Build or Buy: What It Costs to Create a Financial Wellness Benefit

September 25, 2026 Build or Buy: What It Costs to Create a Financial Wellness Benefit
White Paper | 2026
Construction workers in safety equipment at a building site
Employer Strategy

Build or Buy: What It Costs to Create a Financial Wellness Benefit

What employer sourcing data, replication cost research, and organizational learning theory indicate for large employers and retirement plan providers weighing the decision.

Financial Wellness
Think Tank™
Key Takeaways

Most large employers have settled the question of whether to offer financial wellness support. The open question is how to source it. This report examines what building a program internally would cost, how long it would take, and what expertise it would require.

  • HOW PROGRAMS GET BUILTEmployers rarely build alone. Among those with a financial wellness strategy or developing one, 87 percent had outside help building it, and 66 percent used a dedicated financial wellness vendor, up from 47 percent in 2020.1
  • WHAT IT COSTSBuilding an enterprise-scale platform is estimated at $21 million to $38 million in product and content development, derived from disclosed venture funding for workplace financial wellness platforms and published software industry research and development benchmarks.3, 4, 5
  • HOW LONG IT TAKESTime is the more binding constraint. None of the workplace financial wellness platforms with public funding histories reached maturity in under a decade, and several were still raising capital in their eleventh and twelfth years.3
  • THE REAL BARRIERThe deeper barrier is expertise, not budget. In about one in seven cases studied, copying an established product cost as much as or more than the original development, and in a substantial share of those the reason was know-how the original developer had accumulated over years and never published.2
  • EVEN SPECIALISTS BUYEven dedicated providers buy capability rather than build it. One venture-funded provider that had raised roughly $70 million acquired another company in 2023 to close a gap in its own workplace financial education, then made a second acquisition to add estate planning.3
  • RETIREMENT PLAN PROVIDERSA provider begins with more of the infrastructure in place than an employer does, though what remains to build is the expensive part. Plan sponsors are meanwhile going elsewhere, with nearly half having a financial wellness program and 13 percent saying it comes through their retirement plan.8
Section 01 What Is Being Built

Financial wellness benefits can mean many different things. EBRI’s employer survey tracks 16 distinct offerings under that heading. They differ in how they are delivered, what they cost, and what regulation applies to them.1 A cost estimate averaged across all 16 describes nothing an employer would actually build.

This report examines one of them, the workplace financial wellness program. A program of this kind gives employees one-on-one guidance from credentialed professionals, certified financial planners in the United States or locally recognized equivalents in other countries, who make no product recommendations. It adds technology-delivered support available at any hour, an assessment that produces a personalized action plan, plus interactive tools for major life events. The program connects to the benefits an employer already offers, so employees find what is available to them. It also covers program design, employee communications, and measurement of results. Employers put their priority here. The three offerings most often named as a company’s single highest priority are financial planning education, personalized financial coaching, and personalized credit or debt management coaching. Together they account for 42 percent of responses.1

Section 02 How Employers Are Sourcing Programs

Among employers that have a strategy for improving employee financial wellness or are developing one, 87 percent had outside help building it.1 The most common source was a dedicated financial wellness vendor at 66 percent, followed by benefits consultants at 59 percent and retirement plan providers at 40 percent.1 Fifty-nine percent said their own company was involved as well. Employers are not handing the work to a vendor so much as adding outside expertise to their own.

The share citing a dedicated financial wellness vendor rose from 47 percent in 2020 to 66 percent in 2025, while the share citing their own company stayed close to 60 percent.1 Designing a program with no outside help is now uncommon.

Outside help
87%
Of employers with a financial wellness strategy, or developing one, had outside help building it1
Vendor reliance
66%
Cited a dedicated financial wellness vendor, up from 47 percent in 20201
Who Helps Design the Financial Wellness Strategy
Share citing each source, among employers with a strategy or developing one, 2020 to 2025
Financial wellness vendor The company itself
Who helps design the financial wellness strategy, 2020 to 2025 Financial wellness vendor: 47 percent in 2020, 54 in 2022, 55 in 2024, 66 in 2025. The company itself: 60 percent in 2020, 60 in 2022, 56 in 2024, 59 in 2025. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 2020 2022 2024 2025 47% 60% 66% 59%
Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2025.1 Respondents are benefits decision makers at companies with 500 or more employees that were at least interested in offering financial wellness programs, and could select more than one source. Figures cover employers with a financial wellness strategy or developing one. Sample sizes differ by wave: n=250 in 2020, n=250 in 2022, n=262 in 2024, and n=406 in 2025.1
Section 03 What Building It Yourself Would Cost

Building costs more than most internal estimates assume. Edwin Mansfield and colleagues studied what it costs to copy an established product, looking at 48 new products across a variety of industries.2 On average, copying ran about 65 percent of the original developer’s cost and about 70 percent of the original development time.2 In all but one case the copying firm got no help from the original developer, which is the position an employer is in when it builds without a provider’s cooperation.2

The averages hide a lot of variation. In roughly half the cases the cost ratio came in either below 0.40 or above 0.90, and in about one seventh of cases copying cost as much as or more than building from scratch.2 The time ratio varied as widely, and in some cases copying took longer than the original work.2 For planning purposes, 65 percent is the number to work from, with the caveat that half the cases landed well above or below it.

To make use of these findings, we need to look at what building these programs actually costs. Disclosed venture funding for workplace financial wellness platforms is a reasonable starting point. Three platforms built for large enterprise workforces each raised on the order of $70 million or more.3 Capital raised is not the same as development cost, because venture funding also pays for sales, marketing, and overhead. Benchmarks from software companies that have gone public put research and development at roughly 26 to 30 percent of operating expense.4 Survey data on private software companies shows that venture-backed firms spend more on both research and development and customer acquisition than self-funded ones, another reason to treat capital raised as a ceiling.5 Applying a conservative 30 to 50 percent to those totals gives an estimated $21 million to $38 million to develop a program of this kind from nothing. This is an estimate built on public disclosures and industry benchmarks, not a verified figure. It is also cumulative spend across a build period measured in years rather than an annual budget line, and it buys a starting point rather than a finished program.

What an in-house build does and does not include

An employer can skip

  • Customer acquisition
  • Sales and marketing
  • Multi-tenant architecture
  • White-labeling and cross-client reporting

An employer still has to build

  • The content library, and every update to it
  • Coach recruitment, training, and supervision
  • The technology platform and its integrations
  • Compliance review and the education-advice boundary
  • Program design, communications, and measurement
The estimate above already removes the left column, which is why 30 to 50 percent of capital raised is used rather than the full total. The right column is what remains, and unlike a provider, an employer cannot spread any of it across other clients.
Development
$21–38M
Estimated product and content development for an enterprise-scale platform, cumulative over roughly a decade3, 4, 5
Time to maturity
10+ yrs
No platform with a public funding history reached maturity in less than a decade3
Replication
65%
Average share of an original developer’s cost borne by an imitator, with half of cases falling below 0.40 or above 0.902

Financial Finesse’s own experience building and maintaining a financial coaching platform over more than two decades is consistent with development costs in this range, and with a timeline measured in years rather than budget cycles.7

Time is the bigger obstacle. None of the platforms with public funding histories reached maturity in less than ten years, and several were still raising money in their eleventh and twelfth years.3 These were companies that did nothing else, with specialist staff and money raised for this one purpose. An employer building a program alongside its existing benefits work has no reason to go faster. Few benefits plans look ten years ahead, and few of the leaders who would approve the project will still be in the role when it finishes.

The companies building these platforms have reached the same conclusion. One venture-funded provider that had raised roughly $70 million, at a $400 million valuation, bought another company in 2023 to fill a gap in its own workplace financial education, then bought a second one months later to add estate planning.3 This was a firm whose only business was this product, with money and specialists on hand, and it decided twice that buying beat building.

Section 04 What Building Requires

Cost is only half of the decision. The other half is capability, which internal estimates usually leave out.

Wesley Cohen and Daniel Levinthal called this absorptive capacity: an organization’s ability to see the value in outside expertise, take it in, and put it to use.6 It is the related know-how a team has built up over years of work, which is what lets it judge and use something new. It builds slowly, and it cannot be bought quickly.6

A financial wellness program runs on behavioral finance, coaching methodology, and a clear grasp of where financial education ends and regulated advice begins. Benefits teams are usually strong in plan design, vendor management, and compliance. Few have comparable depth in the three disciplines a program depends on. A team without that background can still build a program, but it is more likely to build one that does not work.

Expertise most benefits teams hold
Built through years of benefits administration
Plan design and benefits architecture. Vendor selection and management. Regulatory compliance across an existing benefits portfolio. Employee communications at scale.
Expertise an effective program requires
Accumulated in a different discipline entirely
Behavioral finance and the drivers of financial decision making. Coaching methodology that produces measured change. The regulatory boundary separating financial education from regulated advice.

Mansfield found the same thing. Where copying cost as much as building from scratch, it was not because the copy was better. In a substantial share of those cases the original developer knew more: it had built up specialized experience with related products that never appeared in any patent and that outsiders could not easily get hold of.2 That is absorptive capacity, described nine years before Cohen and Levinthal gave it a name.

