How Financial Education Can Turn Year-End Stress into Year-Ahead Success

As I’m writing this, Michigan’s first snow is glistening on everything outside my window in a peaceful blanket of white. There’s something about this quiet moment that invites reflection and I imagine many of you are doing the same; stealing a breath between the holiday rush and whatever comes next. While the season flies by, it’s also the perfect time to think about the coming year: the goals you want to set, the experiences you want to create and how your finances can support it all.

Annually, my husband and I schedule a “planning meeting” (yes, I bribe him with food to attend) to discuss all household financial topics – travel plans and their costs, adjustments to our prior year budget based on our spending habits throughout the year, changes to our retirement contributions and savings and reviewing accounts (including investment holdings and beneficiary designations). While one person often takes the lead on household finances, these conversations keep everyone aligned. Life moves fast, and without intentional check-ins, financial priorities get buried under everyday demands. We know this doesn’t look the same for every household. Maybe you’re planning retirement, navigating it or launching a child into their own financial journey. Maybe you’re exploring new chapters, whether that means a bigger family, a new home or some combination of life changes. The point? You don’t have to figure it out alone.

That’s why, at Greenleaf Trust, we created a financial literacy program to ensure our clients and the next generation are educated and empowered to make financial decisions. We started with the fundamentals: cash flow, debt management, education planning, estate planning, insurance, investments, retirement and taxes. With this initiative top of mind, we’re providing insight and tips so planning for 2026 doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are five topics worth discussing as you look ahead.

1: Are You Saving Enough?

It’s easy to set retirement contributions and forget them. But “maxing out” means different things, and there’s a big difference between catching your full employer match (typically 4-5% of your paycheck) and hitting the annual maximum deferral. For 2026, that’s $24,500 if you’re under 50, or $32,500 if you’re 50 or older. The years compound quickly and early investment pays dividends far into the future.

When determining if you’re saving enough, think about your goals: When do you want to retire? How much will you need to support your lifestyle? Is that dream realistic with your current trajectory? These are questions we ask in conversations with our clients and are important factors in deciding how much to save. Many online portals offer retirement calculators that show what your current contributions, growth and investment performance might look like by your target date. Having an accurate goal is crucial for setting yourself up for a successful retirement.

If it’s financially feasible, an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), either Traditional or Roth, adds another layer of saving. You can contribute up to $7,500 in 2026 (or $8,600 if you’re over 50, thanks to catch-up contributions).

One more thing: retirement is important but so is breathing room. An emergency fund prevents unexpected expenses from derailing your goals. Having readily available savings means you can financially handle emergencies without the added anxiety of scrambling for funds or going into debt for things like the loss of income, home repairs and medical bills. Your emergency fund size depends on your family’s needs and expenses but a good rule of thumb is to have three to six months of fixed expenses saved, depending on your household’s income sources and stability. If you’re not there yet, setting up an automatic deposit to your savings from each paycheck is a great place to start. You likely won’t even notice the difference!

2: Does Your Estate Plan Need Attention?

I know, the 3-ring binder likely hasn’t been opened since you left your attorney’s office. We know it can be overwhelming. Life moves pretty fast, as fans of Ferris Bueller can quote, and if you don’t stop and look at your estate plan once in a while, you could miss something important (okay, that last part is from me). For that reason, our client review meetings include an overview of our client’s estate plan. This usually involves a summary of the document(s) and a list of the individuals with important decision-making roles like those on a Power of Attorney, Financial and Healthcare.

What are the things you could miss, you wonder? Do you have a child who recently turned 18 or will soon? Are they going off to college or moving out of state? Did you know you need to be listed on a HIPPA release form in order to receive medical information on your adult child if they are in a hospital? Have your children approached the age when trust distributions kick in? Do you want to adjust those ages? Any new property added to your household? Does it need to be in the name of your trust? If you’ve had a child recently, have you established or updated their legal guardian?

