How do financial struggles and stress affect the immune system?

Financial struggles and stress can have a profound effect on our immune system. The fight-or-flight response, which is triggered by stress hormones, suppresses the activity of the immune system. This is because our body needs to put its energy into something else when it is in a state of stress.

This means that we are more susceptible to infections and other illnesses when we are not getting enough sleep or living a high-stress lifestyle. Studies show that financial insecurity can reduce the activity of an enzyme called telomerase that lengthens telomeres – or caps – at the end of chromosomes. These caps act as protectors for cells against aging and mutations, so lessening their length can accelerate aging, weaken immunity against disease, and increase risk for cancer.

We realize its not an easy subject to confront especially when finances are less than optimal.

The point is to make the effort to take on the challenge with a solid plan and have faith and patience for the plan to work. Most people freeze up and take no action and this only exacerbates the problem.

Do not get down on yourself as financial troubles affect nearly all of us at one time or another. Yes, you work hard and are counted on, etc etc but worrying and getting ill only makes things worse.

Realize that it is only money and not your self worth on the line. Take action and take care of yourself and things generally work out for the best!

Top Ten Reasons for Financial Problems

Here we'll take a look at some of the most common financial mistakes that often lead people to major economic hardship. Even if you're already facing financial difficulties, steering clear of these mistakes could be the key to survival.

1. Excessive and Frivolous Spending
Great fortunes are often lost one dollar at a time. It may not seem like a big deal when you pick up that double-mocha cappuccino or have dinner out or order that pay-per-view movie, but every little item adds up.

Just $25 per week spent on dining out costs you $1,300 per year, which could go toward an extra credit card or auto payment or several extra payments. If you're enduring financial hardship, avoiding this mistake really matters—after all, if you're only a few dollars away from foreclosure or bankruptcy, every dollar will count more than ever.

2. Never-Ending Payments
Ask yourself if you really need items that keep you paying every month, year after year. Things like cable television, music services, or high-end gym memberships can force you to pay unceasingly but leave you owning nothing. When money is tight, or you just want to save more, creating a leaner lifestyle can go a long way to fattening your savings and cushioning yourself from financial hardship.

 
3. Living on Borrowed Money
Using credit cards to buy essentials has become somewhat commonplace. But even if an ever-increasing number of consumers are willing to pay double-digit interest rates on gasoline, groceries, and a host of other items that are gone long before the bill is paid in full, it's not wise financial advice to do so. Credit card interest rates make the price of the charged items a great deal more expensive. In some cases, using credit can also mean you'll spend more than you earn.

4. Buying a New Car
Millions of new cars are sold each year, although few buyers can afford to pay for them in cash. However, the inability to pay cash for a new car can also mean an inability to afford the car. After all, being able to afford the payment is not the same as being able to afford the car.

Furthermore, by borrowing money to buy a car, the consumer pays interest on a depreciating asset, which amplifies the difference between the value of the car and the price paid for it. Worse yet, many people trade in their cars every two or three years and lose money on every trade.

Sometimes a person has no choice but to take out a loan to buy a car, but how many consumers really need a large SUV? Such vehicles are expensive to buy, insure, and fuel. Unless you tow a boat or trailer or need an SUV to earn a living, it can be disadvantageous to purchase one.

 
If you need to buy a car and/or borrow money to do so, consider buying one that uses less gas and costs less to insure and maintain. Cars are expensive, and if you're buying more of a car than you need, you might be burning through money that could have been saved or used to pay off debt.

 
5. Spending Too Much on Your House
When it comes to buying a house, bigger is not necessarily better. Unless you have a large family, choosing a 6,000-square-foot home will only mean more expensive taxes, maintenance, and utilities. Do you really want to put such a significant, long-term dent in your monthly budget?

 
6. Using Home Equity Like a Piggy Bank
Refinancing and taking cash out of your home means giving away ownership to someone else. In some cases, refinancing might make sense If you can lower your rate or if you can refinance and pay off higher-interest debt.

 
However, the other alternative is to open a home equity line of credit (HELOC). This allows you to effectively use the equity in your home like a credit card. This could mean paying unnecessary interest for the sake of using your home equity line of credit.1

 
7. Living Paycheck to Paycheck
In June 2021, the U.S. household personal savings rate was 9.4%.2 Many households may live paycheck to paycheck, and an unforeseen problem can easily become a disaster if you are not prepared.

 
The cumulative result of overspending puts people into a precarious position—one in which they need every dime they earn and one missed paycheck would be disastrous. This is not the position you want to find yourself in when an economic recession hits. If this happens, you'll have very few options. 

 
Many financial planners will tell you to keep three months' worth of expenses in an account where you can access it quickly. Loss of employment or changes in the economy could drain your savings and place you in a cycle of debt paying for debt. A three-month buffer could be the difference between keeping or losing your house. 

 
8. Not Investing in Retirement
If you do not get your money working for you in the markets or through other income-producing investments, you may never be able to stop working. Making monthly contributions to designated retirement accounts is essential for a comfortable retirement.

 
Take advantage of tax-deferred retirement accounts and/or your employer-sponsored plan. Understand the time your investments will have to grow and how much risk you can tolerate. Consult a qualified financial advisor to match this with your goals if possible. 

