The COVID-19 pandemic has businesses worldwide advocating and in many instances mandating, that staff work remotely. Most of us may be familiar with taking our work home and clocking in those extra hours but working from home full-time is an entirely different world. It’s sudden, it’s uncomfortable, it’s isolated and current conditions imply it might last longer than expected. You’ve turned your dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens or garages into your new home offices. New uniforms have been assigned; conference calls are being led in PJ’s. This is your new work mode, but in retrospect how much productivity does this working structure promote? Here are 7 tips to aid in minimizing your stress levels, preserving your mental health and promoting your productivity: 1. Get Dressed Insignificant perhaps? Tempted to stay in your PJ’s all day? Getting into this routine makes it harder for you to get off the starting line and makes you less productive during the day. Maintaining your image can help boost your confidence and it defines the lines between work and home life. Formal office wear is not suggested but the simple act of getting dressed makes you feel human and it’s an indicator that now is the time to get going. In this digital age, we are also engaged in many visual meetings and that’s about to increase as we adapt to this new working routine. Looking good helps you to feel good and to perform at optimal levels. 2. Designate a Workspace Designating a specific area in your home will help you to stay focused. Find an area that allows for natural light to flow in. Your space should also feel separate from your house as well because on the flip side you must be able to disconnect from work, or you run the risk of your work productivity suffering and your home life being negatively impacted. “Don't forget drink water and get some sunlight because you're basically a house plant with more complicated emotions.” - unknown 3. Define Working Hours Regular hours and accountability, you’re the manager in this office and you need to self-evaluate your performance daily. Manage your time and recognize when enough has been accomplished for the day. On days you find yourself clocking longer hours and not being able to produce determine if it’s time to take a break, recharge, and begin again tomorrow with a rejuvenated mindset. For those in collaborative roles setting the same schedule makes the transition smoother. Establish boundaries within the household environment so you can minimize on distractions. Separating your time and space to work will allow you to be fully present with the task at hand. 4. Mental Transitions Getting to your work locations allows your brain the time to condition for work. On your daily travel if you usually use this downtime to listen to music, read or simply breathe… you can still practice these equivalent routines at home to help you ease into your workday. Getting home from work does the opposite, sometimes we take for granted the time spent in the car or bus used to decompress from a chaotic workday. Hopping into your home routine immediately doesn’t allow your mind time to reboot, making you less present at the moment as you transition back into your personal life. Create equivalent routines for the end of the day to help unwind also. 5. Avoid the “Infodemic” Undeniably the main distraction is the news reports. Constantly monitoring COVID-19 updates is at the forefront of our minds. Stay informed but don’t let yourself get distracted by every available piece of information. Be selective when choosing information sources. 6. Effective Communication Critical to your success is effective communication during this pandemic. In these uncharted waters, clear expectations must be outlined and communicated to staff. For businesses new to working remotely expect to encounter some obstacles along the way. Goals and objectives are prone to change and there are several tools that can be used to navigate these occurrences. Schedule your check-in’s and communication outlets that will be used to convey any changes or new projects. If you require assistance or a second opinion reach out to colleagues as you usually would while at the office. To reduce miscommunication and maintain corporate culture check-in with your boss and colleagues on the phone, conference calls or through video chat. 7. Remotely Socializing Times are uncertain and anxiety levels are high right now, isolation may amplify these moods. Schedule morning calls with your entire team and make space for adjusting into work-mode small talk. Reach out to colleagues just to see how they are doing or how their day is progressing. Designate time for additional check-ins throughout the day. Remember we are in this together, reach out, connect, respect, and take care of each other. #workingremotely #genesisttinspired #purposedriven

Whether you are married or a parent, the death of one adult means the loss of one of your household’s income. This could result in financial hardships and you may no longer be able to afford your loan payments, any caregiving, tuition, or maintenance. Life insurance policies can assist in paying off debts and other expenses. Basically, your life insurance policy acts as a safety net, in exchange for your premium paid, the insurance company will pay a lump sum commonly referred to as a “death benefit” to your beneficiaries in the event of your death. These funds paid to your beneficiaries can be used for any purpose of their choosing. How to Choose a Life Insurance Policy Type? There are three primary types of life insurance, term life, whole life or universal life. A good place to begin is by deciding which is better for you. Term life insurance policies will provide you with cover for a specific amount of time. This policy does not offer any cash value or savings component as found in whole life products. One option this type of policy can be considered for is “income replacement” if you wish to be covered during your working years. It is also beneficial if you budget is limited. Whole life insurance policies, however, will last for the duration of your life. It offers a cash value component and is an effective way to leverage your money. Upon death, beneficiaries are paid the policy’s death benefit, not the death benefit plus cash value. Any cash value that the policy may have generated automatically goes back to the insurance company. However, there are some policy types that will offer the death benefit plus cash value, at an increased cost. Universal life insurance policies are permanent with more flexibility with an investment savings component. Upon an insured’s death, beneficiaries will receive the death benefit. Key Points Term life insurance guarantees payment of a specified death benefit to the insured's beneficiaries during a specified term. These policies have no value other than the guaranteed death benefit Whole life insurance offers guaranteed cash value accumulation. You can borrow against the cash value of a whole life policy. A universal life insurance policy can accumulate cash value & beneficiaries receive the death benefit.

Medical emergencies can be exceedingly expensive leaving you with a crippling amount of medical debt. If you have the misfortune of serious illness, an accident, or ongoing health issues the expenses can grow to be awfully large and quickly so. It is essential for everyone to always have some type of health insurance. If you need to buy health insurance, you’re in good company! Finding the right health plan can be a daunting task, where do you even start? You’re forced to face the what ifs of unpleasant narratives entailing injury and disease, along with any other financial, family or personal commitments. The variety of choices are at your fingertips. But the information can be overwhelming and time consuming - you could face consequences worth thousands of dollars if you make the wrong choices. There’s not a logical way for people with no significant financial training or experience to choose the most suitable health plan under these conditions without a benefits professional to assist. Even in the marketplace some customer service representatives are limited in the knowledge and advice they can provide. So, what are the choices? Instead of optimizing available choices many people tend to pick randomly and hope for the best. After all it seems better that the do nothing alternative. We understand that the financial stress is growing and that many people postpone needed healthcare to avoid the task. What you need is a tool that estimates your total healthcare cost, including premiums, for every suitable plan, so you can truly weigh your choices. Using us as your tool is a reasonably easy way to mitigate your consequences. Key Points We pay a lot for health insurance and health care in general. With present-day conditions, we cannot simply hope to pick the best plan. Using Genesis as your broker can possibly save you thousands of dollars while optimizing your choices.