Life insurance is an important way to provide protection for your family. However, it&#39;s often misunderstood, and misconceptions are plentiful&mdash;including that it&#39;s expensive and difficult to purchase. But once you have a basic understanding of what life insurance is, how it works and the two main types of life insurance, you&rsquo;ll be on your way to providing protection and financial security for your family.

What is life insurance? 
<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/financial-health/how-do-i-know-which-type-of-life-insurance-is-right-for-me">Life insurance</a> is a contract between you and an insurance company where you make a monthly or annual payment&mdash;the premium&mdash;and the insurance company pays a specified amount of money&mdash;the death benefit&mdash;to your beneficiaries when you pass away.

If you have people who depend on your income, like underage children, a spouse or elderly parents, then life insurance is imperative. You should also consider life insurance if someone would incur additional costs if you pass away (like childcare for example). The money obtained from a policy can help your family pay their regular monthly bills, your children&rsquo;s future college tuition or for your funeral expenses and outstanding medical bills. In some cases, people decide to purchase a policy when a major life event takes place&mdash;like getting married, buying a home, starting a business or having a baby&mdash;but life insurance can be purchased at any time.

In fact, the sooner you buy life insurance, the lower your monthly or annual payments will likely be. Other factors that determine the cost of life insurance are your health status, medical history and driving record. Smoking status is also a large determinant of your payments, with non-smokers generally receiving significantly better rates.

While historically, purchasing life insurance required medical exams and blood testing, this is often no longer the case. In fact, for relatively healthy individuals, many insurance companies offer a benefit of up to $1 million without a medical exam or blood test. For larger policies or for people with extensive medical histories, a medical exam can still be required.

Two basic types of life insurance 
The <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/what-different-types-life-insurance">two main types of policies</a> are term life insurance and permanent life insurance.

Term life insurance offers a cash payout if you pass away during a specific period of time (for example, 10, 20 or 30 years); you pay via a fixed monthly or annual premium during the term of the policy. Term insurance is a viable option for covering specific costs such as a mortgage or college education. Often times, insurance companies will allow you to convert your term policy into a permanent policy for a specified period of time after purchase.

Permanent life insurance offers lifetime protection with a cash payout at the time of death, regardless of when that is. It often includes a cash account value that you may be able to access while you are alive, which has the ability to grow, similar to money in other investments (mutual funds, or bonds). Your monthly payments may be fixed or they may be flexible depending on the type of policy you choose. Permanent life insurance is a viable option for people looking to pass money on to their family after they pass away, or for people concerned about paying for funeral costs or medical bills at the time of their passing.

Some employers offer life insurance as a benefit to their employees. While this is generally temporary&mdash;good only while you are employed with the company&mdash;it may be wise to take advantage of this benefit, as the monthly payments may be offset by your employer. But if you have family who is dependent upon your income, additional insurance, outside of work is generally required. Life insurance can be purchased online, over the phone or from a licensed financial professional.

Medically reviewed in July 2018.

What Is Life Insurance?

We&rsquo;ve quoted Ben Franklin before, but his words are still as true as ever: &ldquo;An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.&rdquo; And taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act&rsquo;s free, preventive medicine coverage -- as an adjunct to your smart lifestyle choices of no Food Felons (they&rsquo;re trans and saturated fats, added sugar and syrups and any grain that isn&rsquo;t 100 percent whole), no tobacco, and no smoking anything, walking at least 30 extra minutes daily (heading for 10,000 steps a day), and de-stressing with mindful meditation -- can head off or reverse a lot of health problems. For example, if guys with elevated LDL cholesterol (but no symptoms) are identified and put on a lipid-lowering medication, that could prevent 25 percent of non-fatal heart attacks; and if everyone over the age of 50 had regular colon cancer screenings, more than 60 percent of deaths from that cancer could be avoided.&nbsp;

That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s good for your health -- and the country&rsquo;s healthcare bill -- that the ACA provides <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-screening-tests/what-preventive-screenings-should-get" target="_blank">preventive screenings</a>, tests and counseling for abdominal aortic aneurysm, alcohol misuse, breast cancer, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, colorectal cancer, depression, type 2 diabetes, obesity and tobacco use, as well as sexually transmitted infections. And it pays for <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/vaccines-and-immunizations" target="_blank">vaccination</a> against hepatitis A and B, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus (HPV), flu, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (TDP) and chickenpox. (In Canada, the Task Force on Preventive Care recommends their government-provided preventive services.) So, ask your doctor about taking advantage of the ACA&rsquo;s preventive health care services and screenings: you&rsquo;ll enjoy better health and a younger RealAge.

Medically reviewed in March 2020.

