financial wellness Archives

Donald Trump, the Affordable Care Act and Your Employee Benefits

by Emily Pfund | Nov 16, 2016 | Blog

In this week’s Best Money Moves roundup, we take a look at news stories and new research studies that may impact employee benefits and HR issues. We hope you find this helpful, and we’d love your feedback.

Were your employees struggling in the wake of last week’s election results? Many employers across the country reported employees were distracted in the wake of the news no matter who they voted for. Trump supporters, like President-elect Trump himself acknowledged, were surprised that he won. Hillary Clinton supporters were extremely disappointed she lost.

Now that some of the shock from last week’s presidential election results has passed, we’re looking toward the future. President-elect Trump has proposed policies that could have massive impacts on the employee benefits industry, from repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and making changes to Medicare and Medicaid to changing federal tax laws. Here’s what five leaders in the employee benefits industry think of Trump’s policies and how they will change the industry for benefits providers.

More employers are offering to help their employees pay off student debt. Is this set to be the hottest employee benefit of 2017?

Got bit by a duck? A sick pet llama? These are some of the craziest reasons your employees have called in sick.

Is your company struggling to hold on to top talent? Adding these four employee benefits to your company’s benefits packages may help lower your turnover rates.

Financial wellness programs are only beneficial to companies if employees are motivated to use them. Here are some ideas for overcoming the common hurdles to creating an effective, transformational financial wellness program.

Frequent relocations and deployments can create financial hardships for military members and their families. The Federal Trade Commission is stepping up to help them manage their money and make important financial decisions.

The U.S. is the only developed nation that doesn’t guarantee a temporary paid leave for new parents. However, in states with paid parental leave laws, businesses report no negative impacts of profitability or productivity, and found such policies improved employee morale.

There’s more to employee benefits than just providing medical insurance. A recent study found that employees enrolled in more than three nonmedical benefits are more likely to feel financially secure.

Financial stress isn’t just an American problem. A recent survey in the U.K. found that 31 percent of people say financial issues are their top cause of stress and 63 percent lose sleep over their finances.

Small business owners often have difficulty finding employee benefits vendors who want to work with them. New companies are stepping up to bridge that gap and help small business owners streamline their benefits, HR and payroll services.

Did you find this Best Money Moves roundup useful? Please let us know. Email us at info@bestmoneymoves.com.

How Many Americans Struggle with Financial Stress? The Answer May Surprise You

by Emily Pfund | Oct 28, 2016 | Blog

How many Americans struggle with financial stress? The answer may surprise you. Even though the Great Recession is mostly behind us, the majority of Americans are still stressing out about their finances.

In a recent study by Northwestern Mutual, 85 percent of people surveyed said they feel financial anxiety and 28 percent said they worry about their finances every day. On top of that, 36 percent said their stress about financial issues has increased, rather than decreased, over the last three years.

That’s a lot of financial angst. It takes a toll, and not just in one area of your life. Northwestern Mutual asked these financially stressed adults how their financial stress impacts the rest of their lives and here’s what they said:

70 percent said it’s negatively impacting their happiness
70 percent said it’s negatively impacting their moods
69 percent said it’s negatively impacting their ability to pursue their dreams or interests
67 percent said it’s negatively impacting their health
61 percent said it’s negatively impacting their home life
51 percent said it’s negatively impacting their social life
41 percent said it’s negatively impacting their career

Basically, the study found that stress and anxiety about your finances bleed into almost every other facet of your life. It’s difficult to focus on your job or enjoy downtime with friends and family if your focus is always on your money and how you’ll make ends meet this month. And, money continues to be the top-cited factor in divorce.

An employee’s financial stress impacts the people around them at work too. For example, A report from Health Affairs found that employees reporting high levels of stress cost their employers an average of $413 more per year than their more relaxed coworkers, according to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Add that to the business costs of a stressed employee’s reduced productivity, and employers have a big interest in seeing that their employees are financially stable.

The CFPB’s report also cites a study that found employees who underwent nine hours of classroom financial wellness training and had up to five one-on-one counseling sessions with a financial planner measurably improved their financial health. Employee’s requests for loans from their 401(k) accounts – often a last-ditch attempt to make ends meet – stopped entirely and their installment debts decreased by 14 percent. They were also less likely to be paying their bills late.

