National Financial Literacy Month was created in the United States to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach Americans how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. Conducting an assessment is an important task for people of all ages. Young adults, who are just starting out, need to learn how checking accounts and credit cards work, how to establish a basic household budget and the importance of managing money wisely.
 
When you find yourself in the prime of your working life, you should focus on savings, investments, and retirement planning. At this point in your life is where you are likely to have more discretionary money to spare. It’s critical to review your financial status, check the results of ongoing investments, and make adjustments as necessary. Planning is equally important as the market and economy change; you'll want to be aware of how that is affecting your financial assets. Be sure to stay up-to-date on new options and alternatives.
 
There are endless possibilities for how to set up your financial future, but several of the most common options are listed below. You should take the time to consider your status in each of these areas. April is the perfect time to do this each year, as you’re likely already in contact with your accountant and tax professional from just completing your taxes.
 
Get your will and trust in order. When the time comes, these documents determine the allocation of your financial assets. After having spent a lifetime saving, investing, and planning your finances, you want to ensure your assets end up where you want them to go. Life changes quickly, checking this at least once a year and adjusting as needed is one of the most valuable actions you can take.
 
Conduct a beneficiary audit. Your circle of family and close friends change over time, and some may come to an end. Reviewing the recipients you have selected on each of your accounts is something that often gets neglected after the initial set-up, but again, ensuring your hard-earned money goes to those that you select is of the utmost importance. Make sure to review this annually or when accounts or policies come up for renewal.
 
Get a second opinion. With ever-changing rules and regulations around finances and investing, it is in your best interest to have a professional financial advisor review your plans. They can provide tips and share best practices that may significantly improve your portfolio. As one example, filing taxes can be hard to grasp, and often understanding filing status and those items you are eligible to file, and those not can be confusing.
 
Avoid fraud. Unfortunately, you can be the target of scams designed to steal your identity, savings and even your retirement funds. In general, be wary of anyone who is asking for specific information about your finances. There are many choices to safeguard and lock down your identity, select the one that is right for your portfolio.
 
Continue planning. The goal of an annual review is to make sure you understand your current situation and to make changes if needed. Determining what you will need for the future is difficult but can be estimated with the help of online tools or experienced professionals. During your planning, don’t underestimate big expenses like long-term health care or the cost of serious illnesses.
 
Avoid excessive lending. As the eldest of the family, especially if you’ve done well for yourself, you may be asked by younger family members to help them out financially from time to time. While loaning money is a personal decision and will vary depending on circumstances, consider these requests carefully. Your retirement funds were intended for, well, your pension, and above all, you need to ensure there are enough funds to cover that first and foremost. 
 
Entrust a power of attorney. Depending on your situation, you may want to grant someone power of attorney; simplifying your ongoing interaction with finances on a daily basis as it enables someone else to pay your bills on your behalf. It can provide great peace of mind knowing everything is being taken care of and you don't have to worry. Your power of attorney can help you keep your overall finances in order and minimize long-term risk.
 
Staying on top of your finances can help with your retirement plans, future legacy, and allow for a more enjoyable lifestyle. Just as important it is for you to have routine checkups for your emotional and physical health; it’s equally as important to stay on top of your financial health and build habits that will have you on the road to securing your financial future. The time is now - conduct your financial health check today!

This blog is brought to you by the Team at Meliora! Let us explore the wellness platform 'plan of action' that’s right for your company; we will assist with each step of building the concept to implementation; we work hands-on to find solutions to the following questions:

Why do we need an wellness platform?
How ‘well’ is our employee population?
How do we increase employee engagement?
Have we asked our employees for their input?
How were healthcare cost affected by our employee's health issues last year?
What were our overall absenteeism rates? And, how did this affect productivity?

Put our imagination, passion, innovation and creation to work for your company today - Call Bill Johnston at 817-546-2953 or via email at [email protected] ​

We Help You Engage Your Employees - Meliora - In Pursuit of Better

Next Saturday, April 22nd is Earth Day. Worldwide, various events are held to support environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated. This observance arose from an interest in gathering support for environmental issues and awareness.
 
Earth Day’s campaign for 2017 is Environmental & Climate Literacy. Goals include advancing environmental and climate laws and policies and accelerating green technologies and jobs. This day aims to engage citizens to participate in environmental activities, community engagement, civic involvement, and green mobilization.
 
Unfortunately, on a daily basis, we do not correlate the Earth and our environmental surroundings to our overall health and well-being. We cannot ignore the obvious connection that nature and global effects have on our lives each day. Awareness is the first step.
 
Many people never consider the consequences on their health from litter, smoking in public, bad exhaust on a vehicle, dumping chemicals and oils in public spaces, just to name a few. Over time these and many other factors will continue to harm our local environment, the Earth and us.
 
One of the most common practices of celebration year after year is to plant new trees for Earth Day. Planting trees helps reduce pollution, increase biodiversity and avoid the loss of species It also helps our cities move toward reduction of the use of fossil fuel and closer to becoming 100% renewable.
 
The list of activities that can be done to support the cause, however, is nearly endless and there are activities for people of all ages and abilities. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:
•    Plant a vegetable garden
•    Plant wildflowers
•    Help pick up litter along a roadway, public park or shoreline
•    Donate to a charity that helps protect the environment
•    Participate in or organize a community cleanup day
•    Return hangers to the cleaners
•    Donate clothing and computers to charities
•    Pack lunches in reusable containers instead of bags
•    Fix a leaky water faucet to conserve water
•    Use natural, non-toxic cleaners
 
One of the most visible impacts is a plastic water bottle. Regardless of the infrastructure that exists to expedite recycling, over 75% of plastic water bottles used become garbage and end up in landfills. Approximately 60 million plastic water bottles are used daily in the US alone. Nearly 18,834,000,000 end up in the landfill each year. So consider a refillable, reusable water bottle over the disposal of plastic water bottles each day.
 
Many of the concepts of Earth Day may sound obvious to the older generation where much of this behavior was standard practice when they were young. Reusing is not a new idea. Seniors will remind us that they never threw away anything that could be re-purposed by them or someone they knew. Hand me down clothes, furniture, and other household items were a way of life. This thought process is regaining support with the "reduce-reuse-recycle" mantra.
 
There are specific planned activities for Earth Day celebrations in your local communities. You can find additional detail and all the related materials on the Earth Day Network.
 
Behaviors encouraged on Earth Day should be carried out every day to improve our environment for generations to come. Take a moment to enjoy the beauty of the Earth we share. Go outside - enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine, walk on the grass in your bare feet, and be in touch with nature!

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” --John Muir

​This blog brought to you by the Team at Meliora! Let us explore a wellness 'plan of action' that’s right for your company; we will assist with each step of building the concept to implementation; we work hands-on to find solutions to the following questions:

Why do we need a wellness plan?
How ‘well’ is our employee population?
How do we increase employee engagement?
Have we asked our employees for their input?
How were healthcare cost affected by our employee's health issues last year?
What were our overall absenteeism rates? And, how did this affect productivity?

Put our imagination, passion, innovation and creation to work for your company today - Call Bill Johnston at 817-546-2953 or via email at [email protected] ​

We Help You Engage Your Employees - Meliora - In Pursuit of Better