April 2024

Time for Your Financial Wellness Checkup!

Filing taxes is not most people’s idea of a good time. But while your calculator is out and you’re thinking about your finances, this could be a good time to assess your financial wellbeing.

What is financial wellbeing? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defines financial wellbeing as consisting of four elements (source):

Here are some financial wellbeing resources that can help you feel more in control of your financial situation, now and in the future:

• During America Saves Week (April 8–12), TIAA presents a series of practical financial education webinars to help you meet your financial goals (no registration required):
   
  • Learn to automate your savings in The Starting Line: Beginning to Save for Retirement on Monday, April 8, at 12 p.m.
  • Understand how paying down debt is a form of saving in Take Control of Your Financial Life: 5 Steps to Managing Money and Debt on Thursday, April 11, at 12 p.m.
     
• Cushion financial shocks for your loved ones by making sure your life insurance and retirement plan beneficiaries are updated to accurately reflect your wishes.
   
• Explore KGA’s financial wellness offerings and schedule your free 30-minute financial consultation using company code Harvard.
   
• Review your compensation, health insurance, and retirement benefits at My Total Rewards (HarvardKey required). While there, check out myFiTage (HarvardKey required), an interactive digital tool that helps you monitor your savings habits, offers personalized tips to help you reach your long-term goals, and can help you determine how close you are to financial independence.
   
• Do you belong to the Harvard University Employee Credit Union? Greenpath Financial Wellness can connect you with a counselor—services are available in more than 150 languages—who can help you build a personalized plan to reach your financial goals.

Although measures of financial wellness are subjective, according to a Harvard Business Review article, 80% of American employees report “some level of financial stress.” Getting a handle on these issues can reduce your anxiety, boost your confidence, and, best of all, help provide you with peace of mind.

Arts in April

April is a popular month for spring vacations and inspiring local cultural events! Whether you’re looking for something to do with kids during their school vacation or planning a get together with friends, there are plenty of options, both on and off campus, to satisfy everyone!

Some suggestions:

• Outings & Innings is the place to go for discounted event and destination tickets, including tickets to two new local attractions
   
  • View Boston at the Prudential Building features 360-degree views of the Boston skyline, interactive exhibits, and dining options (HarvardKey required).
     
  • Bring the whole family to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts by using the MFA Family Pass (HarvardKey required), which provides admission for two adults and four youths (invite friends, since your HUID gets you in for free!). Check out the MFA’s kids programming for art-making activities and gallery scavenger hunts.
     
• Visit Shehuo: Community Fire, a bilingual photo exhibit documenting a traditional spring festival held in rural northern China. It’s open through Sunday, April 14, at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.
   
• Cheer on your colleagues at the Harvard Staff Art Show Performers Night at the Queen’s Head Pub, below Memorial Hall. Enjoy live music from 5 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 10.
   
• Head over to the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East for From Stone to Silicone: Recasting Mesopotamian Monuments, and experience an augmented reality tour of an Assyrian palace using Snapchat! Blind and visually impaired visitors are invited to the exhibit; please reserve your Touch Tour at least one week in advance.

The plethora of cultural offerings around campus shouldn’t be taken for granted! It’s one of the many perks of working for Harvard.

Mind & Body

“I’m not trying to erase my culture or my faith—I’m trying to be the best version of myself, and it’s really hard. I’m just trying to figure out a balance.” —Ramy Youssef*

• Interested in learning more about women’s health and wellness? Check out Learn to Live’s Wednesday Women’s Health Webinars. Use access code HUWellbeing to register for Beyond the Baby Blues: Help and Hope for Postpartum Depression on April 10, My Little Bundle of What-Ifs: Calming Strategies for Postpartum Anxiety on April 17, or Thriving Through Transition: Simple Menopause Strategies on April 24.
• Stop by the Earth Day Festival on April 18, from 12 to 2 p.m., at the Science Center Plaza to browse a freecycle event, recycle your unwanted electronics, tune up your bike, and more.
• Get ready for cuteness overload! Piglets, bunnies, ducklings, and other baby farm animals are coming to the Science Center Plaza for you to pet, feed, and photograph, 12–2 p.m., Monday, April 29, through Friday, May 3, courtesy of Common Spaces.

Learning & Growing

“The steeper the mountain, the harder the climb, the better the view from the finish line.” —Paula Abdul*

• Join a virtual information session to learn how Harvard’s Administrative Fellowship Program (AFP) can help you prepare for a leadership position April 9 and 12 and May 8 at 12 p.m. AFP offers targeted professional development programming for mid-career administrators from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Registration required.
• Looking to apply for a new role? Discover how to best showcase your credentials and present yourself as a top internal candidate during CWD’s Navigating Your Harvard Career webinar on April 11 at 1 p.m. (HarvardKey required).
• Preparing to advance your Harvard career? Bring your CV to a Resume Review Session (HarvardKey required) or join one of our Networking Circles on May 1 (HarvardKey required to register) any time.

Living & Working

“It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.” —Steve Jobs*

• During this Zoom presentation, explore exercises that can gently transform how your mind deals with pain: Mindfulness of Physical Sensations, Working with Physical Pain, April 24 at 12 p.m.
• Discover practical skills that can help you become a better caregiver—while taking care of yourself—at The Sandwich Generation and Beyond webinar, April 17 at 1 p.m.
• Take advantage of convenient online seminars on mindfulness, communication, sleep, parenting, and more from the Office of Work/Life. Browse this month’s wellbeing offerings—and bookmark the link for the future.

Finances & Security

“Money is like love; it kills slowly and painfully the one who withholds it, and it enlivens the other who turns it upon his fellow man.” —Khalil Gibran*

• Find tips on saving, budgeting, and all-around financial wellbeing on the Harvard University Employees Credit Union’s Thrive Financial Wellness Blog.
• Move beyond investing basics and plan for a secure financial future at TIAA’s Fine-Tuning Your Retirement Strategy webinar, April 16 at 2 p.m. Registration required.
• Get practical tips for protecting yourself against AI scams during TIAA’s Staying Safe in the Age of AI webinar, April 24 at 1 p.m. Registration required.