Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s Moneysmart releases research showing 52% of Australians set 2025 financial goals but only 12% stick to them

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), through its Moneysmart program, published new consumer research and guidance encouraging Australians to set and stick to financial goals in 2025, highlighting a gap between intentions and follow-through. The YouGov survey of 1,007 Australians aged 18+ found 52% planned to set a financial goal for 2025, but only around 1 in 8 (12%) manage to stick to goals. Gen Z were the most likely to set goals (77%), followed by Millennials (60%), Gen X (51%) and Baby Boomers (35%). Four in five respondents (85%) expected challenges, most commonly financial constraints (56%), then lack of motivation (30%), lack of knowledge (24%) and lack of time (24%). The most common goals were increasing savings (67%), spending less on non-essential items (55%), creating or updating a budget (43%), investing more (37%) and paying off debts (33%), with Gen Z more likely to prioritise budgeting and Gen Z and Millennials more likely to focus on investing. Moneysmart’s tips centred on reviewing past spending, budgeting for essentials, setting timeframes with smaller milestones, sharing goals with family and friends, regularly tracking progress and celebrating achievements.