Two other findings apply directly to financial wellness. Copying cost more when less of the original spending had gone to research and more had gone to building the product and getting it to market, because research results become visible to outsiders while the build work has to be done over.2 And products that needed regulatory approval cost about 31 percentage points more to copy.2 A financial wellness program is mostly build rather than research, and it runs up against the line between education and advice. Both put it at the expensive end of Mansfield’s range.

Section 05 Commitment, and the Case for Building

Choosing a provider does not take the employer out of the work. A program gets results when the organization commits to it, promotes the resources to its people, and gives them time and encouragement to use them. A good provider supplies the harder part, a tested program and the guidance to launch and run it. The commitment still has to come from the employer.

When building makes sense

Building internally is the right call for a narrow set of organizations. It fits a company that has the right mix of expertise across personal finance, employee benefits, and software development, and that can keep paying for those people to maintain and update the platform over the long term. A financial wellness program is never finished. Content needs updating, compliance needs review, and the technology needs investment as employee needs and regulations change.

For an organization without that expertise, the research offers no discount for replication, and the full estimated range of $21 million to $38 million or more should be expected.2, 3 An organization that already has deep expertise in all three areas may get closer to the 65 percent average, which puts development at roughly $14 million to $25 million, because it starts with the know-how Mansfield identified as the reason copying costs run high.2, 3 Two things pull against that lower figure. It comes from an average with wide variation, and every financial wellness program carries the regulatory exposure that raised copying costs in his data.

Without the expertise
$21–38M or more
No replication discount applies. An employer working outside its core competence should expect the full estimated development range, or above it.2, 3
With aligned expertise
$14–25M
Reflects the average imitation ratio, available only to an organization already holding the technical base across personal finance, employee benefits, and platform development.2, 3

That combination of expertise is rarer than it looks. Knowing financial products is not the same as giving unbiased guidance across a whole benefits package, and neither one covers the coaching methodology that produces measurable results. The survey data gives a rough sense of how rare it is. Finance and insurance firms made up 34 percent of respondents, double the next largest industry, so the employers best equipped to build were well represented among those who went to an outside vendor instead.1

Keeping a program running is harder than launching one. Several of the platforms with public funding histories were bought by larger firms instead of reaching scale on their own, and others stalled after early rounds.3 These were companies whose only business was this product.

Section 06 For Retirement Plan Providers and Advisors

Retirement plan providers are active in this category. Among employers that have a financial wellness strategy or are developing one, 40 percent say a retirement plan provider helped design it. More say a dedicated financial wellness vendor did, at 66 percent.1 A separate survey of plan sponsors shows the same split from the other direction. Nearly half had a financial wellness program in place, but only 13 percent said it came through their retirement plan.8 Most of the employers who have one got it somewhere else. Every employer with a plan already has a provider, so this is not a matter of employers lacking the relationship. They have it, and they are still going elsewhere. That leaves plan providers and advisors with a decision of their own, whether to build a program to offer plan sponsors or to license one built elsewhere.

Plan providers already have some of the infrastructure a program needs. Multi-tenant systems, cross-sponsor reporting, and sponsor relationships exist because running a recordkeeping business requires them. A vendor starting out has to build all of that. A plan provider does not. The parts still missing are the expensive ones. Building something that already exists saves the cost of working out what to build, but not the cost of building it.2

Coaching is the clearest case. A recordkeeping system serves another sponsor at almost no added cost, because software scales without adding staff. Coaching does not work that way. Every additional participant who wants a session needs someone qualified to deliver it, so the cost grows with the number of people, not the number of clients. The decade-long timelines still apply.3

A six-part test for an existing offering
  • One-to-one guidance from credentialed professionals who make no product recommendations, available to every participant
  • Technology-delivered support available at any hour
  • An assessment that produces a personalized action plan for each participant
  • Interactive tools and life-event resources
  • Integration across each sponsor’s own benefits set, not the retirement plan alone
  • Program design, employee communications, and measurement of results for each sponsor
A provider delivering all six to every sponsor it serves is already running a program of this kind, and the cost analysis in this report does not apply to it. Where an item is missing, or reaches only some sponsors, that is what a build would have to add.

Plan providers face the same decision employers do, with a head start on the parts that were never the hard ones. What is left is the coaching, the content, and the compliance work, and those take years to build and people to run.

The Bottom Line

For nearly every organization weighing this, financial wellness is a valuable benefit rather than a source of competitive advantage. The workable rule is to build what is core to the business and buy what is not. That holds equally for an employer building for its own workforce and for a retirement plan provider building for its sponsors, though a provider starts with more of the infrastructure already in place.

Building can make sense when all of these hold

  • The organization already has deep expertise in personal finance, employee benefits, and software development
  • It can fund content updates, compliance review, and technology investment for as long as the program runs, not only through launch
  • A timeline measured in years fits its planning horizon
  • The program sits close enough to the core business to justify that sustained investment

Buying is the better fit when any of these hold

  • The expertise sits outside what the organization does
  • Budget authority covers a project but not an indefinite operating commitment
  • The benefit is needed sooner than a build could deliver it
  • Financial wellness matters to the people it would serve but is not a source of competitive advantage

An established program carries a development cost that has already been absorbed, estimated in the tens of millions of dollars over a timeline measured in years, along with the accumulated expertise that determines whether a program changes behavior. That leaves the organization free to focus on the part no vendor can supply, which is a real commitment to the financial health of the people it serves. Anyone weighing a build estimate against a purchase has a straightforward next step. Ask a specialist provider’s consulting team what the same capability costs to buy, and compare the two figures.

References

Funding figures cited in this report are drawn from publicly disclosed venture financing rounds and are presented as order-of-magnitude estimates. Development cost figures are Financial Finesse estimates derived from those disclosures and published software industry operating expense benchmarks, not verified company financial statements. Reference 7 draws on Financial Finesse proprietary data; the underlying figures are held internally and are not disclosed here. Mansfield, Schwartz, and Wagner examined manufactured product innovations in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and electronics and machinery; their ratios are applied here as the closest available empirical benchmark for replication cost rather than as a direct measure of software and services development.

1Spiegel, Jake, and Bridget Bearden. “2025 EBRI Financial Wellbeing Employer Survey: Focusing on the Bottom Line Continues.” EBRI Issue Brief, no. 648. Washington, DC: Employee Benefit Research Institute, December 11, 2025. Multi-year figures drawn from the accompanying 2025 Financial Wellbeing Symposium presentation, Question 105. Accessed September 3, 2026. Financial Finesse is among the organizations that provided funding for this survey.
2Mansfield, Edwin, Mark Schwartz, and Samuel Wagner. “Imitation Costs and Patents: An Empirical Study.” The Economic Journal 91, no. 364 (1981): 907–918.
3Financial Finesse compilation of publicly disclosed venture financing rounds, acquisitions, and company announcements for workplace financial wellness providers, drawn from company press releases and venture capital databases. Accessed September 3, 2026.
4Blossom Street Ventures. “Percent of SaaS Revenue for R&D, S&M, COGS, and G&A.” Analysis of software companies completing initial public offerings since October 2017. Accessed September 3, 2026.
5SaaS Capital. 2026 Spending Benchmarks for Private B2B SaaS Companies. Accessed September 3, 2026.
6Cohen, Wesley M., and Daniel A. Levinthal. “Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation.” Administrative Science Quarterly 35, no. 1 (1990): 128–152.
7ProprietaryFinancial Finesse Financial Wellness Think Tank™, internal review of the company’s own platform development and maintenance history, 1999 to 2026. Underlying figures are not published.
8Newport, an Ascensus company. Compensation, Retirement, and Benefits Trends Report, 2025/2026 Edition: Executive Summary. October 2025. Based on responses from 594 organizations; roughly three quarters have fewer than 250 employees and less than $50 million in annual revenue. Accessed September 3, 2026.
Financial Wellness Think Tank™
financialfinesse.com

Employer ROI Calculator

September 03, 2026 Financial Wellness Benefit ROI Calculator | Financial Finesse
ROI Calculator | 2026
Financial Wellness Benefits

Employer ROI Calculator

Estimate the potential annual cost savings of a financial wellness benefit across seven cost categories, based on your organization’s size, income profile, and workforce characteristics.

Society of Actuaries
First Prize SOA Call for Essays
Financial Wellness
Think Tank™
01 Your Organization

Enter your organization’s data below. All figures are used only in your browser to calculate an estimate and are not transmitted or stored anywhere.

