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Pay raises and promotions will increase an employee’s income. Extra money is always welcome, but is it enough? The financial wellness of an employee can be a paycheck to paycheck experience. It helps when people know their budget and understand their financial worth.

The Need for Budgets

Few employees choose to be financially irresponsible. Most know the importance of budgeting but do not understand the mechanics. A young employee might develop a tight budget with every penny allocated to a specific expense. An emergency will throw that kind of budget into chaos. An older employee might not contribute to his or her HSA or 401(k) program. A hefty medical bill will cause nightmares and poor retirement planning makes the golden years bitter.

Future purchases will require putting money aside. An individual must save for down payments on a house and figure out how to pay a monthly mortgage. Money matters can be confusing, and some assistance is appreciated. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a Financial Wellness Plan that makes sense of a person’s budget and financial worth. Continue reading

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People get annoyed with government. There are benefits and services they are qualified to receive, but nothing appears to happen. Applications are rejected and deadlines are missed. It appears an individual is not getting what he or she deserves. These difficulties are even greater for new immigrants and their families. Group legal plans offer a significant benefit if they assist in dealing with government agencies. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services does offer such help to group legal plan members.

It Depends on Information

Public employees are not trying to be difficult. Consumer-friendly service is a priority and the various agencies want to help. Information can be a stumbling block. Services require specific information before they are approved. Online applications can be confusing, and the wrong data supplied.

Countrywide has a nationwide network of attorneys. These professionals have continually worked with all levels of government and know how information must be presented. They will help a group legal plan member submit a better-organized application with all the needed data. Continue reading

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Young employees are not irresponsible. They know they must pay their bills and live within their means. Unfortunately, the real-world hits them with a major challenge that affects their overall financial wellness. It is college debt.

Skills Are Acquired at a Cost

Young employees are social media savvy and have technical skills to boost an organization’s productivity. The achieved expertise comes at a price. Many college students go into major debt to finance their education. The final total may be in the six figures and can take years to finally pay off.

The paycheck is there but too many college graduates do not understand personal budgeting. Attempting to be responsible, a new employee might send a large payment to the college creditor and this might cause issues with other bills. Continue reading

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We live in an information world. Much of it is useful, but only if a person has access to it. Legal matters often appear vague and difficult to research. Individuals need information in the form of answers to questions. It is also important to receive suggestions and guidance on legal professionals. Not all group legal plans can deliver the goods.

Taking the Easy Way Out

Automation makes matters convenient but is not always consumer friendly. Alexa type response mediums can work for certain products but not pre-paid legal services; chat room member services are not much help, either. Consumer protection gets complicated and estate law varies from state to state. People want to be able to make telephone calls to attorneys without being charged. They want to talk face-to-face with a real person about medical powers of attorney. Consumers don’t want to scan legal documents into a portal for review. In short, a group legal plan must offer member sensitive services that provide information. That is what Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services does.

Stressing Personal Contact

We have a nationwide network of lawyers in our group legal plan administration. These professionals practice in the communities where our clients are located and the attorneys are easy to contact. Countrywide encourages face-to-face meetings. These are easy to schedule because a Countrywide group legal plan member has priority status. Continue reading

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The judicial system moves slowly, and probate court is perhaps the most cautious. Probate takes its time because the court concerns itself with the legitimate rights of survivorship. The most commonly used pre-paid legal services benefit of group legal plans is drafting simple wills. This is something all plan members should use.

The Real Benefit of Simple Wills

Probate moves faster when the deceased has left behind a simple will. An executor will supervise the administration of the estate. There is no need for a court-appointed administrator. Probate will be there to adjudicate the final disbursements, but its role in daily estate administration is diminished. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has simple will writing as a group legal plan benefit.

Let the Attorney Do the Work

There are templates a person may use to write a will. However, these do not always capture the nuances of a person’s wishes. Learning what an individual wants to be included in the will requires questions to be asked and answered. Countrywide has a net of experienced lawyers who provide Countrywide services. They know how to write wills and what questions a person should answer in drafting a solid will. Continue reading

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Buying a home is exciting and when an employee finally is making enough money that person can take the great step forward. The first-time home buyer may be a little anxious. After all, this is the most expensive purchase most people will make in their lifetime. No one wants to make a mistake which jeopardizes financial wellness.

The World of Real Estate

The real estate industry is an open market. You can buy the house you can afford or take a risk on one that is more expensive. You have the choice. The downside is purchasing real estate can be complicated.

There are terms used only in the property arena and conditions that only arise in real estate. Financing a house purchase can be confusing. Not everyone knows about points, FHA requirements, or payment schedules. Some prior education is helpful. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a financial wellness benefit that offers sound house buying advice. Continue reading

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American consumers have a right to good service and top quality. Whatever is purchased should be as it is advertised and offered to the buying public. That doesn’t always happen. Products or services are sometimes less than expected and warranties are not honored. Group legal plans ought to have a benefit that covers consumer protection and warranties. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers that option in its group legal plan benefit.

Consumer Protection Goes Beyond a Product

Faulty appliances and cheap quality computers are what most people think about when it comes to consumer protection, but there is more. Consumer protection covers services as well. Improper installation of solar panels or a driveway that isn’t properly paved are topics of a consumer protection complaint. Warranties that deal primarily with repair service and deliver poor or incomplete work are not acceptable.

Consumers can file complaints but there is a reluctance to do this. People don’t want to complete all the paperwork required. When they do, they might forget about collecting needed evidence and this results in an incomplete complaint. Continue reading

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Medical bills can unnerve even the most patient person. The cost of surgery or even simple procedures can be in the thousands of dollars. The size of a medical bill can cause people to make decisions that will impact financial wellness. The choices a frantic person makes can be devastating.

Decisions Made in Haste

Some people think that they can ignore the medical bill and pay it sometime in the future. It is an open invitation to have collection agencies make their obnoxious phone calls, and credit ratings can drop significantly for anyone who neglects to pay the medical bill. The second worst decision is to use a credit card. Doing that can add thousands of dollars to be paid off with double digit interest rates and using a credit card may not be necessary. Anyone who is looking at a sizable medical bill needs some good advice and guidance. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can offer the kind of assistance a person can use. Continue reading

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Financial wellness is an honest concern in many households. Our overuse of credit cards will increase personal debt and double-digit interest rates add to the bill. Sudden medical emergencies and the monthly payment of college loans will eat up a paycheck. Being nervous about financial wellness appears to be the modern way of life. It doesn’t need to be that way at all. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is here to give needed help.

It Starts with a Budget

Recent college graduates and Millennials are very tech smart; there is no question about that. But being digitally bright does not mean having any understanding of finances

Young employees spent college years worrying about grades. A personal budget was something to worry about after graduation. These new employees are now in the real world and having trouble juggling finances. Continue reading

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Organizations should pay close attention to living wills and powers of attorney. These are standard pre-paid legal services offered by group legal plans and both documents are important to any employer. Each can influence the claims experience of the group health plan.

The Basic Details

Living wills center on catastrophic and major medical care. An employee might be rendered unconscious. The victim’s wishes for medical care such as whether to use life support might not be not known. A living will spells out what is to be done in the event a person is unable to communicate. Medical powers of attorney assign decision-making responsibility. The person holding the authority will make decisions based on the victim’s express wishes and make final decisions about life support systems.

The Importance

Healthcare providers may not arbitrarily turn off life support or end treatment. A victim of a massive cardiac seizure might be on life support for months before dying. The claims experience continues to increase as the insurance policies are billed by the care providers and the employees group healthcare plan must absorb sizable costs. Continue reading