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December 6, 2004 04:23 PM

Get Healthy, Get Wealthy


Excerpt: As the time for New Year's resolutions approaches, many people will put healthier habits at the top of their list, only to abandon those lofty goals by Jan. 2. But most folks agree that money talks, and these days there are plenty of financial incentives to keep you on the straight and narrow.


As the time for New Year's resolutions approaches, many people will put healthier habits at the top of their list, only to abandon those lofty goals by Jan. 2.

But most folks agree that money talks, and these days there are plenty of financial incentives to keep you on the straight and narrow.

Don't believe it? Consider how much these healthy moves can save you.

Quit smoking.

With the cost of a pack averaging $4 these days, weaning yourself from cigarettes will save you $1,460 a year if you smoke a pack a day.

But the cigarettes themselves are only part of the tab. Since smokers are more likely to suffer from heart disease, cancer and other illnesses, their medical costs run $1,623 a year higher than nonsmokers', according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shed a few pounds.
Overweight people are at higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and other health problems. On average, an obese person racks up $900 more a year in medical expenses than a person of normal weight, says Eric Finkelstein, a health economist at RTI International, a research and technology company specializing in health.

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Read all 23 posts in the same category of Retirement:

Bush Says Social Security Plan Would Reassure Markets - Dec 17, 2004
Are You Ready To Retire? - Dec 13, 2004
Last-Minute Retirement Planning - Dec 12, 2004
Small Change Adds Up To Big Savings - Dec 09, 2004
Bush To Borrow To Fix Social Security - Dec 07, 2004
Moving Smoothly Into Retirement - Dec 07, 2004
Five Books to Retire By - Dec 05, 2004
Tax Policy Promotes Early Retirement - Dec 02, 2004
Fidelity Analyzes Pension Performance - Dec 02, 2004
Social Security COLA Increase Looks Puny - Dec 02, 2004
No More IRA Leniency - Nov 29, 2004
To Yield A Good Retirement, Get Real, And Work It Out - Nov 28, 2004
Social Security Reforms On The Way? - Nov 26, 2004
Some New Ways To Preserve Your Retirement - Nov 23, 2004
Living Trust Offers: How to Make Sure They're Trust-Worthy - Nov 22, 2004
How to Forecast a Lifespan - Nov 21, 2004
Be Happy, And Put Retirement Fears to Rest - Nov 21, 2004
Seven Ways to Stop Saying 'Oops!' - Nov 21, 2004
Retirees Don't Have to Be So Frugal: A Case for Withdrawing Up to 6% a Year - Nov 17, 2004
How to Avoid Living Like a Poor Student at Age 70 - Nov 09, 2004
What Social Security Might Look Like - Nov 09, 2004
Are You Retirement Ready -- Or Not? - Nov 03, 2004