As we get back to work in 2026, it’s worth thinking about our financial goals in the year ahead.

Just like the whole post-Christmas “detox” though, it’s more beneficial for us not to try to start out so aggressive with our financial goals in 2026.

That’s because many of us who swear that we’re going to hit the gym every day (or abstain from drinking) after an indulgent Christmas/New Year’s periods, typically give that up in a matter of weeks.

Similarly, our well-meaning financial plans should be realistic instead of unrealistically optimistic.

By focusing, for example, on changing one money behaviour or bias that we have, we can make incremental gains that will compound – like our wealth – into better money habits over time.

So, before we map out what we want to achieve financially in 2026, it’s more important to recognise what we can practically achieve without giving up halfway.

When it comes to our money habits, like investing, building up the consistency habit can be one of the most important determinants of how successful we end up being.

Just like our overall financial picture, our credit cards deserve an annual audit, too.

While we tend to focus on our investing portfolios and how to rebalance that, actually there can be a lot of clutter in our credit card collection too.

Of course, this depends on how simple you want to make your miles-collecting strategy but for a lot of people who might want to simplify the process, having 8-10 credit cards might be “overkill”.

Instead, it could be worth prioritising what you spend most on and dedicating 3-5 air miles credit cards to those categories.

Banks such as HSBC and OCBC have limited cards that can earn a substantial amount of (KrisFlyer) miles in any given month so, for me at least, I tend to forego these.

A lot of this can depend on your willingness to apply for cards and meticulously tracking spend.

But for a lot of people, perhaps 3-5 miles earning cards would be the so-called “sweet spot” of being able to earn a decent number of miles without having to manage too many credit cards.

Regardless, it’s always worth having a check of our miles cards and seeing where we can further streamline or optimise our miles-earning process.

Singapore’s Straits Times Index (STI) posted its best return in four years in 2025 as investors saw a 22.7% total return from the Lion City’s benchmark index last year.

While well ahead of regional peers like Malaysia and Thailand, the STI still trailed Vietnamese equities in 2025.

Tim’s Take: It wasn’t exactly a surprise to see the STI roar ahead in 2025 given investor uncertainty during the year.

The shock of the “Liberation Day” tariff announcements, followed by tit-for-tat tariffs between the US and China, has seen investors turn cautious on the world’s biggest economy (and stock market).

While some of the STI’s gains were driven by the banks, it was also a big year for influential index constituents, like Singtel and Keppel Corp – both of which rose over 45% in 2025.

With the most recent capture of Venezuela’s President Maduro, by US forces, the uncertainty is only likely to persist in 2026.

Singapore’s large and profitable firms (that also happen to pay generous dividends) will likely continue to appeal to investors who are looking to diversify away from both the US and China.