We know that financial stress isn’t limited to your finances. That’s why the Best Money Moves team is so dedicated to helping people dial down the root causes of financial stress. We ask employees to tell us what’s stressing them out, and we provide the information and tools they need to target that stress point and relieve it, whether they need to get out of debt, build a savings safety net or work toward their financial goals. If they ever need guidance along the way, our accredited Money Coaches are just a phone call away, 24 hours a day.

Want to try it for yourself? Email us at info@bestmoneymoves.com to get a free trial!

How Employee Benefits Changed Over 20 Years

by Emily Pfund | Sep 30, 2016 | Blog

A lot of things have changed since 1996. Cell phones are smaller and smarter, the Internet is a whole lot faster and superfoods like kale are now in everything from cookies to chocolate.

Welcome to the new age. It turns out that in the same 20 years employers have also made some big changes in the benefits they offer their employees. In its 2016 Employee Benefits research report, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) looked back at some of the changes in the industry since the organization started issuing these reports in 1996.

While it doesn’t mention a change in the number of office ping pong tables or La Croix-filled refrigerators, it does illustrate some big shifts in the benefits employers choose to focus on.

What’s in:

Telecommuting. In 1996, only 20 percent of companies offered employees the opportunity to work remotely. Thanks to the internet, that number has tripled to 60 percent, giving employees more flexibility.

Professional development opportunities and memberships. Three quarters of companies offered to cover additional training and education for their employees in 1996. Now 86 percent of employers offer this benefit, encouraging more workers to continue learning and adding to their skill sets. In addition, 88 percent of today’s employers cover the cost of membership to professional organizations and trade groups for their employees, up from 65 percent in 1996.

Health Wellness benefits. Over half (54 percent) of employers offered some form of health wellness program in 1996. Now, 72 percent of employers offer such programs. Popular plans include giving discounts on insurance premiums or adding cash to health savings accounts (HSA) plans if certain health goals are met, such as reducing cholesterol and giving up smoking. In addition, nearly a third (31 percent) offer weight loss programs, up slightly from 29 percent in 1996.

What’s out:

Employee stock purchase plans. Very few companies – just 9 percent – offer employees stock purchase plans in 2016, but more than a quarter (28 percent) did in 1996.

Credit union membership. Employers in 1996 loved credit unions (they often offer lower interest rates and fees than other banks) and 70 percent offered credit union membership as an employee benefit. Today, only 23 percent offer these memberships.

Health care premium flexible spending accounts. The health insurance industry has changed drastically since 1996, especially with the 2010 Affordable Care Act, and fewer employers are offering flex spending accounts to help employees cover their healthcare expenses. Only 39 percent of employers offer the benefit now, compared to 54 percent in 1996.

What’s next:

Most companies offer a handful of financial wellness programs, notably a 401(k) account. And, many employers will contribute to the employee’s account, usually in the form of a match or profit-sharing. But employers know that matching contributions doesn’t mean that employees will take advantage of what is essentially free money.

That’s why more than 90 percent of employers are looking to add to their financial wellness programs. Because while the programs are being offered, employees don’t have the cash leftover at the end of the month to participate.

At Best Money Moves, we believe employees are under tremendous financial pressures. So, we focus on helping employees take a deeper look at what’s causing their financial stress. And, then we dial it down by pushing relevant information, tools and calculators that can help solve the problems.

Here’s the good news for employers: If your workforce has less financial stress, they’ll be more productive and engaged, retention will rise and absenteeism will go down.

We can help. Email us at info@bestmoneymoves.com for a free trial and to learn how we can help your employees be happier, healthier and more productive.

Making Americans’ Financial Lives Great Again

by Ilyce Glink | Jul 22, 2016 | Blog

In the wake of the Republican National Convention, it seems appropriate to lay out some steps ordinary Americans can take to make their financial lives great again – or, if yours has never been particularly strong, then at least make it better.