Enter either an annual salary or an hourly rate, and select which one applies.
Share of your workforce approaching retirement age.
Defaults to 11.4%, estimated per the source model’s own method (40 ÷ 3.5 years BLS median private-sector employee tenure). Replace with your organization’s actual rate if known.
Includes EAP counseling, therapy or teletherapy programs, and other employer-sponsored mental health support. See methodology below.
02 Estimated Annual Savings
Total Estimated Annual ROI
$0
Illustrative projection based on the inputs provided and the improvement assumptions described in Section 3.
These figures are illustrative projections modeled from third-party research and Financial Finesse program data. Actual results depend on program design, employee engagement, and organizational context. They are not a guarantee of savings.
Click the button, or press Ctrl+P (Windows) / Cmd+P (Mac), then choose “Save as PDF” as the destination. Some browser security settings block the button; the keyboard shortcut always works.
03 Sources & Methodology ▾

This calculator models seven cost-saving categories associated with financial wellness benefits: wage garnishment processing, FSA/HSA administration, absenteeism, healthcare cost trend, delayed retirement, turnover, and mental health-related costs. Garnishment, FSA/HSA, and healthcare savings scale with employee count using fixed per-employee benchmarks; the remaining categories also incorporate the income, retirement, quit rate, and mental health usage figures provided above.

How we define “mental health-related costs”
In this calculator, mental health-related costs refer specifically to lost productivity and missed workdays linked to unaddressed stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychological distress. The $5,000-per-employee benchmark comes from a national study of the general working population, not Financial Finesse client data.

Why this doesn’t double-count savings: Healthcare spending and turnover costs linked to mental health are already captured in the Healthcare Cost Trend and Turnover categories above, using separate benchmarks. This category is limited to the lost-workday/productivity impact only, so it does not re-count savings claimed elsewhere in the model.

Because most employers can’t measure how many employees are experiencing psychological distress, this calculator uses utilization of mental health benefits (EAP counseling, therapy or teletherapy programs, mental health apps, etc.) as a practical stand-in for that population. Employees who use these benefits are a subset of everyone who could be struggling, so this approach is intentionally conservative — it is more likely to understate potential savings than overstate them.

1.Delayed retirement cost basis. Financial Finesse Think Tank internal analysis.Proprietary Research
2.Turnover cost benchmark. “More Than You Think: The Cost of Employee Turnover,” GrowthForce.
3.Mental health cost benchmark. National Safety Council and NORC at the University of Chicago, “Mental Health Cost Calculator” (2021), based on 2015–2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data; as reported in “Mental distress costs employers $5,000 per worker each year,” Business Insurance.
4.Wage garnishment, FSA/HSA, and healthcare cost trend figures are internal Financial Finesse Think Tank estimates. No external source is cited for these three categories in the underlying model.
5.Default annual turnover rate (11.4%) is estimated as 40 ÷ median private-sector employee tenure, per the source model’s own guidance, using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employee Tenure data (3.5 years, January 2024, the most recent available release).
6.Mental health definition and workplace context. Center for Workplace Mental Health, American Psychiatric Association Foundation.
7.This calculator is built on the model presented in Gregory Ward, “Calculating ROI: Measuring the Benefits of Workplace Financial Wellness,” which won First Prize among the essays submitted to the Society of Actuaries’ Call for Essays.
Financial Wellness Think Tank™ · financialfinesse.com

The Impact of Virtual Financial Wellness on Retirement Readiness

August 07, 2026

Financial Wellness Think Tank™ · 2026 Research Review

The Impact of Virtual Financial Wellness on Retirement Readiness

How Contribution Rates, Loan Activity, and Milestone Attainment Shift With Engagement

Recordkeepers, asset managers, and advisors are asking a practical question about virtual financial wellness benefits: does engagement with a digital-only program — one with no human coach built in — actually move the retirement metrics the industry already tracks? Using Financial Wellness Think Tank engagement data across employer clients, this year’s research review finds a clear answer in the numbers themselves.

Employees who engage with a virtual financial wellness benefit consistently out-save, out-allocate, and out-prepare those who don’t — even when no human coach is part of the program.

Engagement changes contribution behavior

Contribution behavior is the most direct measure of retirement saving, and engagement with the virtual benefit tracks with higher contribution rates and lower plan opt-out. Employees who engaged with the benefit in 2024 were far less likely to opt out of their 401(k) the following year than those who did not.

Engaged with the benefit

8.4%

401(k) opt-out rate in 2025

A 32% lower opt-out rate than non-engaged employees, following a year of engagement with the virtual benefit in 2024.

Did not engage

10.9%

401(k) opt-out rate in 2025

Employees who did not engage with the virtual benefit in 2024 opted out of the plan at nearly one and a half times the rate of engaged employees.

Engagement drives measurable results

Saving more matters less when the savings sit in a poorly constructed portfolio or without a cash buffer behind them. Engagement with the virtual benefit tracks with better-aligned portfolios, stronger emergency savings, and higher milestone attainment among the employees closest to retirement.

69.4%

Of return users who started misaligned with their risk tolerance corrected their allocation after a year

65.1%

Of return users without an emergency cushion reached 1+ month’s living expenses in savings

82.3%

Of engaged near-retirees (55+) went on to capture their full company retirement match

Three trends defining leading retirement programs

01

A digital-only benefit still moves the needle

Engagement with a virtual program coincides with higher contribution rates, lower plan opt-out, better-aligned investments, and stronger milestone attainment — even where human coaching is not part of the benefit. That makes financial wellness engagement a lever on plan health, not a cost that needs separate justification.

02

Loan activity is a weak gauge on its own

A 401(k) loan can only be drawn against an existing balance, so as a program builds contributions and match capture, borrowing capacity grows right along with it. The more reliable lever is liquid emergency savings: employees with at least $2,000 set aside were 19 percentage points less likely to take a 401(k) loan and 43 points less likely to cash out at a job change.

03

Near-retirees show the biggest wins

Among engaged employees age 55 and older, milestone attainment was substantial across the board — from setting beneficiaries to running a retirement estimate to capturing the full company match. Readiness gains at this stage translate directly into employer savings through delayed, better-funded retirements.

The pattern in this year’s data tracks the outcomes the retirement plan industry already works toward. Engagement itself functions as a lever on the metrics recordkeepers, advisors, and plan sponsors already measure — not a cost to be justified after the fact.

Read the full 2026 Research Review

Explore the complete data on contribution behavior, investment allocation, loan activity, and milestone attainment among near-retirees behind this year’s findings.

Read the report

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The State of Global Financial Wellness Benefits

August 05, 2026 The State of Global Financial Wellness Benefits
Research Brief | 2026
Businessman traveling and checking his phone
Global Benefits Research

The State of Global Financial Wellness Benefits

A survey of recent research on the global financial wellness market: growing demand among multinational employers, the cost of employee financial stress, and how an effective program reduces that stress no matter where employees are located.

Financial Wellness
Think Tank™
01 Executive Summary

Financial stress among employees is a global condition, not a market-specific one. It carries a measurable cost to the employers whose workforces experience it, which is why multinational employers are rolling out financial wellness support at a pace no one would have predicted just five years ago. This brief surveys recent research from Fidelity International, WTW, and Aon on the scale of employee financial stress worldwide, the cost it imposes on employers, the speed at which multinationals are responding, and how an effective, well-communicated financial wellness program reduces that stress for employees regardless of where they are located.

02 Global Workforces Are Under Financial Stress

Financial stress follows employees across borders. Recent global research documents lost concentration, absence, and disengagement tied to money concerns in every region surveyed, drawing on more than 700,000 data points from over 28,000 workers across 140 markets.1 Certain life events carry a measurable financial cost. Saving for an emergency or major purpose, marriage or partnering, and aging and caregiving responsibilities are each associated with lower financial wellness scores among the workers affected by them, relative to workers who have not experienced those events.1 The pattern is consistent enough across markets that it reads less like a series of local problems and more like a single global condition employers are only now fully reckoning with.

03 Financial Stress Is Expensive

Financial stress does not stay contained to an employee’s personal life. It follows them to work, where it shows up as lost focus and reduced output.

Concentration Impact
2 in 3
stressed workers say financial stress affects their ability to concentrate at work1
Employer Responsibility
80%+
of multinational employers feel very or extremely responsible for supporting employee financial wellness1

That link between stress and concentration is the mechanism by which a personal problem becomes a business cost, and it is reflected in how employers now describe their own role. More than four in five multinational employers report feeling very or extremely responsible for supporting employee financial wellness, a level of ownership that tracks closely with how directly financial stress is now understood to affect workplace performance.1

04 Multinationals Are Responding, Fast

Employers are turning that sense of responsibility into concrete commitments through a specific mechanism: the global minimum standard, a defined floor benefit that a company guarantees to every employee worldwide, regardless of what already exists locally, typically layered on top of local programs rather than replacing them. The benefits most commonly built into these standards today cluster around life insurance and employee assistance programs, offered as a global minimum by roughly three-quarters of multinationals.4 Financial wellness support has not yet reached that same level of standardization, even though employer ownership of the underlying problem, established above, is already high.1 Adoption of the minimum-standard approach overall has moved from a minority practice to the norm in under five years, and the pace of that shift matters to financial wellness specifically because it shows how quickly a benefit category can move from optional to expected once multinational employers begin treating it as part of the baseline every employee receives.

Global Minimum Benefit Standards, Adoption Over Time3
Share of multinational employers with a global minimum standard in place
Reported adoption
Source: WTW, Priorities for Employee Benefits: A Global HQ Perspective (2024).

