Wellness Pays Off

Bottom Line: Longevity

According to Monique Tello, MD, MPH’s 2018 article in Harvard Medical School’s Health Blog, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a massive study of over 120,000 participants using 28-34 years of data and found these 5 healthy lifestyle characteristics have a large impact on longevity.

How large was the impact?
Up to 14 years longer life for women
and up to 12 years for men

Healthy Diet (high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, healthy fats and omega 3s; low in processed and red meats, sugary drinks, trans fat and sodium)
Healthy Physical Activity Level (at least 30 minutes moderate to vigorous per day)
Healthy Body Weight (18.5 – 24.9 BMI)
No Smoking (never)
Moderate Alcohol Intake (1 drink for women, 2 for men daily)

Wellness Programs
The IRS has clarified some items as always included in taxable income, even when part of a wellness program. When properly structured, employer contributions to FSAs, HSAs and HRAs are not taxable income to the employee.

New! Covid-19 tax relief
Now that IRS tax filing and payment deadlines are extended to July 15, 2020 there’s more time to contribute to HSA accounts and have those contributions count for 2019 tax returns. Make an on-line appointment for initial client consultation to get started on your 2019 tax return and get SoundCPA Insights. You may be eligible for a tax refund!