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The holidays are a time of festivities with family and friends, making merry and, for some, increased risk of a heart attack. In fact, a study presented at a 2013 European Society of Cardiology meeting found that death from heart disease tends to be higher during January and February. We talked with cardiologists Frank Arena, MD, of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/lakeview-regional-medical-center">Lakeview Regional Medical Center</a>, Hoang Nguyen, DO, of Regional Medical Center and Taral Patel, MD, of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/tristar-summit-medical-center">TriStar Summit Medical Center</a> about potential heart attack triggers during the winter season and what you can do to keep your ticker going strong.

1. Be kind to your body 
According to Dr. Patel, those at increased risk include people with diagnosed heart disease, those who have already had a heart attack, been treated with stents or had bypass surgeries, smokers and people with diabetes. But even if this doesn&rsquo;t describe you, your heart may not be as healthy as you think. &ldquo;A heart attack is not a singular event,&rdquo; says Dr. Arena. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the end result of the culmination of a series of events. You have a heart attack because you&rsquo;ve spent years and years building up plaque around the arteries.&rdquo;

Maintain good health: Healthy eating habits and regular exercise throughout the year can help keep problems at bay. If you have diabetes, be sure that it&rsquo;s under control. Smokers could give themselves the best gift of all by <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/quit-smoking">kicking the habit</a>.

2. Take a chill pill 
While the holiday season is a celebratory time of the year, it can also bring about added stress from strained family relationships and overstretched finances.

&ldquo;One thing that surprises me is how much stress and emotion play into it,&rdquo; says Patel. &ldquo;Mental and emotional stress is a huge factor that I think we downplay.&rdquo; Some may suffer from <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/what-broken-heart-syndrome">broken heart syndrome</a>: &ldquo;A sudden stressful event can cause a person to have chest pain and a sudden heart attack,&rdquo; says Patel. Stress overload can also make it tough to get enough sleep, which can fuel overeating. &ldquo;Insomnia makes adrenaline levels go up, blood pressure goes up, we get carb cravings,&rdquo; says Arena. &ldquo;You just continue to make poor choices in the moment because you aren&rsquo;t sleeping.&rdquo;

Stress less: Take time to relax; try <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/how-meditation-help-relieve-stress">meditation to calm down</a>. Make sleep a priority. You&rsquo;ll be more clear-headed for handling family issues and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/anxiety/money-stress">making spending decisions.</a> Get enough shut-eye to prevent spikes in <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/endocrine-system/how-does-cortisol-affect-body">the stress hormone cortisol,</a> which increases appetite.

3. Maintain your medicationsI 
If you regularly take prescription drugs to treat a chronic condition like heart disease, continue to do so during the holidays. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re very busy during the holidays,&rdquo; says Dr. Nguyen. &ldquo;People are doing things they shouldn&rsquo;t be doing and eating things they shouldn&rsquo;t be eating. They forget to take their medication; they forget to check in with their doctor. Things like that tend to lead to heart attacks.&rdquo;

Be prepared: Don&rsquo;t rely on your memory for taking your pills; separate them into pill containers labeled by day. Set reminders in your phone. If you&rsquo;re traveling, take the entire bottle of each medication with you. If your return trip is delayed, you won&rsquo;t run out. You&rsquo;ll also have a list of your medications and dosage if needed.

4. Take it easy on the alcohol 
More partying means the toasting flutes and champagne will be in full force. While celebrating in moderation is ok, going overboard is not. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re drinking a fair amount, say, more than two or three drinks or anything enough to give you a hangover, you&rsquo;re creating a lot of adrenaline,&rdquo; says Arena. This can lead to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/arrhythmia/what-is-holiday-heart" style="line-height: 1.6em;">holiday heart syndrome,</a> or atrial fibrillation, which is characterized by a fast, irregular heartbeat. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s contributed to by the buildup of adrenaline that comes when&nbsp;people overindulge and become dehydrated, which makes their hearts start pounding,&rdquo; says Arena. &ldquo;The adrenaline is what leads to heart issues. The same triggers that cause you to go into atrial fibrillation can cause a heart attack as well.&rdquo;

Tame the tipples: Avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Don&rsquo;t have more than one drink per hour, and alternate drinks with water to stay hydrated. Skip sugary drinks; it&rsquo;s more difficult to tell how much alcohol you&rsquo;re imbibing. Stay festive by switching to seltzer water and lime or mixers&mdash;sans the alcohol. If you have heart disease risk factors, you&rsquo;ll want to take extra precautions to avoid holiday heart syndrome: Limit yourself to no more than two drinks per day, avoid overeating (it may trigger a reflex response that can cause an arrhythmia) and avoid caffeine.

