Articles Posted in financial wellness

The standard medical deductible has slowly risen over time. It is understandable because organizations want to keep their medical costs under control. Younger employees might not notice this. They are healthy and do not use the group health insurance that often. Older employees do, and their medical bills can consequently threaten financial well-being.

It Comes with Age

A person’s body is more vulnerable as that person gets older. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and age-related diseases will require increasingly more medical attention.

Dental bills can also pinch a wallet. Crowns and partial plates can cost thousands of dollars and insurance won’t pay all the bills; the individual is responsible for the deductible. A middle-aged employee might face sizable medical debt caused by high deductibles. He or she needs help and Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can assist. We offer a financial wellness plan that makes a difference. Continue reading

Few people can be accused of spendthrift habits. Most do the best they can to economize and keep expenses down. A sudden shock can disrupt financial wellness. A mountain of debt can, without warning, spring up.

Debt Rises from Various Places

College graduates know how this happens. The grace period on their college debt ends and they confront five and six-figure loan debts. A medical emergency may require paying off a high deductible. Other sudden expenses could max out a credit card. None of this is caused by irresponsible spending but financial wellness is threatened.

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services recognizes the anxiety and frustration these people experience. We have offered employee benefits to organizations for over 30 years and we want to solve their problems. The Countrywide financial wellness plan is designed to assist people in handling their debt mountain. Continue reading

Plastic makes life convenient. Folks do not want to carry around a lot of money. Credit cards take the place of cash and encourages shopping, sometimes to the point of binge purchases. People forget about the double-digit interest rates and their credit card debt begins to jump. The danger to a person’s financial wellness is quite real.

Debt Overload

Millennials and new college graduates are easily seduced. They will use credit cards for nonessential purposes and not worry about the consequences.

The balance on their credit cards creeps up and eventually becomes a crisis. Employees are making good money, but some may feel they need to file for bankruptcy. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services does not want to see anyone in a credit card debt crisis. Our financial wellness program will help prevent a monetary disaster. Continue reading

Open enrollment is beginning for many organizations. Employees will have the opportunity to sign up for medical insurance or make changes in their current coverage. Many people enter this feeling depressed. Their employer might be raising premiums or deductibles. The employer share of certain medical procedures could be reduced, requiring employees to pay more. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a financial wellness plan to help people manage medical costs.

A Cumulative Effect

Deductibles are rising because group health insurance plans are becoming even more expensive. It is the same reason why the employee share of certain procedures is increasing. A deductible of up to $5000 is not uncommon and employees might face a heavy burden of medical bills because of one or more claims.

Countrywide has a nationwide network of experienced certified counselors. They work with employees to help those folks manage their finances. A budget analysis is a standard service. A Countrywide counselor reviews the income and expense patterns of the individual. Recommendations for a financial wellness plan member comes from this investigation. Continue reading

We understand how organizations do not want boutique employee benefits. These are trendy and flashy, and their ability to attract and retain good employees is questionable. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has been offering employee benefits for more than 30 years. We know how important it is to offer benefits people need and will use. Our financial wellness program is a benefit employees will appreciate.

Recent college graduates have a student loan repayment hovering over them like a dark cloud. They’re not looking for a handout but some advice. Countrywide has a nationwide network of certified counselors who will assist in problem-solving. They can show young plan members how to manage the debt and still have cash for other things. Older employees are grateful for medical insurance coverage. Unfortunately, the deductible requirement can leave a person with thousands of dollars in debt. Our counselors will help plan members negotiate reasonable payments and budget for future bills. Continue reading

Watching a dream slip by is frustrating. Employees who want to buy a house are concerned they will never get the chance. They are well-paid but believe their existing debt holds them back. Also, house buying appears to be very complicated. Frustration makes a person unhappy and can spill over into daily work. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services will help with this problem.

Affording a Home

The house is the largest purchase most people ever make. The Countrywide financial wellness program can make it happen. Our certified counselors help plan members afford the expense. These professionals will perform a budget analysis and suggest ways of making personal capital available (i.e. paying the required minimum on a few credit cards.)

The budget analysis will uncover opportunities to handle debt obligations better. People who are dealing with a medical emergency will face sizable medical bills. Countrywide will show how the payments can be negotiated and the monthly payments reduced. We have already mentioned credit cards, and these can be controlled with a better payment strategy. Millennials saddled with college debt may not know of ways to modify payments; our counselors show them how. After a few one on one sessions, a financial wellness plan member discovers there is money to buy a house and pay the mortgage. Continue reading

We are only a few weeks away from the start of the new academic year. Students are looking forward to returning to campus and alumni remember those college days fondly. Unfortunately, not all new alumni are remembering the good old days. These people are facing the end of the grace period on their college loans They are soon going to be asked to start paying sizable monthly bills.

College tuition has rocketed into the financial stratosphere. Many alumni are facing burdens well into the six figures. They need help in trying to take this burden off their shoulders and not every financial wellness vendor can do that. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a comprehensive program that can help a person see light at the end of the tunnel. Continue reading

Few people like budgets. These are financial boundaries that can restrict a good time. It is easier, and more fun, to not worry about personal finances. This carefree attitude is why so many get in financial trouble.

Emergencies Will Cause Problems

Many employees live from paycheck to paycheck. This works well until a medical emergency or large expense hits the checkbook. Credit card debt is serious and using plastic gets people in financial trouble. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a financial wellness program to assist in designing budgets.

Many have no experience in developing a budget. Recent college graduates might be too strict and leave little flexibility in their personal budgets. A growing problem is ignoring college loan debt entirely. That can end up with a bankruptcy filing or overuse of forbearance. We can fix these money hassles. Continue reading

Employees appreciate group health insurance. It is a benefit the entire family will use and allows a person to absorb the shock of large medical bills. Health insurance is so important that the quality of a plan determines whether a person accepts a job offer. This is a great benefit but there is a problem.

Medical Costs Will Balloon

Medical premiums are large and growing larger. Some employers discover that they must decide it offering a health insurance plan is financially feasible. These organizations will attempt to keep costs under control by increasing the deductible. It means that deductibles of anywhere from $5000-$10,000 are not out of the question. Plan members are required to cover the deductibles before the insurance policy assumes cost. What this can mean is an ordinary person forced to accept a bill of thousands of dollars. This kind of expense can be a major hit to anybody’s wallet, and drive a person’s anxiety skyward. Those who are part of a Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services financial wellness plan do not have to worry so much. We help people better manage medical debt. Continue reading

Financial planning covers a lot of ground. The objective is to help a person prepare for future expenses and purchases. The core of sensible planning is information: facts and figures regarding a person’s financial wellness. Not everyone knows how to do that and Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can help. We offer a benefit any organization would want to have.

Working Through a Budget

Ordinary folks often live from paycheck to paycheck. They don’t always know how to budget and rarely know their true financial worth. Countrywide will help the situation. Our nationwide network of certified counselors can shed light on a person’s finances.

A budget analysis is the primary tool used to uncover personal finance data. The Countrywide counselor will look over the income and expenses of the plan member. This financial professional will make suggestions on how to improve the overall picture. Continue reading