John Surguy - Mid Atlantic Resource Group

05/06/2026

Is an Employee Wellness Program a good idea for your organization?

From the perspective of a management consultant focused on architecting integrated benefit programs, the answer really depends on factors such as an entity's goals, values, culture, activities, location, business strategy, operating environment, the other benefits offered, how the program is designed and implemented, and of course the team of people using the benefit.

Generally, now is a great time to consider offering or upgrading an Employee Wellness Program. According to a 2025 study conducted by the American Psychological Association, 70% of the adult population has been told by a medical professional they are living with a chronic disease and that number is 80% for the subset that feels isolated due to remote work and other factors. 69% report significant stress due to concerns over work, 66% over money, 49 % over physical health, and 47% over mental health. Effective Employee Wellness Programs generally address these primary stressors, focussing on Financial, Physical, and Mental Wellness. They can involve other aspects of wellness as well and work best when integrated within an overall benefits strategy.

People tend to feel overwhelmed, and a Wellness Program can have many positive outcomes. One broad study clearly linking holistic employee wellness to organizational goals was a collaboration between Harvard, Oxford, and Indeed in 2023. It demonstrated a strong correlation between well-being and financial results and noted 97% of candidates search well-being data when searching for a job, 81% of employees with high-well-being scores planned to stay another year (compared to 50% with low scores), and employees with high well-being achieved work goals 1.5 X more compared to those with low well-being. More recently, a 2025 McKinsey Health Institute study concurred and concluded that investing in employee health could produce almost $12 Trillion in global economic value.

While implementing Employee Wellness Programs can have extremely significant benefits, there are many details to be considered for these to materialize. The number of organizations offering these programs is growing rapidly. However, many employers are hesitating due inconsistency in results reported by peers having adopted them.

A good way to address concerns and put all the pieces together is to have a discussion with a third-party consultant that specifically helps design and implement bespoke integrated benefit solutions.

04/29/2026

Involved in running a business? Have you tried reimagining your employee benefit program?

The thought of this can seem daunting. But isn't the cost of ignoring evolution much worse? An organization's people, culture, operating environment, business strategy, available benefit options, and the factors that drive success are always changing. Wouldn't you like for your organization to be in the best possible position to take advantage of these changes?

We provide a training program for employers to help accomplish this entitled "Reimagining Employee Benefits". It covers:
- Contemporary research linking the ways we treat employees to the outcomes observed.
- How employees really feel compared with how employers are trying to make them feel.
- The impact of generational differences among your workforce.
- What has changed in the benefit industry, what still really needs to change, and how to navigate the current environment successfully.
- The differences between using bottom-up and top down-thinking when considering changes to your benefit program and why it's important to do both.
- How to evolve from a "check-the-box" approach to a "key-strategic-investment" framework.
- What happens to engagement when you find better balance between the "squeaky wheel" and long-term employee wellness using 360-degree and seasons-of-life approaches.
- How better representing ROI and other related metrics support the move to a successful strategic approach for benefit programs.
- The role of employee engagement and using creativity in how you approach benefit-related communication.

I would be happy to provide more information regarding this program. Participants who are CPAs can also receive CE credits.

04/10/2026

Planning for care expenses as we age . . .

This article points out some basic information about care expenses that result from aging. As a population most of us have begun to experience this need as life expectancies grow and the prevalence of chronic disease has become significant.

Covering Long-Term Care expenses should be part of everyones financial planning. It is important to use a financial planner that considers all of the aspects of this:

- Costs vary a lot depending upon location.

- There are many solutions available. Insurance is just one.

- While this should be part of your plan at any age, it's best to have an accommodation for this by age 50. There are ways to handle it beyond that age. However, like any other future financial expense, it's best if you have time on your side.

- Solutions vary greatly in cost and effectiveness (which do not necessarily correlate). Make sure you shop around or are using a financial planner that can do that for you. If you have any questions about this aspect of financial planning please reach out to me.

The cost and availability of insurance depend on factors such as age, health, and the type and amount of insurance purchased. Any guarantees are subject to the claims‑paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Before implementing a strategy involving life insurance, it would be prudent to make sure that you are insurable by having the policy approved. As with most financial decisions, there are expenses associated with the purchase of insurance. Policies commonly have mortality and expense charges. In addition, if a policy is surrendered prematurely, there may be surrender charges and income tax implications.

Don't let this huge expense catch you off guard.

04/01/2026

Announcing the Special Needs & Beyond Community Advocate Program!

As Special Needs & Beyond Financial Planners we deeply enjoy helping families protect their loved ones with disabilities. We also spend a lot of time educating NJ families and organizations about the steps required and how to avoid problems early on.

We frequently get phone calls from families who have inadvertently become disqualified from public benefits or who think they've taken all the right steps just to find the only thing accomplished was lost time and money. These problems do not always have attractive remedies. The value of public benefits can be in the millions of dollars so it is important to protect those and properly plan for all of the contingencies that may impact your family, not just the financial ones.

To provide additional support to the Special Needs Community, we are introducing a community advocate program which will be open to volunteers in each community who will receive annual training from the Special Needs and Beyond team. Our goal is for each community to have someone trusted, knowledgeable, and easy to access that can help identify and prevent issues that usually relate to a very basic understanding of how these problems are created to begin with. If you are affiliated with a school or community group that works with Special Needs families and would like to become an advocate for your community please message me or call me at 908-591-4007.