Department of Budget and Management Health Benefits

Saying "Happy New Year" is a way of conveying our wish for others - and ourselves - for new and happy beginnings. A new year presents the opportunity to set goals and make positive changes in our lives. For our health and wellness, it can be a "do-over", especially after overindulging during the holidays! We declare to ourselves that "this will be the year that we" _______ (and we fill in the blank with something very ambitious). Often these resolutions are outsized big stuff, like running our first marathon by March or hitting the gym hard and heavy when we haven't gone regularly in a while. Yes, it's something we'd like to accomplish, and we have the intention and the initial motivation, but if the goals are too big, it becomes like climbing a ladder with rungs that are too wide apart. It's simply too hard to climb to the top, and we end up giving up. This is where using S.M.A.R.T. goal setting (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) can help you succeed.

 S.M.A.R.T. goals will make your health and wellness ladder rungs appropriately spaced so that you can achieve your goal of reaching the top. Below is a summary of resources available to you to help you as you climb your ladder. These resources will demonstrate S.M.A.R.T. goals in a variety of ways - and some will have your setting your own! Read the full newsletter to learn more and be sure to register for the new January Financial Wellness Challenge (and you could win real money!).

Plus exciting news - we have a new Fitness Wellness Challenge that's perfect for January! Holiday spending makes it easy to see why January is Financial Wellness Month. To celebrate this in a fun way, we've brought "Right on the Money", a 4-week financial education program wrapped in a fun game, to you. The more you learn about your finances, the more confident you will feel about your decisions. Your goal is to earn virtual dollars that enter you into raffles that earn you real money in the form of gift cards! Read on to learn more...​

Holiday spending in December often leads to taking a look at our spending as we try to determine our financial goals for the new year. If you experience financial stress post-holiday spending, you know that financial wellness is not just about money - being financially healthy is a critical piece of overall health and wellness. Right on the Money can help reduce the holiday stress "spending hangover" as you build confidence around money matters. This 4-week financial education program is wrapped in an online game to make learning fun. And, as you learn, you'll earn virtual dollars that enter you into raffles to earn real money in the form of gift cards!

Watch this short 1-minute video to learn more

Right on the Money starts Monday, January 9 - Register here today!