Beck BodeFinancial Resolutions That Don’t Break by February
Ben Beck:
A line I learned a long time ago — and it still stands true today — is that it’s about progress, not performance. Progress, not performance. As we’re talking about measuring things along the way and setting achievable markers for ourselves, if we’re focused on performance over a short period of time — or if one of our clients is — it’s inevitable that you’re not going to meet that goal.
HOST:
You’re listening to the NoBondsCast from Beck Bode. Conversations about intentional financial planning, long-term decision-making, and building plans that adapt as life changes. Hosted by founders and managing partners Ben Beck, CFP®, and Jim Bode.
In this episode, Ben and Jim explore why financial plans often break when they lack intention, why progress matters more than short-term performance, and how thoughtful planning needs to evolve as life changes.
Let’s get back to the conversation.
Ben Beck:
The new year is upon us. And yes, along with the new year comes an opportunity to set new goals — but also to reflect on the goals that were set, for example, in 2025. So how do you look at that?
Jim Bode:
Yeah, I think it’s always healthy to look back at how the year went. For me personally, I look at a couple of the goals I had. Some I met, some I could have done better with. And I always like to say it’s a best effort.
With the goals I had this year — the financial goals — I specifically wanted to put enough money aside for some of our savings goals. And for the hefty one, my first year of paying for college. Those were met. We accomplished those.
Some of the personal goals around health and fitness started off really strong. And then as the year went on, other priorities took over where I was spending my time.
Ben Beck:
There’s probably somebody listening right now who can relate to that. A lot of things happen in the new year — New Year’s resolutions — people saying, “I’m going to get back to the gym four times a week,” and then sometime, maybe February or March, things happen. Priorities shift and you move on to something else.
Jim Bode:
So what type of goal-setter are you, Ben? I like to put people into three different categories.
Ben Beck:
Let me ask you — where do you think I stand?
Jim Bode:
I think you set pretty hefty goals that you want to drive toward.
Ben Beck:
Yeah, I’d agree with that. I like taking big swings.
Jim Bode:
And I think that’s great. For me, achievable doesn’t mean easy. It means something I actually have to work toward and put effort into.
Have you thought about any of those big goals for 2026?
Ben Beck:
Oh boy — too many to mention. But yes. There are goals around school, family, fitness — those are always lurking.
What about you?
Jim Bode:
I generally have three buckets. A personal financial goal, a family goal, and a personal health goal. I look at those and set achievable metrics.
But I don’t just set these goals at the beginning of the year. I like measurements and check-ins throughout the year — generally quarterly. Financially, am I doing the right things? As a family, are we moving toward what we want? Health-wise, are we as active as we want to be?
Those check-ins are really important — and that’s exactly what we do for our clients through the goals planning statement.
Where do you see the importance of expectations and measurement when we’re setting financial goals?
Ben Beck:
It comes back to that line I learned a long time ago: progress, not performance.
If we’re focused on performance over short periods of time, it’s inevitable you won’t meet your goal consistently. Markets are volatile in the short term. But if you focus on progress toward a goal, that’s measurable.
The first thing we do in a goals planning statement is define the goal — then we build a date-specific, dollar-specific plan to get there. Just like a workout or a diet, you don’t do it for two weeks and expect results.
We measure progress toward the bigger goal and define what rate of return is required to make the plan work. Some years will be way up, some way down. Markets average around 10% long-term, but rarely hit that number exactly.
Jim Bode:
That’s what I love about the goals planning statement. It gives us achievable benchmarks and regular check-ins. It’s a joint effort between us and the client — what they want to achieve and how they’re going to get there.
Early in our careers, planning was more of a checkbox. Today, we create actions. We tell clients how much to save, where to save it, and what it takes to achieve the goal.
Ben Beck:
You need measurement along the way. A metric to tell you that you’re on the right path.
Jim Bode:
And goals change over time. We’ve seen clients reach a retirement number and then say, “I’m not ready yet.” The goals evolve — and the plan adapts.
Ben Beck:
So does everybody need a plan? If someone says, “I’m 35, I don’t need one yet,” what do you say?
Jim Bode:
If you have goals in life, you should have a plan. Putting money away without purpose is wasted effort. Investing allows us to outline what we want in the future — but without a plan, there’s a disconnect.
It’s like saying you want to lose 50 pounds without a pathway. A plan shows you how to get there.
Ben Beck:
Otherwise, how do you define success? Without a plan, you’re basing everything on how you feel in the moment. And feelings aren’t reliable.
Without a plan, you’re also extremely susceptible to noise — crypto, precious metals, whatever’s performing well at the moment. You jump from thing to thing and often underperform over time.
Jim Bode:
What feels really good is achieving a goal — and having benchmarks along the way that show progress.
Ben Beck:
And beyond achieving the goal, it’s about falling in love with the process. Big goals take time. Consistency matters more than intensity.
Jim Bode:
One of the most rewarding moments for me is when someone says, “I’m ready to retire.” And then we move into distribution planning. Often, there’s surplus — and that opens conversations about legacy, kids, and grandkids.
We help introduce the next generation to investing and planning early — something many people never experienced.
Ben Beck:
Whether someone is in their 40s or their 60s, once you map out goals with a date-specific, dollar-specific approach, it’s an eye-opening moment.
Jim Bode:
So here we are at the beginning of a new year. What are your goals for 2026?
Ben Beck:
One of mine is getting incrementally better at things I enjoy. For example, guitar — just 15 minutes a day. Making it easy to do makes consistency happen.
Another is reading. I’m committing to 10 pages every night. It’s achievable — and it compounds.
Jim Bode:
For me, it’s golf. I enjoy it, but I want to improve — so I’m working with a coach. Just like financial planning, I need a plan to get better.
Ben Beck:
Writing goals down matters. That’s what makes them real.
HOST:
Thanks for listening to the NoBondsCast with founders and managing partners Ben Beck, CFP®, and Jim Bode. This show is about building financial plans that don’t just look good on paper, but actually hold up as life changes.
If this conversation sparked questions about your own financial goals, retirement, or legacy planning, explore past episodes or continue the conversation at beckbode.com.
This transcript is from the NoBondsCast episode “Financial Resolutions That Don’t Break by February.” To watch the full video or listen to the episode, scroll up.