Articles Posted in financial wellness

We are moving into the Second Quarter, and those New Year’s resolutions are being gradually completed. The objective for the First Quarter might have been paying off those Christmas bills and some other debts. The COVID-10 stimulus checks helped, and now is a great time to address another 2021 goal, which could be putting the domestic finances in order.

The best way to put some structure to the personal cash is to develop a budget. Let’s face it, living from paycheck to paycheck is a recipe for stress. The employee does not have any way of sensibly meeting credit card payments or other incidental expenses if there is no budget in place.

That person may end up relying too much on credit cards. Budget less households are not ready for any emergencies and do not put money aside for the future. A big challenge is that these people have never worked with a budget and need help creating one. Continue reading

Organizations may be forced to make tough decisions in the coming weeks. Figures from the first quarter can make cost reductions necessary. Employee benefits will be a target for budget cuts. Employers with health benefits will use deductibles and premium increases to control the rising medical costs. Sadly, some organizations might stop providing medical coverage.

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is aware that employers might face difficult choices to maintain profitability. Medical insurance is a necessary expense because good employees will leave without it. An organization’s financial wellness will be challenging to maintain without hard-working people. We suggest that if an employer must raise an employee’s share of costs, that organization can introduce a benefit to offset these individual expenses. We have one in mind. Continue reading

Renting an apartment is not fun. You are restricted by what the landlord wants, and you can expect to be inspected now and then. The landlord can be so obnoxious that you cannot wait to move on. Buying a house seems to be a good option.

Employees who are doing all right and making good money on the job are motivated to purchase real estate. Spring is a beautiful time to go house shopping, but the purchase is substantial. A house hunter must contemplate a sizable mortgage payment for years to come. The effect on a person’s financial wellness can be enormous. Someone who is not ready will pay for their mistakes for years and even decades. Continue reading

Those in school will be returning from spring break, and those who are graduating are wrapping things up. Everyone is hoping that after all those quarantines, life will return to near normal. COVID-19 caused some changes, but they were expected. The students might be back in the classrooms, and most things will return to the old days. That is terrible news for some about to graduate.

End to the Emergency

College graduates got a break from their student loans this past year. The last stimulus package probably means an end to the loan holiday. Those who have large college debts can expect to receive new interest rates and the payment schedules in a few more weeks. Those papers can be a real problem for the unprepared. Continue reading

Nothing lasts forever, and that includes hard times. We all have endured quarantines and other sacrifices for over a year. Now we have the vaccines and COVID-19 figures are going down. It is time to plan for the financial future.

Readjusting Almost Everything

The stimulus checks helped, but these economic boosts to the wallet are history. People must now rely on their own resources to pay the bills. Those expenses, by the way, may come as a shock. Eviction prohibitions are going to be lifted and tenants must pay back rent. The school loan holidays are not going to be around, and Congress might not pass debt forgiveness. Everyone is facing a significant adjustment. Continue reading

Employees appreciate benefits that have obvious value. The assistance an employer gives, which helps with a challenge or improves a person’s well-being, is what employees enjoy. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has one that is more than worth the cost.

House Buying Weather

Spring is a time when real estate agents are frantically busy. Folks have been saving their money and want to spend the cash surplus on a house. It is no surprise many springtime shoppers are first-time buyers. Being a homeowner is a great life goal. Getting a home might be a significant hassle. Continue reading

There is a rite of passage for many young employees: getting off their parent’s health plan. Those young people now have employer-based health coverage and taking responsibility for personal well-being is a significant step forward into the adult world. It can also be a headache.

Welcome to the EOB

The Explanation of Benefits (EOB) is the medical world’s version of sticker shock. This document gives a detailed explanation of medical expenses for a given treatment. THIS IS NOT A BILL (Every EOB contains that phrase). The EOB, however, is a surprise for anyone who never received one before. Continue reading

COVID-19 is a fantastic teacher. Management has learned so much from the pandemic experience and discovered ways to make employees more productive. One discovery is that remote working does improve the figures. People enjoy working from home and there have been performance increases. Nevertheless, there are some challenges regarding remote working that need attention.

One Is the Loneliest Number

It is the title of the hit song from the 60s and it is relevant today in the world of remote working. Employees must adjust to technology and how to manage their time. Management helps, but more needs to be done for someone who is working alone. Continue reading

We have been fortunate with the stimulus checks, but we have undoubtedly seen the last of them. Many used the money to pay down credit card debt, but there are still people in credit trouble thanks to the pandemic.

Coping with Costs

Consumers got used to delivery service during the quarantines. Instead of going to the supermarket for groceries, the supermarket came to the consumer. Delivery cars and trucks became frequent visitors. People used credit, not cash, to pay for the services. They are now in the habit of shopping on the Internet and paying for the delivery with plastic.

College debt holidays are going away soon. These bills must be paid, and personal budgets must be re-calculated to pay the cost. Financial wellness can be taking a beating. Continue reading

Deductibles are renewed on January 1 for most medical plans. This means an employee will have to pay as much as $5000 out-of-pocket before the full medical benefit kicks in. Anyone who starts an expensive medical treatment that overlaps the years pays the 2020 deductible and must pay the 2021 deductible. This is how people run into medical bill difficulties.

A Sense of Panic

Medical bills are a different breed of cat. A person receives an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and learns the magnitude of medical attention costs. The EOB, by the way, is not a bill. The figures, though, are still frightening. The anxiety and stress a person feels begin when the collection agencies start calling. Hospitals will send unpaid invoices to the collection agencies, and these will how the person for payment. The medical bills can be thousands of dollars. An individual begins to worry about financial wellness and does not know how to protect it. Continue reading