By: Neerja Caprihan
If there is one viral trend in recent times that is worth contemplating, it has got to be the October theory. The theory is all about using the three months of October, November and December, to reflect on life goals – to revive resolutions that may have fallen along the way, or set newer ones into motion. In a way, it means treating the last quarter of the year as an early start to the new year!
If you think about it, this theory makes sense1 in many ways. This time of the year has a vitality to it that is uplifting for hearts and minds, but admittedly a little less rejuvenating on financial and health fronts. Think of all the holidays, getaways, festivals and reunions that came with thrilling but unending amounts of travel, shopping and food. And the festive exhilaration only gets stronger with Halloween, Christmas and New Year in the offing.
All this means that carefully-nurtured habits of exercise versus diets and saving versus spending are heartily and generously forgotten in the celebratory mood. It may well be that going all out with festivities was indeed the objective of following disciplined lifestyles all through the year. That’s fair and laudable. But to make such practices sustainable requires a stop and reset mode ever so often.
Let’s consider October theory then as a traffic light signal for the upcoming months. It essentially reminds us to – stop, get-ready, go. It serves as a preparation-and-test phase ahead of the bigger New Year resolutions. It’s the perfect time to press the pause button, evaluate and reset disciplines and goals, and then give them a sincere go before the current year ends. That puts one in a confident position ahead of the new year, to be able to continue with the same and more celebrations in the future.
So now it’s time to take stock of how one stands. While you manage your other priorities, we’ve got you covered on the finances. If you are new to investing, now is still a good time to begin. If you have just been putting off making changes to your financial plans, just do it already. If you have just been meaning to try something different, we’ve got a vast choice of offerings for you to choose ones that resonate with you.
Either way, we are ready. Now it’s your turn. Let’s go.
FOOTNOTES AND SOURCES
1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2025/10/06/2-ways-to-use-october-theory-for-a-2026-life-reset-by-a-psychologist
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