New Year’s Resolutions: Personal Health and Finance Quiz

"Each year, almost half of Americans develop New Year’s resolutions to improve different aspects of their lives. Often these resolutions involve health and personal finances. Specific examples include saving money, reducing debt, losing weight, quitting smoking, and increased physical activity.
According to a University of Scranton study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the top five New Year’s resolutions for 2014 were: 1. lose weight, 2. get organized, 3. spend less, save more, 4. enjoy life to the fullest, and 5. stay fit and healthy.
To help Americans develop health and financial New Year’s resolutions, Rutgers Cooperative Extension has a free online self-assessment tool called the Personal Health and Finance Quiz. The quiz is available online at no charge and simultaneously assesses health and personal finance practices. Some examples include following a budget, owing less than 20% of monthly take-home pay on consumer debt payments, and maintaining an adequate emergency fund.
The Personal Health and Finance Quiz is part of Small Steps to Health and Wealth™ (SSHW) a national Cooperative Extension program developed in 2004 at Rutgers to motivate Americans to take action to simultaneously improve their health and personal finances. SSHW was built around a framework of 25 research-based behavior change strategies and has won several national awards for its creativity and impact." Additional information about SSHW and its behavior change strategies.
By Dr. Barbara O’Neill, Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management, Rutgers University