Why ‘enjoying life’ beats saving as your top financial goal in 2025, new Aegon study reveals

More people are positive about their personal finances heading into 2025 than at the same point last year with “enjoying life” topping the list of priorities, according to a new study.

The poll of 2,000 adults by Aegon UK, the Edinburgh-based pension and investment firm, showed that 60 per cent feel positive overall about their finances, up from 52 per cent who felt this way going into 2024. In contrast, 35 per cent of those quizzed are feeling negative about their finances for 2025, but this has fallen from 38 per cent a year ago.

Breaking the data down further, women (54 per cent) and those aged 50 to 59 (47 per cent) are less likely to feel positive about their finances.

The research suggests that an increasing number of people are feeling more positive about their personal finances.

When asked for the top three financial priorities, “enjoying life” - at 34 per cent - is the most common for UK adults heading into the new year. This is up from 28 per cent who responded with enjoying life as a top three financial priority going into last year. This is especially true for those aged 60-plus - at 41 per cent - and up from 33 per cent compared to last year. This is followed by “building up emergency savings” and “paying for basic living expenses” as the other two top priorities (both 30 per cent).

Pension saving was listed as a key financial priority by 11 per cent of the public. Aegon noted that this was unchanged from last year, which could suggest that short-term bumps like high inflation have not impacted attitudes to longer-term savings. Meanwhile, “unexpected expenses” remains the top financial concern, in line with the 2024 results.

Steven Cameron, director of pensions at Aegon, said: “As we enter 2025, it’s encouraging that positivity on personal finances has jumped, with 60 per cent of individuals feeling positive overall about their finances, up from 52 per cent who felt this way going into 2024. This positive attitude to finances sees ‘enjoying life’ as the top financial priority, while concerns over ‘basic living expenses’ are less of a dominant issue.

“But beneath the surface of these positive headline findings, lurk challenging and persistent realities. Women across the age spectrum and people aged 50 to 59 are less likely to feel positive about their finances over 2025.

“The government’s recent unpopular decision to means-test the winter fuel allowance may also have had a bearing with 50-somethings. There is also perhaps a growing realisation for many that they’ve not managed to save enough for the retirement they want.”

He added: “Undoubtedly there will be challenges for the year ahead - in terms of individual and family household budgets, business confidence and wider economic factors that impact us all.”

The study comes as a survey of 2,000 people by Opinium for investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown reveals that 7 per cent of people who have set themselves financial new year resolutions in the past have never stuck to it for longer than a week. Some 16 per cent have never stuck to one for longer than a month.

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