How Has the Economy Affected Your Family's Stress Level

Almost half of Americans report being more stressed than a year ago, according to this week's USA Today. One-third of Americans are suffering from "extreme" stress. Unfortunately, the survey was taken before the stock market plunged, so the real numbers are probably worse. That stress is affecting eating and sleeping levels, and inevitably how we relate to others, especially our families.

Since most families are affected by these negative economic trends, it's important to acknowledge the impact it has on our lives and take action to try to remain calm and provide a sense of normalcy to children. I've read how some families have skipped going out to dinner and a movie, and instead have a simple dinner at home followed by game night.

If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, turn off the bad news, take a walk or a bath, or call a friend. Appreciate the people you have in your life. One family I know with several young children in the house reports the father's slow work schedule has allowed him to spend a lot more time with the family. It does create some financial hardship, but they try to look at the positive side as he has always been extremely busy at work. Older children are aware of financial strain, so be honest about any household changes that you need to make. Ask for their ideas in cutting costs, and look for signs of stress in children.

Reach out to others who are facing extreme stress, or if you see signs of abuse or neglect. The USA Today article advises that as stress levels increase, domestic violence and child abuse also rise.

Be on the lookout for families in crisis, and help connect them to social service agencies that can help. You may be the only one who sees the signs of a child or adult in need. If you are able, offer to care for a child for a couple of hours while a parent looks for a new job. Or, if you still have a good job, help others who are looking for work network with your contacts.

Be a steady voice amidst the chaos, and remind friends and family that this period will pass, and the relationships they nurture will remain.

Improving Your Family Finances With the Help of Childcare Vouchers

Part of the reality of becoming a new mum is taking stock of your family's finances and working out how you will cope financially. When you're considering returning to work, how you will afford to pay for childcare and what kind of childcare you will choose are important decisions. Many new parents will not be familiar with childcare vouchers, how they work and how they can be used to pay for childcare. 

The childcare voucher scheme is a national scheme offered to parents and guardians through the government and participating employers to help with the cost of childcare.

Childcare vouchers are a financially beneficial way to pay for childcare in the UK, because you don't pay tax or National Insurance on childcare vouchers to the value of £55 a week. This means that working parents can save as much as £1,195* a year by paying for childcare with vouchers. The savings could be double, if both parents sign up for a childcare voucher scheme.

The website Money for Mums has put together a good check list of information on childcare vouchers [1]:

1        Check whether your employer's childcare vouchers are a benefit that is paid on top of your normal pay or whether it's part of a salary sacrifice scheme

2        Work out how your tax credits will be affected

3        If your cash pay is affected, ask if your other earnings-related payments will be affected (pension, overtime rates, pay rises etc.)

4        If your cash pay is affected, ask will your benefits-related payments be affected? (will your NI contributions to your State Pension be affected etc.)

5        If your cash pay is affected, ask would any student loan repayments be affected?

Childcare vouchers are redeemable to pay for childcare and child minding ensuring that a parent's return to work need not have a negative impact on their family finances.

Parents can also be assured when selecting a childcare provider that they have undergone rigorous vetting procedures. Before childcare vouchers can be used to pay providers the provider must be registered with an approved regulatory body and will need to meet the standards set out by that body. Ensuring only registered providers can accept vouchers for payment offers additional peace of mind to mums knowing that their child is being looked after in a safe friendly environment.

Get the Life Insurance That Fits You and Your Family

Potential life insurance policy buyers need to know the features of the various types of programs available in the market and the benefits of each type of plan and compare these advantages against their own lifestyle and financial commitments in order to ensure they buy a policy that fits them.

This is because for some people whole life insurance policies may offer extensive coverage, but at higher than average premium rates and they can afford it; but, for others, who can't quite meet the monthly payments required for this type of policy, opting for term life insurance may be a better deal.

So, it is a good idea to get proper knowledge and guidance from professional finance advisors if possible, before buying a policy in order to determine which one fits your financial commitments for both current times and future needs.

