As the year draws to a close, more and more Americans are preparing to make their financial resolutions, and according to a study by Fidelity Investments, households in the United States are prioritizing short-term savings and investment plans among their goals for 2026.

Through an annual survey, more than 64% of Americans are considering a resolution regarding their personal finances. Regarding this, Leanna Devinney, market leader at Fidelity Investments, noted that “this was the second consecutive year that Americans prioritized short-term savings,” she said. The figure increased considerably compared to 56% last year. According to the research details, 30% intend to spend less next year, 36% will prioritize paying off their debts, and 44% aim to save more.

For Devinney, this has been very similar to last year, when respondents mentioned that their goals included short-term savings, creating an emergency fund, or paying off debt.

The reason driving savings goals among this year's resolutions is that most Americans have felt overwhelmed by personal finances, affected by economic uncertainty that is partly due to high prices and uncompetitive wages.

Fidelity Investments analysis revealed that 68% of millennials and 64% of Generation Z have felt overwhelmed by their personal finances this year.

The survey results highlighted that 55% feel overwhelmed, and 31% indicate that their relationship with money is very stressful. Furthermore, a large percentage of the population mentions that in addition to their poor relationship with their personal finances, they also feel stressed about debt. According to Devinney, “by 2025, 72% of Americans reported having experienced some type of financial setback, and 55% reported being overwhelmed by their personal finances. Due to rising prices, 33% reported feeling they have significantly less money.”said.

Although concerns and uncertainty surrounding finances are growing stronger, Devinney expressed that there is still some optimism, as “70% see themselves in a better or similar financial situation than they were in the same period last year,” he commented.

“I think the reason we’ve seen a greater prioritization of short-term savings over the past two years is probably due to some volatility we saw, as well as the fact that this time Americans said they had to dip into their savings,” Devinney explained.