Do You Know the Financial Implications Of Taking A Career Break?

When it’s time to start a family, many parents-to-be are so focused on decorating the nursery and choosing the right car seat that they can overlook the life-altering impact a baby can have on their financial life. And we’re not just talking the exorbitant cost of diapers—we’re talking nearly 4 million dollars in “potential income.” These…

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How Mindfulness Empowers Us to Skillfully Engage in Difficult Conversations

By Cheryl Jones, Director of Mindfulness at Aetna As if the intensity of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic with its health and economic implications wasn’t enough, we now find ourselves in the midst of rising racial and political tensions. It feels as though our sanity and our humanity are at risk. I believe mindfulness (awareness that…

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Psychosocial Factors and Disability Claims Management

Editor’s Note: The Council for Disability Awareness’ research consultant Fred Schott recently completed a third stint as host of The CDA’s Financial Health and Income Network podcast. This time, his guest was Ian Bridgman, executive director of The Claim Lab and a member of The CDA’s Board of Directors. Their topic was psychosocial factors and…

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Hey Gen X: Time to Protect Your Income

If you’re in your mid-to-late 40s, the options to protect your income may be coming to an end. If you don’t have income-protection disability insurance, you may find it’s more difficult to get it and that the cost is increasing.   Disability insurance? Yes, basic disability insurance is most affordable way to protect your income…

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10 Causes of Disability Every HR Leader Should Know

When most people consider disability, they picture something catastrophic happening—an injury on the ski slope, or a speeding car hurtling into theirs—and, for the most part assume it can never happen to them. That’s why human resources experts often find it challenging to convince their employees of the importance of disability insurance even though you…

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Disability can Happen – But Preparation Makes all the Difference

After Cris Martin discovered a lump on her chest wall, she went into self-advocacy mode – and learned several lessons along the way, including the importance of taking early action, and having group and supplemental individual disability coverage with a good carrier. Three years ago, my life was exactly the way it was supposed to…

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The Benefits of Being an Older First Time Mom

You see them jogging with strollers or walking in the baby food aisle. Maybe you’re one yourself. Today, more women ages 40 – 44 are new mothers. After decades of decline, there has been a jump in the increase of older moms. In a recent analysis of census data by Pew Research Center, 86 percent…

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Tackling the Summer Slide: Ideas to Promote Employee Productivity

The lazy days of summer are great…unless your employees are feeling a little bit too much summer fever. Because even though it’s the time of year when we want to hit the pool, the beach or the park, the work still has to get done. However, employees have become more emphatic about “work/life” balance, and…

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Be Rigorous — But Be Human: A Conversation About Long Covid and Mental Health

By Fred Schott Editor’s Note: Recently, Fred Schott, The Council for Disability Awareness’ research consultant, hosted a second podcast on Long Covid – this time focusing on its mental health dimension. (You can read the highlights from the first podcast here.)  Fred’s guest was Dr. Les Kertay, a clinical psychologist, senior vice president of behavioral…

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Substitute Perks: How To Give Your Employees Benefits Even When You’re Apart

As the effects of COVID-19 caused offices to close and send workers home, they lost access to many of the perks they might have relied on for comfort and well-being. Given that employees routinely say that benefits play a large role in their job satisfaction, this deficit can lead to a loss of productivity, especially…

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More than money: How to use benefits to get and keep good people

This article originally appeared on the American Fidelity blog. The current job market is nothing short of chaotic. Employees used the pandemic to reassess their career goals, and many are taking a hard look at what balance between work and life means. While the outlook for employees is positive and encouraging, it’s presenting great challenges…

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7 Benefits of Having a Dog

There are so many health benefits that come alongside having a dog as a companion. Whether it’s the popular Poodle, or the less well known Silver Labrador, all dogs provide benefits such as encouraging more exercise and therefore having better heart health. They can even help people with mental health problems, and bring many benefits…

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