Stop Doing These Things to Achieve Financial Success in 2026

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In this episode, Brad Nelson, founder of Debt Free Dad, flips the script on financial advice for the new year by focusing on what to stop doing in 2026. Highlighting key points such as avoiding the perfect start, not treating January as a reset button, and ceasing financial comparisons, Brad emphasizes how reducing certain behaviors can lead to more financial clarity and less stress. He also discusses the importance of acknowledging small wins and setting simple, clear priorities. Brad shares success stories from the Roots support and accountability program, encouraging listeners to join the wait list for more structured help in achieving long-term financial freedom. 

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Episode Transcript

Brad (00:00):
Hey guys, so as we wrap up this year, there's a lot of
noise telling you what youshould start doing with your
money in 2026.
New goals, new systems, newplans.
But before you add anythingnew, I want to flip that
conversation because sometimesprogress doesn't come from doing
more, it comes from doing less.
Now, last week we talked allabout creating a vision for

(00:20):
2026.
And today I want to talk aboutwhat to stop doing so that
vision actually has room towork.
No pressure, no hype, just afew things you can leave behind
this year so you can moveforward with more clarity and
less stress in 2026.

Announcer (00:38):
You're listening to the Debt Free Dad podcast with
Brad Nelson.
Brad and his co-hostsexperienced the anxiety of
living paycheck to paycheckbefore learning the fundamentals
of financial success.
They are now on a mission toempower regular people to pay
off their debt for good andenjoy happier, less stressful
lives.
Keep listening forinspirational interviews, tips,

(01:00):
tricks, and practical advice togain financial freedom.

Speaker (01:05):
Welcome to today's show.
My name is Brad Nelson.
I'm the founder of Debt FreeDad.
I paid off about $45,000 ofdebt.
I've been debt-free now formore than 12 years.
I've also been fortunate tohelp thousands of other people
save and pay off tens ofmillions of dollars with the
work that we do here at debtfree dad.
Now, after listening to thisepisode, if you are ready to
take things to the next level,you're ready to break free from

(01:27):
living paycheck to paycheck, youwant to reduce financial
stress, you want to buildsavings and finally pay off your
debt for good, which isprobably why you're listening to
this show.
But maybe you're like a lot ofpeople, you're not sure where to
get started.
Well, we've created someincredible free resources for
you here at Defree Dad, and I'llbe sharing some details about
how you can get some of thoselater on in today's episode.

(01:48):
One of the biggest things Iwant you to stop doing in 2026
is waiting for the perfect timeto start.
There is no perfect paycheck,no perfect month, no season
where life suddenly slows downand makes money easier.

(02:08):
Waiting usually isn't abouttiming, it's about fear.
It's really an excuse at theend of the day.
And sometimes that fear couldbe fear of messing up, fear of
starting and not finishing.
But progress, it doesn't comefrom perfect starts, it comes
from imperfect action.
It comes from getting startedright where you are today.

(02:32):
And if you're always waiting,you're standing still.
So in 2026, start where you arewith everything that you have
right now.
I know it's not going to feelperfect, but just be committed
to getting started.
Now, another thing to stopdoing is treating January like a
reset button.
Listen, you're not going toerase your debt, your habits, or

(02:54):
your progress just because thecalendar changes.
Starting over every singleyear, this constant fits and
starts, it gets exhausting andit keeps a lot of us stuck in
the same exact cycle.
And if you start and stop somany times, eventually you get
so exhausted, you're like,what's the point?
Why even do this?

(03:15):
So instead of starting over,just again, start from exactly
where you are.
Look at what work you did in2025.
Look at what worked.
Like, what success did youhave?
Look at what didn't work.
Carry forward those habits thathelped you and adjust the ones
that didn't, because momentum isgonna beat reset every single

(03:36):
time.
Also, in 2026, I want you tostop comparing your financial
life to other people.
Gosh, the guys, this is so, soimportant on your financial
journey and getting out of debt.
Things like social media.
Social media gives us faketimeline and highlight reels.
You don't see the debt, youdon't see their stress or the
trade-offs behind the scenes.
Comparison, it creates a lot ofpressure, it creates a lot of

(03:59):
shame.
And neither of those thingslead to good financial
decisions.
Your journey, it doesn't needto look like anyone else's.
Your pace, it's not behind.
It's yours.
So focus on your numbers, focuson your goals, like we talked
about last week's episode, focuson your vision, focus on your

(04:19):
progress, and focus on whereyou're going.
This one's big.
Stop trying to fix it all atthe same time.
This is a big mistake a lot ofus make as New Year's
resolutions roll around and wetry to make this next year
better, which I think is all agreat thing.
It's a great attitude to have.
But too many goals createoverwhelm.