Aon’s own 2024 research projected this trend would keep accelerating, expecting the prevalence of global minimum standards to roughly double within a couple of years.4 One year into that window, Aon’s 2025 Global Benefits Trends Study confirms the commitment is holding: “implementing global minimum standards to drive global equity” now ranks among the top five global strategic priorities for multinational employers.5 The multinationals moving fastest on financial wellness specifically are the ones setting the pattern other employers will likely follow.4

05 The Communication Gap

Rolling out a financial wellness program does not guarantee employees use it. A well-designed program still depends on employees knowing it exists, and a substantial share currently do not.1

Awareness Gap
4 in 10
employees are unaware of the full range of benefits available to them1
Communication Gap
72%
of multinationals leave benefits communication entirely to local teams, without central guidelines4

Most multinationals rely on local human resources teams to communicate benefits, with global headquarters typically providing broad design principles but limited practical guidance on delivery. Only about a third include communication guidelines in their global benefits framework, and the task of introducing a new benefit locally is often left to whichever team happens to own it in that market.4 That gap matters because local markets differ enough in language, preferred communication channels, and trust in employer messaging that a single global approach rarely travels well from one market to the next. A financial wellness program is only as effective as the plan built to introduce it locally, which is why a market-aware communication plan deserves the same attention as the benefit itself, built alongside it rather than added after launch, and why employees who do not know a benefit exists are not positioned to use it, wherever they happen to work.1

Workers who say their employer supports their financial wellness report job satisfaction at nearly one and a half times the rate of workers who say their employer does not, 52 percent versus 34 percent.1 That holds true across the same wide range of markets where financial stress itself proved consistent. Building an effective program and making sure employees know it exists are both necessary, and the data reviewed here suggests many multinationals have advanced further on the first than on the second.

Summary of Findings

Three factors are driving a new reality: a workforce under sustained financial pressure across every region, the tangible cost to employers when that pressure goes unaddressed, and a rapidly evolving employer response. As a result, global minimum standards are becoming the norm among multinationals, not the exception.1,3,5

The research is consistent on what makes a program work once it exists: employee satisfaction rises when a defined financial wellness program is in place and employees know about it, and that effect holds across every market surveyed.1,2,4 Fewer than a third of multinationals communicate their global benefits framework consistently, and a large share of employees cannot describe what is already available to them.1,4 For a multinational weighing whether to build or strengthen a global financial wellness program, an effective, clearly communicated program reduces employee financial stress wherever that employee is located, and communication, not geography, determines whether it does.

All figures below are drawn from the third-party research sources listed. Retrieval dates reflect the date each source was accessed for this brief.
1.Fidelity International. “The Fidelity Global Financial Wellness Report 2026.” Fidelity International, February 2026. Accessed July 9, 2026.
2.Fidelity International. “Values in Practice: Global Benefits Standards.” Fidelity International Global Employer Survey 2025. Accessed July 9, 2026.
3.WTW. “Almost Three-Quarters of Employers Have Set a Global Minimum Standard for Employee Benefits.” Priorities for Employee Benefits: A Global HQ Perspective survey (2023 HQ Priorities Survey). WTW, January 30, 2024. Accessed July 9, 2026.
4.Aon. “Global Minimum Benefits Standards Are Becoming the New Normal, Aon Reports.” 2024 Global Benefits Trends Study. Aon plc, July 11, 2024. Accessed July 9, 2026.
5.Aon. “2025 Global Benefits Trends Study.” Aon plc, 2025. Accessed July 9, 2026.
Financial Wellness Think Tank™
financialfinesse.com

What Are the Most Used Employee Benefits?

June 18, 2026

The most commonly offered and used employee benefits in 2025 are health insurance, retirement savings plans, paid leave, flexible work arrangements, and life and disability insurance. These five categories form the core of virtually every employer benefits package in the United States. Beyond these essentials, a second tier of high-value benefits, including mental health support, financial wellness programs, professional development, and family care benefits, is growing rapidly in both availability and employee engagement.

The core five: benefits nearly every employer offers

According to SHRM’s 2025 Employee Benefits Survey, which gathered responses from nearly 4,000 HR professionals across organizations of all sizes and industries, health coverage remains the most universally offered benefit, with 97 percent of employers providing it and 88 percent rating it as extremely or very important.

1. Health insurance

Health coverage is the anchor benefit of the American employment relationship. The vast majority of employers offer a preferred provider organization plan, while 64 percent offer a high-deductible health plan linked with a savings or spending account. For most employees, health insurance is the single most financially significant benefit their employer provides, and it consistently ranks as the top factor employees consider when evaluating a job offer.

2. Retirement savings plans

Retirement savings and planning benefits tied with leave benefits for second place in employer priority rankings for the fourth consecutive year, with 81 percent of employers rating them as extremely or very important. Ninety-three percent of employers offer a traditional 401(k) or similar defined contribution plan, with 85 percent of those offering an employer match averaging 6.3 percent. Retirement benefits are considered essential across all employee generations, and employer matching contributions represent some of the most tangible financial value in any benefits package.

3. Paid leave

Vacation leave and sick leave continue to be two of the most provided benefits of any type, and leave benefits have tied for second in employer priority rankings for four consecutive years. Paid time off is among the benefits employees value and use most consistently, and its availability has a direct impact on recruitment, retention, and daily employee wellbeing.

4. Flexible work arrangements

Flexible work arrangements are offered by 68 percent of organizations, underscoring their lasting appeal in a post-pandemic workforce that has come to expect schedule and location flexibility as a standard feature of employment rather than a perk. For many employees, particularly those with caregiving responsibilities, flexibility is as important as compensation in their overall job satisfaction.

5. Life and disability insurance

Group life insurance and short and long-term disability coverage round out the core benefits package for most employers. According to BLS data, benefits average approximately 31 percent of total compensation for civilian workers, and although life and disability insurance represent a small share of that investment, these benefits provide financial protection employees rarely think about until they need them, at which point their value is immeasurable.

The growing second tier: benefits that are gaining ground

Beyond the core five, a second tier of benefits has moved from “nice to have” to “expected” over the past several years, driven by shifting workforce demographics, rising financial stress, and a growing employer recognition that total wellbeing, financial, mental, and physical, drives workforce performance.

Mental health and EAP benefits

Employee assistance programs and mental health benefits have risen sharply in employee demand. Programs that integrate physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing are driving higher engagement and retention, according to SHRM’s data, though structured wellness programs have declined to 39 percent of employers in 2025, down from 53 percent in 2021. The opportunity for employers is clear: mental health benefits that are well-designed, well-communicated, and easy to access generate meaningfully higher utilization and measurably better outcomes.

Financial wellness programs

Financial stress is the most pervasive source of employee anxiety in the American workforce, and demand for employer-sponsored financial wellness benefits has grown significantly as a result. Benefit managers are being advised to focus on financial wellness as a core component of a competitive benefits strategy to meet the changing needs and expectations of today’s workforce. Financial wellness programs that provide employees with access to credentialed financial coaches, such as the program offered by Financial Finesse, go well beyond general financial education to deliver personalized guidance that measurably reduces financial stress and improves employee financial outcomes.

Professional development and learning

Professional and career development benefits are rated as extremely or very important by 65 percent of employers. For younger employees in particular, access to learning, upskilling, and career development resources is among the most influential factors in job selection and retention. Employers who invest in their employees’ professional growth build loyalty that shows up in tenure and engagement data.

Family and caregiving benefits

Caregiving support has emerged as a significant gap in most benefits packages. Only 13 percent of employers offer elder care referral services, and just 10 percent provide paid prenatal leave beyond legal requirements, despite a workforce that is aging and facing growing caregiving demands on both ends of the generational spectrum. Dependent care FSAs, backup childcare, and flexible leave policies are increasingly important differentiators for employers competing for talent.

The utilization gap: offered is not the same as used

One of the most important and underappreciated facts about employee benefits is that availability and utilization are two very different things. Employers invest significantly in building comprehensive benefits packages, yet research consistently shows that a large share of those benefits go unused by the employees who need them most.

On average, only about a quarter of employees with access to wellbeing benefits, including physical, financial, and emotional support, actually use them.[1] For EAPs specifically, industry-wide utilization has held remarkably steady for years, with most traditional EAPs reporting engagement rates between 3 and 8 percent of the eligible employee population, with the median sitting at approximately 5 percent.

This utilization gap matters for two reasons. First, it means that the employees who most need support are frequently not receiving it. Second, it means that employers are not realizing the full return on their benefits investment. A benefit that goes unused generates no value for the employee and no return for the employer.

Financial Wellness Think Tank™ research consistently shows that financial coaching programs with strong employer communication, easy access, and unlimited no-cost engagement for employees achieve significantly higher utilization than benefits that require employees to self-identify a need and navigate a separate access process. The design of the benefit, not just its availability, determines whether employees actually use it.

What employees value most: the benefits picture in 2026

The benefits landscape is shifting in meaningful ways. Healthcare costs are expected to climb in 2026, putting cost control and benefit value at the center of planning discussions, as medical inflation, specialty drug spending, and higher utilization continue to drive spending. At the same time, employees are placing greater weight on benefits that support their total wellbeing, financial security, mental health, and flexibility, alongside the traditional core benefits of health coverage and retirement savings.

