This week we’re sharing how you can ditch bad financial habits, establish trust with your financial advisor and choose the right health care plan. Here’s what you need to know now:

• Poor financial habits can make budgeting impossible and destroy your long-term savings. Prioritizing, automation and goal-setting can help keep your budget and finances on track. Kathryn Vassel of CNN Money shares the habits she believes are most damaging. They include paying too many bank fees, impulse shopping, spending too much on housing and being too conservative when investing.*
• Do you trust your financial advisor is giving you advice that’s in your best interest? Refuse to settle for bad advice. Asking questions and demanding information will help to develop transparency with your advisor. Gary Brand from Business Insider suggests insisting that all recommendations/proposals be in writing, asking if your advisor is being paid for the sale of a financial product, as well as working with a representative who is bound to a fiduciary standard whenever possible.*
• Open enrollment season has arrived. While researching benefit options is the last thing anyone wants to do, choosing the proper healthcare plan for you and your family can pay off. When selecting a plan, Tom Anderson from CNBC suggests looking beyond the lowest premium and giving thought to out of pocket expenses. Anderson also recommends enrolling in your employer’s wellness program to help combat rising health costs.

 *All investment information provided in this blog post is intended as a convenient source of information. This information is general in nature, is not complete, and may not apply to your specific situation. Please consult with your own investment advisor regarding your specific investment needs.