Chronic stress takes a toll on overall health and well-being. Left unchecked, it can cause a host of physical and mental health issues including depression and anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, inability to focus, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, reduced physical activity, and poor nutrition. The link between what happens in the mind and what happens in the body is well-researched, and behavioral scientists and other experts have long worked to help people understand the correlation between physical health and mental health.

Given that physical health and mental health are interlinked, it is concerning that 71 percent of employees say their top source of stress is their financial health. In a recent survey of U.S. employees, 75 percent say they are stressed about their finances. And almost one-third of Americans said they have skipped medical care due to financial concerns. Americans are facing unprecedented levels of debt, have insufficient emergency funds, and have not enough saved for retirement. In addition, we're facing the highest inflation rates in decades, which accentuates the need to focus on these issues.

Adding to the uncertainty of overall health and well-being in the future, people are living longer than ever before, but in poorer health. The gap between our life expectancy and our "health span" (the number of years lived in good health) is widening, which has implications for our "wealth span"—how long our money will last. Living longer necessitates additional retirement savings, and living longer in poorer health necessitates covering additional healthcare costs. Further, one's ability to work for as long, or as well, as one thought may be hampered by the increasing gap in health span.