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Wednesday Welcome: Making the Most of Company Benefits

This week we welcome Sophia Bera, a certified financial planner who caters to millennials — though this particular post, about how to maximize your company’s benefits, is a good reminder to us all. Whether you’re just starting a job or you’ve been with the same company for years and haven’t re-looked your benefits in a while, the below advice will help you make the most of what your company is offering.

Bera - HeadshotDo you remember what company benefits you signed up for when you were first hired?  Did you make any changes during open enrollment this past year?  When it comes to working for a company, the salary offered isn’t the only aspect of the job to take into consideration. Unfortunately, many people only skim through or completely overlook their company benefits package – and this can be a big financial mistake.  Many of these benefits come out of your paycheck pre-tax which helps you lower your tax bill and save you thousands of dollars in the long run!

You might be leaving a lot on the table if you fail to comb through your benefits and take advantage of what you company is offering its employees. It’s more than just an employer match in a retirement account (although that is a big benefit you need to be sure to grab). Here’s where to start and what to look for:

Request Your Company Benefits Package 

If you work for a company with an HR department, you might want to start there. The department (or whoever is in charge of staffing concerns, if you work for a small business) should be able to provide you with some sort of handbook or paperwork that details what you are entitled to as an employee.

It can be really overwhelming to dive into pages and pages of technical writing on your benefits, but understanding the perks that come with your job is important! By utilizing what you can, you could save thousands of dollars in expenses throughout the year.

Common Company Benefits

Before you start feeling too bogged down in all the paperwork that explains your benefits, take a look through this list so you’ll know what to be on the lookout for:

Finally, don’t forget about vacation time. On the surface, this might not seem like a financial perk. But remember, when you take vacation days you’re getting paid for hours that you’re not actually working.  Be sure to make the most of your paid time off.

Your company benefits package can be a lot to look through, but it’s crucial you take the time to do so. If you’re want to learn more about benefits, you can take a more in-depth look at my post on my website, Gen Y Planning, on how maximizing your company benefits could save you thousands of dollars!

About Sophia: Sophia Bera, CFP® is the Founder of Gen Y Planning and is a financial planner for Millennials.  She’s passionate about helping people in their 20s and 30s across the country with their money. She is a contributor for AOL’s Daily Finance website and has been quoted on various websites and publications including Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo, Money Magazine, InvestmentNews, Financial Advisor magazine, and The Huffington Post. She was named one of the “Top Financial Advisors for Millennials” by the website www.MoneyUnder30.com. Follow her on Twitter @sophiabera or sign up for the Gen Y Planning Newsletter to stay up to date on financial articles geared towards Millennials.