5 essential retirement planning resolutions

IT IS that time of the year when some of us inject our lives with New Year's resolutions ("firm decisions to do something") while others start the year off with the promise of New Year's resolutions ("dramatic and wide-reaching changes in conditions").

- BRETT LADOUCE

AS WE embrace the new year, most resolutions focus on fitness and lifestyle changes--but what about your financial future? Discover five actionable steps to improve your retirement outcomes in 2026, from reviewing your current position to optimizing your investment strategy with expert guidance.

(FREEPIK)

We dust off our running shoes and gym clothing, read inspirational notes, and make plans for the year to come. If we have to be honest, are we spending any time on resolutions that will improve our retirement outcomes in 2026? What are the things that we should be doing to make 2026 a great year for our retirement savings? We can improve our retirement outcomes for 2026 by doing the following 5 things:

Take stock of what happened in 2025

Did you meet your retirement savings targets in 2025? Did you contribute enough to your retirement fund to meet your savings target?

Did your retirement fund produce the investment income that you need or want?

Did you make any unnecessary savings pot withdrawals that will hurt your future retirement outcomes? What are the things that happened that brought you closer, and what are the things that took you further from your desired retirement outcomes?