Financial Wellness

Financial wellness can be defined as "having a sense of financial security and financial freedom of choice, in the present, and for the future." Financial literacy gives us an understanding of money-related topics and skills, allowing us more control over our financial success and future. Being equipped with the knowledge and the ability to manage our financial needs leads to improved overall health. In this edition of Positive Pulse, retrieve your financial well-being score, learn the necessary steps for creating a budget, get tips for saving money, sign up for the Smola Wellness Speaker Series and participate in the November Gratitude Challenge for a chance to win a prize!

Develop a budget based on your monthly income, expenses and savings, and then live within your means. Should a shortfall occur, choose to adjust your budget rather than rely on a credit card. Below are some steps you can take to create a budget:

1. Calculate your net income
2. Track your spending
3. Set realistic goals
4. Make a plan
5. Adjust your spending
6. Review your budget regularly

1. Eliminate Your Debt

Debt can be a sneaky expense! Interest can creep up on you and make it feel as though you are running in place. However, once you're free from paying interest on your debt, that money can easily be put into savings.

2. Set Savings Goals

One of the best ways to save money is by visualizing what you are saving for. If you need motivation, set saving targets along with a timeline to make it easier to save.

3. Annualize Your Spending

Do you pay $20 a week on fancy coffees? That's $1,000 you're removing from your budget for coffee you could make at home for much cheaper! Suddenly, that habit adds up to a substantial sum.

November is a great time to reflect on all that you are grateful for! Smola Consulting Wellness challenges you to focus on gratitude by completing activities, watching videos, participating in meditations, and more! This self-guided challenge is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with loved ones, learn more about gratitude, and to cultivate the attitude of gratitude.

To participate in this challenge, simply fill out this form. You can write about what gratitude means to you, someone or something you are grateful for, or how participating in this challenge helped you focus on the gift of gratitude!

Fill out the form by December 16th, 2022 to be entered to win a $25 Target Gift Card! The Winner will be announced in the January Positive Pulse.

Join us on Thursday, December 8th at 7pm as we welcome Sara Martin, CEO of Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) who will present on "Psychological Safety".

Sara has launched award-winning wellness programs and engineered work environments to create cultures of health across multiple industries. At WELCOA, her role is to ensure you continue to have access to the best products and information so you can achieve your professional and personal wellness goals.

Each week, Smola Consulting Wellness shares a "Weekly LEAP" LEAP stands for: Learn, Eat, Act & Play. In The Weekly LEAP we offer recommendations for experiencing a chosen well-being topic using micro-actions to influence long term behavior change. Applying the micro-actions in the categories of nutrition, acts of kindness/gratitude/self-care, and physical activity will help support a fun and holistic exploration within each topic.

In the October Positive Pulse, we asked for your favorite book recommendations to share with others! Below are the recommendations we received:

• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• On The Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M. T. Anderson
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
• The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
• The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
• Meant to Be by Emily Giffin
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
• Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas
• Honor by Thrity Umrigar
• Dorothy Must Die series by Danielle Page
• Maybe Someday by Collen Hoover

• Permission to Feel by Mark Brackett
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

• The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Better Money Habits. (2022, July 18). How to create a budget in 6 simple steps. Better Money Habits. Retrieved October 15, 2022, from https://bettermoneyhabits.bankofamerica.com/en/saving-budgeting/creating-a-budget

Content Type: Article Print this Article, & Content Type: Article Print this Article. (n.d.). 10 best ways to save money. RegionsBank. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.regions.com/insights/personal/personal-finances/budgeting-and-saving/10-best-ways-to-save-money

Email: ginther@smolaconsulting.com
Website: www.smolaconsulting.com
Location: 260 East Main Street, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 5857774080