It’s easy to miss these things when you’re living life. But reviewing your estate plan annually, even just the major pieces, ensures it accurately reflects your current situation and intentions. Think of it as updating the important stuff, not necessarily reading every page. If Saint Nick is going to check his list twice, you can probably check yours once, right?

3: What Are Your Investments Actually Doing?

So, you have investments – great! Do you know how they are invested? Asset allocation refers to how your money is invested among the major asset classes, equities, fixed income, alternatives and cash. When you add together all your investment accounts, the total percentage in each asset class determines your asset allocation at an overall portfolio level. This is how we look at our client portfolios – the whole picture. Diving even deeper, your asset allocation is a result of your risk tolerance and time horizon. Basically, how comfortable you are with volatility and when will you need the funds that are invested. If you’ve been paying attention to the market this year, volatility is a term we are all too familiar with. We know it’s easy to get caught up on the performance of our investments rather than staying focused on our individual goals and the purpose of our funds. Here’s something worth knowing – your asset allocation drives over 90% of investment returns. Let’s say it together: it’s not about timing the market but time in the market!

Asset classes move interdependent of one another; has market volatility pushed your asset mix out of your desired or comfort range? Just be mindful of where you are doing your rebalancing. In taxable accounts, selling can trigger capital gains, so plan accordingly. While you’re at it, take a look at your 401(k). If it’s still sitting in the default investment option, it might not be working as hard for you as you think.

4: What Are You Actually Paying For?

We’ve all seen the commercials promoting apps that show us where our money goes and they make a good point. How many subscriptions do you actually have? Likely at least one if you watched that commercial through a streaming service. Remember when we used to have only one subscription, aka cable? (maybe you still do, kudos to you). The point is – we’ve all rationalized small expenses. One subscription here, a recurring charge there; they’re just small individual costs, right?

Consider this: Netflix ($24.99), Amazon ($14.99), Disney+/Hulu/ESPN Bundle ($38.99) and YouTube TV ($82.99) add up to about $162 a month. That’s nearly $2,000 a year, over a quarter of what you can contribute to an IRA! And it doesn’t include what you’re actually ordering through Amazon, or the coffee habit, or the gym membership you forgot about. While you may not subscribe to all or any of the services specifically listed, it brings to light how easily one seemingly small expense can add up when we don’t pay attention.

To think about it differently, how else could those dollars be working for you? Extra retirement contributions? Saved in a down payment fund? Pay off high-interest debt? Sometimes, visibility is all it takes to make a different choice and can be done while your favorite show is streaming in the background.

5: How Can You Pay Less in Taxes?

Ahh, I have your attention now! Most of us don’t love writing bigger checks to the IRS. Tax planning isn’t something you do on April 14, it’s a year-round effort. Whether you’re managing your own investments or working with an advisor, being intentional about taxes helps your wealth grow more efficiently. We work with clients on strategies like tax-loss harvesting, Roth conversions, tax-efficient investment accounts and strategic dividend management.

As we wrap up the year, here are some moves worth considering:

Make a deductible IRA contribution if you are eligible.

Contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA) if you have a high-deductible health plan.

If you are charitably inclined and over the age of 70 ½ or have a remaining balance of your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) yet to take, make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to an eligible charity.

Look into new deductions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including an additional $6,000 deduction for certain taxpayers 65 and older ($12,000 for couples), and the increased State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction (now up to $40,000 if you itemize).

Please note: while we work closely with our clients’ tax professionals and CPAs to identify opportunities, we do not offer tax or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

These conversations might feel like a lot but they don’t have to happen all at once. The important part is starting them – even if it’s just checking one or two of these off your list. When you do, you may find the stress came from not knowing and will fade as you continue to make progress.

We’re here if you want to dive deeper on any of these topics, or if you’d simply like to sit down and talk through what 2026 could look like for you – reach out to your Client Centric Team anytime.

Wishing you a joyous and stress-free New Year!