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That’s a really telling statistic.
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When your financial situation seems to be anything but steady, it can wreak havoc on you mentally. Maybe you owe money on your credit cards and you’re struggling to chip away at those balances. Or maybe you’re really having a hard time paying your mortgage and are worried about losing your home.
If you’ve been buckling under the weight of financial stress lately, you’re not alone. A good 75% of Americans say increasing financial stress is impacting their productivity at work, according to a recent survey by SecureSave.
Worse yet, nearly 30% of Americans say they spend one to two hours a day worrying about money. And if you’re spending that much time stressing about money, it means you’re probably falling behind on job-related responsibilities.
That can make for a pretty bad situation, though. If your productivity at work declines to a noticeable degree, it could put your job on the line. And that’s apt to only make your financial situation even worse. So if you’re stressing over money woes, a good bet is to do what you can to shore up your finances and start tackling your problems head on.
Start with an emergency fund
In addition to so many people being worried about money, SecureSave found that 67% of Americans don’t have enough cash in a savings account to cover an unplanned $400 expense. If money-related concerns are impacting your productivity on the job, one of the first things you should aim to do is build up some emergency savings.
Ideally, you should try to save enough money to cover a full three months of essential expenses. But if you’re sitting on less than $400 in the bank right now, it may take a long time to get to that point. And that’s okay. For now, try to save something, even if it’s just a few hundred dollars so you have a bit of protection.
Address your financial problems before they worsen
No matter what specific financial issue is getting you down, chances are, there’s some solution for it. Let’s say you owe a lot of money on your credit cards. You could try transferring your balances over to a single card with a 0% introductory APR so you get a reprieve from accruing interest as you figure out a game plan for paying off your debt. That could mean cutting expenses or taking on a side job to come up with the money.
If you’re having a hard time paying your mortgage, reach out to your lender. It may be willing to modify the terms of your loan, so your payments become more manageable for you.
It’s easy to see why so many people are stressed out financially these days. Inflation is surging. Borrowing costs are up. And there’s still the nagging fear of a possible recession.
You can’t just magically snap your fingers and make all of your financial problems go away. But you can try to build some emergency savings for peace of mind and tackle your specific issues individually to give yourself relief. Doing so might work wonders for your mental health — and even save you from losing your job.
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