It is commonly known that bullying is one of the biggest challenges for today’s teenagers. This fact is both sad and dangerous. Our young people are being subjected to mental anguish over silly, if not trivial differences. As we collectively battle this problem as a society, it’s shocking to realize that financial bullying is a part of many of our lives. Financial bullying can come in many forms, but more importantly, it can ruin just about any relationship.

There are two equally-weighted votes in every relationship. You have a vote. And your partner has a vote. By its nature, this means a disagreement is caused when there are dissenting opinions and the votes cast offset each other to bring about a dead heat. Our ability to resolve disagreements is crucial to the survival of our relationships. Money just happens to be one of the most disagreeable topics, for any marriage.

For more information and tips from Pete the Planner, please visit his website, check out his radio show, watch him on TV, or take a look at his new column in the IndyStar.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com

Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.

Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*

Avoid the holidays from sneaking up on you this year, and join Pete the Planner’s Holiday Savings League with Healthy Horizons! 

This bi-weekly email program will help you stay on track with your holiday shopping budget. The entire point of the Pete the Planner Holiday Savings League is to make holiday spending easier on you. You need to establish your holiday budget right now. Take a few minutes to consider how much money you can afford to spend this coming holiday season. Throughout the program, you’ll be eligible for great prizes, and you’ll be able to love receiving your mail again in January and February.

The program will kick off with the first email on Sept. 16. Registration will be open through Friday, Sept. 13.

Learn more and register now.

Questions? Please contact Healthy Horizons at healthyhorizons@butler.edu or by calling extension 8143.

Are you a good healthcare consumer? In other words, do you get the best pricing for your medical care and prescription drugs? Comprehensive health insurance plans have lulled us into a partially apathetic state, in regards to our healthcare costs. When consumers take more interest in the cost of their care, they make great strides in their overall financial awareness.

A great healthcare consumer uses services like HealthCareBluebook.com and BidRX to keep costs as low as possible. It’s appropriate and wise to negotiate medical service costs based on the information found on these websites. Don’t take your medical expenses for granted, and don’t write a blank check just because it’s your health.

Take some time to think through the rest of 2013. Are there some opportunities for you to reduce medical expenses?

For more information and tips from Pete the Planner, please visit his website, check out his radio show, watch him on TV, or take a look at his new column in the IndyStar.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com

Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.

Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*

Pete the Planner will be back on campus to present another financial wellness program, “One Hour to Change,” on Wednesday, September 4^th at 3pm in the Johnson Boardroom.

One Hour to Change is an entertaining and educational hour that will leave you inspired to make financial changes in your life. In this program, you will learn everything you need to know to get on the road to financial health.

• How to budget
• How to understand a credit report
• How to pay-down debt correctly
• How to address money within relationships
• How to save for the future
• How to reduce spending
• How to create financial momentum

Space is limited. To register for this program, please contact Healthy Horizons at healthyhorizons@butler.edu or extension 8143.

Rewind your mind to simpler times. What did people do for fun during nice weather, 200 years ago? They went outside. They didn’t really have too many other choices. They didn’t have computers, TVs, air conditioning, or video games. They simply went outside, which in turn, resulted in low-cost, healthy entertainment. 

The summer is the perfect time to explore your local parks, walk your local trails, and bike your local roads. None of these activities cost any money, and they help you continue on your quest for overall wellness. If your “free time” is filled with costly indoor activities to entertain you and your loved ones, including watching TV, then take some time examine how much your indoor lifestyle affects your wallet. It may be time to cut the cord on indoor activities, and cut your spending in the process.

For more information and tips from Pete the Planner, please visit his website, check out his radio show, watch him on TV, or take a look at his new column in the IndyStar.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com

Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.

Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*

Can a garden have an important economic impact on your life?

Thanks to rising costs of organics, most people feel as though it costs too much money to eat healthy. While it’s easy to argue that the long-term benefits of a healthy lifestyle can justify the increased grocery bill, I’m here to tell you that healthy eating can be inexpensive, if you do it correctly.

For a moment, consider how your grocery bill breaks down. Do you spend $15 or more a week on vegetables? If you are buying good vegetables, you probably are spending at least $15. Did you know that you can spend about $15 just once, and create an entire summer worth of vegetables? You can. Not only is planting a small veggie garden a great way to have great food on demand, but it costs virtually nothing to buy the plants. It’s the perfect solution: eat healthy and it saves big time bucks.

