Tag Archive for 'Financial Wellness'

Page 2 of 5

Snoopy Weighs in on Financial Wellness

MetLife released its 8^th installment of its Annual Study of Benefits Trends on Monday. In comparison to prior

Employee financial issues a central theme in this year's survey

years, the themes of employee financial security and benefits communications played a more prominent role than ever before. This was a natural emphasis given the backdrop of economic volatility and a renewed employer focus on benefits cost control.

We wanted to highlight and provide my perspective on three key points that came out of this year’s study:

Published by Joe Larocque on April 14, 2010

Financial Wellness. Why Employees Turn to their Employers.

In 2007, for the first time since MetLife began running their Annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends, more than half of employees surveyed indicated that they receive a majority of their financial products from their employer.

For most HR professionals this may seem somewhat intuitive. Prior to 2008, many employers had built out their benefits, retirement and equity programs to compete in what was considered an all out war for talent. So, it may not be surprising that the large investments that employers have made to offer a compelling total compensation package have made employers the number one source of financial products for their employees.

Published by Joe Larocque on March 29, 2010

April is Financial Literacy Month

Back in 2000, April was declared “Financial Literacy for Youth Month.” Now, it’s just “Financial Literacy Month.” Over the course of the last decade, it seems that us grown ups have shown that we really don’t know much more about money than our kids do – and therefore the Senate decided to drop the “youth” bit and include us adults in their call for better financial education.

Published by Joe Larocque on March 22, 2010

Financial Wellness for 2010 & Beyond – Plastic Revisited

Using credit for money

Just last week, the Senate approved legislation increasing the federal government’s borrowing limit by $1.9 trillion. When signed into law the federal government will be able to borrow more money than at any time in our country’s history, making our total national debt a mind numbing $14.3 trillion. And this will only allow us to pay our bills through 2010!

Published by JS Wolff on February 2, 2010

Financial Wellness for 2010 & Beyond – The Decade of Roth Savings Plans

A real change over the next decade could be a massive reconsideration of tax deferred savings plans. Exemplifying this shift, the new 2010 Roth IRA conversion rules seem to be getting lots of press and stirring widespread investor interest. So what’s behind the buzz?

In our September 09’ blog, “Rethinking the 401(k) Pitch” , we underscored how the tax landscape had changed since IRA’s were introduced in the early 80’s. We recounted that federal income tax brackets reached as high as 70% when 401(k)’s and IRA’s were introduced and it made perfect sense to shield everything we could from the taxman and bank on taking the money out at lower tax rates in the future

Published by JS Wolff on January 19, 2010

Financial Wellness for 2010 & Beyond – Interest Payments

The next few entries look at creating a positive financial future into the next decade by employing some common sense financial wellness principals.

First let’s consider using someone else’s money for to finance our stuff.

The financial wellness rule of thumb is that borrowing money to make a purchase only makes sense if the commodity to be purchased has a realistic chance of appreciating in value.

Published by JS Wolff on January 2, 2010

GuideSpark Financial Wellness Webinar

On December 8, GuideSpark presented a webinar called “The Need for Financial Wellness”. In this webinar we discussed how poor financial health is affecting companies and their employees. The webinar was well attended and definitely shows that financial wellness is becoming an important issue at corporations across America. In fact, the following poll shows that most attendees believed that 26-50% of employees are being negatively affected by financial issues.

Financial Wellness Poll Results

Published by Joe Larocque on December 10, 2009

GuideSpark webcast to address value of employee financial wellness for employers

In an upcoming Webcast, financial wellness experts from GuideSpark will discuss the increasing need for employers to address employee financial education and health – while realizing a return on investment of over 3:1.

Poor employee financial health is having a negative impact on organizational objectives and productivity. Four out of five employees in financial distress spend time at work dealing with such financial issues – resulting in a 12 to 20 hour drain on productivity – each month.

Published by Barbara Navarro on November 30, 2009

Poor Employee Financial Health Is Hurting Performance and Organizational Productivity, says GuideSpark

Employee financial health issues are negatively impacting key organizational objectives and should be a key priority among employers, advises GuideSpark.

Forward-thinking companies that implement financial wellness initiatives can expect a return on investment of over 3:1, according to recent studies.

In its new white paper, “The Need for Financial Wellness,” experts from GuideSpark (formerly ThriveOn) discuss the advantages available to companies that take ownership of the financial health and wellness of their employees.

Permanent link to this post (74 words, estimated 18 secs reading time)

Published by Barbara Navarro on November 11, 2009

Financial Wellness in 2010 – Open Enrollment Tips

As November fast approaches, you are likely beginning to receive important communications about Open Enrollment. If you’re like many employees, you may have already decided to just stick with your current elections – after all, they seem to have worked out well enough. This year, more than others in the past, taking a passive approach to Open Enrollment may be an expensive decision.

Published by Joe Larocque on October 25, 2009

Financial Wellness Blog