Stop spending. In my books on personal finance, I’ve often recommended a Go To Zero strategy for managing your money. Here’s how it works: Imagine all of your expenses on a table. Now, take your arm and wipe them all off. You’ve now got a clean slate, and you can put expenses back on the table in the order of importance: Shelter, utilities, food, transportation, etc. When you run out of cash in your budget, you simply stop spending.
Start saving. Another strategy is to stop spending well before you run out of take home pay and use that extra cash to start saving. Or, if you are carrying debt, simply use the extra cash each month to pay down your debt faster. Remember, every dollar of debt you prepay effectively earns you that interest rate. So, if you prepay $1 of debt at an interest rate of 14%, you’ve effectively earned 14% interest on that dollar.
Make paying off non-deductible debt your top priority. If you’re paying to service your debt, you’re not going to get rich. You’re not going to have a great financial life. And, you’re not going to get rid of the anxiety that comes along with having crushing debt. So, start prepaying your non-deductible debt as fast as possible. In addition to feeling more in control of your financial life, you might just notice that you’re sleeping betterl.
Practice “deferred gratification.” One thing about today’s world, everything happens instantaneously, almost miraculously. But when it comes to money, nothing good happens instantly. That why practicing deferred gratification can have such a positive effect. By simply pushing off a purchase (even one you think you must have), you’ll quickly see you can live without it. And if not, then at least you know you’re making a truly “can’t live without” purchase decision.

I’ve noticed that if I just say “no, for now” I generally don’t miss whatever it is I’ve done without. And, 9 times out of 10, I never get around to purchasing the item. Even if it’s on sale. I just figure out a workaround or do without. If you make all of your purchases thoughtfully, instead of gratuitously, that’s how you’ll make your financial life great again.

And, as Americans, living the financially great life should be an inalienable right.

Ilyce Glink is the Founder and CEO of Best Money Moves. She is also the author of 13 books on personal finance and real estate and the CEO of Think Glink Media, a digital content agency.

5 WAYS BEST MONEY MOVES MAKES YOU SMARTER ABOUT MONEY

by Ilyce Glink | Jul 11, 2016 | Blog

When it comes to money, it’s easy to feel like a dummy.

After all, the entire financial services industry is set up to confuse you. That way, you’ll feel relieved and, yes, even grateful to pay someone to do things that you should be able to do yourself – that is, if you had the confidence and knowledge to take those first few steps.

Best Money Moves is all about building up your confidence. And we do it in a simple way – we teach you how to manage your money step-by-step. Here are 5 ways that Best Money Moves will make you smarter about money:

We help you measure your level of financial stress. Sometimes, the problems pile on. it’s easy to feel as though you’ll never be able to pick just one to work on. By measuring your financial stress in 14 categories, we do the sifting for you. We believe that by sorting through each of our stress categories, you’ll be able to prioritize your top problem more easily – and then we can help you solve it.
We show you the shortcuts – and how to achieve the best results. Whether you’re paying down debt or trying to save for a down payment on a car, we’ll show you how to “run the numbers” with the best of them – without trying to confuse you. Want to compare paying down your debt using the “snowball” vs. “avalanche” techniques? We’ll do the math for you and show you the “big secret” so-called experts want you to pay extra for.
We use easy-to-understand language designed to empower you. We’re not trying to confuse you into a big sale. Why? Because the only sale we’re interested in is to your employer. Instead, our whole goal is to help you better understand how money works, and how you can use it to your advantage.
We’re not trying to sell you anything. Most so-called “financial wellness” programs are about selling. They’re either trying to sell you products you don’t need or get assets under management. So, they build in a thin veneer of information designed to sell more stuff. at Best Money Moves, there’s no hidden agenda. We’re not trying to sell employees anything. We’re simply trying to help you engage with your finances in a more positive way.
Tools, calculators, award-winning content, contests, money coaches and more. Managing your money doesn’t have to be excruciatingly painful or boring. It can be entertaining, engaging and, yes, even a bit fun. At Best Money Moves, we’re always looking for another way to make this more fun, so you’ll spend more time reading, thinking and doing. That’s why you get points every time you do something with Best Money Moves, whether it’s reading an article, working on your budget, or measuring your level of financial stress.

We want you to succeed. We want you to pay down your debt faster, save more money, and avoid getting ripped off. And, we’ll be there with you, every step of the way. Contact us at Best Money Moves. We can help.