If it is not possible to hire the services of a professional finance expert, then going online and searching through various websites giving specialized information about various life insurance companies is the best route to purchasing the perfect insurance policy.



Reading up the various online guides to life insurance buying available on financial websites also enables insurance shoppers to get the basics of different types of policies and select the appropriate coverage amount according to their budget.

Once buyers have ascertained current and future financial responsibilities and what their dependents will require in order to lead an economically secure life, they are in a better position to choose the best policy.

The best policy is always one that offers provisions for additional benefits, such as flexible payments, cash benefits and adjustment in policy features afterward (e.g. if their financial situations changes and they want to increase coverage, how they can do so is explained to them and is an option that is open for the variable policy owner to choose from).

So, in order to get the insurance that fits you best, as a potential coverage buyer, you need to learn how much coverage and for how much time do you need this protection, after evaluating your personal financial situation. For example, those having no dependents may not really require insurance just like those who don't produce a major percentage of the family's income. But, if you have dependents who are surviving on your income and you are paying for the mortgage, any recurring bills, or want kids to have a college, all of which are big expenses, then insurance that meets these financial obligations of you, in the event of your death, is a handy tool for providing benefits to your family after you are no longer there to take care of them yourself.

Finding a Good House for Your Family Based On Your Budgets

Finding a good house that completely fits your budget may be hectic for you. Sometimes it's not the place you prefer to own and sometimes it's the money you don't have to invest in. but owning a new home is your necessity and you want to invest the limited amount of money you have to get a new home for you and your family.

Today at the time of competitive business world all can be achieved at the affordable price. With some research and patience you can find your dream home at your budget. You require doing some home work and find some better resources. Internet is a great place to get the help you want for anything. You can buy anything from a needle to a home on internet. There are many of local companies and real estate agents you can find online that can help you in finding your home.

The first step will be your finances. You should have an idea of what you are going to invest and what you actually want to have for this. You should also figure out your family necessity which will be increasing in the near future. It is therefore suggested that you find the home bit spacious which will be comfortable for you at present and in near future.

Getting in contact with a real estate agent is must for you if you do not have any idea about the paper work and documents that you are going to have. Owning a home will require lots of paper work for you and you should have a person with you that can understand it completely so that you do not get into any trouble.

5 Reasons Why Working a Job You Hate Will Kill You! (And Your Family)

We have all heard how stress can really create havoc in our lives. But did you know that working at a job you can't stand is not just hurting you but your kids as well? That' right. Let me give you 5 reasons why that job could mean future and present disaster.
 

Acute Stress Turns Your Body Into a Yo-Yo

A service review of your department will take up the next 4 days. You're going to have to pull 12 hours of overtime to get ready. The boss teams you with the most annoying co-worker. This kind of stress will pass. After the service review, you'll release the stress and all will be well. If this kind of drama happens frequently, your body's functions will bounce and stress levels will return to normal after each occurrence. This could eventually lead to some chronic illness.

Chronic Stress Squeezes You Until You Break 

Your temples throb as you attempt to ignore the blurred vision. You're working on 3 projects with 72 hour dead lines. The headaches, vision and indigestion are on-going problems for you. If this situation continues, a myriad of difficulties could start to overwhelm you including, but not limited to, high blood pressure, depression, acne, back pain, muscle pain, insomnia etc.

Stress Causes Early Drainage of Savings and 401Ks 

When you stress yourself out by working a job you don't enjoy, you decrease your productive years. The fewer years you can work, the shorter time to compile cash to live on for your retirement. Retiring because of illness causes not only a shortage of funds but puts a strain on your family's time and finances.

Stress Changes Kids from the Inside Out 

Children are resilient. They appear to come out of tough times without a scratch. But stress is different. Even these little ones are not able to totally wash away the affects. A children exposed to chronic stress will begin to experience strain on their internal organs. This can present as attention problems, frequent colds or frequent stomach aches.

