WHAT IS FINANCIAL WELLNESS?

It’s two things:

1

Feeling good about your financial situation

2

Knowing what to do next with your money

No matter where you are on the financial spectrum today, Fidelity can help you achieve financial wellness.

Keep scrolling to learn more.

The 2 parts of financial wellness:

1

How do you feel about your finances?

It's okay to question whether you're making the right money moves. Financial planning isn't something most of us learned in school.

Are you...

Hoping to get on track financially and not sure how to get started?

Take advantage of a workplace savings plan, like a 401(k) or a 403(b). If you are already enrolled, consider contributing 1% more.

Juggling multiple financial priorities and feeling stressed about how to tackle them?

Access online learning resources in the NetBenefits.com Library for more help and ideas to manage your goals.

Feeling confident money-wise, but want to know how to do even better?

Great! Keep going! Try doing one new thing (for example, increase your savings rate or research a new investment vehicle).

No matter how you're feeling—unsure, worried, positive, or excited—we can help. Use our 70+ years of experience. Our series of steps will help you manage your financial life so you can feel good about what you're doing now—and know what to do next.

2

What are you doing with your money today?

Where does it go when it leaves your paycheck?

Let's start with budgeting—the foundation for your financial wellness.

Budgeting

Reality: More than half of people (52%) spend more than they earn or just break even each month.1

Creating and maintaining a budget (which is just an outline for how you spend your money) sounds like a basic step–but it’s an important one. To get started:

  • Be aware of how much you're spending—and where
  • Spend less than you earn

NEXT STEP:

Create a budget using the 50/15/5 rule: Put 50% of take-home pay towards essential expenses (like food and housing), consider saving at least 15%* of pre-tax income for retirement, and 5% towards short-term savings.

*Includes any employer contribution

Debt

Reality: 40% of people have too much debt.2

Don’t let high-interest debt from credit cards pile up (pay off your bill in full each month). Other forms of debt (like a mortgage) can be okay. They can help build good credit and generally have lower interest rates and tax advantages.

NEXT STEP:

Pay down your high-interest credit card debt first, followed by private student loans. Pay monthly minimums on government student loans, car loans, and mortgages.

Save and Invest

Reality: Only 30% of people are saving at least 15% for retirement.3

Once you have a budget in place, and a plan to address your debt, you need to do 2 things:

  • Save money—just 1% more could make a huge difference in the long run
  • See if investing your money could be a wise choice for you (so your money can grow)

NEXT STEP:

Consider saving and investing at least 15%* of your pre-tax income for retirement in a workplace plan like a 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b).

*Includes any employer contribution

Risk and Protection

Reality: Only 45% of people have at least 3 months of expenses saved.4

Once you’re saving and growing your money by investing, make sure you’re protected against loss.

NEXT STEP:

Build an emergency savings fund to cover 3–6 months of essential expenses.

Review your health care and insurance benefits annually to make sure you have enough coverage.

As you can see, the financial wellness levels—budgeting, debt, saving, and protection—build as you go to guide you from day-to-day stability like paying bills on time, to helping you achieve goals like retiring comfortably.

GET STARTED ON A PATH TO FINANCIAL WELLNESS

Congratulations! You’re ready to begin your journey with a better understanding of what it means to be financially well. Fidelity can help you confidently take next steps for tomorrow.