Articles Posted in financial wellness

It is a brand-new year, and everyone has a resolution or two on their bucket list. Some of these goals are short term and will be completed by February. Others are intended to last for months, if not years. Those can be life-changing events. A significant resolution is taking control of those credit card balances.

Folks were generous during the holiday season and now it is time to pay up. Credit balances ballooned and so did the minimum payments. The debt may have caused a person to reach the maximum on a credit card, which generates a big challenge. Double-digit interest charged on an existing balance can threaten financial wellness.

Home remedies for credit card debt do not always work and can result in dramatic changes to a personal budget. It helps if a person can connect to an expert who can offer sound advice on safeguarding financial wellness. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can provide the type of assistance that a money-conscious employee can use.

January is the start of a new year and a new tomorrow for many. Resolutions are made with every intention of being met. Some of these good thoughts can use a little help from experienced professionals.

Financial Wellness Is Pondered

Folks often take stock of their finances as the new year starts. They want to plan how to meet expenses and save for large purchases. These are common planning objectives, and some are quite important. Continue reading

COVID-19 has caused big changes in the academic world. Football games are canceled and classes on Zoom are more frequent. Campuses are going virtual, but something has not changed: tuition.

Students are required to pay for their classes and may take out major loans to afford the price. Loans are creating higher levels of anxiety among students. College debt is threatening the financial wellness of many, and many important life decisions are being delayed or given up on because of the figures. Organizations offer tuition assistance, but additional help is necessary. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers a financial wellness benefit that gives substantial support. Continue reading

Personal finances are a touchy subject. Everyone wants to feel responsible and money-sensible, but things happen. There can be sudden emergencies, such as medical bills, that mess up the best-laid plans.

Some find budgeting a challenge. They get used to living from paycheck to paycheck and rarely save any money. The kind of confusion that will harm financial wellness becomes a part of life. That should not happen, but it does. The mess only gets worse, but we can help end the cycle. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a benefits program to improve employees’ financial wellness. Continue reading

Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, this is the time of year when people feel generous and give gifts. 

Employees feel the same way. Holiday bonuses and other extraordinary things are given out to employees to celebrate the season. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services thinks that this is the right time to present employees with a benefit they will greatly appreciate in the years to come.

A Primary Thought of All Employees

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) recently conducted a study on financial wellness that produced interesting results. The published report,” 2020 EBRI Financial Wellbeing Employer Survey: COVID-19 Driving Benefit Offerings and Potentially Forcing of Budget Decisions,” shows a definite change in the focus of financial wellness programs. Instead of concentrating on retirement savings, there is more concern about employee personal finances’ overall stability.

Important Discoveries

The study shows productivity to be a driving force for financial wellness programs in addition to employee retention. COVID-19 has caused incredible anxiety among employees who are worried about money issues. The stress can impact performance and employers understand the need to respond proactively. Coaching is a topic being addressed and forward-thinking employers are reviewing the impact of healthcare. Continue reading

Personal finances are preoccupying many employees. A person may be doing well but still is worried about the money. Will he or she make enough to get to the end of the month? Can those major bills such as college debt be paid promptly? Are penalties assessed for late payments? Concern about cash can distract a hard-working employee from critical work projects. Countrywide has a program that deals with financial wellness. We enhance the quality of our services by using the right tools.

Assessing Cash Flow and Value

Sensible planning requires understanding cash flow. No one should live from paycheck to paycheck, but people do this because they don’t know where the money is going. Countrywide’s nationwide network of certified counselors will help end the confusion. Continue reading

Black Friday is the biggest consumer spending day of the year. Consumers pull out the plastic and search online and traditional stores for all bargains. Some buyers will discover their credit cards are about to be maxed out. How did that happen?

Top Heavy Balances

Stimulus checks helped, but many people ran short of money during the lockdowns. These people were forced to use their credit cards frequently. The financial wellness of many became problematic. The balances grew top-heavy with debt and not because of impulse buying. The credit cards were needed for survival. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services understands the anxiety created by credit debt. We have a benefit plan that addresses financial wellness. We want to help plan members regain control of their finances. Continue reading

A house purchase is a significant event in most lives. The buyer goes into mortgage debt that is two or more times his or her annual income. Young employees want to have a house but worry about what to do to get one.

Ignorance Creates Anxiety

An employee might be making great money. Technical skills command top dollar in and there might also be a performance bonus. The housing market, though, is a mystery. Learning how real estate purchasing works will relieve any anxiety. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can help. Continue reading

The holiday shopping season is about to begin. Many people are excited and a little Christmas spirit helps get folks out of a funk. Some employees, unfortunately, are profoundly depressed and worried. These have personal debts, which have stressed their budgets to the breaking point. They face bankruptcy or foreclosure.

They Don’t Deserve Blame

The past year has been extraordinary. COVID-19 has severely hit everyone’s finances. Stimulus checks helped, but economic hardships still prevail. College debt, credit cards, and emergency medical expenses hammered many consumers. Their financial wellness is being compromised. Anxiety will lead to poor decisions that create formal mistakes. Those in financial danger need help as soon as possible. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services knows the risks that financial panic creates. We have a program to help employees regain their economic balance. Continue reading