5. Beware of cold-weather activities 
If you&rsquo;re tempted to join the family for a sled ride or feel compelled to shovel snow, you may want to think twice, especially if you&rsquo;re not physically active throughout the year. &ldquo;Winter activities can increase stress hormone levels and blood pressure,&rdquo; warns Patel, adding stress on the vessel wall. &ldquo;This is what causes the rupture, which causes the heart attack,&rdquo; he says. Cooler temperatures can also play a role. &ldquo;Even if you&rsquo;re not shoveling snow and it&rsquo;s not super cold, your arteries constrict a bit to keep your core warm,&rdquo; Patel says. &ldquo;That also increases blood pressure and shear stress [on the blood vessels].&rdquo;

Know your limits: If you&rsquo;re not used to lots of strenuous activity limit your time outside, dress warmly and don&rsquo;t overexert yourself.

6. Don&rsquo;t ignore the symptoms 
Maybe you&rsquo;ve just sat down for Christmas dinner or have begun exchanging gifts&mdash;and you&rsquo;re not feeling quite right. Don&rsquo;t worry about ruining the moment&mdash;it will only become worse if you&rsquo;re having a heart attack. Nguyen says&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/heart-attack/symptoms-of-a-heart-attack?myAttribute=yay" style="line-height: 1.6em;">heart attack symptoms</a> like chest pain, discomfort or shortness of breath require immediate medical attention. &ldquo;You should never ignore symptoms when it comes to the heart,&rdquo; he adds.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

6 Ways To Prevent a Holiday Heart Attack

Got a great reason to jump out of bed in the morning? Only 37% of North Americans say they do, according to a recent Gallup Poll. But a study might motivate you to find your sense of purpose: Turns out having a mission in life can help you become healthier and live longer.

When researchers from Mount Sinai Health System in New York City reviewed the results of 10 studies involving more than 137,000 people, they found that those with &ldquo;a sense of meaning and direction, and a feeling that life is worth living&rdquo; were 19% less likely to have a heart attack or <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stroke">stroke</a> or to need a cardiac bypass or stents to open up clogged arteries. And overall, those leading purpose-driven lives were 23% less likely to die prematurely.

Why does a sense of purpose make you healthier? 
If you&rsquo;re fired-up with a passion for living -- whether it comes from coaching Little League baseball, volunteering at the local soup kitchen, playing your tuba for community groups, or being a good parent -- you&rsquo;re more likely to keep up with health screenings, eat healthily and get exercise. Plus, you get these additional health benefits, according to the Mount Sinai study:

Less inflammation: Recent research has shown that people with a strong sense of purpose also had lower levels of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/inflammation/what-is-inflammation">inflammatory</a> chemicals and stress hormones. The reason goes deep: Scientists at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that having a sense of purpose switches on healthier genes. Blood tests of 80 people revealed that those who felt happy when doing good for others had less activity in genes that boost inflammation. Those less generous, more short-sighted and concerned with their own pleasure, had more activity in pro-inflammatory genes, as well as lower activity in antiviral and antibody genes, which help protect against viral infections. As one of the researchers noted, &ldquo;We can make ourselves happy through simple pleasures, but&hellip; at the cellular level, our bodies appear to respond better to a different kind of well-being, one based on a sense of connectedness and purpose.&quot;

Sharper mental powers: A strong sense of purpose could keep your <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/mental-fitness-nervous-system/how-can-i-exercise-brain-and-keep-sharp">brain sharper</a>, longer. Scientists from Chicago&rsquo;s Rush University Medical Center autopsied the brains of 246 older adults. They found the plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease in those who had lived with a sense of purpose and those who didn&rsquo;t. But when they looked back at thinking tests performed while the volunteers were living, they discovered a profound difference: People with a strong sense of purpose had a 30% lower rate of decline in thinking skills and memory.

Greater independence as you age. A sense of purpose may have a bonus for your encore years, especially if you&rsquo;ve got big plans for retirement. In the on-going Rush University study, older people with a strong sense of purpose were 30% less likely to have trouble with basic necessities like getting dressed and taking a shower, 44% less likely to have trouble with managing their money, shopping, taking care of their home and getting around town and 39% less likely to have difficulty walking distances, going up and down stairs and doing heavy housework.

So how&rsquo;s your sense of purpose? 
Do you feel driven by passion and meaning? If not, make time to explore the world, try new things, experiment, get together with friends and family to see what makes you feel like a million bucks. Spend some time thinking about what really matters to you, what you&rsquo;d like most to contribute to the world because you think it&rsquo;s important, and that you&rsquo;d love to do. It&rsquo;s one of the essential 7 Do-Over Deeds in Dr. Mike&rsquo;s book, This Is Your Do-Over. You&rsquo;ll make the world -- and your own mind and body -- a better place.&nbsp;

Find Your Sense of Purpose

When it comes to money and happiness, a lot of us think the grass is greener on the richer side. We&rsquo;d be happier in a bigger house with a heated pool and plenty of money left over to treat our kids, grandkids and friends. Wouldn&rsquo;t we?

