TRANSCRIPT

(Jessica) Welcome to Money Matters on the Southern Bank Financial Wellness Network. I’m Jessica.

(John) And I’m John!

(Jessica) And today we’re talking about inflation. That is a hot topic. What is inflation exactly?

(John) Well, Jessica, basically you have inflation when prices are rising on just about everything even though the products and services haven’t changed.

(Jessica) Basically, you’re getting less bang for your buck.

(John) Exactly.

(Jessica) So, what should you do?

(John) Well, short term, you might have to dip into your savings account if you have one. Big picture, you have ...

Did you know that financial stress is one of the biggest impacts to employee performance?

According to a recent study, financial stress can impact your workforce in a wide variety of ways, ranging from increased absenteeism and tardiness to decreased productivity, even to physical health issues such as ulcers, anxiety, and heart problems.

So, what can you do to address this stress as an employer?

Many organizations now offer financial wellness programs that help teach employees to better manage their money and reduce their ...

If you think your identity has been stolen, here are five important steps to take:

Step One: Contact your financial institution to review and possibly remove any fraudulent charges.

Step Two: Contact one of the credit reporting companies to report that you have been a victim of identity theft, and request a fraud alert or credit freeze to your account.

Step Three: Request other credit reports. Victims of identity theft are entitled to credit reports from each of the major credit reporting companies.

Step ...

Do you know about the 50-30-20 rule of budgeting?

This rule is an easy way to evaluate how much you should be spending on a monthly basis by recommending that you spend 50% of your income on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings and debts.

For example, let’s say you make $1,000 in a month.

Fifty percent of that is $500, and you’d put it toward something like your rent or mortgage, groceries, and utilities.

Thirty percent would be $300 for wants, ...