Business and investment advice will never run out. Every day, people make millions of dollars on their investment positions in the stock or currency markets. Others generate good cash flow from active businesses like restaurants, retail or various products, or perhaps get passive income from a rental property. But the greatest investment that people can really make is on their health and fitness.
One of the first steps to investing in one’s health is by having a reputable health care provider. By going online, one can find a number of quality health care service providers as featured on various websites such as settlementhealth.org. These health care providers have a full range of services for children, adults, and senior citizens. Lately, these centers have also offered COVID-19 screening services to help contain the pandemic and help patients who have signs and symptoms of the disease.
This is especially important for people in their 40s or those who are midstream of their careers or business life. A day will come when people can no longer engage in active work to earn a living or to run a business. It is important to really put a premium on health care, early on while one is still healthy and earning an income. The sad reality is that many still choose to smoke rather than pursue a health and fitness lifestyle. The worst part is that they know the risks of their “chosen poison” and still do it anyway. No wonder, some call smoking as the legalized addiction, for that is what it truly is.
Graphic Warnings on Smoking Risks
If there is any one group, in particular, that needs special medical attention, it is the cigarette smokers. On all cigarette packs available today, graphic warnings have been printed out to inform the smoker and the public about the serious health risks of smoking. These packs show photos of damaged lungs that show the impact of smoking-related cancer, emphysema, and other deadly diseases.
Still, even with the millions of dollars spent on public advertising, the warnings seem to remain largely unheeded. Perhaps one reason why the government campaign against smoking remains ineffective is that cigarette companies can actually outmatch and outspend the advertising budget of government or any anti-smoking lobby group. At the same time, governments also generate a lot of revenue in terms of so-called sin taxes from the sales of cigarettes together with wine, beer, and liquor. This shows that the government relies on the industry for revenue even as it seeks to penalize the same industry through higher taxes. It only shows that the cigarette industry earns so much that it can absorb the taxation and still make huge profits.
High Costs of Smoking
In one study, it was shown that the economic cost of this vice at the individual level is quite staggering. On average, one pack of cigarette may cost at least $ 4.49, perhaps higher in other states or countries. A smoker who consumes a one pack of cigarettes a day will spend $31.43 a week for his pernicious habit. All computed, the smoker will waste at least $1, 635 per year for this habit or addiction. A one-pack-a-day smoker, for some reason, might decide to quit at age 40, enabling him or her to save $250,000 at the minimum by the time that ex-smoker reaches the age of 70, assuming that this amount is reinvested in 401(K) that earns about 9% a year. What investment could have been made with $250,000 that just went up in smoke if the person does not quit the habit? That amount is a quarter of a million dollars. Just think about it.
In a news report, it was revealed at least $300 billion a year worth of government funds is spent on due to health care costs of smoking. That enormous amount also factors in productivity costs of smoking which translates to lost work hours and other disruptions to business and economic activities.
Quitting smoking, then, is not only a matter of health and fitness. It is also a very real public and personal finance issue. People who engage in this vice really waste a lot of money that could have gone to more productive endeavors like using the money for education, home renovation, or making investments that yield gains rather than maintaining a vice that only burns money with each stick of cigarette.
Choose Health, Choose Life
It is high time for smokers to really choose health rather than waste time and resources puffing their lives away. Smoking may make them feel relaxed temporarily, but it sets them up for a lifetime of disease and financial ruin if they do not take the necessary steps to end the vice. When they choose to quit smoking, they choose life.