, KNOCK IT OFF. AND THEN LET’S GET TO THE REAL DEBT STRATEGY. ALL RIGHT. SO YOU WANT US TO GET EVERYTHING PAID OFF. AND THEN WHAT DO WE NEED TO LOOK AT AS WE MOVE WELL INTO 2026. ANOTHER GREAT HABIT IS TO AUTOMATE EVERYTHING. I SAY IT ALL THE TIME, BUT IF YOU AUTOMATE YOUR EXPENSES, YOU WON’T BE LATE. IF YOU AUTOMATE YOUR SAVINGS, IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING AND YOU DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. SO YOU WANT TO AUTOMATE EVERYTHING, AND I DON’T WANT YOU TO IGNORE THE MAIL THIS YEAR. OPEN THE MAIL. WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, ROCHELLE? DON’T LET IT PILE UP AND MISS. THE YES, YES, LATE FEES REALLY DO HURT YOU. ABSOLUTELY. LATE FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS. AND WHEN I SAY MAIL, I MEAN EMAIL AS WELL BECAUSE WE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE SEVEN DAY TRIAL. THE 14 DAY TRIAL, AND WE DON’T CANCEL THOSE SUBSCRIPTIONS. AND THAT CAN PILE ON AND HURT US AS WELL. SURE. ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE HEARD FROM EXPERTS EARLIER THIS MORNING ON SUNRISE ABOUT SUBSCRIPTIONS WAS JUST USE THEM WHILE YOU WERE GOING TO WATCH A PARTICULAR SHOW. SO FOR OUR FAMILY, WE HAD TAKEN A BREAK ON NETFLIX. WE BROUGHT IT BACK FOR STRANGER THINGS. OKAY, WE’LL SAY GOODBYE AGAIN IF THEY DON’T HAVE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE’RE WATCHING, TRYING TO BE SMART INSTEAD OF JUST ALWAYS HAVING THAT SUBSCRIPTION. I LOVE THAT HABIT. I LOVE THAT HABIT, AND I AM THAT WAY WITH CABLE BECAUSE I DON’T WATCH A LOT OF LOCAL STATIONS. OF COURSE, I WATCH WESH 2 TWO AND CW 18 MICHELLE, BUT WE’RE OVER THE AIR. YOU CAN YOU CAN GET US WITH AN ANTENNA. ABSOLUTELY. AND SO EVEN WITH YOUR CABLE BILL, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE DISCRETION OVER AND THAT YOU CAN MANAGE. YOU DON’T NEED A THOUSAND CHANNELS. ALL RIGHT. AND LAST 30S HERE, ROCHELLE, WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL THINGS THAT YOU WANT US TO THINK ABOUT FOR THIS NEW YEAR? ONE THING I WANT US TO DO IS TO STOCK UP. SO WE’RE GOING TO NEED ESSENTIALS. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD, AND WE CAN STOCK UP ON OUR ESSENTIALS SO THAT WE’RE NOT OUT THERE JUST BUYING THINGS WHEN WE NEED THEM. OKAY. REACTIONARY. SO I WANT US TO BE PROACTIVE. AND MAYBE WHEN WE SEE A BOGO OR SOMETHING. ABSOLUTELY. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU IN CORPORATE AMERICA WHO ARE GOING TO BE GETTING A RAISE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE TIME WHERE THEY LOOK AT YOU AND START GIVING YOU A RAISE, I WANT YOU TO SAVE YOUR RAISE. OKAY? THAT’S SO HARD. WE ALREADY GOT IT SPENT RIGHT BEFORE WE EVEN GET FOUNDER AND CEO OF AMES FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS, ROCHELLE SMITH, THANK