Submitted by Linda Jensen
The Heartland Institute of Financial Education (HIFE), a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization empowering organizations and their people through financial education, announced the induction of Linda Jensen, CFEd into its prestigious Registry of Certified Financial Educators. Linda was chosen because she has 26 years of expertise in the financial services industry, 22 years of experience in teaching financial and insurance concepts to adults, and she passed the CFEd exam.
The Heartland Institute founder Alan Gappinger said, “We knew immediately that Linda Jensen would be an excellent candidate to represent HIFE as one of our elite Instructors. Linda has the experience, cares about people and family, and wants to make a difference through education. Not everyone can teach adults financial concepts…that’s for certain. We are happy to have Linda teaching for us.”
The Heartland Institute is a nonprofit organization that was developed and designed to promote financial education in the workplace. It has joined with colleges and universities throughout the United States to provide non-solicitous financial wellness courses for organizations and their employees and/or members. All courses are for educational purposes, and no specific products are mentioned or endorsed during classes.
“More than thirty million Americans (1 in 4) are seriously financially distressed and dissatisfied with their personal financial situation,” states E. Thomas Garman of Virginia Tech University. Financial stress is rated by workers as their number one source of stress; concerns about personal finance are five times greater than those regarding health. Employers who believe in primary prevention find it crucial to make available financial literacy worksite classes to all employees experiencing problems impacting job performance. Financial health programs are one of the newest trends for wellness.
And what does it mean to employers? It translates into:
- Absenteeism
- Tardiness
- Lower employee morale
- Substance abuse
- Lack of focus on strategic goals
- Use of employee assistance programs
- Disability & worker compensation claims
- Increased use of health care resources
- Fighting with supervisors and co-workers
The Heartland Institute offers onsite workplace financial literacy classes at no cost to employers.
“The return on investment for employers who even slightly improve the financial well-being of employees is $450 per individual through lower absenteeism and more productivity,” says Garman. “A worker who is financially distressed is taking a direct bite out of the organization’s profits. In fact, 4 out of 5 workers use work time to deal with financial issues.”
And there are other benefits as well. Of those who attended a workplace financial education course:
- 34 percent of employees reported that they started contributing to their 401(k) Retirement Plan.
- 45 percent of employees said they increased the amount of their retirement contribution
- 56 percent of employees reported their financial situation had improved
- 75 percent of employees reported making better financial decisions.
These behavioral changes in workers translate into lower absenteeism, higher productivity, and potentially lower health care expenses. Employers, in particular, have an important role to play in helping Americans improve their health and finances by offering targeted programs and incentives.
Linda Jensen and The Heartland Institute are offering solutions for South Sound Employers. If you’d like more information or would like to discuss scheduling a financial wellness class, please contact Linda Jensen at 360-908-0612 or email Linda.Jensen@hife-usa.org or linda@assetcarefinancial.com.
