New Year, Stronger Wallet: 10 Step Guide to Financial Fitness  

The start of a new year often comes with health resolutions like hitting the gym, eating better, and shedding bad habits. As we kick off the new year focusing on physical fitness, why not give financial fitness the same attention? Our finances deserve a reset, too! This year, make a resolution that lasts: get your money in shape. With our free Financial Fitness Checklist, you’ve got a roadmap to help you get and stay financially strong. 

Whether you’re a busy millennial juggling work, bills, and errands, or someone planning for retirement, this guide is for you. By taking a few smart, simple steps, like using online banking tools, automating savings, and setting up alerts, you can get on track to a financially fit year.  

Why Financial Fitness Matters & Why It’s Worth the Effort 

Think of financial fitness like physical fitness. Without check-ups, planning, and good habits, your financial health can get derailed…and fast. Life’s inevitable curveballs, like car repairs, medical bills, sudden job changes, and emergencies, can snowball existing money problems and make them exponentially worse.  

That’s where an emergency fund, a budget, and smart banking habits become your safety net. According to experts, even a modest emergency fund can drastically reduce financial stress and provide peace of mind. 

Building good habits, like budgeting, automating savings, staying on top of transactions, streamlining bills, and protecting your accounts, gives you confidence. It can reduce money-related anxiety, help prevent debt spirals, and keep you on track toward life goals like buying a home, saving for retirement, or investing in experiences. 

Most importantly: once you build these habits, you don’t have to think about them every day! They work for you quietly in the background and give you more freedom to focus on living. 

Your Financial Fitness Plan: 10 Steps to Build Strength 

Step 1: Use Online Banking to Get the Big Picture 

Start by logging in to your Fidelity Bank checking account. It’s free, available 24/7, and lets you see all your accounts, transactions, statements, and balances from any device.  

Once you are logged in, you can review your spending, sort purchases (rent, groceries, subscriptions, fun money), and start to form a realistic monthly budget. Think of this as your “financial check-up”. When you know where your money is going, you’re better equipped to steer it where you want it to go. 

Find detailed instructions for using Online Banking here.  

Step 2: Use the Savings Goal Calculator to Plan an Emergency Fund 

Once you know your monthly income and expenses, it’s time to set a savings goal. With Fidelity Bank’s Saving for a Goal Calculator, you can estimate how much you’ll need to cover a rainy day and how long it might take to reach that number. 

Having an emergency fund isn’t just a good habit; it’s financial self-care. Experts say even a modest cushion can greatly improve your financial well-being and ease stress from unexpected costs like car repairs, medical bills, or job changes.  

How much should your goal be? Experts suggest enough to cover 3+ months of your monthly expenses.  

Step 3: Open a Dedicated Savings (or Emergency Fund) Account 

If you don’t already have a separate savings account, now is the time to create one. Keeping savings separate from your checking account helps prevent accidental spending and ensures that money is there when you need it most. 

Fidelity Bank makes it easy to open a savings account online. Once it’s set up, you’ll have a dedicated place for your emergency fund or savings goals. 

Step 4: Automate Savings — Set It & Forget It 

One of the easiest and most effective habits you can build is automatic savings. Once you’ve set a savings goal, schedule automatic transfers from your checking to your savings each pay period. 

Just like automatic bill payment, this makes saving effortless. Over time, you’ll thank yourself when your savings grow without you even thinking about it. 

Step 5: Automate Bill Payments 

Speaking of automation, set up automatic bill payments for regular expenses (rent, utilities, recurring subscriptions, etc.) using Online Banking. With Fidelity Bank, you can manage your payments from your phone, tablet, or computer, which saves time, avoids late fees, and eliminates hassles. 

Putting routine bills on autopilot is like having a steady cardio routine for your finances: predictable, sustainable, and stress-free. 

Step 6: Add a Mobile Wallet for Extra Security and Convenience 

Want to upgrade your financial fitness even further? Add your Fidelity Bank card to a mobile wallet. Digital wallets can add a layer of fraud protection and make purchases easier when you’re on the go. 

It’s a small change that fits right in with a modern, mobile lifestyle and helps keep your financial life lean and secure. 

Step 7: Turn On Alerts and Notifications 

Use Fidelity Bank’s Alerts feature to get real-time notifications for account activity, low balances, or unusual transactions.  

Alerts help you stay aware, prevent overdrafts or fraud, and keep your money working for you. Think of them as your financial manager: a reminder to stay aware and stay strong. 

Step 8: Take Advantage of Extra Savings With Fidelity Bank Perks 

If you have one of Fidelity Bank’s accounts that qualifies for Perks, be sure to use those discounts and savings offers! It’s like getting bonus reps in your financial workout and those small wins add up over time.  

Fidelity Bank Perks gives you exclusive local and national discounts on shopping, dining, travel, and entertainment that can help you stretch your budget further all year long. Plus, you’ll get access to valuable protections, including cell phone coverage, buyer’s protection on new purchases, ID theft aid, roadside assistance, and travel accident coverage.  

Additional benefits of using Fidelity Bank Perks are that it offers everyday savings on vision care, prescriptions, and hearing services, and even helps lower monthly bills through Billshark’s expert negotiation service. It’s a full suite of benefits built to simplify life, protect your finances, and help you keep more money in your pocket as you work toward your financial goals. 

The best part? Fidelity Bank Perks is free to access and use with our Preferred, Elite, Student Plus, and At Work Plus accounts. Get started by downloading our free app!  

Step 9: Plan for the Future — Retirement, Investments, Homeownership & More 

Financial fitness isn’t just about today’s savings or next month’s budget. It’s about preparing for what’s next: retirement, homeownership, travel, college funds, or other life goals. 

Once your budget, savings, and safety net are in place, consider working with a banker or financial advisor to talk about long-term goals. That way, you’re strengthening not just your financial core, but your future’s foundation, too. 

Step 10: Meet with a Local Banker to Build Your Plan Together 

Sometimes the best workouts are the ones done with a coach. Schedule a visit with a local banker to review your budget, refine savings goals, and map out a plan for long-term financial health. 

A trusted banker can help show you tools you may not have considered — maybe a different savings product, a better way to set up automation, or ways to save more efficiently for long-term goals. 

Meeting with a local banker is free and easy to do! Simply stop into your nearest branch. You can also schedule an in-person meeting online. Use this link to find your branch and get started.  

Key Takeaways on Getting Finances in Shape  

If you make one resolution this year, make it a financial one! Creating an emergency savings account and a budget you can stick to are two of the best ways to set yourself up for success all year long.  

Whether you’re just starting out or refining decades-old habits, Fidelity Bank is here to help. From online banking and savings calculators to alerts, mobile banking, and in-person support, we’ve got the tools and the team to help you succeed. 

Here’s to building a healthier, stronger, and smarter financial foundation for 2026 and beyond!