Workers' physical health tops financial health [infographic]

Employees who work with a financial professional (33 percent) are less likely to feel stressed about their current financial situation than those who do not work with a financial professional (51 percent), the report adds.

Among the report's additional findings:

• 52 percent of employees say they have monitored their spending levels in the past year and 39 percent employees created a budget — up significantly from 28 percent two years ago;
• 57 percent have an emergency fund to tap in the event of a job loss or unanticipated major expense, but paying for unexpected expenses would still be difficult for many employees;
• Employees who work with a financial professional (78 percent) are more likely to have an emergency fund than employees who do not work with a financial professional (49 percent). Nearly one in five employees (17 percent) have tapped into their emergency fund recently to cover monthly expenses;
• The top plan employees have for their 2013 tax return is to save or invest the refund. About two-thirds of employees (68 percent) are expecting a federal or state tax refund for 2013; and
• About half of employees (51 percent) expecting a refund plan to save or invest it, 38 percent intend to pay down/off short-term debt and 24 percent hope to pay down/off longer-term debt.

The following is an infographic showcasing additional findings from the Principal Financial Well Being Index: