Goals And Plans For 2025
Per tradition (at least in American culture), here is a list of goals and/or plans that each of us have made for the upcoming year. Of course we hope to accomplish everything we’ve laid out in front of us, so it’ll definitely be interesting to see how things turn out.
Scout
Overall I feel that I’m on a good path, but can always take steps to keep learning & growing. My plan is to continue building on some of the lessons from 2024 while also including a few additional goals for the upcoming year.
- Be more in-control of money. Perhaps more specifically “regain control over money”. This goal might sound silly/ironic, but it’s true. I had a tough time last year constantly worrying about money, specifically surrounding my need to sell stock for the first time. Because I had always valued money so highly, it was hard to even think about letting it go. However, one thing I learned was that life is about more than money. I need to ensure that I keep this lesson at the front of my mind, so that I can focus on more important things and deemphasize the power of money in my life.
- Continue building friendships & community. I know you’re probably still shocked that I recently said people are okay; don’t worry I’m still shocked as well! I’m looking forward to catching up with old FI friends and meeting many new ones at both EconoMe and FinCon this year. Closer to home, I’m part of a few different ChooseFI Local Groups – we did a pretty good job of holding semi-regular meetups in 2024 and it’s been great to meet new people and see these groups steadily grow in size. My goal for 2025 is to continue growing each group and connecting more people.
- Help others learn. Sounds simple enough, yet at the moment I have no particular idea how I’m going to accomplish this. (My apologies in advance to those who adhere to the doctrine that goals must be clearly defined & measurable). I just want to help others learn about personal finance/Financial Independence in any way that I can, whether this is accomplished through podcasting, volunteering, or even just talking to others one-on-one or at meetups. I am by no means a financial expert (not even close), but I do feel that I have an above-basic level of knowledge that I can share along with my personal life experiences.
- Finish/Update my estate planning. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO ashamed to admit this, but my wife & I started our estate plan back in 2020 and still haven’t fully completed it. For those who are familiar with the process, our lawyer finished drafting all relevant documentation and we signed it, however I still haven’t properly retitled all of our financial accounts to reflect ownership of the trust. This is perhaps an ironic example of the Pareto Principle since I finished the majority of the work (80%) back in 2020, yet 20% still sadly remains 4 years later.
- Grow EFJ & make it better. 2024 was awesome because that’s the year Epic Financial Journey truly got started – after many years of stagnation The Squire and I finally decided to devote time to building & maintaining the blog. While we got off to a great start, we’re planning to do even more this year. Our goal is to improve the blog, improve content, make improvements to the website (as needed), strive to draw more visitors, but most importantly continue building this community.
The Squire
My journey is continuously changing, both financially and with other aspects of my life. Here are some goals I’m working on prioritizing.
- Family. Throughout recent summer and winter breaks, I feel that our immediate family has spent some great time together, both at home and on trips. We’re hoping to continue this trend with extended family as well. We want to enjoy time together and make memories.
- Relationships. With busy schedules, we enjoy time to relax without obligations from time to time. We are also not great planners and tend to shy away from connecting with friends or new acquaintances. However, I hope to make more of an effort this year to connect with people outside of our family. Along with current friends, I hope we reach more people in the Financial Independence community, through this site, other sites and podcasts, and in person.
- Money. We have a path ahead of us to reach Financial Independence that is always changing. We will likely be spending more on vacations this year. But still, we are working on investing a good portion of our income. I still have much to learn about investment and tax strategies, as well as health costs, especially if either of us stops working in our fifties or early sixties.
- Health and fitness. Yep, I need to dedicate more time to eating healthy and exercising. No doubt about it. I’m going to have a much better chance of living a long healthy life if I treat my body well. I spend most of my work days sitting at a computer, and I need to more regularly do some short exercise routines during breaks and lunch time to build my muscles, work on posture, and get outside.
- Work. I’m going to continue to make sure that going to work is something I look forward to. This requires effort to make sure I’m on good terms with colleagues, I speak up when something is bothering me, and I continue to advocate for myself to work on things that bring joy and purpose to what I spend so many hours of my life doing. I also plan to participate in further learning, wellness activities, try to take my breaks every day, and use vacation.
Links/Resources
Reader Questions
- What are your goals and plans for the upcoming year?
Leave your answers or comments below – or email us directly at info@epicfinancialjourney.com