For HR leaders, the strategic imperative is not simply to offer more benefits. It is to offer the right benefits and to ensure employees can find, understand, and actually use them. The most competitive benefit packages in 2026 will be those that address the full spectrum of employee wellbeing, with financial wellness, mental health, and flexibility alongside the core five, and that are built for genuine engagement rather than checkbox compliance.

FAQs

What are the most common employee benefits?

The most commonly offered employee benefits are health insurance, retirement savings plans such as a 401(k), paid leave including vacation and sick time, flexible work arrangements, and life and disability insurance. These five categories form the core of most employer benefits packages in the United States.

What benefits do employees actually use the most?

Health insurance, paid leave, and retirement plans see the highest consistent utilization because they are either automatically enrolled or tied to immediate financial need. Benefits like EAPs, financial wellness programs, and mental health support tend to see lower utilization despite high demand, primarily due to awareness gaps, access friction, and stigma.

What employee benefits are growing in popularity?

Financial wellness programs, mental health and EAP benefits, flexible work arrangements, professional development, and family caregiving support are among the fastest-growing benefit priorities for both employers and employees heading into 2026.

How much do employee benefits cost employers?

According to BLS data, benefits average approximately $15.33 per hour for civilian workers, representing about 31 percent of total compensation. For a full-time employee earning $60,000 annually, that translates to roughly $25,000 to $30,000 in annual benefits cost.

This analysis draws on data from the SHRM 2025 Employee Benefits Survey, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Financial Wellness Think Tank™ research. The Financial Wellness Think Tank™ is the research division of Financial Finesse, the leading independent global provider of unbiased financial coaching as an employee benefit.

[1] As reported by Harvard Business School.

The Real Cost of Financial Stress: Making the Case for Financial Coaching ROI

June 18, 2026

Financial stress is not a personal problem that happens to show up at work. It is a workplace problem that shows up in the data every single quarter, across payroll reports, healthcare invoices, absence logs, and retirement plan statistics. Employers may be tempted to evaluate financial wellness programs the way they evaluate office perks, asking whether employees like the benefit. Instead, what they should evaluate is whether the program moves the needle on employee financial stress, behavior, and ultimately bottom-line cost. To put it succinctly, it does.

Financial Finesse has spent more than two decades measuring the relationship between employee financial wellness and employer costs. What that research reveals is that financial stress is not just a hardship for employees. It is one of the most expensive, most underappreciated line items on any CFO’s balance sheet, and financial coaching is one of the highest-return investments an employer can make to address it.

This piece updates and expands our predictive ROI model to reflect a more complete picture of what financial stress actually costs, including two dimensions, presenteeism and mental health, that have historically been left out of the calculation entirely.

The predictive model: measuring what actually changes

Financial Finesse’s ROI model is built on observed behavioral data, not assumptions. Using our proprietary 10-point Financial Wellness Scale to measure employee financial health across a large client base, we tracked what happens to specific, measurable employer cost drivers as financial wellness scores improve.

The model’s anchor scenario is straightforward: what is the estimated cost savings for a 50,000-employee organization when the median workforce financial wellness score improves from a 4 to a 6? A score of 4 represents an employee who is actively working on establishing their financial resilience. A score of 6 represents an employee who is financially resilient and actively working on their long-term financial goals and security. This is not a dramatic transformation, but a realistic, achievable improvement driven by consistent engagement with a high-quality financial coaching program.

Across eight measurable cost categories, the results are significant.

Eight ways financial stress costs employers money

1. Absenteeism

Employees under financial stress miss more work. Our research found that unplanned absences fell from an average of 13.73 hours to 10.35 hours when employees moved from a financial wellness score of 4 to 6. Based on an average annual salary of $50,000, that improvement could save a 50,000-employee organization more than $4.2 million annually in reduced unplanned absence costs alone. This finding was independently corroborated by a Personal Finance Employee Education Foundation (PFEEF) study in which financial education program participants averaged 11 unscheduled absence days compared to 16 days for non-participants.[1]

2. Presenteeism

Absenteeism is visible. Presenteeism is not, and that makes it far more costly and far easier to overlook. According to Mercer, the average financially stressed employee spends approximately 150 hours per year distracted by financial worries while at work.[2] That is nearly four full work weeks of lost productivity per employee, per year. For a 50,000-employee organization, even a modest reduction in financially driven presenteeism could represent tens of millions of dollars in recovered productivity. Using conservative assumptions, a 25 percent reduction in financially driven distraction time would represent an estimated $6.25 million in recovered productivity for a 50,000-employee workforce earning an average salary of $50,000.

Presenteeism is the single largest underreported cost of financial stress. Employers who exclude it from their ROI models are significantly underestimating the value of financial coaching.

3. Healthcare costs

Financial stress is a health condition in practical terms. The American Psychological Association has documented the physical toll of chronic financial worry, including elevated cortisol levels, disrupted sleep, and suppressed immune function. These are not soft outcomes. They show up in claims data.

A Financial Finesse study of a Fortune 100 healthcare company found that employer healthcare costs for employees who used the company’s financial wellness program decreased by 4.5 percent, while costs for non-users increased by 19.4 percent over the same period. The net savings came to $271.50 per employee. For a 50,000-employee organization, that is a potential annual healthcare cost reduction of more than $13.5 million.

4. Mental health costs

Financial stress and mental health are deeply interconnected. Chronic financial worry is one of the leading drivers of anxiety and depression in working adults, and that distress carries a direct, measurable cost to employers. According to research from the National Safety Council and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, employees experiencing mental distress cost employers nearly $5,000 per person annually in lost work days alone.[3]

A financial coaching program that reduces financial stress addresses one of the most common and costly root causes of employee mental distress at its source. Assuming a conservative 10 percent reduction in financially driven mental distress across a 50,000-employee workforce where 30 percent of employees are meaningfully affected, the potential savings in lost work days alone approach $7.5 million annually. For HR leaders already investing in employee assistance programs or mental health benefits, financial coaching is a high-leverage complement that targets the underlying problem rather than just its symptoms.

5. Delayed retirement

When employees cannot afford to retire, they do not. The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies has documented that a significant portion of employees plan to work past age 65 not by choice, but by financial necessity.[4] For every year a retirement-ready employee delays retirement for financial reasons, employers absorb estimated additional costs of $50,000+ in higher compensation, benefits costs, and reduced workforce mobility.[5]

Financial Finesse research found that improved retirement contribution rates driven by better financial wellness could increase an employee’s lifetime retirement savings by 12 to 28 percent. Among employees who engaged repeatedly with their employer’s financial coaching program, the likelihood of being on track for retirement increased from 38 percent to 52 percent, a 14-point improvement. For a 50,000-employee organization, that shift translates to an estimated $8.75 million in annual cost reduction related to delayed retirement.

6. Employee turnover

Replacing an employee is expensive. Research from SHRM estimates that direct replacement costs range from 50 to 60 percent of an employee’s annual salary, with total costs including lost productivity and retraining reaching 90 to 200 percent of annual salary.[6] A financial wellness program that reduces financial stress and improves employees’ sense of being valued by their employer meaningfully reduces voluntary turnover.

Even a one percent reduction in turnover at a 50,000-employee organization, using a conservative $25,000 net replacement cost per employee, saves more than $1.25 million annually. The benefit compounds over time as employee tenure increases and institutional knowledge is retained.

7. FSA and HSA utilization

Flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts reduce taxable payroll for both employees and employers. When employees do not understand these benefits, both parties leave money on the table. Financial Finesse research found that as financial wellness scores improved from a 4 to a 6, average combined FSA and HSA contributions increased from $905 to $1,137 per employee. Since these contributions are not subject to FICA tax, higher utilization generates direct employer FICA savings. For a 50,000-employee organization, that improvement translates to nearly $900,000 annually in reduced matching FICA tax payments.

8. Wage garnishments

Wage garnishments are a growing administrative and compliance burden for employers. According to Wolters Kluwer, garnishments are rising in 2026, driven in part by surging consumer debt and the resumption of federal student loan collections.[7] Research from the ADP Research Institute found that approximately 7.2 percent of U.S. workers have their wages garnished,[8] meaning a 50,000-employee organization can expect roughly 3,600 employees to have active garnishments at any given time. Each garnishment costs an employer an estimated $300 annually in payroll staff processing time.

Financial Finesse research found that moving from a financial wellness score of 4 to 6 reduces the likelihood of garnishment by 62 percent. Applied to a 50,000-employee workforce, that improvement would eliminate approximately 2,232 garnishments annually, generating an estimated $669,600 in reduced processing costs. As garnishment volumes continue to climb, the administrative value of preventing new garnishments through proactive financial coaching becomes increasingly significant.

The BIG picture: total estimated savings for a 50,000-employee organization

Cost categoryEstimated annual savings
Absenteeism$4,264,396
Presenteeism$6,250,000
Healthcare$13,575,000
Mental health$7,500,000
Delayed retirement$8,750,000
Turnover$1,250,000
FSA and HSA FICA$887,229
Garnishments$669,600
Estimated total$43,146,225

These estimates are intentionally conservative, based on modest improvements in financial wellness and realistic impact assumptions. The actual return for organizations with high-quality, well-utilized programs will in many cases exceed these projections.