Stress Changes Your Kids Immune System Permanently

It has been proven a child's immune system having been compromised by stress early in life does not return to normal. The immune system will remain in jeopardy even when the stress has been removed for a long period of time.

Now how many reasons do you need to start taking care of yourself and your family and living your dreams?

Declaring Financial Independence for Yourself and Your Family

I'm sure you have noticed the plethora of advertisements on the TV and in radio and print media hawking various companies and their ability to facilitate you taking control of your own finances.

What is the offer here? You send your assets to them and they will welcome you as a customer. After that, it is all up to you. I'll be one of the first to admit taking and having control over any piece of your life is an attractive and desirable pitch. I will tell you it is not universally advantageous for everyone or for every reason.

If it were, I should buy a lot of ads enticing you to take control of your own car repairs. You send me the title to your car and in return I give you access to some tools for a quarterly fee and you decide yourself how to use them. I would give you, yes you, a power you never had before; to diagnose, chose repair parts, and install them (in your spare time?).

Would this be the way you would like to keep your vehicle, maintain it, and ensure it's safe operation? This is a twisted marketing tactic and you should take it for what it is worth - nothing. Now, if you are involved in a dedicated hobby of economic, stock, bond, derivative, benchmark, allocation, fundamental, and technical analysis over hundreds of companies and an increasing number of countries then maybe you will choose that hobby over enjoying the outdoors, your children and grandchildren, gardening, bird watching, boating, or maybe even reading for enjoyment.

The investment world is a dynamic and complicated place. You can still make all the decisions. (Never allow a broker or firm to have discretion over your nest egg.) Your broker should spend time to educate you and explain where you are, ask you where you would like to be, and your desire to leave a legacy (or not).

After they know this and more, their advice to you will be right for you and your family. The cost for this type of service is far less than the percentage tip you pay at you favorite restaurant or barber/hair salon. What is even better, your returns over going it alone will likely sail past your independent choices. This will more than compensate you for choosing to hire someone who gets up everyday and goes to work (just like you), and who's job is tapping into the best advice and hiring the top money managers in the country - for your benefit.

So the next time you see an offer to declare your financial independence, or never pay anything for a fee on a mutual fund, ask yourself how long you wish to spend each day on your back under your car, with your rented tools, working with parts you won't be certain were installed correctly or were the right choice for your vehicle.

Cheap Holidays, Saving Your Family Finance

Cheap holidays can be an outstanding offer for the people who are planning a holiday trip with their loves ones or family. As the name suggests, you can now easily avail a wonderful holiday package at cheaper rates. There are numerous holiday destinations in the whole world. You can select any holiday location as per your convenience and desire.
Various travel agencies are available in the market which offer you cheap holidays benefit. However, the terms and facilities provided by them may differ. So, you have to research the market carefully and need to compare different holiday packages conveniently to grab the best one, suiting your needs and budget.
In the cheap holidays packages the cheap flights and cheap hotels deals are included. Therefore, now you need not have to waste your time in booking them separately. You will get a chance to book air tickets in best flights and rooms in luxury hotels at a pocket friendly price.

The best way to book holiday deals at cheaper rates is through extremely popular online traveling sites. Online price comparison facility helps you to fetch cheap holidays package in a hassle free and convenient manner. Online holiday package booking process is also really very easy and fast. You just have to tell your holiday destination, departure date and time, the most suitable holiday package deal will be arranged for you in a very less time and that too without burning a hole in your pocket.
Moreover, online you will be able to find advance as well as last minute cheap holidays packages deals. In fact, online traveling sites provides you travel guide facility, in which you can find detailed information of all holiday destinations including famous attractions, pubs, nightlife, food, shopping places etc. This helps you to plan your holiday trip in a suitable way.
In addition to that, traveling sites and agencies will offer you details of flights, its schedules and departure and arrival time. Also, you can find a long list of hotels deals.
Therefore, with such beneficial offers you can certainly make your holiday trip affordable as well as well-organized.