
Three Steps to Financial Wellness
Falling short of your retirement savings goals or having trouble paying the bills? You are not alone. Many people are financially out of balance. Financial wellness means finding a balance between living for today and preparing and planning for tomorrow.
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Protect what you have with insurance.
“Life, disability, and long-term care are vital components of a comprehensive financial strategy,” says financial planner Nick Ventura, president and CEO at Ewing, N.J.-based Ventura Wealth Management. “Having these elements in place will offset the risks of catastrophic events.”
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Plan for life after you’re gone.
Most people don’t want to contemplate their own mortality, but putting off estate planning is ill-advised. In addition to arranging for an authenticated will and a trust, you should designate beneficiaries for your retirement accounts.
- Get an early start on saving for retirement.
- Putting off long-term retirement saving could cost you. To get started, designate contributions as a percentage of your income, not as a flat dollar figure. Also consider increasing your contributions each year to match any salary increases.
NEA Member Benefits can help. Get started with benefits for insurance, retirement, and more at neamb.com/Overview.

Need a grant?
Apply for the NEA Foundation’s $2,000 and $5,000 grants for individuals and teams of education professionals to support instructional practice or professional development across all subject areas and grade levels.
Applications are reviewed three times a year (winter, spring, and fall).
Want to bring the world to your classroom?
These resources and opportunities can help connect you, your classroom, and your students with ideas and people around the world.
Download classroom resources from the NEA Foundation’s Global Learning Resource page to help your students become 21st century global citizens.
Join a learning community of educators committed to global education advocacy.
Find more resources and programs offered by the NEA Foundation—a public charity founded by educators for educators—at neafoundation.org. Follow us on Facebook and YouTube for updates.
Find Tools for Your Practice
- Looking for professional learning opportunities and resources to bolster your lessons?
- Legal guidance on educator rights?
- Or just good advice from fellow educators?
Check out NEA’s online resource library, where you can search by keyword, issue, resource type, and more to find the latest and best professional resources from NEA. Visit nea.org/Resource-Library.
59TH ANNUAL NEA HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS AWARDS
CALL FOR 2026 NOMINATIONS
Know an individual, organization, or affiliate that champions racial and social justice and civil rights within their community? Show your support and uplift their good work on the national stage by submitting a nomination for a 2026 Human and Civil Rights (HCR) Award. Honorees are recognized during the annual HCR Awards program, held in July, prior to NEA’s Representative Assembly.
- Identify and honor exemplary individuals, organizations, and affiliates for their contributions to human and civil rights, and racial and
social justice. - Celebrate NEA’s multicultural roots and commitment to justice.
- Recognize today’s human and civil rights victories and chart the path forward.
- Honor the rich legacy of the merger between the American Teachers Association (ATA) and NEA, from whence the HCR Awards program began.
The work of civil rights and social justice heroes is as critical today as it was yesterday. Let’s work together to remind everyone that the cause endures, the struggle goes on, and hope still lives!
Identify your nominees now! It is never too early to begin profiling nominees and potential HCR Award winners! Find information on past winners and submit nominations for the 2026 HCR Awards at nea.org/HCRAwards.
Nomination forms and instructions for the 2024 HCR Awards will be available online until Dec. 6, 2025, at nea.org/HCRAwards.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please email [email protected].
Join Our Movement
