Ah, 2026. A year that sounds futuristic enough to involve hoverboards, yet suspiciously like 2025, just with more subscriptions quietly draining your bank account.
If you’re planning your finances for 2026, congratulations - you’re already ahead of the crowd that plans using crossed fingers, hope, and a vague belief that ‘it’ll probably work out.’
1. Your Budget: Still a Thing (Sorry)
Yes, budgets are about as sexy as an Excel spreadsheet but in 2026, budgeting should be less about restriction and more about awareness, like realising you spend more on coffee than you do on electricity.
Take a look at where your money actually goes, not where you think it goes. That daily £4 coffee? That’s £1,460 a year. Suddenly that home espresso machine doesn’t seem so reckless, does it?
A 2026 budget should also account for lifestyle creep. If your income has gone up, your expenses probably followed it like an enthusiastic puppy. Decide in advance how much of your raise gets to enjoy life and how much gets sent to Future You, who is quietly judging Present You.
2. Emergency Funds: Because Life Loves Plot Twists
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that life can turn into a disaster movie with very little notice. Your emergency fund is not boring, it’s your financial seatbelt.
In 2026, aim for at least 3 to 6 months of essential expenses in cash. Yes, cash. Not crypto, not a ‘can’t-lose’ investment your cousin recommended, and definitely not money tied up in something that requires three forms, a phone call, and a blood sample to access.
Think of it this way: an emergency fund lets you handle surprises without adding ‘financial panic’ to the list of things you’re already stressed about.
3. Investments: Exciting, Terrifying, Necessary
Investing will probably always feel like a mix of science, art, and mild gambling, except it doesn’t have to be. The key questions to ask yourself are:
Am I invested in a way that matches my goals?
Do I actually understand what I own?
Would I panic-sell if headlines got dramatic (again)?
Diversification is king in 2026. Long-term thinking is still undefeated. And trying to time the market is still a hobby best left to people who enjoy stress and disappointment.
If you haven’t reviewed your investments recently, now’s a good time. Your life changes. Your portfolio should, too.
4. Retirement: Older You Is Approaching Faster Than You Think
Retirement planning has a unique ability to feel both extremely important and extremely ignorable. But 2026 is a great year to check in with this.
Are you contributing enough? Are you using tax-advantaged accounts properly? Do you know roughly what kind of retirement you’re aiming for, or is it currently ‘somewhere warm, with snacks’?
Even small increases in contributions can make a big difference over time. Your future self would like you to know they enjoy food, shelter, and not having to work forever.
‘5. Insurance: The Financial Vegetables
No one wakes up excited to review insurance, but 2026 is a good time to ask ‘If something went wrong, would my finances implode?’
Think health, life, income protection, and home insurance. Not glamorous, but incredibly useful when life decides to get creative.
Insurance isn’t about expecting bad things, it’s about not being financially destroyed if they happen.
6. Goals: Give Your Money a Job
Finally, think about what you actually want your money to do for you in 2026. Travel? A home upgrade? Less stress? More flexibility? The list is endless.
Clear goals make financial decisions easier. When you know why you’re saving or investing, it’s easier to say no to impulse spending and yes to things that actually matter.
In Conclusion: Be Slightly More Intentional Than Last Year
You don’t need to be perfect in 2026. You just need to be intentional. Review your numbers, plan for the unexpected, invest with purpose, and remember: money is a tool, not a moral scorecard.
And if all else fails, at least know where your money is going because saying ‘it disappeared somehow’ is not a retirement plan.
If you need or want to have a chat, you know where I am…