07/20/21
Social Wellness: Why is it Important?
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What exactly is social wellness? Social wellness refers to the relationships you have and how you interact with others. It involves building and maintaining positive, supportive relationships and fostering meaningful connections.
If you prioritize becoming socially well, you may enjoy numerous benefits such as less stress, a more robust immune system, and a healthy heart and endocrine system. Here's how social wellness relates to financial planning and what you can do to improve it:
Social Wellness and Financial Planning. Studies indicate that people with supportive, healthy relationships live longer than those who lack them. Therefore, if you are socially well, you may want to plan for longer life and save more for retirement to help ensure you don’t run out of retirement savings.
If you are behind on saving for retirement or have not saved as much as you planned, it may be time to change your budget and lifestyle to ramp up your 401(k), Roth IRA, or other retirement account contributions. We can help you design a retirement savings plan that aligns with your anticipated lifespan and financial goals.
There are many ways you can improve your social wellness, including:
Connecting with Others- Look for ways to get involved with other people. Some ideas include joining a fitness center, starting a book club, or participating in community events. By connecting with others, you can develop stronger relationships with your family, friends, and others.
Practicing Self Care- While you care for the people in your life, don’t forget to care for yourself! Engage in regular physical activity, eat healthy, keep stress levels to a minimum, and participate in hobbies you enjoy. You’ll find it easier to support others when you are in a good place physically and emotionally.
Showing Appreciation- Let the people in your life know just how much they mean to you. Simple appreciation texts, cards with meaningful messages, small gifts, and other friendly gestures can do wonders for your relationships.
Ending Toxic Relationships- If you notice that you’re in a relationship that stresses you out or takes all your energy, it may be unhealthy for you. Permit yourself to end it so you can focus on developing relationships with those who bring you happiness and comfort instead.
If you are socially well and want to take steps to ensure you save enough for a long life, we can help you craft a financial plan that is tailored to fit your individual needs and create a course of action to achieve your goals. To get a conversation started, contact our office today.
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the markets-
returns through 07/16/21
U.S equities moved lower this week as indicated by the S&P 500 which was down -0.96% on the week. In the U.S., smaller-sized companies underperformed their larger-sized counterparts, as the Russell 2000 index fell -5.11%. International stocks as measured by the MSCI EAFE were negative on the week, down -0.46%, though they outperformed domestic stocks. Emerging market stocks were positive on the week with the MSCI EM index up +1.72%. U.S. investment grade bonds were positive last week with the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond index up +0.24%
BULL RALLY - The current bull market for the S&P 500 is the index’s 8th bull run in the last 50 years. This bull has gained +97.6% (total return) from 3/23/20 through last Friday 7/16/21. The S&P 500 consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market value weighted index with each stock's weight in the index proportionate to its market value (source: BTN Research).
ONLY ONCE - Inflation, using the “Consumer Price Index” (CPI) as the measurement, was up +5.4% on a trailing 1-year basis as of 6/30/21. In the last 30 years, there was only 1 month when trailing 1-year inflation was greater than +5.4%. Inflation was up +5.6% for the 1-year ending 7/31/08 (source: Department of Labor).
CHANGED MY MIND - 25% of 1,006 “soon-to-graduate” college students who were surveyed in the 1st quarter of 2021 said the 2020 pandemic caused them to change the industry they intend to work in following their college years
(source: Joblist).
OFFICE SPACE - 73% of Fortune 500 CEOs surveyed in May 2021 say their firms will need less office space in the future than they required in 2019 before the pandemic occurred (source: Fortune).
BIG SKY BENEFIT - The state of Montana has been paying a $1,200 “Return-to-Work Bonus” since 5/04/21 to jobless individuals who were receiving unemployment benefits, and then went back to work for at least 4 weeks (source: Montana.gov).
Index performance does not reflect the deduction of any fees and expenses, and if deducted, performance would be reduced. Indexes are unmanaged and investors are not able to invest directly into any index. Past performance cannot guarantee future results.
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