What separates programs that deliver ROI from those that do not

Not all financial wellness programs produce these outcomes. The ROI modeled above assumes a program with specific characteristics: guidance delivered by credentialed financial professionals who have no products to sell, access that is unlimited and employer-paid so that cost is never a barrier to engagement, and a delivery model that meets employees where they are rather than requiring them to seek out help.

Programs built around one-time financial education workshops, generic digital content libraries, or advisor referral networks that employees must navigate on their own do not produce the same behavioral change. The research consistently shows that repeated, personalized engagement with a credentialed financial coach is what drives the improvements in behavior that generate measurable ROI.

Employers who are serious about measuring the return on their financial wellness investment should benchmark their workforce’s financial wellness score at program launch, track engagement over time, and measure changes in the specific cost categories outlined above.

Final word

Financial coaching is not a benefit offered because it feels good, though it does matter to employees and creates real goodwill. It is a benefit that, when designed and delivered well, generates a return that is measurable, significant, and defensible to any CFO or benefits committee. The question is not whether financial wellness programs produce ROI, but whether employers are measuring it, and whether the program they have in place is built to deliver it.

This analysis draws on Financial Finesse Think Tank™ research, Mercer workforce productivity data, and published industry benchmarks for mental health, turnover, and healthcare costs. The Financial Wellness Think Tank™ is the research division of Financial Finesse, the leading independent global provider of unbiased financial coaching as an employee benefit.

[1] The study was conducted on behalf of a Fortune 100 healthcare provider to evaluate the ROI of their financial wellness program through Financial Finesse.

[2] Mercer, Inside Employees’ Minds: Financial Wellness, 2017.

[3] As reported by Business Insurance Online.

[4] Retirement in the USA: The Outlook of the Workforce | 25th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey

[5] As reported by PLANADVISER.

[6] The Myth of Replaceability: Preparing for the Loss of Key Employees

[7] Wage Garnishments Rising in 2026: Employer Guide | Wolters Kluwer

[8] Garnishment-whitepaper.ashx

The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Deskless Workers’ Financial Wellness

June 12, 2026

Deskless workers represent 80% of the global workforce, yet most financial wellness programs are built for employees who sit at desks. The gap represents a measurable business risk. This research brief quantifies the compounding cost of unaddressed financial stress across four employer dimensions: turnover, safety incidents, disengagement and absenteeism, and benefits waste. It also examines the structural access barriers that keep deskless workers from engaging with the benefits they have, and offers a practical framework for closing the gap.

What Financial Wellness Companies Are Global?

May 29, 2026

As employers build workforces that span multiple countries, the demand for financial wellness programs that work everywhere employees live and work has grown significantly. A small but growing number of providers have developed genuinely global capabilities. These programs range from deep human coaching by locally credentialed professionals to broad digital financial education platforms available in dozens of languages. Financial Finesse is the category leader, having pioneered the industry and built the most comprehensive global coaching platform available, but HR leaders evaluating the market should understand what each provider actually delivers and how those delivery models differ.

Two types of global financial wellness

Not all global financial wellness programs are the same. Understanding the distinction matters enormously when evaluating what your employees will actually experience.

Human coaching programs pair employees with credentialed financial professionals, such as CFP® professionals or their in-country equivalents, for personalized, one-on-one guidance. These programs address complex, individual financial situations and provide the kind of behavior change and stress reduction that digital tools alone cannot replicate.

Digital financial education platforms deliver financial content, courses, tools, and calculators through a technology interface. While these platforms scale efficiently across countries and languages, effective global delivery requires more than translation to overcome differences in financial systems, regulations, workplace benefits, and cultural norms. When properly localized, these platforms are effective for building foundational financial knowledge at scale. They are generally less effective, however, for employees navigating complex or emotionally charged financial decisions, where human judgment, context, and empathy are irreplaceable.

The best programs combine both. The table below summarizes the verified global providers in each category.

Global Financial Wellness Provider Comparison

Global financial wellness provider comparison

Leading providers of employer-sponsored financial wellness programs with international reach.

Provider Delivery model Verified global reach Key differentiators
Financial Finesse Coaching + digital Human coaching by CFP® professionals or in-country credentialed equivalents, plus AI-powered virtual coaching 20,000+ employers; millions of employees worldwide Founded the financial wellness category (1999). Country-by-country platform with full localization of language, culture, and financial systems. Same quality standard globally as the U.S. program. Fully independent — no products sold, ever. Industry’s longest track record and deepest research base.
nudge Global Digital education Personalized digital financial education; no human coaching 195 countries; localized in 79; 40 local languages UK-based. Widest digital footprint of any provider. Behavior science-driven content engine. Impartial — no products sold. Strong employer-of-record track record (PepsiCo: 59 countries, 280,000 employees). Best suited for employers prioritizing broad digital reach over personalized human coaching.
LearnLux Coaching + digital Digital planning tools plus access to CFP® professionals for 1:1 guidance 100+ countries; 35+ languages US-based, founded 2015. Digital-first with CFP® access layered on top. January 2026 partnership with MAXIS GBN (MetLife/AXA network) significantly expanded global distribution. Best suited for employers seeking a digital-led program with coaching access.
Enrich Digital education Online financial education courses, tools, articles, and interactive content; no human coaching 70+ countries US-based. Localized content developed with regional financial experts. Clients include Coca-Cola, Dell, and Ciena. Adaptive platform personalizes experience by country then by individual. Best suited for employers seeking scalable, self-serve digital education globally.
EY Personal Finance Coaching + digital Financial planner access via EY Navigate platform plus digital tools and group workshops 150+ countries via EY global network Division of Ernst & Young; financial planning practice since 1978. Global reach enabled by EY member firms. Planner-driven with strong tax and benefits expertise. Primarily US-centric in delivery focus. Best suited for organizations with existing EY relationships or complex executive financial planning needs.
Financial Finesse highlighted as program originator. Data sourced from provider websites and independent reporting as of Q2 2026.

Financial Finesse: the category leader and global standard-setter

Financial Finesse invented the financial wellness industry. Founded in 1999 by Liz Davidson, the company was the first to offer unbiased, CFP®-led financial coaching as an employer-paid benefit, making personalized expert guidance available to everyday employees rather than only high-net-worth individuals. Financial Finesse coined the term “financial wellness” and is credited with creating what is now a mainstream employee benefit adopted by top employers worldwide.

Today Financial Finesse serves more than 20,000 organizations, reaching millions of employees worldwide through a single integrated platform. It remains fully independent, sells no financial products, and employs coaches whose only incentive is to improve the employee’s financial outcome.

What sets Financial Finesse apart globally is its country-by-country construction. Each market’s program is built from the ground up, not translated from a US original. The language, the cultural framing of money, the local financial system, the retirement structures, the tax environment, and the benefit landscape are all incorporated into the program each employee receives. An employee in the UK receives guidance grounded in UK pensions, ISAs, and income tax. An employee in Canada receives guidance relevant to RRSPs, CPP, and provincial benefit structures. An employee in Japan, Australia, Brazil, or the UAE receives the same quality of coaching, adapted entirely to their local context.

This approach is backed by a human-plus-AI delivery model that mirrors what Financial Finesse built in the US. CFP professionals, or their in-country credentialed equivalents, deliver direct coaching to employees. Aimee, Financial Finesse’s AI-powered virtual coach, extends that reach with personalized, always-available guidance. No other provider has matched this combination of human coaching depth and AI-powered scale across a global platform.

For HR leaders managing distributed workforces, Financial Finesse offers what very few global vendors can: a single vendor relationship, consistent program quality, and genuinely local delivery in every market.

nudge Global

nudge is a UK-based digital financial education platform founded in 2012. Available in 195 countries, nudge provides financial and benefit education localized to specific countries, with content in 40 local languages across 79 markets. It is the provider with the widest digital footprint in the category.[1]

nudge’s platform is built on behavioral psychology and uses personalized, data-driven content to help employees develop financial knowledge and skills at their own pace. It is explicitly impartial, meaning it sells no financial products. PepsiCo partnered with nudge to support employees across 59 countries, and more than a quarter of employees made adjustments to their retirement savings following implementation.[2]

It is important for HR leaders to understand that nudge is a financial education platform, not a financial coaching benefit. Employees receive personalized digital content, financial health checkups, and behavior-based prompts, but do not have access to one-on-one sessions with CFP professionals or equivalent credentialed coaches. For employers seeking the broadest possible digital financial education coverage across the most countries at scale, nudge is a well-established and proven option.