(04:39):
Overwhelm leads to inaction.
And then people give up andthey think that they're bad with
money, right?
Uh, and the reality is a lot ofpeople who have new years
resolutions, they will quit bythe second or third week of
January and they're done, right?

So here's the thing (04:52):
you don't need a perfect plan, you need
one clear priority, one habit,one system, which you're gonna
find many of those little tipsand tricks right here on this
podcast that you can repeat.
Depth beats speed, simplicitybeats complexity.
So just pick one thing andbuild from there because a lot
of us are already living reallybusy lives.

(05:15):
We got a lot of stuff going on.
And if you try to cram too muchnew stuff, man, you are gonna
be mentally and physicallyexhausted.
So again, keep it simple.
Pick just one or two simplethings that you can start
working on in January and thenbuild on that throughout the
year.
Last but not least, guys, bigone stop ignoring your small
wins.
Small progress is stillprogress.

(05:36):
Paying an extra $50 towards adebt, that really matters.
Saying no once to somethingthat you usually say yes to,
that matters.
Saving a little consistentlyover time, that really matters
and it adds up.
But here's the thing when youignore those small wins, you
drain your own motivation.
But when you acknowledge them,confidence grows, and confidence

(05:59):
is what keeps you movingforward.
What you're gonna notice,you're going to repeat those
same actions that are gettingyou those same results.
And the amazing part aboutthis, guys, is that those small
wins eventually turn into hugewins over time.
And before you know it, you'regonna turn around and look at
how far you've come and you'regonna be like, holy cow, I can't
believe how much we've saved orhow much debt we've paid off.

(06:21):
I never could have imaginedthat we could have done that.
So again, focus on those smallwins.
Every single one of them reallydoes matter.
All right, guys.
So as you head into 2026,instead of asking, what do I
need to start doing?
Ask yourself, what do I need tostop doing so I can move
forward with less stress?
Leave behind waiting, leavebehind comparison, leave behind

(06:43):
the pressure to fix everythingat once.
Your vision for 2026, itdoesn't need perfection, it just
needs consistency, needs thatclarity, and it needs that
support, which is what we'rehere to help you with.
Now, again, if you want helpbuilding those simple systems
and staying focused as you moveinto the new year, make sure you

(07:04):
jump on to the Roots wait list.
Now, Roots is my support andaccountability program that has
helped thousands of people overthe years, save and pay off tens
of millions of dollars.
In fact, I just got a messagefrom Sonia.
Sonia was in Roots and sherecently just messaged me in the
month of December here in 2025.
She is getting ready to makeher last credit card payment,
becoming completely debt-free.

(07:25):
And she's like, I never couldhave imagined that I could have
done this.
She is now opening up her ownbusiness, and uh, she says,
like, the this stuff waslife-changing for her.
We're actually gonna have Soniacoming on the podcast here in
2026 to share a little bit moreabout her journey.
And she got started with all ofthat by going through Roots of
Personal Finance.
Now, here's the thing, guys, weonly open up a number of spots

(07:47):
each month.
All right, and especiallycoming into January, we're gonna
have some spots open, butagain, they are limited.
So jump on the Roots wait list.
All you got to do is head overto defreedad.com and you will
find the Roots wait list underour tools and resources page.
You can jump on that wait listright there, and we will get you
on that list and we will notifyyou as soon as Roots Personal

(08:08):
Finance opens here in the newyear.
And again, if you've beenlistening to this podcast, you
already know everything that youshould be doing, right?
You know all the steps.
We talk about it openly here.
The biggest thing that mostpeople are missing is that
support and accountability tokeep doing it.
Because it's easy to do it fora month, maybe two months, maybe
if you're lucky, three months,but a lot of us end up falling

(08:31):
off that wagon.
Well, Roots is the system thatkeeps you on the wagon.
It keeps you on your path, itkeeps you on your journey, it
keeps you motivated.
We are a support and communitygroup that helps people stay
focused on their goals.
So if that's something thatinterests you, again, jump on
that Roots Personal Finance waitlist.
Lastly, guys, hey, thanks forspending some time with us here
uh this year with the DevYDEDPodcast.

(08:53):
It's been a pleasure to doanother year of this show.
I know we took a break earlierin the year for a few months.
And as we wrap up our lastepisode here of 2025, I just
want to let you guys know weappreciate you guys listening
and sharing and really takingsteps to improve your financial
life.
We'll see you guys here in2026.

Announcer (09:18):
Thanks for listening to the Debt Free Dad podcast.
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We so appreciate it.
For resources, show notes, andlinks mentioned in today's show,
visit debtfreedad.com.

(09:38):
Catch you next week.