Focus on your finances for 2026

What's your New Year's resolution for 2026?

It's not too late to think about making a resolution to take charge of your finances by investing smarter, saving wisely, spending less, and reducing debt in 2026. Here's how you can focus on your finances over the year ahead.

Develop a smart investment strategy

The Hewlett Packard Enterprise 401(k) Plan offers five tiers of options to help meet your investment needs. These investment options are designed to help simplify your investment decisions while providing flexibility. You don't have to be a financial expert to make an investment strategy that can help you meet your needs in retirement. Keep these key principles in mind:

• Learn about the asset classes. Investments typically fall into three categories that each have different characteristics—equities (or stocks), bonds, and short-term investments. While equities carry more risk, they also have a greater potential for investment growth. Short-term investments are less risky but also have less potential for growth. It's important to learn about each asset class and understand how it might fit within your investment portfolio.
• Consider your personal needs. What type of investor are you? You want to be sure that your investment strategy accurately reflects how long you have to invest your money, how comfortable you are with risk, and your overall personal financial situation. As 2026 begins, take a moment to evaluate whether these things have changed.
• Diversify. Within the various asset classes, it's wise to spread your assets over different types of investments that may perform differently—to make sure you haven't put “all your eggs in one basket.” The general rule of diversification is that while some of your investment choices may falter, others may perform well, although neither asset allocation nor diversification ensures a profit or guarantees against loss.

Save appropriately in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise 401(k) Plan

The Hewlett Packard Enterprise 401(k) Plan provides a company match based on pre-tax and/or Roth 401(k) contributions you make each pay period during the year. Hewlett Packard Enterprise will match 100% of the first 4% of pay you contribute. (Note: Any matching contributions are made to your account at the end of each calendar quarter. Matching contributions are not made on after-tax contributions.)

If you intend to contribute the IRS maximum contribution amount during 2026 ($24,500), you'll need to plan your contributions carefully to avoid reaching the IRS maximum before the end of the year (and thus stopping your contributions for remaining pay periods). Here's how:

1. Estimate your total 2026 eligible pay, up to the IRS maximum pay limit of $360,000. Include your anticipated base pay, commissions, and shift differentials. (Do not include overtime or bonuses, as these do not count toward the IRS maximum pay limit.)
2. Divide the $24,500 (the IRS maximum contribution limit for 2026) by your estimated eligible pay. Then, multiply that number by 100 to turn the result to a percentage.
3. Use that percentage as your contribution rate for 2026. Note: If your eligible compensation is greater than the IRS maximum pay limit of $360,000, your contributions will stop once you earn that amount.
   • Keep in mind, you may need to adjust your contribution percentage during the year if your eligible pay changes. That's why it's a good idea to periodically review your contributions throughout the year. Also, it’s important to note that you do have the option to save beyond the IRS limit by making after-tax contributions—your pre- and after-tax contributions can total up to the limit of $24,500 in 2026. Once you reach the IRS limit, your pre-tax and/or Roth contributions will stop, so you’ll need to actively elect to make after-tax contributions at that time through Fidelity if you want to keep saving.

You can change your Hewlett Packard Enterprise 401(k) Plan contribution elections at any time. Simply log on to Fidelity NetBenefits^® or contact the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Benefits Service Center at Fidelity at 1-800-409-4015 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. CT.

Evaluate your personal finances

Smart finances start at home. Make 2026 the year you follow a budget that helps you live within your means and reduce any “bad debt” you carry. Consider these tips to get started:

• Create a budget. A budget enables you to see how much money is coming in, as well as how much is going out—and more importantly how you're spending it. Consider a few quick steps to get started:
  • Make a list of all your income sources and amounts.
  • Make a list of your fixed and variable expenses and amounts.
  • Determine how much debt you have.
  • Total your monthly income and expenses. If your end result shows you have more income than expenses, then you're off to a good start. If your expenses are higher than your income, you may need to make some changes.
• Reduce credit card debt. Just think about how else you could use the money that's currently going toward paying off your credit card debt—like saving for retirement, purchasing a new home or saving for education expenses. Here are some simple tips to keep in mind:
  • Pick one credit card for emergencies—destroy the rest.
  • Stop using your credit cards—use cash instead.
  • Prioritize paying off your credit cards. Pay off the one with the highest interest rate first, then move on to the next one.
  • Protect your credit rating—make sure to always make the minimum payment on all your cards.

It's never too late to make—or recommit to making—smart financial decisions for 2026. Make this the year you focus on financial success.

2026 IRS and plan limits

• You can contribute up to the IRS limit of $24,500 to the Hewlett Packard Enterprise 401(k) Plan through pre-tax and Roth contributions combined.
• You can make pre-tax or Roth contributions, or a combination of the two, up to 50% of your eligible pay (subject to the $24,500 limit).
• If you’ve contributed $24,500, you can make an additional “catch-up” contribution of up to $8,000 in combined pre-tax and Roth contributions if you’ll reach age 50 or older during 2026.
• Once you hit the IRS limit you can save even more with after-tax contributions—your pre- and after-tax contributions can total up to the limit of $24,500.

Keep in mind, investing involves risk. The value of your investment will fluctuate over time and you may gain or lose money.

This information is intended to be educational and is not tailored to the investment needs of any specific investor. 

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