LearnLux

LearnLux is a US-based provider founded in 2015 that blends digital financial planning tools with access to CFP professionals for one-on-one guidance. LearnLux supports employers and employees in over 100 countries worldwide, delivering services in 35-plus languages.[3]

Through a January 2026 partnership with MAXIS Global Benefits Network, co-founded by MetLife and AXA, LearnLux now enables multinational clients to offer employees access to digital financial education, planning tools, and individual guidance across more than 100 countries. This partnership meaningfully accelerated LearnLux’s international distribution.[4]

LearnLux’s model is digital-first, with CFP® access layered on top. Employees use the platform for financial planning tools and educational content, with the option to book sessions with a CFP® professional when needed. This differs from Financial Finesse’s always-available, unlimited coaching model in which human coaching is the core of the benefit rather than an add-on to a digital platform.

Enrich

Enrich is a US-based digital financial education platform whose global program is available in more than 70 countries. The platform delivers localized financial education content developed with regional financial experts and researchers, adapting its material to each country’s financial context rather than simply translating a US curriculum.

Enrich’s approach is entirely digital. Its platform delivers articles, financial education courses, interactive tools, and personalized content based on an individual’s financial situation and goals. It does not include access to CFP® professionals or human coaches. Global clients include Coca-Cola, Dell, and Ciena. Enrich is well suited for employers seeking scalable, self-serve digital financial education that reaches employees cost-effectively across many countries.[5]

EY Personal Finance

EY Personal Finance is the financial wellness division of Ernst and Young, with a financial planning practice dating to 1978. EY Personal Finance is a suite of planner-driven, digitally-enabled financial wellness offerings covering financial planning, benefits guidance, and tax compliance, delivered through the EY Navigate platform. Its global reach is enabled by EY member firms operating in more than 150 countries.[6]

EY planners do not sell financial products, offering objective guidance on topics from debt management to retirement planning. The delivery model is more formal and advisor-centric than coaching-centric, reflecting EY’s professional services DNA. EY Personal Finance is best suited for employers with existing EY relationships or those managing high-complexity employee populations with significant tax and financial planning needs alongside a global footprint.

What HR leaders should ask any global provider

The global financial wellness market is still maturing, and many providers overstate their international capabilities. Before selecting a vendor, HR leaders should ask each provider these questions directly:

  • Is your program built for each country, or adapted from a US or UK original?
  • In which specific countries do you have locally credentialed human coaches delivering one-on-one guidance?
  • What languages does your platform support natively, and can you demonstrate content examples in each?
  • How is your program updated when local tax law, retirement rules, or benefit structures change?
  • Can you provide global client references from the specific countries where our employees are located?

These questions will quickly reveal the difference between providers with genuine global infrastructure and those with global presence on paper only.

FAQs:

What financial wellness companies are global?

The providers with verified global reach as of 2026 are Financial Finesse, nudge Global, LearnLux, Enrich, and EY Personal Finance. They differ significantly in delivery model, with some offering human coaching by credentialed professionals and others delivering digital financial education only.

Which global financial wellness provider offers human coaching?

Financial Finesse, LearnLux, and EY Personal Finance all offer access to credentialed human professionals. Financial Finesse provides the most comprehensive coaching model globally, with CFP® professionals or in-country credentialed equivalents delivering unlimited direct coaching as the core of the benefit, not as an optional add-on.

What is the difference between a financial coaching program and a financial education platform globally?

A financial coaching program connects employees with credentialed financial professionals for personalized, one-on-one guidance on their specific financial situation. A digital financial education platform delivers content, courses, and tools employees navigate independently. Coaching programs tend to produce deeper behavior change. Education platforms tend to offer broader reach at lower cost. The strongest global programs combine both.

Is Financial Finesse available outside the United States?

Yes. Financial Finesse extends the company’s US program internationally through a country-by-country platform. Each market’s program is adapted to its specific language, culture, local financial system, and benefit landscape, delivered to the same quality standard as the US program.

Financial Finesse is the leading independent global provider of unbiased financial coaching as an employee benefit, driving measurable improvements in employee financial wellness and proven employer ROI. Employees receive unlimited access to CFP® professionals and AI-powered guidance that expands reach and personalization with trusted human oversight at every step.

[1] https://nudge-global.com/campaigns/financial-wellness-employee-benefit/

[2] https://www.benefitnews.com/news/benefit-managers-prioritize-financial-wellness-offerings

[3] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maxis-gbn-partners-with-learnlux-to-provide-global-financial-wellbeing-support-302665543.html

[4] https://www.global-benefits-vision.com/financial-wellbeing-maxis-gbn-partners-with-learnlux/

[5] https://enrich.org/insights/1389/the-newest-international-employee-benefit-financial-wellness

[6] https://www.ey.com/en_us/services/tax/ey-personal-finance

How Do Employers Measure ROI on Financial Wellness Programs?

May 29, 2026

Employers measure the return on investment of a financial wellness program in two ways: qualitatively, through the human and cultural value the benefit creates, and quantitatively, through measurable reductions in direct costs like absenteeism, healthcare expenses, delayed retirement, turnover, wage garnishments, and underutilization of tax-preferred benefits. Together, these two lenses tell the complete story of what a financial wellness program is worth.

Why measuring ROI matters

Financial wellness programs represent a meaningful employer investment. Benefits leaders who can connect that investment to measurable outcomes are better positioned to justify the budget, expand the program, and demonstrate its value to leadership and finance teams.

The good news is that the data exists. Research consistently shows that financially stressed employees cost employers real money in ways that show up in the numbers that CFOs and CHROs already track. A strong financial wellness program moves those numbers in the right direction.

The qualitative case: why employers say it is simply the right thing to do

Not every return on a benefit shows up in a spreadsheet, and leaders at the world’s top employer brands understand this. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2025 Financial Wellbeing Employer Survey, 95 percent of employer respondents believe their company has a responsibility to ensure employees are financially secure and well. That belief reflects a broader shift in how leading organizations think about their role in employees’ lives.

The qualitative ROI of a financial wellness program includes several dimensions that are harder to quantify but no less real.

Offering financial coaching signals to employees that the company cares about their lives outside of work, not just their productivity inside it. This sense of goodwill builds loyalty that is difficult to manufacture through compensation alone. Employees who feel genuinely supported by their employer are more engaged, more likely to stay, and more likely to serve as advocates for the organization.

Financial wellness benefits also reinforce an employer’s brand as a best place to work. Recognition from organizations like Fortune, Glassdoor, and industry-specific awards increasingly weighs whether employees report low financial stress and feel their employer supports their total wellbeing. A strong financial wellness program contributes directly to the factors those surveys measure.

There is also the matter of purpose. Many HR leaders describe the decision to offer financial coaching with a phrase that resonates beyond cost calculations: it is the right thing to do. Employees bring their whole selves to work. When financial stress consumes a significant portion of their mental energy, the impact spills over into every dimension of their performance and health. An employer who helps reduce that stress is doing something genuinely meaningful.

The quantitative case: where the numbers show up

The financial impact of a well-designed financial wellness program shows up across several measurable cost categories. Research from Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank™, including an independent case study of employees conducted by the Personal Finance Employee Education Foundation (PFEEF), provides clear evidence that employees who participate in financial education programs generate meaningfully better outcomes across each of these dimensions.

Absenteeism and presenteeism

Financial stress is one of the leading drivers of unplanned absences. Employees who are worried about money are more likely to miss work and less productive when they are present, a phenomenon known as presenteeism. In the PFEEF case study, financial education program participants averaged 11 unscheduled absence days compared to 16 days for non-participants. Based on a proprietary predictive model developed by Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank™, moving a workforce’s median financial wellness score from a 4 to a 6 on a 10-point scale could save a 50,000-employee organization more than $4.2 million annually in reduced unplanned absences alone.

Healthcare costs

Financial stress manifests physically. A study of a Fortune 100 healthcare company found that employer healthcare costs for employees who used the company’s financial wellness program actually decreased by 4.5 percent, while costs for non-users increased by 19.4 percent over the same period. That difference translated to a net savings of $271.50 per employee. For a 50,000-employee organization, that is a potential annual healthcare cost reduction of more than $13.5 million.

Delayed retirement

When employees cannot afford to retire, they often stay in the workforce past their intended retirement date. This creates a cascading cost problem for employers: higher compensation costs, reduced mobility for career advancement among younger employees, and challenges with workforce planning. Research from Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank™ found that employees who engaged repeatedly with their employer’s financial wellness program increased their likelihood of being on track for retirement from 34 percent to 47 percent. For a 50,000-employee organization, that 13-point improvement translates to an estimated $6.5 million in annual cost reduction related to delayed retirement.

Employee turnover

Replacing an employee is expensive. Direct replacement costs can range from 50 to 60 percent of an employee’s annual salary, with total costs including lost productivity and retraining ranging from 90 to 200 percent. A financial wellness program that helps employees feel more secure and more valued reduces voluntary turnover. Even a one percent reduction in turnover at a 50,000-employee organization could save more than $1.25 million annually.

Wage garnishments

Wage garnishments create administrative burden and cost for employers. Processing a single garnishment costs an employer an estimated $300 per year. Research from Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank™ found that improving a workforce’s financial wellness score from a 4 to a 6 reduces the likelihood of garnishment from 4.8 percent to 1.8 percent. In one case study, garnishment rates were 5 percent for program participants versus 8 percent for non-participants. For a 50,000-employee organization, the reduction in garnishment processing costs alone can exceed $440,000 annually.

