"Over the past two quarters of our survey, both business owners and employees have voiced worries about the health of the economy," said Luke Vandermillen, vice president of retirement and investor services at The Principal. "While it's easy to feel paralyzed by this environment of uncertainty, Americans can alleviate some of their stress by setting concrete financial goals and putting a strategy in place to achieve them."

Many workers are preparing for the holidays with tighter budgets and just over one-third of workers said they will spend less per gift this holiday season because of the economy. Another third will pare down the number of people who receive gifts this year. Nearly 25 percent of workers said they will travel less this holiday season because of the economy.

Sixty-two percent of workers said they will spend about the same this year as they did last year for holiday purchases, while 30 percent said they would spend less. Only 9 percent said they expected to spend more for the holidays this year.

"As we reflect back on the year, it's important to evaluate what we did well and where we have room for improvement from a financial standpoint," said Vandermillen. "For the past two years, Americans have listed not saving enough as their top financial blunder, but this is the first year since 2008 that a pragmatic approach to savings—saving a set amount every month—tops the list of financial resolutions. We're encouraged that many Americans are resolved to be diligent about saving more in 2013."