In this issue of Absolute Advantage, we are presenting content related to personal wellness and individual financial status. Because of the many events presently taking place in this country, not least of which include: the decline in personal savings rates; the increased reliance on credit cards; the questionable status of social security; and the profound shift by employers to defined contribution plans, we believe that financial wellness is a force that every worksite would be wise to incorporate.
It comes as no surprise that our personal financial health practices affect our individual health status. And, in light of the abysmal financial habits of the 80 million U.S. baby boomers, you can count on the fact that a lot of people in this country are going to get sick. Read More
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Very few numbers are both as important and as confusing as credit scores. It's clear they are important. They are used by banks and other lenders to approve or deny loan applications and set interest rates. They also are used by merchants to help them decide whether or not to issue charge cards. Many landlords check credit scores of potential renters before approving them for leases. Read More
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As the cost sharing for group benefits continues to increase, employees have become more consumer-oriented, as they seek to spend their hard earned dollars on benefits offered through their employer. This trend also requires better education for both the employer and employee to understand how to get the best use from limited benefit dollars. Read More
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Most of us try to be good people. We strive to be good spouses, parents, bosses, workers; we try to obey the laws, control our tempers, eat healthy, get exercise, resist temptations, and so forth. In other words, we strive for some level of perfection. Read More
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Health insurance premiums have been exploding over the past decade. For most businesses, the ever-rising cost of health insurance is a key business concern, as cost increases serve to put significant pressure on profit margins. Continued health insurance cost increases have a direct impact on the number of organizations offering health insurance as a benefit to employees. Read More
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Corporate executives have it so easy. Whenever they wish to compare the performance of their firms with their competitors, all they have to do is check the widely available industry averages from any number of reference sources. They can compare growth in revenue and earnings with their industries, compare ratios of information from their balance sheets and income statements with industry averages, and on and on. Read More
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Social Security and Medicare are in dire fiscal shape. Politicians are careful to avoid aggressive action to address these problems due to the political backlash that will likely result if benefits for these programs are reduced or taxes raised to pay for future promised benefits. Read More
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Most business leaders would agree that providing affordable, comprehensive healthcare coverage for employees is a major challenge. With most businesses lacking the pricing power to increase fees for goods and services produced, rising healthcare costs serve to squeeze profit margins to a point where the very existence of some businesses is threatened. Read More
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The picture isn't pretty. In fact, people are saving at the lowest level since our nation's Great Depression in the 1930s. The U.S. Commerce Department reported that the nation's personal savings rate in 2006 was a negative one percent. This means that individuals are spending everything they take home after taxes and borrowing to fund additional spending. Read More
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In this interview, nationally recognized expert, Jeff Rubleski, sat down with WELCOA President, Dr. David Hunnicutt to discuss the importance of financial wellness programs at the worksite. Read More
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We are in the midst of a perfect financial storm impacting business and consumers. The banking and mortgage crisis is reverberating through our economy and is impacting virtually every consumer and most business sectors. Read More
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In this interview, nationally recognized expert, Jeff Rubleski, sat down with WELCOA President, Dr. David Hunnicutt to discuss workplace financial wellness and how it impacts worker productivity, benefit plan engagement and employee financial security. Read More
guest
As part of your WELCOA Membership, each month you receive four, two-page, health and wellness bulletins. Loaded with useful information and designed in a way to maximize readability, WELC... Read More
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With the economy in uncharted territory, employees are being supremely stretched to make ends meet. Sadly, when it comes to managing personal finances, many employees lack the basic knowledge and skills to effectively make ends meet... Read More
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