Many employers provide financial benefits to their employees — a salary, retirement plan, health insurance, etc., but how many provide support that actually helps them use those benefits effectively? This is where financial wellness benefits become extremely impactful.
Employees want help with their finances — in fact, 93% seek financial guidance and support from their employer, but far too many of them lack the support they seek.
Financial wellness benefits are quickly becoming an essential part of an employee’s total compensation package, playing an important role alongside other benefit pillars like salary, equity, health insurance, retirement plans, and the usual suite of benefit offerings.
And they have material benefits, too. Data from our own customers shows that employees who receive financial wellness benefits from Origin increased their 401K contributions by 42% and their HSA or 529 plan contributions by 23%. For employers, this also means $5,600 per employee saved in attrition costs, a total of $2.8M saved on backfilling roles for a company of 500+ employees, or $6M saved for a company of 1,000+.
Starting from the top, financial wellness is a term used to describe your ability to manage your current and future financial needs. It considers the total picture of your financial health and recognizes how finances can impact stress levels. Much like physical fitness and mental health, financial wellness is essential because it impacts overall health and well-being.
It means taking care of the money must-haves. It means directing your finances rather than having them direct you. It means budgeting, tracking, spending, saving, investing, protecting, and planning — and it means doing it all with a purpose.
Because, let’s face it — money is involved in almost every part of our lives, so practicing financial wellness means stability in all other aspects of life, too. So, financial wellness benefits are exactly that: benefits that support an employee's financial wellness.
This includes things like:
Holistic financial wellness platforms, like Origin, allow users to manage their compensation, benefits, and personal finances in one place — side-by-side with Certified Financial Planners™. Employees can work with financial planning advisors bound by fiduciary duty to develop a financial roadmap and track their progress. Platforms like Origin function as a single place for employees to understand the value of their cash, equity, and benefits to see progress and take action.
Only about 23% of Americans have an estate plan in place. While it’s often an uncomfortable topic to think about or plan for, it’s ultimately a necessary part of financial planning that can reduce both your own stress and the stress of your loved ones in the future. That’s why Origin includes estate planning as part of its financial wellness benefits, helping employees create a personalized plan to protect their assets and ensure their wishes are honored.
Tailored advice from a personal financial advisor who is also a fiduciary, an individual with a legal and ethical obligation to act in the best interests of others, is best. To complement this advice, use an all-in-one dashboard to see how your money is spent and where you risk going over budget. These tools typically allow users to filter and display information in several ways, like spending timelines and budget breakdowns along with spending categories, which can cut down on financial literacy barriers that may exist for some demographics.
Tax guidance and filing services are also essential aspects of financial planning and wellness,
that’s why Origin offers a comprehensive tax filing solution that covers all tax situations and allows employees to file at no additional cost.
The short answer is undoubtedly yes; financial wellness benefits can bring massive improvements to the overall morale, health, happiness, and even productivity of a company’s workforce.
Source: PWC
Origin offers a flexible, holistic solution to the financial wellness benefits need, filling an important gap in the benefits world with an all-in-one platform.
With Origin, your employees gain access to:
Interested in learning more? Find out how you can partner with Origin to help provide your employees with a crucial financial wellness solution.