Let’s be real—talking about financial wellness is easy. Doing it well? Not so much.
Many companies think they’re supporting their employees with flashy portals, webinars, or HR handouts about budgeting. But if your team is still stressed about money, disengaged, and under-participating in your 401(k) or other benefits… you’ve got a problem.
The good news? You can fix it—and without doubling your benefits budget.
Here’s how to move from financial wellness lip service to a strategy that actually improves outcomes.
- Make It Personal, Not Just Available
Most programs fall flat because they treat every employee the same. Someone in their 20s with student loan debt doesn’t need the same content as someone in their 50s trying to catch up for retirement.
Fix:
Segment your financial wellness content by life stage, income level, or financial goals. Better yet—offer one-on-one support to help employees build personalized plans.
- Connect It to Your Existing Benefits
If your financial wellness tools aren’t connected to your 401(k), HSA, or voluntary coverage, your team won’t know how to take action—and the whole thing ends up as noise.
Fix:
Integrate financial education with your benefits strategy. Offer real examples of how employees can reduce expenses, use their HSA strategically, or increase their retirement contributions without hurting take-home pay.
- Simplify the Message
Financial wellness gets bogged down when we throw too much jargon at employees. Terms like “asset allocation,” “contribution escalation,” and “tax advantage vehicles” don’t inspire confidence—they cause people to tune out.
Fix:
Ditch the jargon. Speak in real language about real challenges: “Want to stop living paycheck to paycheck?” or “Want to make sure you don’t run out of money in retirement?” That’s what they care about.
- Make It Ongoing, Not a One-Time Push
Financial stress doesn’t peak once a year during open enrollment. It’s a year-round issue. And if you only offer financial education in a single webinar or once-a-year email blast, you’re not moving the needle.
Fix:
Keep it consistent. Regular workshops, benefit reminders, short-form videos, and check-ins go much further than a once-and-done session. Bonus: use employee feedback to keep improving the program.
- Measure Something
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. If your only metric is “we offered a financial wellness tool,” then you’ve already lost.
Fix:
Track metrics that matter:
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401(k) participation rates
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HSA usage
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Employee satisfaction with benefits
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Changes in savings behavior over time
Even anecdotal feedback can tell you where to refine and improve.
Final Word: Financial Wellness Shouldn’t Be Optional
If you want to attract and retain top talent—especially in small to mid-sized businesses—your benefits program needs to support your employees’ whole financial life, not just retirement.
At PlanSimple, we help business owners and HR leaders cut through the noise and build benefit strategies that reduce stress, increase retention, and support long-term success.
Ready to turn your financial wellness strategy into something that actually works?
👉 Let’s talk. CLICK HERE to book a free group benefits review.
This information was developed as a general guide to educate plan sponsors and is not intended as authoritative guidance or tax/legal advice. Each plan has unique requirements, and you should consult your attorney or tax advisor for guidance on your specific situation.
PlanSimple Financial Partners, LLC is a registered investment adviser located in New Orleans, Louisiana. PlanSimple Financial Partners, LLC may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Investment Advisory Services are offered through PlanSimple Financial Partners, LLC, a registered investment adviser.