For more information and tips from Pete the Planner, please visit his website, check out his radio show, watch him on TV, or take a look at his new column in the IndyStar.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com
Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.
Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*

Your mental health and your financial life intersect each other on a daily basis. Physiologically, your body is affected every time you make a purchase, worry about debt, and/or accomplish a financial goal. Your body and mental health affect your financial decisions and are affected by your financial decisions. Knowing this is the first step to preventing any potential problems.

If your financial life is troublesome, ignoring it won’t change anything. Mental health issues, like anything else, are best addressed when they are taken seriously. It’s not healthy to consistently ignore your budgeting problems. If you operate month after month with a budget deficit, then only bad financial things can happen. Whereas it seems like it might be more stressful to face your financial problems head-on, it’s actually the best thing you can do to reduce your financial stress.

For more information and tips from Pete the Planner, please visit his website, check out his radio show, watch him on TV, or take a look at his new column in the IndyStar.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com
Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.
Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*

When the clock struck midnight on December 31st, 2012, did you celebrate the accomplishment of your financial goals? If you are like most people, probably not. Most people don’t accomplish financial goals for one very simple, silly little reason: they don’t set financial goals. That’s it. That’s the reason. People don’t move forward financially year to year because they don’t have a path. It’s time to make a path. This financial path is one of the most practical things you will ever do.

You need to set financial goals. The goals need to be short and sweet. Here’s how it works: I want to get my Visa balance down to $500 by February 28th. You could also try: I’d like to increase my savings account balance by $250 by March 15th. This is important for a very simple reason: we all have problem areas (dining out, clothes, etc), but we struggle to change our spending patterns in these areas unless we have goals to offset the behavior. Your willingness to cutback on dining out will result in you reaching your short term financial goals. No goals equals no accountability in your problem areas. Set new financial goals every 30 days. Before you know it, you’ll be toasting your financial success on December 31st, 2013.

For more information and tips from Pete the Planner, please visit his website, check out his radio show, watch him on TV, or take a look at his new column in the IndyStar.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com
Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.
Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*

Going green. That has the perfect money sound to it, doesn’t it? And while there are definitely financial tips that can help you save money and the earth, I’d prefer we focus on the resourceful nature of going green. Being sensitive to our natural resources is about understanding the finite nature of…well, nature. You need to view your financial life the exact same way.

There are several ways in which you can be more financially resourceful, and in turn, improve your life. Think of all the different ways in which we are not resourceful. Our garages and basements are filled with things we don’t need, use, or want. If this storage hassle gets too out of hand, we turn to renting storage units. We pay other people to store things we don’t need, use, or want! In many instances, it’s important to take a step back from our lives, and try to evaluate our habits and consumption decisions. Do you have a closet full of clothes that you aren’t using? Get rid of them. While you may or may not make any money in the process, you will de-clutter your life. There’s something to be said about this. The less stuff you have, the less stuff you will feel like you need. You will start requiring all of your possessions to have a purpose. This means that every future purchase will be measured by this same metric. How will this item impact my life? Will it just end up in the closet and sit there for a decade? Let’s hope not.

The more resourceful you are, the less you will waste money. The less money you waste, the more money you will have for your real financial priorities.

For more information and tips from Pete the Planner, please visit his website, check out his radio show, watch him on TV, or take a look at his new column in the IndyStar.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com
Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.
Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*

Questions? Contact Healthy Horizons at healthyhorizons@butler.edu or extension 8143.

Get help meeting your financial goals by registering for “60 Days to Change,” a free online- and email- based program. Healthy Horizons is sponsoring the program — presented by financial counselor Peter Dunn — for all Butler staff and faculty.

Register here no later than Friday, Feb. 8.

The first “60 Days to Change” emails go out Feb. 11. Please pick up your program book before then at the Healthy Horizons office, Pharmacy Building, Room 110, weekdays 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

All Butler employees are invited to complete an anonymous financial wellness survey. The survey gauges our workforce’s level of personal financial stress, and identifies potential areas of focus, so that Healthy Horizons can bring you programming to address challenge areas.

Call Healthy Horizons at (317) 940-8143 or email healthyhorizons@butler.edu with questions.