Some happiness experts, including psychologist Ron Siegel, say we would likely readjust to our &ldquo;happiness set point&rdquo; after the novelty wears off. In this sense, money can&rsquo;t buy lasting happiness.

Other researchers say money&nbsp;can&nbsp;buy happiness&mdash;to an extent. One 2009 study asked participants to report how happy they were in relation to their household income. The study, as well as past research, found that happiness tends to increase with income up to a point ($75,000 in one study, and about $90,000 in this study), but the increase is relatively small. Money makes you a little happier up to a point, but not a lot.

Participants were asked to predict how happy they thought other people feel at different income levels. Respondents were fairly accurate in predicting that higher levels of household income are not associated with higher levels of happiness at the top end of the income distribution (e.g., at $90,000 compared with $125,000). That is, both predicted and actual happiness leveled off at $90,000+.&nbsp;But they greatly underestimated the happiness of people who made less money.

Bottom line: Money does matter, but not as much as many people think. What seems to matter more is what people do with their money. Here are two ways to spend it that really can bring more joy to your life&mdash;no matter your income.

<ol>
	<li>Be charitable.&nbsp;Research shows that those who spend their money on others are consistently happier people. This finding held true for both the rich and the poor. And it&rsquo;s not like you have to give it all away to achieve happiness; if you can see your money making a difference in other people&rsquo;s lives, it will make you happy even if the amount you gave was quite small.</li>
	<li>Pursue experiences instead of material items.&nbsp;This bit of advice has been floating around for years, but research shows that even though people know this to be true, many still believe material goods are a better use of their money. A 2014 study surveyed how participants felt before and after making a purchase. Before buying, participants said they believed that life experiences would make them happier, but that material items had more value. But after their purchases, they felt that life experiences not only made them happier, but also had higher value.</li>
</ol>

If you&rsquo;re worried that &ldquo;life experiences&rdquo; are out of your budget, don&rsquo;t stress. Life experiences can range from a hiking trip an hour away to a salsa dancing lesson nearby. As long as it&rsquo;s an experience you&rsquo;ll be able to bank in your memory, you&rsquo;ll be glad you did it.

There&#39;s a strong connection between our finances and our emotions&mdash;and too much money stress can harm your health.

Medically reviewed in June 2019.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

We found a meme of &ldquo;Honest Abe&rdquo; Lincoln online accompanied by the quote, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t believe everything you read on the Internet.&rdquo; Well, a study confirms Abe&rsquo;s advice&mdash;and shows how often it is ignored!

Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Tulane University published a study in the American Journal of Infection Control revealing the most read/most popular posts on Facebook during the initial <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/zika-virus">Zika</a> scare were the least accurate medically, even though the majority of posts about Zika during the study&rsquo;s one-week window were accurate.

The most popular post was a false one claiming that birth defects from Zika actually come from an insecticide, and that Zika was a host invented by chemical companies. It had over 19,600 shares! The most popular accurate post about Zika; a press release by the World Health Organization, was shared only 964 times! We want people to be accurately informed (you&rsquo;re entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts!), because <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/article/be-an-informed-patient-and-get-healthier">health misinformation</a> can be dangerous. If you believe that Zika is a hoax, you won&rsquo;t adequately protect yourself from the mosquitoes carrying it.

Take Abe&rsquo;s advice and be a detective the next time you&rsquo;re reading health information on social media. Ask: &ldquo;Where did the person get the information?&rdquo; and be skeptical of people and web sites that don&rsquo;t identify their sources. Sources you can rely on include government health organizations (sites ending in .gov), major medical schools (sites ending in .edu), and articles from journals and research publications like JAMA and The Lancet.

Medically reviewed in February 2019.

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Got a minute? Lengthen your life and relieve stress in just 60 seconds.

60 Seconds To Better Health

If you wanted to get to the top of the Great Pyramid you&rsquo;d have to clamber over 203 huge steps to reach the 454 foot summit. The top of the Eifel Tower? Today there are 1,665 steps (a lot smaller than the pyramid&rsquo;s) and it&rsquo;s 984 feet tall. Dubai&rsquo;s Burj Khalifa, the world&rsquo;s tallest building, scrapes the sky; it&rsquo;s 2,722 feet tall with 2,909 stairs. &nbsp;Luckily, you don&rsquo;t have to take that many steps to gain the great health benefits of losing weight.

