FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Louisville, KY—October 5, 2016—Financial stress rates in the U.S. are among the highest they’ve been during the last five years, according to the findings of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2016 Employee Financial Wellness Survey. More than half of respondents reported stress about finances and 45 percent report their stress increased over the prior 12 months. “Financial stress is a highly personal experience, and can be challenging even for experts, which is why most people deal with their financial stress a lot like they deal with their health; they ignore it for as long as possible and hope it works itself out,” said Carla Dearing. Carla is CEO of SUM180, an online financial planning service designed to make financial planning simple and affordable.
“Dealing with financial stress is a lot like losing weight. It takes both knowing what to do and then doing it. The best way to deal with financial stress is to seek help from a trusted resource who can understand your specific concerns and show you the steps needed to address them,” Carla continued.
“That said, while getting great advice on your personal situation helps with knowing what to do, the key is doing it. Dealing with money is personal and emotional; knowing what to do is not necessarily going to address the barriers that keep individuals from doing the things that will help them,” Carla said.
Following are Carla’s four tips to help break through the barriers that keep individuals from taking action to relieve their financial stress:
- Have a goal. Whether your goal is as simple as socking away six months of expenses in an emergency fund to protect against the unexpected or as big as putting your kids through college debt free, having a clear purpose for your efforts will help you stick with them.
- Start wherever you are. Many people do not make progress on their savings because they feel it is hopeless; that they have no chance of saving enough to secure their future. On the contrary, it’s never too late to start. When you walk into Weight Watchers with 80 pounds to lose, no one is going to talk about that. Instead, they’ll say “Let’s talk about how to have a healthier lifestyle and begin to lose the first 5 pounds.” Dealing with money is just like that. Focus on your own situation and start taking baby steps to save more, pay down debt and begin to invest—no matter where you’re starting from.
- Take it one step at a time. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It is important to manage your own expectations to recognize that it will take time to save and build step by step. When it comes to financial security, each step adds up.
- Realize you are far from alone. Every day there are more stories about how individuals have used knowledge and perseverance to overcome their challenges. Many of us still do not want to discuss money details openly, but there are safe, supportive communities where people can open up about their specific problems and learned what has worked for others.
###
About SUM180
SUM180 is an online financial planning service designed to make planning and dealing with your money simple and affordable.
Specifically, SUM180 is differentiated in the following ways:
- SUM180 meets people where they are. SUM180 plans are personalized to help people wherever they are right now on their financial journey; whether they’re just beginning, starting over or well on their way.
- SUM180 plans are simple. They start with only the three (3) most important next steps, making them easier to accomplish, and gives clients a clear picture of where they are.
- SUM180 doesn’t assume clients want to become financial experts to meet their financial goals. SUM180 provides the tools they need, without overwhelming them with “education” and details they don’t need.
- SUM180 offers a community for users, unfiltered, which allows them to explore and share.
- SUM180 serves; never sells. Earning and keeping client trust is SUM180’s highest priority. SUM180 never makes commissions from any of its recommendations, ever.
Additional information about SUM180 may be found at https://sum180.com/.
# # #
Contact
Robin Schoen
Robin Schoen Public Relations
215.504.2122 office
215.595.7542 mobile
rschoen@robinschoenpr.com