Rich Habits Podcast – Episode 147:

How to Achieve Your 2026 Money Goals

Hosts: Austin Hankwitz & Robert Croak
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this action-oriented episode, Austin and Robert break down exactly why most New Year's money resolutions fail and how to use systems and "rich habits" to achieve lasting financial change in 2026. Drawing from personal experience and fresh insights picked up at a recent NYC creator dinner with Gary Vaynerchuk, the hosts dig deep into outcome vs. system-based goal setting, identity-driven behavior change, tactical money-saving tips, and habit stacking. Lively listener Q&A rounds out the episode with practical advice on emergency fund management, real estate liability, and 529-to-401k conversions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lessons from the Creator Dinner (00:55–03:34)

• Diversify Your Platforms:
  Austin shares a big takeaway from Gary Vee:
  “If you’re a content creator or entrepreneur and you are not posting about your stuff on all the platforms... you gotta post everywhere.” (01:29)

• Don’t Pre-Reject Customers:
  Gary Vee’s advice – “Do not say no for your customer.” Raise your prices to what you’re worth and let the market respond. (01:44)

• Community & Authenticity:
  Robert reflects:
  “Build a community and you really have to, like, become one with your audience... lean with value and authenticity and everything else will fall into place.” (03:09)

2. Why Money Resolutions Often Fail (03:39–05:23)

• Most New Year's resolutions don’t last beyond March because they're outcome-focused (“save $10k,” “pay off $15k in debt”) without supporting systems.
• “Wealthy people do not succeed because they set better goals than you. Wealthy people succeed because they build better systems than you.” – Austin (04:41)

3. Systems vs. Goals: The Core Distinction (05:23–07:53)

• Goals are outcomes; systems are behaviors.
  – Systems are daily, weekly, and monthly habits that lead to those outcomes.
• Examples:
  • Goal: Save $10,000.
    System: Automatically transfer $425 to savings after each paycheck.
  • Goal: Max out 401k.
    System: Increase contribution by 1% after every raise.
• Focus on who you need to become (identity) to reach your goals, not just what you want.

"When your identity shifts, your behaviors follow." – Robert (07:13)

4. How to Reverse Engineer & Automate Your Goals (07:53–10:38)

Step-by-step process:

1. Start with the outcome.
   Example: Save $12,000 in 2026.
2. Break it down.
   $12,000/year → $1,000/month → $250/week. (08:53)
3. Identify behaviors.
   What weekly actions save $250? e.g., meal prepping, shopping at Aldi, canceling unnecessary subscriptions.
4. Automate.
   Set up automatic transfers so it takes no willpower to save.
5. Track behaviors, not outcomes.
   Did you actually do the weekly transfer/meal prep/lunch packing? Track consistency.

"Track the behaviors, because we know if you stick to these behaviors, the outcomes will follow." – Austin (10:21)

5. Tactics: Habit Stacking & Tactical Money Moves (10:38–13:24)

• Every dollar should have a job – be tactical with your money.
• Habit stacking: Attach a financial behavior to something you already do.
  • Online purchase? Transfer the same amount into your investments.
  • After dinner, spend five minutes reviewing spending for the day.
  • After a night out, balance with three “at-home” events next weekend.
• Robert:
  "If I'm going to buy something online, I want to transfer the same amount that I spent into my investments..." (11:26)

"Habit stacking actions [are] really powerful… because you’re already doing the things." – Austin (12:55)

6. Recap: Building Money Systems that Last (14:34–17:22)

Four Rules for Lasting Money Systems:

1. Make the right thing easy, wrong thing hard:
   Automate good behaviors; add friction to bad ones (e.g., remove DoorDash apps).
2. Focus on consistency, not intensity:
   Small regular actions beat one-off heroic efforts.
3. Measure inputs (behaviors), not just outputs (money saved or invested).
4. Design systems for your “worst day”, not just best intentions:
   Autopilot beats motivation in the long run.

"If it requires daily motivation, it's probably going to fail, but if it runs on autopilot, it'll likely work." – Austin (15:43)

• Why systems succeed: They compound over time, while motivation fades.

"The person who builds wealth doesn’t have superhuman willpower. They have a system that makes saving automatic, spending intentional and investing consistent." – Robert (16:47)

7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” –Robert, repeated throughout (05:09, 17:17)
• "Focus on the tiny, boring behaviors that nobody really notices, because that's where all of the margin and the alpha and the compounding comes from." – Austin (17:32)
• “Stop asking,‘What do I want to achieve?’ and start asking ‘What kind of person do I want to become?’” – Robert (16:33)

Q&A Highlights

1. Emergency Fund Reinvestment Strategy – Mark from Atlanta (19:07–23:05)

• Mark asks about redirecting sGov (Treasury Bill ETF) dividends from his emergency fund into FXAIX (S&P 500 index) within the same account.
• Austin: Great approach for maximizing idle emergency fund returns, as long as the emergency fund is fully funded.
• Robert: Once you've hit your emergency fund goal (typically 3–6 months of expenses), future dividends (and surplus funds) should be invested for growth (e.g., in FXAIX), considering age and risk tolerance.

2. Real Estate Ownership & Protection – Chad S. (23:05–26:05)

• Chad owns rentals in his own name with umbrella insurance, asks if he should transfer them to an LLC.
• Robert: Yes, but check with your lender first, as transferring may trigger the bank to call the loan. LLC protection is ideal because even umbrella policies have limitations.
• If the lender won’t allow, consider timing refinancing with interest rate changes.

3. 529 Account Strategy – Sebastian (27:42–31:06)

• Sebastian wants to roll $35,000 from a 529 into a 401k; asks about what to do with the remaining funds.
• Austin: The $35k rollover is smart, but remember IRS restrictions (account needs to be 15 years old, only roll contributions/earnings older than 5).
  For leftover funds: Keep for future education, change beneficiary, or withdraw—if withdrawing, penalty only applies to earnings, not principal.
• Check specifics on what portion would actually be penalized.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:55] – NYC Creator Dinner Insights
• [03:39] – Why Money Resolutions Fail
• [05:23] – Systems vs. Goals & Identity
• [07:53] – Reverse Engineering Goals: Steps
• [10:38] – Habit Stacking Examples
• [14:34] – Four Rules for Building Lasting Systems
• [19:07] – Q&A: Emergency Fund Investing (Mark)
• [23:05] – Q&A: Real Estate Insurance/LLC (Chad)
• [27:42] – Q&A: 529 Rollover & Strategy (Sebastian)

Tone & Takeaways

The hosts blend real talk, personal anecdotes, and actionable takeaways in a friendly, motivating tone. Their message: Focus less on the “big goal”, more on building small, automatic systems and habits that make good financial decisions inevitable and sustainable.

Final Mic Drop:
"Remember: You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." (Repeated throughout)

End of Summary