NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast · NerdWallet Personal Finance

How to Build Better Money Habits in 2026

January 1, 2026·24 min·2 clips

Sean explains how to max out your Roth IRA by breaking down $7,500 into manageable monthly contributions.

The episode opens with Elizabeth's admission that New Year's resolutions feel like a scam, and Sean's gentle pushback that people's hope for fresh starts is a useful moment to capture. NerdWallet's 2026 Financial Outlook survey provides the macro context: 57% of respondents plan a potentially risky financial action like crypto investing, 17% claim they will buy a house despite a brutal market, and nearly 20% want to start a new business. The hosts use their own goals as concrete examples throughout: Elizabeth is $4,000 away from paying off her first car loan and plans to be debt-free by December, maintaining her 30-40% retirement savings rate, and opening dedicated sinking fund accounts for vacations and fun money — a concept she initially resisted but has come around to. Sean is in post-wedding financial recovery mode, rebuilding his emergency fund and savings while also planning to grow his financial planning side business. The episode's main framework is about aligning money goals with values rather than trying to force behavior change through willpower or discipline. Sean walks through a values identification exercise: freedom, community, adventure, financial resilience are example values the hosts share, and the argument is that knowing what you genuinely care about makes it much easier to make consistent financial decisions that serve those values. The hosts discuss behavioral strategies from books like Atomic Habits and High Performance Habits, emphasizing small consistent actions over dramatic resolutions. Elizabeth shares her practice of annually writing out her values and checking her life against them. The episode is practical, warm, and notably personal — the hosts are genuinely sharing their own financial lives, including a mention of NerdWallet's three podcast awards in 2025 and their intention to negotiate raises on that basis.

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