Budgeting, bill payments, and debt repayment lead the way for financial priorities

TORONTO, Dec. 29, 2025 /CNW/ - According to the annual CIBC Financial Priorities Poll, paying down or eliminating debt remains the leading financial priority for Canadians in 2026.The poll found that 16 per cent of Canadians are focused on debt reduction, closely followed by keeping up with bill payments (16 per cent), as inflation and the rising cost of living continue to impact households across the country.

While 70 per cent of Canadians feel confident about achieving their financial goals in the coming year, this optimism has softened compared to last year (76 per cent), reflecting a more cautious outlook. Although more than half of Canadians (55 per cent) feel prepared to weather an unexpected financial event or hardship, that sentiment is down from 59 per cent last year.

"While confidence in future financial goals remains high, it's clear that Canadians are feeling some near term pressure around the management of cash flow and month to month expenses," said Carissa Lucreziano, Vice-President, Financial Planning and Advice, CIBC. "Personalized advice and proactive planning can make a real difference in structuring a plan that makes sense for your current situation and can build confidence in achieving long term goals for you and your family."    

The poll found that most Canadians remain confident about their personal financial resilience, and nearly half (43 per cent) plan to start or increase investing as a New Year resolution.

"Whether you are confident about meeting your financial goals in 2026 or have questions about your financial outlook, working with an advisor can help you implement a plan to work towards your ambitions," added Ms. Lucreziano.

Tools and support

In addition to expert, personalized advice, CIBC also offers clients the following tools to help manage their everyday expenses and overall finances:

• Budget Calculator, offers a clear picture of your monthly cash flow to help make informed financial decisions.
  
  
• CIBC Insights, offers tips and proactive alerts about everyday spending to make it easier for you to manage your money and stay on track to achieving your financial goals.
  
  
• CIBC Smart Planner, an intuitive goal planning tool that makes it easy for you to set, track and reach your financial goals.

Disclaimer

The findings are from an Ipsos poll conducted between November 13 and 20, 2025 on behalf of CIBC. For this survey, a sample of 1,505 Canadians aged 18+ were interviewed online. Sample was sourced from the Ipsos panel. The poll is accurate to within ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population.

About CIBC
CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 15 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Across Personal and Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, and Capital Markets, CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services through its leading digital banking network, and locations across Canada, in the United States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at www.cibc.com/ca/media-centre.

SOURCE CIBC