Tips for the Defence Team: Keeping Your Personal Finances in the Green and Out of the Red in 2021

January 19, 2021 – Defence Stories

Want to start 2021 on the right foot with your finances? You’re not alone.

Traditionally, the new year affords many the opportunity to create resolutions and set new goals for the future. This year, many are considering how they can better manage their finances and develop a flexible plan that allows them to save money while accounting for the unpredictability of COVID-19.

Here are some tips and resources to get your finances back on track in 2021:

• The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada offers many educational resources and tools for managing your money, debt and investments, planning for retirement and more:
  • COVID-19: Managing financial health in challenging times is a starting point to help manage financial worries relating to the pandemic;
  • Tips and tools to understand your finances;
  • Financial Wellness in the workplace: provides strategies and resources based on best practices to help employers build financial wellness programs to improve the financial well-being of their employees;
  • Your Financial Toolkit;
  • FCAC Budget planner helps you create a customized budget.
• Canadian Armed Forces members and their family members have access to Canadian Armed Forces members and their family members have access to SISIP Financial Services.
• The Government of Canada developed the Economic Response Plan to help support Canadians and businesses facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Why not use a finance app to keep track of your personal finances?

This month, join us for virtual webinars on Holiday Money Hangover and Financing Basics and Health Canada-Employee Assistance Services (HC-EAS). Click on the above link for webinar dates and sign-up information.

Get in touch with us!

Reach out to the EAP Corporate Office, the Mental Health and Well-being Corporate Office, or the Office of Disability Management.

Subscribe to the EAP distribution list to stay informed on mental health and wellness topics that matter to you, special events, and much more.

All Defence Team members have access to:

• Health Canada – Employee Assistance Services (EAS) – provides short-term professional counselling services. This service is available 24/7, 365 days a year, by calling 1-800-268-7708 or 1-800-567-5803 (TTY).
• Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program (CFMAP) – Members of the CAF, veterans, and their families can access free, confidential counseling, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-268-7708 or TDD 1-800-567-5803 (TTY).
• LifeSpeak – Web-based service that offers free confidential access to hundreds of short videos by experts on everyday issues.

CAF members and their families have access to:

• The Family Information Line (FIL) – FIL counsellors are available to handle calls in confidence 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To speak with a FIL counsellor, call 1-800-866-4546 (toll-free in North America) or 1-613-995-5234 (collect calls accepted).
• Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) – CAF members and their families have access to dedicated, frontline service providers, responsible for connecting military families to a wide range of programs and services.
• Military Medical Centres – Locate a centre anywhere in Canada.
• Crisis Texting Service for Kids of CAF Families – Children, youth and young adults from military families can access free mental health and wellbeing support by texting the keyword CAFKIDS at 686868 for service in English. For service in French, text the keyword JEUNESFAC at 686868.

DND Public Servants have access to:

• EAP Peer Advisors (PAs) – DND employees provide confidential active-listening skills and resources to employees in need. Call HR Connect at 1-833-747-6363 to be connected with a readily available colleague from 0800-1600 hours Mon to Friday. You will be contacted within 24 hours.
• The Office of Disability Management (Accessible only on the National Defence network.) was created to be an impartial, collaborative and inclusive group that supports employees and supervisors/managers dealing with disability-related matter due to illness, impairment and injury.
• The Mental Health and Well-being Corporate Office (Accessible only on the National Defence network.) supports the health and well-being of employees and provides access to tools, resources and services to assist organizations in building a safe, supportive and respectful work environment.