Blog
Your Zip Code Matters
Jasper Smith, Community Development Manager
“When it comes to health, your zip code matters more than your genetic code.” Dr. Iton and his team developed an application (only for the State of California) that could give people an indication of how long they would live based on…
Financial Stress
By: Meaghan Hiller, AFC®, Director of Financial Education
I was not always an expert in personal financial management. Years ago, like many other 18-year-olds, I stumbled into the credit card trap and fell…hard. I was finishing up my freshman year in college when I maxed out my first credit card, which was soon…
Upstreaming Financial Services
By: Cynthia Campbell, MBA, MEd, CUDE, Chief Experience Officer
There is a parable used in the healthcare industry that has changed the way I think about serving people. I would like to share this parable, which I heard told by Dr. Rishi Manchanda, the founder of HealthBegins, in a TedTalk called, “What is an Upstreamist in…
Financial Stress and Health: They Are Related
Jasper Smith, Community Development Manager
My body was having physical manifestations of my financial stress. Because of my personal experience, I was not at all surprised to learn that 6 in 10 adults mentioned finances as a significant source of personal stress, according to results from an American Psychological Association…
Committing to a Financial Wellness Partner is Like Marriage
By: Jen Martin, Partner Relations Manager
You “dated” several financial wellness vendors. You found something that meets your needs, a proposal was sent, and now you are “engaged” to the vendor that best suits your needs. What comes next? Planning your marriage! When an engagement happens…
What Credit Unions Can Learn From Healthcare: Member Centered Financial Home
By: Cynthia Campbell, MBA, MEd, CUDE, Chief Experience Officer
In the healthcare field there is a concept called, “patient centered medical home” (PCMH). It is a model that puts patients at the forefront of their own care. Patient centeredness refers to healthcare that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and…
The Halftime Report
By: Jasper Smith, Community Development Manager
The first half of 2020 is now in the books. We all know that this has been a year that many would like to forget. But, unfortunately we can’t and we all need (if we haven’t already done so) to do a self-assessment of our overall financial situation. So, what grade would you…
Are your Employees Financially Savvy?
By: Cynthia Campbell, MBA, MEd, CUDE, Chief Experience Officer
Let’s talk about money. It is a taboo subject—much like sex and politics. We were taught not to discuss these topics “in polite company” but look at where “not discussing politics” has gotten us in America! Perhaps, instead of telling people not to discuss politics, we instead encourage…
Insights from the Front Lines: Housing Counseling
By: Linda Davis-Demas, Senior Director of Housing
Housing Counseling is a core competency of BALANCE. We handle pre-purchase, post-purchase, foreclosure prevention, rental, and reverse mortgage counseling. We are a HUD approved national housing counseling agency. We work with mortgage servicer partners…
Five Steps to Financial Triage
By: Karina Galvan-Torres, Senior Director of Operations
During times of economic crisis and uncertainty, the significance of prioritizing financial stability suddenly leads every conversation with family and friends. For agencies, like BALANCE, that provide services to underserved and financially vulnerable communities every day…
How Choosing a Financial Wellness Partner is Like Dating
By: Jen Martin, Partner Relations Manager
If you are considering implementing a financial wellness program for your members and/or staff you may feel overwhelmed at where to start. Luckily, my team and I have on-boarded many credit unions and have learned a lot along the way about what they were looking for, what they hope to…
Workplace Financial Wellness: Your Employees Have Money on Their Minds
By: Denise Keiser, Financial Empowerment Director
It’s not enough that money problems stress employees out, all of the time. Employee concerns about money also lower productivity while on the job and often increase the likelihood that employees will miss work. Money woes also account for…
Knowledge Begets Confidence
By: Meaghan Hiller, AFC®, Director of Financial Education
How do you foster your employees’ confidence to love their job? Help them build upon their current skills and learn new ones, increase the “tools in their toolbox,” empower them with knowledge and strike up a new spark in how they approach their day-to-day. In two words…
Are Your Members Financially Healthy?
By: Cynthia Campbell, MBA, MEd, CUDE, Chief Experience Officer
When I first heard of the Financial Health model created by the non-profit, Financial Health Network (formerly CFSI), I was thrilled. This framework offers four main pillars of financial health and under each pillar, there are two indicators. It is beautifully simple. They offer…
The Evolving Workforce
By: Jenna Allen, HR Manager
Over the years, more and more companies are starting to offer their employees the option to work remotely. This gives employees more flexibility, eliminates commute time and the stress that comes with it, and allows employees to be more efficient with their time. Although we have…