Doing a little has big rewards! &nbsp;If you&rsquo;re overweight or obese, shedding just five percent of your body weight (that&rsquo;s nine pounds for someone who&rsquo;s 180) can help reduce multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Recently, researchers compared the health improvements of 40 obese men and women who lost five percent of their body weight with those who shed 10 and 15 percent. The 19 folks who shed five percent saw almost as much improvement in the function of their beta cells (that&rsquo;s where insulin is produced) and in <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes/article/lean-protein-blood-sugar-control">insulin sensitivity</a> as those who lost 10 and 15 percent. And that&rsquo;s great news for folks who think they have to go from severely overweight to thin to see health improvements.

Just aim for five percent at a time by making simple lifestyle changes: Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day, de-stress with 10 minutes of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/how-do-i-meditate">mindful meditation daily</a>, and start a walking routine pronto. Remember, every journey starts with one small step.

Medically reviewed in September 2018.

Little Steps, Big Rewards: Making a Workout Workable

Think you&rsquo;re covered when it comes to sunscreen? Surprise: most of us aren&rsquo;t using it appropriately. One study showed that most people apply only 25-50 percent of the amount of sunscreen they actually need. Plus, we often miss many of the most sun-sensitive spots. Extra important? Men are even less likely to apply sunscreen appropriately, putting them at increased <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/skin-cancers/what-increases-my-risk-for-skin-cancer">risk for many skin cancers</a>.&nbsp;

Remember, when you&rsquo;re out in the sun, most people need to apply just under a shot glass&rsquo;s worth of sunscreen to their whole body. To avoid feeling like a 1970s lifeguard, apply half as a first layer, wait a few minutes and then apply the 2nd coat.&nbsp;

Your Back:&nbsp;Didn&rsquo;t get someone to put sunscreen on your back and ended up with a patchy burn from all those spots you couldn&rsquo;t reach? The back is the most common site for melanoma in men and in women aged 15-29, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.&nbsp;

Your Face: With 70&nbsp;percent of basal cell carcinomas (the most common form of skin cancer) occurring on the face, you can bet this is a prime area for protection. According to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), 30&nbsp;percent of us skip sunscreen on our face, even when we&rsquo;re applying it elsewhere. <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/taking-care-body-teen-perspective/how-much-sunscreen-put-on">Don&rsquo;t skimp</a>&mdash;use at least a teaspoon&rsquo;s worth of sunscreen on your face. Worried about breakouts? Look for a sunscreen that is non-comedogenic and wash your face as soon as you&rsquo;re out of the sun.

Your Nose: Ok, so technically it&rsquo;s part of your face. But as it represents 24&nbsp;percent of all non-melanoma skin cancers in women&nbsp;(making it the most common single site in women), the schnozz deserves its own shout-out.&nbsp;

Your Ears and Scalp: These body parts are especially high-risk, making up 28&nbsp;percent of all non-melanoma skin cancers in men and 20&nbsp;percent in women. Honestly, when was the last time you put sunscreen on your ears? Protect both spots with carefully applied sunscreen and rock a broad-brimmed hat. (Windy? Make a cute chinstrap; I like to use beautiful grosgrain ribbon!)

Your Legs (and Feet!):&nbsp;In the JAAD study mentioned above, 40&nbsp;percent of respondents copped to skipping their legs when they&rsquo;re applying sunscreen to other areas. That&rsquo;s no good, especially because the legs are the most common spot for melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) in women.&nbsp;

Your Forearms and Hands:&nbsp;The forearm is the second most common site of melanoma in women&mdash;and the place we forget to apply sunscreen 35&nbsp;percent of the time. Not to mention, your hands can often give away your age. Like your face, your hands are exposed every single day, so give them a little love with a daily moisturizing SPF.

Your Lips:&nbsp;Don&rsquo;t forget your kisser! A common location for squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, your lips need protection, too! Protect them with lip-gloss or balm that contains SPF 15-30.

The Edges of Clothing: One of the most common places we forget to apply sunscreen is right at the edge of our swimsuits or around straps. Be sure to actually move your straps when applying sunscreen, so you get full, even coverage.

Remember, daily use of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/skin-cancers/article/ask-the-expert-breaking-down-spf">SPF of 15 or greater</a> can reduce your risk of skin cancer by 40-50&nbsp;percent.

So, slather it on and get protected!

Medically reviewed in September 2018.

Where You’re Not Applying Sunscreen—But Should

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What Type of Investor Are You?

Although it might seem like you have ample time between taking photos at kindergarten graduation and celebrating a college acceptance, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/financial-health/3-savings-accounts-you-need-to-understand">saving money</a> for education is much like childhood itself: every moment counts.