FSA and HSA utilization

Flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts reduce taxable payroll for both employees and employers. When employees do not understand or use these benefits, both parties leave money on the table. Financial wellness coaching increases FSA and HSA participation rates. In the case study, program participants contributed significantly more to both health FSAs and dependent care FSAs than non-participants. Research from Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank™ found that improving financial wellness from a score of 4 to 6 increased average combined FSA and HSA contributions from $905 to $1,137 per employee, generating nearly $900,000 in annual FICA tax savings for a 50,000-employee organization.

The chart below shows how these quantitative savings stack up across employer sizes based on Financial Finesse’s predictive model.

What an independent ROI study found

The PFEEF case study is one of the most rigorous independent analyses of financial wellness program ROI available. Based on data from 8,233 program participants and an equal-sized control group of non-participants, the study calculated a return-on-investment ratio of 5.50 to 1 under conservative assumptions. That means for every dollar invested in the Financial Finesse program, the company received $5.50 in net benefits. Under more optimistic but still realistic assumptions about program impact, the ROI ratios reached 9.76 to 1 and 15.07 to 1.

The study measured outcomes across unscheduled absences, wage garnishments, FSA contributions for both health and dependent care, retirement plan contribution rates, and job performance. Participants outperformed non-participants on every measurable metric.

How to build your own ROI case

HR leaders do not need to wait for a third-party study to make the case for a financial wellness program. A practical ROI analysis can be built using data that most organizations already collect or can reasonably estimate.

Start by establishing a baseline. What is the organization’s current rate of unplanned absences? What are annual healthcare cost trends? What percentage of employees are on track for retirement? What is the voluntary turnover rate and the estimated cost to replace an employee? What percentage of eligible employees are participating in FSA and HSA programs?

Then model the potential improvement. Financial Finesse’s predictive model uses a 10-point financial wellness scale to project the cost impact of incremental improvements in workforce financial wellness. Even modest improvements, moving the median workforce score from a 4 to a 6, generate savings that dwarf the cost of the program itself.

Finally, track outcomes over time. Financial wellness program ROI is best demonstrated through longitudinal measurement, comparing employee cohorts who engage with the program against those who do not, and tracking how behaviors change as employees progress in their financial wellness journey.

FAQs:

What metrics do employers use to measure financial wellness ROI?

The most common quantitative metrics are reductions in unplanned absenteeism, lower healthcare costs, reduced delayed retirement costs, lower turnover, fewer wage garnishments, and increased FSA and HSA utilization. Qualitative measures include employee engagement, employer brand perception, and workforce morale.

What ROI can employers expect from a financial wellness program?

An independent study of a Fortune 500 healthcare company’s Financial Finesse program calculated a return of $5.50 for every $1 invested under conservative assumptions. Financial Finesse’s own predictive model estimates that moving a 50,000-employee workforce’s median financial wellness score from a 4 to a 6 could generate more than $26 million in annual cost savings across six measurable categories.

How long does it take to see ROI from a financial wellness program?

Some benefits, such as increased FSA enrollment and reduced garnishment processing, can appear within the first year. Larger savings categories like healthcare cost trends and delayed retirement impacts typically emerge over a two-to-five year horizon as employee financial wellness improves and behaviors change.

Does financial wellness ROI only apply to large employers?

No. The cost drivers are present at every employer size. While the absolute dollar savings are larger for larger organizations, the return-on-investment ratio, dollars saved per dollar invested, is comparable regardless of workforce size.

Financial Finesse is the leading independent global provider of unbiased financial coaching as an employee benefit, driving measurable improvements in employee financial wellness and proven employer ROI. Employees receive unlimited access to CFP® professionals and AI-powered guidance that expands reach and personalization with trusted human oversight at every step.

2025 Workplace Financial Wellness in America: A Year in Review

April 16, 2026

On the surface, 2025 looked like a step backward. Financial Wellness Scores dipped to 4.72 and the share of employees reporting high or overwhelming stress rose to 26.8%, returning to roughly 2023 levels after a promising one-year recovery. But the headline is incomplete…

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Financial Decisions for Retirees

September 05, 2024

This essay explores the profound implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping the financial landscape for retirees. Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines…

Think Tank Research Best Practices

June 03, 2024

In our Workplace Financial Wellness in America report, we saw a substantial increase in the percentage of workers
who said they were experiencing high or overwhelming levels of financial stress…

Workplace Financial Wellness in America: A Year in Review

May 31, 2024

Abstract:

Looking back, 2023 was a year of two opposing stories—and two different economies. For investors, stock market gains helped propel savings balances to levels not seen for several years. By contrast, financially vulnerable workers continued to feel the economic pressure of persistent inflation and higher federal interest rates. These factors have a tremendous impact on financial resilience and retirement preparedness, as well as financial stress levels. Given the strong relationship between financial stress and job satisfaction, mental and physical health, and productivity, the argument for offering financial coaching that helps American workers improve in these areas remains clear.

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Financial Wellness or Cash Flow Band-Aid?

June 26, 2023

Abstract:

This white paper explores the impact upon the overall financial wellness of workers when using various financial point solution benefit programs such as earned and early wage access (EWA), buy-now-pay-later (BNPL), and small dollar employer loan programs. It also explores the pros and cons of point solutions and potential positive or negative effects on employees’ overall financial well-being. Analysis and discussion include whether point solutions provide a meaningful “financial wellness” benefit as often touted, or if these limited benefits are more of a short-term fix approach to serious financial challenges faced by workers: pervasive consumer debt, low wages, and cashflow mismanagement. The paper concludes with a comparison of point solution outcomes versus a holistic financial coaching and wellness approach.

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2022 Workplace Financial Wellness in America: A Year in Review

May 23, 2023

Abstract:

The state of financial wellness of the U.S. workforce fell in 2022 as high inflation and economic uncertainty raised employee financial stress to levels not seen since the Great Recession. The rise in financial stress has contributed to declines in overall wellbeing as self-reported mental and physical health have fallen to their lowest points in two decades. Employees that engaged in their financial coaching benefit made substantial improvements in financial behavior; those that engaged with a live financial coach fared even better than those that engaged exclusively with a virtual financial coach. Working with employee resource groups (ERG) to deploy financial coaching benefits tailored to minority experiences has proven to be effective at increasing employee engagement and improving financial outcomes.

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Race and Financial Stress Special Report

October 25, 2022

Executive Summary:

The racial wealth gap in America has garnered much attention as part of the fight against social injustice. It is highly encouraging to see many of our partners that have not only publicly pledged their support in this fight, but are actively searching for ways to make tangible headway within their organization. Many are leaning on their financial wellness benefits to do just that, as they understand that improving the financial wellness of their most vulnerable employees will, over time, drive results in this quest for financial equity amongst the races.

In this special report, we’ll explore:

  • The current racial disparities in financial wellness
  • What role income plays in these disparities
  • How financial wellness is successfully driving improvements to narrow the gap
  • Ideas on how to improve financial wellness disparities within your organization

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2021 Financial Wellness Year in Review: A Q&A with Financial Finesse founder and CEO, Liz Davidson

June 20, 2022

Abstract:

This Q&A is designed to provide quotable commentary on Financial Finesse’s 2021 Financial Wellness Year in Review.

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2021 Financial Wellness Year in Review

June 20, 2022

Abstract:

Workplace stress has risen steadily for over a decade, and with the help of a global pandemic has reached a tipping point in 2021. Workers are increasingly expecting more support from their employers, and they are willing to change jobs to get it. To compete for talent, employers must shift their approach to benefit design and corporate culture to accommodate the new workforce. This report examines the divergence in financial wellness priorities that is signaling a shift in the employer-employee relationship and offers guidance for how employers can handle this workplace revolution.

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2020 Financial Wellness Year in Review

May 25, 2021

Abstract:

The state of financial wellness of the U.S. workforce improved in 2020 despite the economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The greatest improvement occurred in the areas of cash flow, debt management, and homebuying. Employees that maintained a handle on cash flow and an emergency fund prior to 2020 fared best during the pandemic, leading many employers to add financial resiliency to their list of key focus areas in 2021. As concern for racial financial equity and equality grows, we expect to see more emphasis on diversity and inclusion (D&I) in workplace financial wellness initiatives in the coming years.

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COVID-19 Special Report: The Impact of a New Normal

May 13, 2020

At the time of this report, America is battling the COVID-19 global pandemic. In response to social and economic pressure, many employers have adjusted the way they do business, including implementing social-distancing protocols, work-from-home arrangements, and in some cases workforce reductions. Virtually all employees, to one degree or another, are experiencing adverse effects to their financial health. These effects are often hardest felt by those that are least prepared to handle them.

Although there is a tendency to look at the workforce as a single unit, employers increasingly need to segment their workforces from a financial wellness perspective because of the disparity in financial stress and behavior that exists among coworkers. In our 2016 ROI Special Report, we introduced a method of segmenting the workforce into five levels of financial health based on employees’ financial wellness scores: Suffering, Struggling, Stabilizing, Sustaining, and Secure. This report includes more detail on each segment.