#1stresponders and Finances...

By Safe Call Now's Captain Brian Nanavaty

“If you fail to plan- you are planning to fail.” Benjamin Franklin

Studies show the #1 reason for the dissolution of relationships in the first 7 years is financial discord. Add to that the stress of a career spent as a first responder and it is no wonder many enter their golden years unprepared physically, emotionally and most of all financially. 

The professionals at My Money Wellness© have teamed up with Safe Call Now® to offer financial education and literacy training using a fun and motivating three part concept:

Classroom/Online Workshop: The experts at My Money Wellness© utilize an easy to follow workbook to walk students through an understanding and application of the following financial concepts: 

·         Budgeting and Planning for Emergencies

·         Tackling Debt

·         Relationships and Money

·         Wealth Building 

The financial themes are presented in an open workshop style format designed specifically for the public safety professional and the first responder family. 

Web-Based Training: In addition to the classroom workshop, Safe Call Now® and My Money Wellness© also offer ongoing online education. Web- based learning helps the student build on the classroom training through long-term reinforcement. This ongoing education allows public safety professionals to refocus and gain control of their money, secure their future, and create peace of mind through long-lasting behavioral changes.

A Cop, PTSD, Suicide & Treatment...

By Kevin Hagen

You could say my story with my mental illness began several years ago (maybe 15?), but I chose to ignore the signs and figured it was just me. I was bullied in high school and that had an impact on my self-esteem as I was growing up and even in my adult years. I was married for 20 years and for most of those years I was told what a bad person I was and that I was not a very good man. After hearing such things for that long, I started to believe them! I have had tragedies in my life like most people, and some that affected me for many years, like the death of my mother. I believed that I was not worthy of being happy and that I was meant to just be that way so I should live with it. I managed to struggle through life like that for most of my adult life.

My job as a police officer added to the issues I already had. I have seen some very terrible things in my career, and some of them stick with me no matter how hard I tried to forget them. Because I chose to ignore my problems, they just got bigger and bigger: the 800 pound gorilla in the room, if you will. I managed to stuff my feelings and tell myself, “Hey, this is what I deserve, so I just gotta suck it up.” I ended up getting divorced, and I figured that was the answer to all of my problems. Obviously it was not. I went from bad relationship to bad relationship, always finding women that needed help; that way I could be the hero and fix things for them. It never worked that way. I just ended up taking on more and more problems, more and more debt, and finally I could not find happiness in anything, but I figured that is what I deserved.

I felt I had successfully stuffed my problems, but then all of the sudden, I was not ever happy. I lost interest in most things I enjoy; I ignored my children who I only see every other weekend; I pushed my friends away and just isolated myself in my home. 
One night everything came to a head. The hopelessness overwhelmed me. The nightmares came every night, so I was scared to go to sleep some nights. All I could see in front of me was a black wall, and in my mind it was all hopeless and I was lost.