The simple fact behind putting money away for college is that the earlier you start, the more you&rsquo;ll end up with, and not just because of the amount that you put in initially. The process of compounding means that your invested money will generate earnings, and the more you have in an account, the greater the compounding will be.

That means getting a true jumpstart&mdash;maybe even before your child learns to walk, nearly two decades before choosing a major&mdash;can make a big difference when that tuition bill finally rolls around.

Making your money grow 
It&#39;s estimated that kids born in 2018 who go to an in-state public university looking for a four-year degree will require more than $150,000 for their education. But with an early start to your savings, the effect of compounding means you don&rsquo;t have to save up that full $150,000 to have ready when the time comes.

For example: If you invest $200 monthly, starting when your child is born (figuring on 5 percent yearly interest), you would have almost half of that $150,000. Your own contributions would total $43,450 and you would earn just over $26,000 on those funds, for a total of almost $70,000.

As your savings increases, the amount you earn on that money also compounds, so you end up &ldquo;making&rdquo; more in earnings as your child hits the teen years.

But what about if you decided to wait until kindergarten? Although it&rsquo;s only a five-year difference, it&rsquo;s significant once tuition payment time arrives. In that scenario, your $200 per month from age 5 to 18 would result in $31,450 in your own payments and just about $12,600 in earnings, totaling just over $44,000.

That means a five-year wait would result in $26,000 less than if you&rsquo;d started during infancy. That&rsquo;s like walking away from free money.

Never too late 
Although there are clear benefits of starting a college savings strategy early, that&rsquo;s not always possible for everyone&mdash;sometimes, shifting life situations can take precedence over tucking money away for education.

But even when that&rsquo;s the case, there&rsquo;s value in starting whenever you are able, even when your kid is already a teenager and nearing college. Your money won&rsquo;t compound as much, but it may save you money you have to request in loans.

Also, there are savings programs, such as 529 plans, that offer tax benefits you won&rsquo;t get with regular savings accounts. For example you put after-tax money in a 529 plan, but the earnings on your investment aren&rsquo;t subject to additional tax. Also, when you withdraw the money, you don&rsquo;t pay federal taxes as long as those funds are used for educational expenses.

Student loans are often considered an investment because they help many young people secure a career, and an income, that they wouldn&rsquo;t be able to obtain otherwise. But college debt can sometimes feel like an overwhelming burden, especially to someone just starting a career track.

Savings that start early and have time to grow through compounded earnings can help ease that pressure, and make college a true <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/financial-planning-health-care/slideshow/smart-ways-financial-goals-on-track">springboard for the future</a>.&nbsp;

Why You Should Start Saving for College Now

Married life is like the Internet: When it works, it&#39;s brilliant. But when there&#39;s a glitch in a happy marriage, it makes you feel crazy because you know how good it can be. For those inevitable moments in even the best marriages . . . when you wonder, &quot;Why did we get married?&quot; here&#39;s a short remember-why-marriage-is-great-for-you list.:

<ol>
	<li>You enjoy life more, have lower blood pressure, and are healthier overall. Why is being happily married so healthy? One biggie: You give each other emotional support through good times and bad, which makes your bodies run better. Another: You encourage each other to see a doc when you should.</li>
	<li>You&#39;ll live longer. Marriage extends guys&#39; warranty for a long life by as much as 30%, and women&#39;s by 20%. Why? For both sexes, married life cuts down on wild-and-crazy behavior (unless you&#39;re Tiger Woods or Jesse James).</li>
	<li>You won&#39;t gain a lot of post-divorce weight. This is a bigger threat for guys. Divorce can act as a &quot;weight shock&quot; for some men, triggering big-enough weight gains to cause health problems.</li>
	<li>You get some of your best exercise in bed. A happy marriage means more sex, right? Right! A mere 25 minutes of sex -- figure 10 minutes of foreplay, 15 minutes for the main event -- burns 88 calories if you&#39;re a 150-pound woman; 106 calories for a 180-pound guy. That&#39;s what you&#39;d expend doing a light workout on a rowing machine or stationary bike. Arriving at the Big O? It gets your heart pounding as much as bounding up a tall flight of stairs.</li>
</ol>

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Reasons Why You Should Enjoy a Happy Marriage

Stand-up legend Rodney Dangerfield became famous for his quips about how he got no respect from anyone. &ldquo;My psychiatrist told me I&rsquo;m going crazy,&rdquo; went one of his jokes. &ldquo;I told him, &lsquo;If you don&rsquo;t mind, I&rsquo;d like a second opinion.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Alright. You&rsquo;re ugly too!&rsquo;&rdquo;

A study from the Mayo Clinic shows that getting a second opinion is no joke. The researchers looked at records for nearly 300 patients who had been referred to a specialist by their primary care docs. They found that in 21 percent of cases the initial diagnosis was completely changed, while a full 66 percent of second opinions led to a more specific diagnosis. Only 12 percent of diagnoses stayed the same. In this study, the conditions that were most commonly misdiagnosed were respiratory problems, mental illnesses and problems in the genital area and urinary tract.

