Letter from the President
Dear Friends:

When it comes to boosting employee satisfaction and commitment levels, financial incentives are hard to beat. But what do you do when it's not feasible to hand out raises and bonuses? Consider offering employees access to professional financial counseling services. These services give employees knowledge and skills they can use for a lifetime to reduce monthly bills, repair bad credit, save for a child's educational needs, plan for retirement, and much more. And there's an upside for employers, too. These services cost just pennies per employee to deliver, they can do wonders to raise an organization's overall satisfaction and commitment levels, and recruiting and retention efforts are strengthened, as well.

The need for financial counseling has never been greater among American workers. Department of Labor statistics show that disposable personal income is at an all-time high since 1980 but savings are at an all-time low. And recent media reports and polls indicate that millions of workers don't trust themselves to invest their money properly and millions more have no clue how they'll fund their retirement. Clearly, employees everywhere would benefit from some expert financial guidance.

High quality programs like those offered by LifeCare cover a wide range of financial needs. For example, we offer clients access to financial counselors who provide up to three free 30-minute telephonic consultations per person, per year. Counselors assist callers with credit repair, debt management and debt consolidation. We also provide information and referrals to help people with budgeting, home buying, estate planning, retirement, and more. In addition, we provide extended and premium financial services that deliver more extensive assistance, including in-person financial planning assistance (to address investing, college planning, home purchases, retirement planning, etc.), the preparation of a family budget, and even discounts on fee-based financial planning services that employees might seek out on their own.

There's no denying it: most of your employees could use a little help when it comes to managing their finances effectively. The Census Bureau reports that 15 percent of all households have zero savings or are in debt. Employers who help workers improve their financial situations will reap the rewards of greater loyalty and satisfaction for a long time to come.

As always, we’d appreciate knowing how we can better serve you. So e-mail us at connection@lifecare.com, fax us at 203-291-3571, or call us at 800-873-4636 if you’d like to share ideas and offer feedback.

Sincerely,

John B. Place, President