 
9. Paying Off Debt With Savings
You may be thinking that if your debt is costing 19% and your retirement account is making 7%, swapping the retirement for the debt means you will be pocketing the difference. But it's not that simple.

 
In addition to losing the power of compounding, it's very hard to pay back those retirement funds, and you could be hit with hefty fees. With the right mindset, borrowing from your retirement account can be a viable option, but even the most disciplined planners have a tough time placing money aside to rebuild these accounts.

 
When the debt gets paid off, the urgency to pay it back usually goes away. It will be very tempting to continue spending at the same pace, which means you could go back into debt again. If you are going to pay off debt with savings, you have to live like you still have a debt to pay—to your retirement fund. 

 
10. Not Having a Plan
Your financial future depends on what is going on right now. People spend countless hours watching TV or scrolling through their social media feeds, but setting aside two hours a week for their finances is out of the question. You need to know where you are going. Make spending some time planning your finances a priority.

 
The Bottom Line
To steer yourself away from the dangers of overspending, start by monitoring the little expenses that add up quickly, then move on to monitoring the big expenses. Think carefully before adding new debts to your list of payments, and keep in mind that being able to make a payment isn't the same as being able to afford the purchase. Finally, make saving some of what you earn a monthly priority, along with spending time developing a sound financial plan.

Top Ten Reasons For Financial Success

1. Get Paid What You're Worth and Spend Less Than You Earn
It may sound simple, but many people struggle with this first rule. Make sure you know what your job is worth in the marketplace, by conducting an evaluation of your skills, productivity, job tasks, contribution to the company, and the going rate, both inside and outside the company, for what you do. Being underpaid even a $1,000 a year can have a significant cumulative effect over the course of your working life.

No matter how much or how little you're paid, you'll never get ahead if you spend more than you earn. Often it's easier to spend less than it is to earn more, and a little cost-cutting effort in a number of areas can result in savings. And, it doesn't always have to involve making big sacrifices.

2. Stick to a Budget
An important step to consider when trying to get ahead financially is budgeting. After all, how can you know where your money is going if you don't budget? How can you set spending and saving goals if you don't know where your money is going? You need to set up a budget whether you make thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

 
3. Pay off Credit Card Debt
Credit card debt is the number one obstacle to getting ahead financially. Those little pieces of plastic are so convenient to use, and it's so easy to forget that it's real money we're dealing with when we whip them out to pay for a purchase, large or small. Despite our good resolves to pay the balance off quickly, the reality is that we often don't, and end up paying far more for things than we would have paid if we had used cash.

 
4. Contribute to a Retirement Plan
If your employer offers a 401(k) plan (or another type of employer-sponsored retirement savings program), you should consider contributing to it if you can afford to. Often, with 401(k) plans, your employer will contribute the same amount that you put toward your account up to a certain percent. This is often referred to as an "employer match." If your employer doesn't offer a retirement plan, consider an IRA.

5. Have a Savings Plan
You've heard it before: Pay yourself first. If you wait until you've met all of your other financial obligations before seeing what's left over for saving, chances are, you'll never have a healthy savings account or investments. Resolve to set aside a minimum of 5% of your salary for savings before you start paying your bills. Better yet, have money automatically deducted from your paycheck and deposited into a separate account.

 
6. Invest
If you're contributing to a retirement plan and a savings account and you can still manage to put some money into other investments, all the better.

 
7. Maximize Your Employment Benefits
Employment benefits like a 401(k) plan, flexible spending accounts, medical and dental insurance, etc., are worth big bucks. Make sure you're maximizing yours and taking advantage of the ones that can save you money by reducing taxes or out-of-pocket expenses.

 
8. Review Your Insurance Coverages
Too many people are talked into paying too much for life and disability insurance, whether it's by adding these coverages to car loans, buying whole-life insurance policies when term-life makes more sense, or buying life insurance when you have no dependents. On the other hand, it's important that you have enough insurance to protect your dependents and your income in the case of death or disability.

 
9. Update Your Will
In 2020, just 32% of Americans had a will.1 If you have dependents, no matter how little or how much you own, you need a will. If your situation isn't too complicated, you can even do your own with software like WillMaker from Nolo. To better protect your loved ones, consider writing a will.

 
10. Keep Good Records
If you aren't careful about keeping thorough records, you're probably not claiming all your allowable income tax deductions and credits. Set up a system now and use it all year. It's much easier than scrambling to find everything at tax time, only to miss items that might have saved you money.

 
Pretty basic stuff but finances are based on pretty basic principles.  

The point of the top ten bad and good things to do financially is to put it all in perspective even though you may be in way over your head.  Remember that bankruptcy court is for good people that had either bad luck or bad judgment.  It gives everyone the legal opportunity to start over so do not discount this option if you cannot even make the interest payments on credit cards.

There is always a solution and the objective is to get your finances resolved as quickly as possible to stop the stress and attack on your immune system and health.  Like the saying goes, what do you have without your health?  

Putting all the eight holistic health elements together can vastly help you get through this time so apply the principles and come out the other side healthy and whole.

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