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One in 14 people who have set themselves money resolutions for the new year in the past have ditched them a week later, a survey indicates.
Two fifths (41%) of people have previously made financial resolutions and 7% did not manage to stick to them for more than a week, according to Hargreaves Lansdown.
One in six (16%) have never stuck to their financial resolution for longer than a month, and four fifths (78%) have not managed to last longer than a year, the Opinium survey of 2,000 people in September found.
However, two-fifths (40%) of over-55s who have made a financial resolution said they had stuck with it for longer then a year, suggesting that persistence could pay off.
Sarah Coles, head of personal finance, Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Around a week into the new year and already 7% of financial resolutions hang in tatters, after the optimism that carried us aloft into the new year has been swiftly flattened by the relentless steamroller of reality.”
There’s also the chance that older people have had more time to learn from their mistakes
Sarah Coles, Hargreaves Lansdown
She added: “Success rates vary with age, with 40% of those aged 55 and over having stuck with at least one financial resolution for at least a year – compared to 25% of those aged 35 to 54 and 11% of those aged 18 to 34.
“However, there’s a decent chance this owes more to the fact they’ve had more goes at it than any particular resolve that comes with age.
“There’s also the chance that older people have had more time to learn from their mistakes, which is something we can all benefit from if our resolutions have fallen at the first hurdle.”
Saving more, spending less, getting on top of finances, paying down debts and starting an investment habit were among the most common financial resolutions for 2025, the survey found.
To help people stick to their financial goals, Ms Coles suggested setting ones that are realistic and achievable; considering priorities such as paying off expensive debts and having an emergency savings buffer; and considering setting a goal a month rather than aiming to make a complete transformation.
She added that, when making spending cutbacks: “Before you give up the things you love, it makes far more sense to give up the things you don’t love at all – like overpaying for your mobile phone or broadband or buying expensive grocery brands.”
