Financial Planners Offer Buffer Against Stress-Related Health Issues

FORT WORTH, Texas –Working with a financial planner offers a meaningful buffer against many health issues linked to financial stress, according to a recent survey of military professionals and their families.

The First Command Financial Behaviors Index® reveals that the majority of middle-class military families (senior NCOs and commissioned officers in pay grades E-6 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000) say that someone in their household has experienced a mental or physical health problem during the continuing economic turmoil of the past year. But those who work with a financial planner are less likely to report experiencing a variety of these physical and psychological challenges. Noteworthy differences between those with and without a planner are found for such stress-related health issues as:

• Difficulty falling asleep (18 percent with a planner versus 28 percent without)
• General increase in stress (15 percent versus 26 percent)
• Difficulty staying asleep (15 percent versus 26 percent)
• Muscle tension (14 percent versus 28 percent)
• Changes in weight (14 percent versus 27 percent)
• Irritability (10 percent versus 21 percent)

Furthermore, working with a financial planner seems to circumvent feelings of financial vulnerability when stress-related health issues are present. Among military families experiencing health issues, survey respondents who use a financial planner feel more comfortable about their finances than those without a planner. They are more likely to feel extremely or very:

• Financially secure (52 percent with a planner versus 28 percent without)
• Confident in their ability to retire comfortably (46 percent versus 20 percent)

“Economic uncertainty remains a critical issue for many servicemembers and their families,” said Scott Spiker, CEO of First Command Financial Services, Inc. “While everyone is impacted differently by financial concerns, we know that money worries can have a negative effect on our physical well-being. These findings reveal that working with a financial planner can help to lessen some of the health issues commonly associated with financial stress. Servicemembers who put their trust in a financial coach feel the benefits in both their physical and fiscal health.”

About the First Command Financial Behaviors Index®

Compiled by Sentient Decision Science, Inc., the First Command Financial Behaviors Index® assesses trends among the American public’s financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions through a monthly survey of approximately 530 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Results are reported quarterly. The margin of error is +/- 4.3 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. www.firstcommand.com/research.