Want to increase your income today — without the hassle of renegotiating your salary with your employer? One possible way is knowing how to get the most out of your workplace benefits.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that your employer-sponsored benefits are worth roughly 30 percent of your salary. (1) And many of us aren’t taking advantage of everything our employers put on the table — we may not even know all that’s available.

No one likes to watch their retirement savings wither in a stock market decline, but for those on the cusp of retirement, or just wading in, plunging portfolio values present an even bigger potential threat to their financial security.

And it can happen. While over the long term history shows that markets exhibit sustained — or, when surging, bullish — growth, there are points where they retreat. A drop of more than 20 percent is called a bear market. And such bear markets can present challenges for certain age groups.

Thousands of people become entrepreneurs and start a business every year. In fact, there have been about 400,000 startups annually for the last decade, according to the Small Business Administration (1).

Of course, a good number of businesses, nearly as many as are created, fail each year, too. That’s a testament to the challenges businesses face and the resources it takes to maintain operations on a profitable basis year in and year out.

Most working Americans relish the notion of one day calling it quits and retiring to a warmer climate, or staying put during their senior years and pursuing personal interests. They may plan to exit the workforce gradually, by reducing their hours or consulting part-time. But the endgame is clear: leave the 9-to-5 grind behind when they reach retirement age.

And then there are those who intend to keep working for as long as they can, either because they have not saved enough to retire, or because they find purpose and meaning in their career. They may want to never retire. Regardless of your mindset on retirement, it is still helpful to have a plan in place.

A financially stable parent can identify many ways to give an adult child a financial boost: funding a college education, starting a business, or buying a car are a few reasons parents might loan or even give money to their adult children.

Many Americans are unprepared for sudden financial hardships. Eighteen percent of us have less than one month of expenses saved to cover an emergency. Emergency savings is a cornerstone of financial wellness. But so are insurance and mutually supportive groups such as family, friends, community organizations, and houses of worship. All of these can help us when we experience potential financial disasters.

Babies are a cause for celebration. But a new child also requires some careful financial planning by the parents. Indeed, that little bundle of joy comes with some pretty big financial expenses. The average cost of raising a child born in 2015 to age 18 for a middle-income family in the U.S. is roughly $233,610, or $284,570 when adjusted for inflation, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That figure does not include the cost of a college education. To provide for your growing family, you as a parent must take steps to get your financial house in order.

The wedding industry might tell us that the average wedding typically costs more than $20,000, but many couples can’t afford that kind of expense. Even in families that want to follow the tradition of the bride’s father footing the bill, the father often has more pressing costs to worry about, like saving for retirement. The people who really care about you will not care how much you spent on your wedding or how much you tried to impress them. While hosting a loving and memorable event, it’s possible to save in many areas.

When you start your first full-time job after college, you will have many important financial decisions to make. With greater earning potential comes greater financial responsibility, from maximizing your employee benefits, such as life insurance and retirement planning, to paying down your student and credit card debts to investing in an emergency fund. You can help to set yourself up for lifelong financial comfort if you learn the basics and establish good habits now by following our first day at your new job financial checklist.