What is a financial goal?

When you're having money trouble, it can often seem like a bleak situation. You might feel like you're never going to get out of it.

Setting simple financial goals can actually go a long way. Let's say you want to reduce your credit card debt, but you owe thousands and thousands of dollars. It might seem impossible that you'd ever pay it off. But even small steps can get big pretty quickly. Putting an extra $50 into your payments every month isn't a lot of money, but over even half a year, that's an extra $300 you've contributed, meaning your interest charges are smaller, and your principal is dropping at a faster rate.

You have to keep in mind that achieving financial goals is a marathon, not a sprint. When you're trying to get to that finish line, you need to pace yourself and be realistic. Very few people can get out of debt or build savings in just a few months.