Wondering whether to get a second opinion? Here&rsquo;s a good rule of thumb: If your diagnosis means you need intensive therapy or treatment, such as surgery or chemotherapy, or you&#39;re taking a drug for more than seven days, or if you&rsquo;re having ongoing unexplained symptoms, such as weight loss or a persistent cough that you don&rsquo;t feel your doc has explained, get a second opinion.&nbsp;

And ask your doc to refer you to a physician in your network to keep costs down. Even though another visit might seem like a big hassle, you&rsquo;ll save more serious hassles if it keeps you from an insufficient or missed diagnosis.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Why You Should Always Seek Second Opinions

Overall well-being among U.S. adults has declined substantially this year. The Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index score so far in 2017 is 61.5, down 0.6 points from 62.1 in 2016 and on par with the lower level recorded in 2014. This decline is both statistically significant and meaningfully large.

These data are drawn from more than 135,000 interviews with U.S. adults across all 50 states from Jan. 2-Sept. 30, 2017, and more than 176,000 interviews each year in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The <a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/about" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a> is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest possible well-being and 100 represents the highest possible well-being. The Well-Being Index consists of metrics drawn from each of the five essential elements of well-being:

<ul>
	<li>Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals</li>
	<li>Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life</li>
	<li>Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security</li>
	<li>Community: liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community</li>
	<li>Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily</li>
</ul>

Democrats&#39; Well-Being Drops Sharply; Republicans&#39; Unchanged 
Democrats have suffered a significant decline in overall well-being so far in 2017 compared with 2016. The 0.9-point drop in Democrats&#39; Well-Being Index score is at least triple the decline seen among Republicans and independents. Independents had a statistically significant decline of 0.3 points, while Republicans&#39; well-being is statistically unchanged. The decline among Democrats comes after a notable improvement in 2016, and their well-being is now below 2014 levels.

Women, Blacks, Hispanics, Low-Income See Large Drops 
The overall decline in well-being is concentrated among demographic groups that tend to align with the Democratic Party. Women have had a substantial 1.1-point drop in their Well-Being Index score, while the score for men is unchanged. Across the four major racial and ethnic groups, well-being has dropped the most among blacks and Hispanics, although it has also come down to a lesser degree among whites and Asians. Americans living in lower-income households saw a significant drop in well-being, while their higher-income counterparts saw a smaller decrease, no change or a slight increase.

Emotional Health, Social and Purpose Well-Being All Worsen 
The overall decline in well-being in 2017 is driven by dips in emotional health, social well-being and purpose well-being.

In terms of emotional health, the percentage of adults who report experiencing significant worry on any given day is up, as is the percentage who report having little interest or pleasure in doing things at least some of the time.

Social well-being shows similar declines. Fewer Americans agree that their friends and family provide them with positive energy every day and that someone in their life always encourages them to be healthy, while more disagree with the statement.

Purpose well-being indicators have also receded. Fewer agree and more disagree that there is a leader in their life who makes them enthusiastic about the future and that they like what they do each day.

All of these metrics were highly stable from 2014 through 2016, and in each case the negative movement so far in 2017 is highly statistically significant.

The remaining three elements, financial, physical and community well-being, have had much smaller changes thus far in 2017. Community well-being is unchanged, while financial and physical well-being are both down slightly.

Implications 
After rising in 2016, the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index score has reversed course this year. This drop comes even as key economic metrics closely related to well-being have improved, including <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/189068/bls-unemployment-seasonally-adjusted.aspx.aspx" target="_blank">unemployment</a>, perceptions of <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/218981/americans-ratings-standard-living-best-decade.aspx?g_source=&amp;g_medium=&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">standard of living</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/125735/economic-confidence-index.aspx" target="_blank">confidence in the economy</a> and <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/221060/americans-best-holiday-shopping-mood-years.aspx" target="_blank">optimism about spending</a>.

Other signs of worsening well-being in the U.S. include an <a href="http://news.gallup.com/topic/category_wellbeing.aspx" target="_blank">uptick in the uninsured rate</a> for three quarters in a row and reports of elevated <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/204590/daily-worry-sharply-presidential-election.aspx?g_source=&amp;g_medium=&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">daily worry</a>, particularly among <a href="http://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/215657/hispanics-emotional-during-trump-era.aspx" target="_blank">Spanish-speaking Hispanics.</a>

This drop in well-being is important for leaders to monitor and address because research shows the Well-Being Index predicts <a href="http://info.healthways.com/hubfs/Science_and_Research/Well-being-5_Science_Paper.pdf" target="_blank">key health, business and social outcomes</a>.

