Financial Wellness Program: Strategies to Thrive, August 2024

National Financial Awareness Day is Wednesday, August 14! Celebrate the day by spending a few minutes gaining control, clarity and confidence over your finances with some of the financial wellness resources below.

Virginia’s Department of Human Resource Management offers a variety of resources to help you plan your future (and your present). See this month’s newsletter excerpts. For additional details on financial education offerings and resources provided by the Virginia Department of Human Resources Management (DHRM), please check out August’s financial wellness newsletter.

Don’t miss this opportunity happening TODAY!
ALL ABOUT THAT MONEY TUESDAYS LIVE WEBINAR Adulting-101: Smart Choices to Succeed in Your Finances This interactive virtual workshop covers money management principles and the financial challenges facing young professionals. The session includes an in-depth look at managing cash-flow, understanding student loans and building a savings and investment plan. Today, August 13, 12 p.m. Register Here!

Virginia Retirement System (VRS). Understanding Student Loans. If you’re one of the 43 million Americans with student loan debt, make sure your repayment path is as smooth as possible. Take our 15-minute online course, “Student Loans: Understanding Repayment Options and Assistance Programs,” for help evaluating repayment plans, loan consolidation or loan forgiveness options and more. Log into your myVRS account and select Financial Wellness to take the course.

Interested in learning how to budget? Planning a wedding or the birth of a child? Check out Banzai, designed to empower state employees on your journey to financial confidence. As you progress through the activities, you’ll have the chance to win cash prizes, tickets, and other giveaways. Participate and enter to win rewards! Most importantly, you will be provided with the peace of mind that comes with financial literacy and preparedness. Click here to learn more about Banzai.

Virginia Employee Discounts Marketplace. The employee discounts program is now the Virginia Employee Discounts Marketplace (VEDM)! State employees are encouraged to take advantage of local and national discounts exclusively for the Commonwealth’s workforce, their families and retirees. Exclusive deals include The Richmond Jazz & Music Festival, Washington Commanders, Science Museum of Virginia and NASCAR.

(Please note: When you access the discounts marketplace for the first time, you will have to create an account using your work or personal email address. The marketplace will validate your email address to ensure that the entry is not a bot, then you will be able to access all the available discounts.) Get started by creating an account!

Feeling overwhelmed by debt? In six short minutes, get tried-and-true strategies to help you level up your payments and CRUSH your debt. With our help, you’ll leave your debt in the dust in no time. Watch this video from Virginia Credit Union and share it with your friends and family.

Get $500 toward closing costs. Homeowner looks good on you. So does $500 toward closing costs. It’s your last chance to take advantage of this mortgage offer from Virginia Credit Union.

DIY with help from your home’s equity. From fun upgrades to needed repairs, you can get the job done with a home equity loan or HELOC with Virginia Credit Union.

Not new, but worth mentioning:

Employee Assistance Program (EAP). All health plans offered to state employees and their dependents have employee assistance programs (EAPs). Included are up to four sessions at no charge for such services as mental health, alcohol or drug abuse assessment, child or elder care, financial, grief counseling and legal services such as estate planning.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). State employees may be eligible for the PSLF Program. Keep reading to see whether you might qualify. The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. Click here to learn more.

Virginia Department of Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division. Have you checked to see if you’re missing out on money? TRS offers a user-friendly website and the secure document upload feature, making claiming your funds quicker than ever before! Unclaimed property can include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks and dividends, insurance proceeds, refunds and more. Visit the free search site to check for your name and start the claims process. Search for Missing Money! https://vamoneysearch.gov/

Want More?

• Virginia Cooperative Exchange: VCE offers a wide range of free financial wellness classes, with instructors certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, who will offer strategies to help people avoid pitfalls and build wealth. To learn more, visit Financial Education (pwcva.gov) or email smartmoney@pwcgov.org for a virtual appointment. Call 703-792-6287 for more information or 703-792-4713 for information in Spanish. Visit VCE’s calendar to see the class schedule.
• OEWW:  Click here for financial wellness resources curated by NOVA’s Office of Employee Wellness and Wellbeing (OEWW).

Submitted by:
Dahlia Henry-Tett, Chief Wellness Officer, Employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu