If you’re a football fan, you know that not every game ends with a win. But you keep cheering on your team, believing that things will turn around next week. Managing your finances calls for that same commitment. Here are three football-inspired lessons that can help you tackle your financial challenges.
Review your game plan
You haven’t saved enough for retirement...or for college. Your investments aren’t performing as well as you had hoped. Your credit card debt is spiraling. You’ve been blindsided by unexpected expenses.
When your finances hit a rough patch, don’t be tempted to throw in the towel or make quick, ill-informed decisions. Instead, do what your team would do: call a timeout and review your game plan. What is or isn’t going well, and why? Maybe it’s time to rethink your overall financial strategy to account for changes in your personal life, the economy, or market conditions.
Focus on fundamentals
Big plays are important, but so is steady execution. Even seasoned players need to focus on game fundamentals that can help them lay the groundwork for opportunities and better prepare for setbacks.
One important financial fundamental is your budget. Once you know exactly how much money is coming in and how much is going out, you should be able to identify what plays to call to get your finances back in shape. Other fundamentals include:
• Setting clear, actionable financial goals with specific time frames
• Having an emergency fund to avoid tapping long-term savings for unexpected expenses
• Revisiting your time horizon and tolerance for risk when implementing an investment strategy
Make adjustments
Football teams make adjustments throughout the game. You can’t always anticipate what will go wrong, but you can make changes as you go along. As you begin to make forward progress, keep the momentum going by regularly reviewing and fine-tuning your own game plan to balance competing priorities. Soon you should be better prepared to handle the challenges that stand between you and your financial goals.
All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no guarantee that any investment strategy will be successful.
This content has been reviewed by FINRA. Prepared by Broadridge Advisor Solutions. © 2026 Broadridge Financial Services, Inc.