Read more about the decline in social well-being this past year on the new website, <a href="https://quartzy.qz.com/1121777" target="_blank">Quartzy</a>.

Survey Methods 
Results are based on 135,426 telephone interviews with U.S. adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted from Jan. 2-Sept. 30, 2017. In 2016, 2015, and 2014, a total of 177,192, 177,281 and 176,702 interviews, respectively, were conducted from Jan. 2-Dec. 30 of each year. Gallup conducts 500 telephone interviews daily, resulting in a sample that projects to an estimated 95% of all U.S. adults.

The Well-Being Index margin of sampling error for the reported groups will range from about &plusmn;0.2 points for the U.S. and for whites to about &plusmn;0.3 points for blacks and Hispanics to about &plusmn;0.6 points for Asians. The margin of error for demographic groups will be no larger than &plusmn;0.3 points. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects due to weighting.

Each daily sample of national adults for data collected between Jan. 2, 2014 and Sept. 1, 2015, comprised 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents. Each daily sample from Sept. 1, 2015-Dec. 30, 2016, comprised 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents. Daily samples in 2017 comprise 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents. Additional minimum quotas by time zone and within region are included in the sampling approach.

Learn more about how the <a href="http://www.gallup.com/209189/gallup-sharecare-index-work.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a> works.

This content originally appeared on <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/221588/americans-declines-2017.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup.com</a>.

News: Americans' Well-Being Declines in 2017

Starting on Thanksgiving and continuing straight through New Year&#39;s Day, the holiday season is supposed to be a time of gratitude, togetherness, and joy.

For many of us, though? Not so much.

Stress from holiday parties and family gatherings, high-maintenance houseguests, and endless trips to the mall can all add up. And if you&#39;re coping with the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/grief-emotional-health/article/how-to-handle-your-grief-during-the-holidays" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">death of a loved one</a> or other major loss&mdash;or if you find yourself alone or separated from friends and family&mdash;this time of year can be downright depressing.

But stress doesn&rsquo;t have to spoil what otherwise can be a joyful season. These simple strategies can help you manage stress, ease tension, and even beat the blues&mdash;not just at the holidays, but all year long.

Lower your expectations&nbsp; 
Putting pressure on yourself to make your holidays Instagram-ready is a surefire way to increase stress and anxiety, says Jared Gaines, MD, a psychiatrist at Fort Lauderdale Behavioral Health Center in Florida.

&ldquo;We can all fall prey to setting expectations way too high,&rdquo; adds psychiatrist Paul Schneider, DO, medical director of the psychiatry emergency center at JPS Health Network in Forth Worth, Texas.

Don&rsquo;t set yourself up for disappointment. Instead, focus on the quality of time you get to spend with others, whether that&rsquo;s in person or remotely, and enjoy the moments for what they are.

Admit when you&rsquo;re feeling overwhelmed 
This time of year, it&#39;s easy to overcommit, over-shop, and overdo&nbsp;pretty much everything.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t try to take on too much,&rdquo; Dr. Gaines cautions. Reach out to your loved ones for help, he suggests. If you&#39;re planning a holiday party, ask others to bring a dish or to help with cleanup. &quot;This can help you take some of that burden off yourself,&quot; Gaines says.

Be realistic and accept some stress 
Let&#39;s face it: The holidays will always be somewhat hectic. And that&#39;s okay, says Gaines. &ldquo;Sometimes, the stress can be worth it.&quot;

To help <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stress-reduction/article/simple-ways-cope-stress" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">manage the stress</a>, try making to-do lists, suggests Dr. Schneider. &ldquo;It gives you a sense of accomplishment to complete a task and cross it off,&quot; he says.

Acknowledge your feelings, even the negative ones 
It&rsquo;s not just regular day-to-day stress that can get in the way of a happy holiday. Dealing with the loss of a loved one can also make this a more difficult time of year, particularly if you&rsquo;ve <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/coronavirus/article/grieve-support-others-coronavirus" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">lost friends or family to COVID-19</a>.

You may be remembering moments spent together&mdash;birthdays, graduations, or past holidays&mdash;and that can be hard, says Gaines. Instead of shutting down, he says, try talking about it.

Share your feelings and memories with someone you trust, maybe even while looking at old family photos. This can help you reflect on more positive times and cherish them.

In this way, says Gaines, &quot;the holidays can actually be a remedy for sadness.&rdquo;

Life and Family