2025 New Year's Resolutions & Goals

New Year. A quarter of a century into the 2000s. And time for yearly goals.

This will be the seventh year I’ve made a post with these goals. Here’s the previous six:

• 2024 New Year’s Resolutions & Goals
• 2023 New Year’s Resolutions & Goals
• 2022 New Year’s Resolutions & Goals
• 2021 New Year’s Resolutions & Goals
• 2020 New Year’s Resolutions & Goals
• 2019 New Year’s Resolutions & Goals
• 2018 New Year’s Resolutions & Goals

I’ve come to organize my goals into four over-arching abstract goals: improve our finances, improve my health, improve personally & professionally, and focus on family. Each abstract goal is action-oriented - grammatically, that means it needs to be a verb or verb phrase. For each abstract goal, I have concrete goals which, for the most part, should have a number or something measurable that lets me know if that goal was met.

Improve Our Finances

• Max out our Roth IRAs ($7,000 each in 2025).
  • We’re blessed enough that we were able to do this in a single transaction (well, two transactions, one for each account) on January 2nd.
• Max out the Ohio tax benefit for the kids’ 529 accounts ($4,000 per kid).
  • Again, we were able to do this in a single transaction for each account on January 8th.
• Max out our employer Roth 401(k) accounts ($23,500 each in 2025).
  • To max out our match (and not worry about any company true-up, if applicable) we have to spread this out per paycheck.
• Max out my i401(k) account (roughly 20% of any self-employment income)
  • Generally I like to not contribute to the current year until after tax season is over, any any contribution I make before April 15 is marked for the previous year. There’s always a couple more bucks I can contribute once I’m figuring out taxes.

Improve My Health

• Weigh between just under 200 lbs and 190 lbs.
  • I did ok on this last year - 48 of 149 of my weigh-ins, or 32%, we under 200 pounds - see below chart.
• Build muscle:
  • I’m currently taking a strength-training class at my local YMCA.
  • I don’t have a number for this - I need to do more thinking and research.
• Run:
  • a 5k non-stop.
  • a 5k in less than 30 minutes.
  • non-stop for 30 consistently.
  • I was able to run a 5k non-stop last year, and I ran it under 30 minutes. But just once.
  • I would like to do this more consistently.

Improve Personally & Professionally

• Finish at least one book a month.
• Attend at least one conference or other networking event.
• Donate blood as much as possible.
  • In 2024 I donated six times, bringing my total donations to 15.
  • I have to wait at least four weeks between appointments; I’m eligible to donate now, but I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather.

Focus on Family

• Read to the kids everyday.
• Hike as a family at least sixteen times.
• Seven or more date nights.
• Eat out no more than once a week as a family.

So there you have it. Is there anything you’d suggest I add? Do you have any goals for this year?