The best personal finance tools to help you reach 6 money goals in 2026

If you set a financial resolution for 2025 and didn’t quite meet it, don’t be discouraged. Nearly 75% of Americans fell short of their saving and spending goals this year, yet 82% remain optimistic that 2026 will be their year for a “resolution rebound,” according to a Vanguard report. To help you get there, we’ve rounded up the products you need to tackle every financial goal on your list.

An emergency fund is meant to cover unexpected expenses like medical bills, car repairs or a sudden loss of income. Financial experts typically recommend saving three to six months’ worth of expenses but even a smaller cushion can make a difference.

A high-yield savings account is a great option for emergency savings because it offers higher interest rates than a traditional savings account while still keeping your money accessible.

Tracking your spending is key to taking control of your finances. It helps you spot any charges you don’t recognize or catch ongoing payments you might have forgotten about, like unwanted subscriptions. While you can create a spreadsheet to do this, budgeting apps make it easier by automatically categorizing your expenses and alerting you to anything unusual so that you can stay on top of your money without extra effort.

For $8.33 per month, or $99.99 annually, Monarch offers a clean interface with a range of features for tracking expenses, setting budgets and visualizing your overall financial health all in one place. PocketGuard also helps you find extra money to save by showing how much money you have “in your pocket” after bills and other necessities. It comes with either a $12.99 monthly charge, $74.99 annually or a lifetime membership at a reduced rate. Both apps sync securely with your accounts, making your budgeting experience effortless and actionable.

High-interest debt, especially from credit cards, can quickly spiral out of control and make it difficult to move forward with your financial goals. The longer you carry balances with high rates, the more you pay in interest and it traps you in a cycle of debt. Two popular strategies to manage and reduce high-interest debt are balance transfer credit cards and debt consolidation loans but they serve different needs.

Balance transfer credit cards

A balance transfer credit card lets you move your existing credit card debt onto a new card with a low or 0% introductory interest rate for a set period, usually between 12 to 21 months. This can save you money on interest if you pay off the balance before the promotional period ends.

The Citi Simplicity® Card has a generous intro APR period for balance transfers (nearly two years) and a lower balance transfer fee than other options.

Debt consolidation loans

A debt consolidation loan is a personal loan used to pay off multiple debts at once and combine them into a single monthly payment, often with a lower interest rate than your credit cards. This option is ideal if you have $5,000 or more in debt or multiple balances and want the predictability of fixed payments over time.

If you have a low credit score, Avant is accessible to a wide range of borrowers, requiring only a 550 FICO score. Loan amounts range from $2,000 to $35,000, with terms between 24 and 60 months. Plus, you can get approved within minutes.

A higher credit score can unlock better loan rates, credit card offers and even improve your chances when renting an apartment. While good credit habits like paying bills on time and keeping credit utilization low help build your score, so can products like Experian Boost.

Experian Boost is free to use and can instantly raise your credit score. The tool simply scans your bank account for on-time payments on things like your cell phone bill, utilities, subscriptions, rent and insurance, and adds those to your Experian credit report.

If you’re already contributing to a 401(k), that’s a great start — especially if you’re contributing enough to get your employer’s full match. Employer matches are essentially free money that can significantly boost your retirement savings. Another way to maximize your retirement savings is by opening an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

There are two main types: Traditional and Roth IRAs, and they work differently depending on your current and future tax situation. Brokerages like Charles Schwab and Fidelity are both excellent options for opening an IRA.

Whether you’re planning to buy a home, fund a wedding or make another major purchase, having a dedicated savings plan can help you reach your goal faster. One effective way to do this is by using a CD, which typically offers higher interest rates than regular savings accounts.

CDs lock in your money for a set term — anywhere from a few months to several years — so you can earn more interest while avoiding the temptation to spend. You can choose a term that matches your timeline. For example, shorter CDs for goals within a year or two, and longer terms for goals further down the road.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.